One Week Soul Challenge

Positively Positive

One Week Soul Challenge

Dedicate two minutes every morning

this week just to sit.

Close your eyes and breathe.

Breathe deeply in and breathe deeply out.

 Ask yourself how you are feeling,

 listen and be there for yourself for that moment.

Love yourself up.

Imagine white light showering your body

 and insides with love and peace.

Breathe in that white light and exhale it.

Do it while you’re in the shower or while you pee or poop.

I don’t care. Just do it. I challenge you.

So get on it.

Read more on the One Week Soul Challenge...

Christine Gutierrez @ Positively Positive

I am on it!
This will be great for my mental health 
and for my self-worth.
Go Me!!!!

I did it! Another Challenge Under My Belt!

 

Well I completed another blog challenge.

That is now a total of three this year.

I am impressed, aren't you?

 

This will be a short post.

Today is my birthday.

I feel like going to bed early.

Not really depressed

just exhausted as usual.

Damn sleep apnea!

I have got to do something about it.

 

Well, that is all folks.

Stay tuned until tomorrow!

I love you guys!

 

Grateful

   Tomorrow I turn 43.  

Sounds old, doesn't it?

It may, but I am still young inside

and wild at heart.
Some say I even look like 
I am still in my thirties!
Go me!
Thank you very much.

With a new birthday year upon me 
and with the troubled year 
2013 has been for me, 
I feel like maybe 
I should dig deep
 and find 43 things 
I have been grateful for.

This is the biggest 
challenge yet for me.
Depression makes you 
forget the good in life.
Sometimes all I see is the 
dark side of life.

So here I go:

1.  To be alive
2.  Being able to love despite 
being broken hearted
3.  Not being bitter with love
4.  My daughter
5.  My parents
6.  Knowing that my parents
did everything they could 
for us growing up
7.  I can read and write
8.  I chose to blog
9.  Being able to become a mother
10.  Having an Associate Degree
11. Beauty I find in each day
12.  Hope
13.  Facebook: for keeping me company
many a Saturday night
14.  Roses
15.  The color pink
16.  Being able to dye my hair
17.  Learning love from strangers
18.  Kindness of others
19.  Having clothes on my back
20.  Music
21.  Daydreams
22.  Peace Signs
23.  Pretty things
24.  Clever words
25.  Thesaurus
26.  Soft blankets
27.  Cymbalta
28.  Margaritas
29.  Knowing when to say when
30. Good food
31.  Chocolate
32.  Peanut butter fudge I got from 
my mom today for my birthday
33.  Shelley for taking me to work everyday
34. To be stronger than I have ever imagined
35.  Waffles the pig for 
teaching love of an animal
36.  For all the support and comments
I receive from other bloggers
37.  Having a job
38.  A roof over my head even 
though it isn't ideal
39.  Free food once a month
40.  To be free 
41.  To be older and finally wiser
42.  Having a heart that is open 
and ready to be loved.
43. Live another day no 
matter how rough it is.

Oh my goodness!  I did it!
I actually thought of 43 
things to be grateful for.
I just wrote whatever came 
to my mind and I could
have definitely wrote
so many more grateful things.
But it was so hard to not want to write
all the negative thoughts down that
came across my mind first.
My head kind of aches now.

Ha! This was such a great exercise for me.
Who knew that I, Jamie, 
could actually be positive.
Hey, at least the best I knew how!

                   

Old fashioned, me? Who knew!

Being lonely truly sucks but should 

I be looking for love right now?

My living situation sucks 

(still living with my ex).

I still have no car.

I am still reeling from this 

last depressive episode.

But I guess whether my 
life sucks or not, there

is no time like the

present to start searching 
for love again besides
I have a feeling it might take
a while in this day and age.

So here I am looking for love

in all the wrong places.

Places, like online dating sites,

where all a man wants to

do is talk about sex and

send me explicit pictures

of their sex organs.

Ugghhh! All I can do is 

shake my head and 

laugh out loud 

at how stupid some 

men can be.

Don't get me wrong, 

I like sex too but come

on guys, how hard is it to get

to know someone before

you ask them if they like to do

certain sex acts and to ask to see 

pictures of my breasts?
And no I am not here on this
Earth today to fulfill your 
sexual needs; there is
porn for that.

I most be old fashioned.

I have always been an

open-minded woman, 

but it seems traditional

love is too difficult

to obtain now days.

What does traditional 

mean to me, you wonder.

Well you know when you

meet someone and you talk

for hours getting to know

 one another, then meet for

dinner or for a drink to 

find out if there is any

kind of chemistry 

between one another. 

