Tag Archives: Calm

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City
  • Read
  • Art (Paint by number and color)
  • Spend time cuddling with my cat, Billie

Monday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Work
  • Read
  • Art (paint by number)
  • Spend time cuddling with my cat, Billie

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Work
  • Read
  • Art (color)
  • Spend time cuddling my cat, Billie

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Work
  • Read
  • Art (paint by number)
  • Spend time cuddling my cat Billie

Thursday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Work
  • Read
  • Art (color)
  • Spend time cuddling with my cat, Billie

Friday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Work
  • Read
  • Art (Paint by number)
  • Spend time cuddling with my cat, Billie

Saturday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Clean apartment
  • Read
  • Art (Paint by number and color)
  • Spend time cuddling with my cat, Billie
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A Mindfulness Type of Post

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! Or maybe I should say Happy Friday Eve!!! Either way, I am greeting everyone with a smile despite being somewhat anxious. Not sure why, I am anxious and I am okay with that. I am okay with that because of doing mindfulness and meditation.

I started doing the “Daily Calm” on the “Calm” app once again. At one point in time I did the “Daily Calm” over one hundred days in a row. I am hoping that I can get back into the habit of doing it again like I did before because it helped me be in a better headspace.

Not only does the “Daily Calm” put me in a better headspace, my cat does it as well. My cat, Billie Dean has helped me a great deal to be in a better headspace. Billie has also helped me do mindfulness especially when he is on my lap. I am so grateful for my cat.

I don’t have much else to say in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. If it wasn’t for you the reader, reading my blog I would not be writing my blog. Once again, thank you from the bottom of heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Ready to go to Bed & It’s Not Even 6:00pm

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World. According my clock on the wall in my living room, it is 5:30pm here in Seattle and I am tired as hell. I am so ready for bed. Hell, I might even go to bed early which means, I most likely will go to bed after I finish writing (and posting) this particular blog post. I’m not sure why I am so tired but I know why I have been so relaxed and calm today especially this afternoon and evening.

I took a mental health day off from work today due to some light burnout. On that note, I have been home all day doing self care acts knowing it will help with my slight burnout. I started out the day by using the calm app to do some mindfulness meditation. I also did a couple other mindfulness meditation practice they have. On top of that I was able to do some check ins with the calm app and see how helpful it was and is to me.

Another thing that helped me get relaxed and calm is my cat Billie Dean. Billie appears to know when I need extra cuddling time to get myself calm. On that note I was able to do some mindfulness meditation with Billie, my cat laying on my lap for two and half hours.

Despite the lack of sleep last night I really think doing mindfulness meditation helped me become more sleepy. That is why I am considering that my bedtime for today will be about six o’clock in the evening here in Seattle.

Since I don’t have much more to say except goodnight and thank you for reading my blog. If it weren’t for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Goodnight and Peace Out World