Maybe I am just a hopeless 

romantic, but I am beginning 

to wonder if the love I want and 

deserve is ever going to find me.
Does it even exist anymore?
Well, I am not a quitter so
I won't give up looking for love.
I just want to know what 
love is before I die.
Time is ticking.

I maybe right afterall; love may take a while 
to find but I am not going to settle.
So I guess I will crawl back on my couch
(my ex pays rent so I get the couch) 
and call it a day.

Tomorrow is another day.
Another day to put myself out there.
I am ready to give and receive love.
That is all I can do for now.
Patience will not come easily 
but hope will be there for me 
in the long run.

Wish me luck in love, the dating pool
seems to be getting more stupid by the day.   

Keeping my emotions in check

Can I, me Jamie, really learn to 

control my emotions?

I think my next endeavor may 

be to do just that.

I know my mind, my life, and most

certainly my blog posts are

all over the place but I really

don;t know how to be other

than randomly chaotic.

Irrational thoughts and 

actions need to no longer

 be a part of my life anymore.

Chaos must gather its' things

 and move on down the road.

Inner peace must prevail.

It is not only good for my

general well being but to

aid in the treatment and 

control of my depression; 

as well as maybe lead to 

less chaos in my writing.

You want to know how 

I am going to do this?

I am going to commit to using

affirmations on a daily basis.

I said commit and that is very hard

for me to do except when I 

do blog challenges, at least

the ones where I finish. HA!

They have gotten me prepared

for the real blog challenge 

that is about to begin. 

Like the challenge I am just now 

declaring for myself.

Challenge Accepted!

Wish me luck. 

Doubt just popped in my head.

(But I told it to go away)

Here are just a few affirmations 

to get me started:

(I will start out with future tense

and work my way to present tense)

These can be found at Free Affirmations

I will remain calm.

I will control my emotions.

I am transforming into someone

who is naturally calm and collected.

I will deal with my emotions in positive fashion.

I am beginning to think logically,

even in stressful situations.

**Read More**

**Thanks to Free Affirmation.org for being my

guiding light to make me strong yet calm and rational.

Poof!  Chaos, stress, and sensitivity be gone!

-

Wild about words

I am wild about words.

I love finding new fonts.

I love a thesaurus.

As long as I can remember,

I always wanted to be a writer,

believer, lover, dreamer, 

to be braver, and to inspire others.  

Writing is my way of making everything

I have longed for come alive.

By writing I make a difference,

a difference in me.

I always desired to share my 

thoughts and feelings

with others in order to be 

understood, to be able to express

myself, to be heard, to help, and

to let the real me out for the world to see.

I love that I am finally at one with 

myself and my words.

I love writing and 

writing loves me.

I may never write a book.

I am not a poet, 

or a fiction writer.

I am just passionately 

curious about writing.

I owe it all to my sensitivity, 

perseverance, and the 

ultimate soul searching that has 

come from  depression and 

all it taught me. 

QUOTES

“I make writing as much a part of my life as
I do eating or listening to music.”
---Maya Angelou

"I write only because there is a voice 
within me that will not be still."
----Sylvia Plath

"I write to find out what I didn't know I knew."
---Robert Frost

"The role of the writer is not to say what we all can say, but 
what we are unable to say."

---Anais Anin

  

Copyright and Blogging, WTH?!?

Copyright and blogging is confusing as hell.

Am I right?

Can someone please use simpler, easy to understand

explanations of the law, especially the "breaking it"part?

Is that too much to ask??

Everything I thought I knew 

(and very little, just the basics)

about copyrights and infringements 

was apparently and unintentionally all wrong.

Okay, maybe it is just me, maybe ignorance is bliss, but not after 
you unintentionally commit copyright infringement.

This happened to me last night on my other blog.

I promised myself and the person I wronged 

that I would not write another post until I researched

and gained more knowledge on the laws of blogging

and copyright so I can save myself the future 

embarrassment and maybe jail time.

I think I can honestly say that what I did was 

by no means to intentionally break any laws.

I do know that ignorance and lack of knowledge

is no excuse for what I did.  

Back in my mind, maybe I knew I wasn't supposed to 

copy someones post and put it on my blog.

But, in my defense, I credited the author three times on

the post and never once played it off like it was mine.

I gave credit where credit was due.

Don't get me wrong, I understand how 

important copyright is and that it is definitely 

something that needs to be in place, but I am only human

and humans make dumb mistakes even unknowingly.

Luckily, the author, as freaked out as she was, said please 

when asking me to take down the post.

So of course I immediately took it down when I got the 

email before 8:00am Eastern Time.  

Now, here is what I thought I knew:
**Always give credit where credit is due
**Always link posts and articles back to author and site
  **Always let the author know that their post,
article, informational stuff, etc. was used by sending 
them a link to my post and thanking them
**Never use anyone's personal family/friends 
photos on my blog because, well, 
they are personal and private.
**Use a disclaimer that states that I do not 
own the pictures I am just sharing them but always
cite the source, site, and owner if known. 

While all that above may not be in compliance 
with the copyright laws as i know them now,
 it is what I thought to be true to the 
best of my knowledge before last night.

What I know now:
**Assume Nothing!
**Each person can set their own rules on
 copyright according to their needs as they see fit.
**Seek out and find if a blog has a copyright policy
and abide by it before embarking on "sharing"
**All pictures are owned by someone, somewhere.  
Must credit and provide source on all pictures. 
Or you assume that you are breaking the law
 and someone can sue you for using their pictures. 

Now be aware that everything I said about pictures 

means that liability is still an issue. Copyright
 is violated if you have never gotten permission 
from the owner to use them regardless 

if you cited the name, site, and source of picture. 

This goes for creative commons, public domains, and so on.

**According to Copyright.gov, fair use "The distinction between 
what is fair use and what is infringement in a particular case will 
not always be clear or easily defined. There is no specific 
number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken 
without permission. Acknowledging the source of the 
copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission."

**Only use snippets or excerpts from another author's work.

Do not duplicate (or copy and paste like I did) someone's 

full post, article, information piece, etc. 

Always share the link back to their post 

and credit them on your posts.

**Assume something is copyrighted until proven otherwise

Okay, how's all this sound?
Am I close to understanding copyrights?

I promise to never make the mistake again that I made last night.

Blogger and Author Roni Loren's
wants to tell everyone what happened to her when 
she randomly copied a picture from the Internet 
and posted it on her blog.


Bloggers Beware: You CAN Get Sued For 

Using Pics on Your Blog - My Story

Seinfeld, the post about nothing!

Well for once in my life, I am at a loss for words.

I have no idea what to blog about.

I don't want to repeat myself or re-post 

something I have already written.

I don't want to bore anyone or myself for that matter.

I feel like Seinfeld.  I am just going to write for the

next half and hour (length of an episode) about absolutely nothing.

So, I guess I will be known as the blogger 

who blogged about nothing.

Hopefully, I will turn into a hit like Seinfeld after this post, 

doubtful, but still hopeful for the best.

Nothing has changed yet so much is different.

Now that the dark cloud that has been hanging over

me for the past few months has lifted, I need to get down

and dirty and sharpen my writing/blogging skills.  

I want to succeed at something.

Especially to be good at something I like.

Besides it keeps my life interesting.

Back to life, back to reality! 

I need to get my life back on track.

by learning to keep my mind, 
body, and soul in balance.

So please send all the good vibes you can my way.

I have neglected myself terribly.

There needs to be more love, positivity, and joy

in my life because caring for 
myself is not selfish; it is necessary.

I will find more peace in my days.

Toxic and negative people are not welcome here!

I welcome all the love, light, and peace I can get.

Make love not war, my friends.

(yada, yada, yada)

The Science of Mental Illness

 

I just got this cool infographic from a new

friend of mine, Aldo Baker. 

I thought I would help him promote this

infographic that he designed today.
I don't know who is doing a favor for who, but it is
a win-win situation!

It has lots of great information
and statistics (of course).
Some things even I didn't know.
But that isn't saying a lot!!
(Really though, I have never
been a know-it-all).

Anyway!!!

 

 Enjoy!
(Thanks Aldo for sharing!)



Self-Love

"I am strong; I am weak. I am flawed; I am broken. I am

vulnerable. I am human. And despite these flaws, I give myself 

permission to love myself unconditionally.  I am a growing,

 evolving being, who uses past mistakes as a fuel for my 

journey of growth. I accept myself as I am, and I set an 

intention to become the person I want to be."

                 ~~Melanie Greenberg, Ph.D~~

I am beginning to feel that it is okay

to be full of flaws and imperfections.

I am starting to think that I am okay with the way that I look.

I am beautiful just the way I am.

Yes, I suffer from depression, yes, it is a part of me

but I am now accepting of it yet, I will not let it devour me.

  

I am moving forward; no longer looking back.

I am officially back on track, full of love and self-acceptance.

I love myself just as I am.

The unconditional love I give myself will come back to me.

I will love others as I love myself.

I am open to receive love and ready to feel loved.

I am in the process of changing the way I feel inside.

But I will always be a work in progress.

Meditation, Who Me?!?

 

 

;

This is the last day for the
Blog-a-Day Blog Challenge.
I might shed a tear.

Anyway!
 
Confession Time:  There is something I have
always wanted to do.
 
I want to learn to meditate. 
 I want to be able to experience
inner peace without
falling asleep, of course.
I need to do this.  Why?
Because it is good for my health.
I believe that the benefits of meditation
 will greatly impact my life in a good way.
I have got to stop stressing out. 
I constantly worry about the little things. 
I let everything bother me.
I just need to chill out and relax for a bit.

 
Luckily, I just came across a very quick article on meditation from P & G Everyday. 
I thought I would share it with you.
Come on, you know you want to meditate too!


 How to Meditate

Learn how to meditate, relax and create

 a calming escape from your day with these tips.

 

Sometimes, stress can make us feel so overloaded that you’re barely keeping your head above water. Before you go splurging any money at a spa or a mini-vacation, try meditation — it just could be the little break you need. Learning to meditate is supposed to be one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself in life. Here is how to get started.

What is Meditation?When you think of meditation, you picture someone in the lotus position, index finger to thumb, chanting. While that’s one way of meditating, there are so many others. There’s a walking meditation, for instance, that’s tricky to define, but the common thread is a practice of focused attention on a regular basis.

What’s the Point?There are probably as many motivations for meditating as there are ways of practicing it.
Everyone thinks that the purpose of meditation is to handle stress, to tune out. But the point is actually to tune in — not just to de-stress, but also to find peace.

Let’s Do It!Sit quietly with your eyes closed. Put your attention on the tip of your nose. Breathe in and out normally, and feel the air flowing through your nostrils. Think of your breath as a faint cloud of golden light. Feel the soft energy being carried by your breath. Let it relax you, but don’t force it. The process will take care of itself!

Get your timing rightThe benefits are most evident with regular practice: Find a slot in your day you can commit to, when you can set aside about 30 minutes without noise or interruption. For most of us, that’s first thing in the morning or in the evening, but it could be your lunch hour.

Sit ComfortablyCross your legs, kneel, put them straight in front of you – whatever suits you. Sitting on a cushion might help. No slouching on the couch, though! It’s important that your back is straight. Regularity and keeping a straight back are the crucial factors.
Once you let go of the fear of looking silly and give it a try, you could find that it was the perfect break to your day that you needed. Who knows — it might even be better than a massage!

Now, how simple was that?
I don't know about doing it for the whole 30 minutes, but I will shoot for
15 and work my way up to 30 minutes
(if I have the time).
Yes, I know I am already making excuses.

I do promise all of you that I will take
time out, maybe not everyday, but 
when I can to spend a little me time
Ahhh! Meditation just might
be for me after all!

Thanks to P &G Everyday for this quick read!


Randomly, positively, and honestly

Looks like I am still in the challenges!

Go Me! 

I will not let depression stop me now!

The Blog-a-Day Challenge ends tomorrow.

The Ultimate Blog Challenge goes all the way to the end of July

(the 31st is my 43rd birthday--Am I really getting old???)

Let's begin, shall we!?!

Are you ready for another random blog installment 

coming directly to you from me?

Okay, I am feeling daring so I am going

 to air some of my dirty habits

 (dirty laundry isn't one of them).

I am a collector, no matter what my daughter says.

I am in no way a hoarder and no I don't have trash 

just randomly laying around, but maybe, 

occasionally I may have excess amounts of paper in plain view 

(and in a small, compact, 2-drawer filing cabinet, 

besides you never know when I might need something), 

lots of unread magazines (I swear I will read them), 

and numerous knickknacks (in dire need of dusting).

Okay, I admit I am in great need of some serious organizational skills, 

a lot of major de-cluttering ideas, and excessive

 amounts of general tips to simplify my life.

Now that I have admitted my problems, and have addressed my 

depression issues, I am ready to make some serious changes.

The darkness has lifted.

My old friend has left for now.

The light in my life has returned.

I will change what I can and accept what I cannot.

I will not dwell, worry, or stress out on the the things I cannot change.

I am open to all goodness that is headed my way.

The good I do in my life and for others

 will come back to me generously and I am ready for 

the goodness, greatness, and love that will succumb me.

Did I mention I am ready, ready for change?  

I am looking forward to the remaining half of 2013 to

be the best yet. 

Oh yes, I rejoice, the darkness has lifted.

Once again I am victorious.  

I won this last battle against the darkness.

I am strong enough again to live this life I was given. 

Stay tuned, I am back on track to being happy and:

I will never give up

Yes, I am!  

I feel like I am slowly getting back on track.
It's is a feeling that is hard to define but
all I know is that the chaos in mind
is beginning to slow down to a
calmer, less dark place.
I have chosen to fight.
I know that I will win the 
battle and be victorious again.

It is always a fight, me against my depression.

But I know in my heart that I am not a quitter.

Now, I may be a procrastinator, 

somewhat lazy, even scared but 

I will not give up.

I am worth it!

Life is a beautiful struggle.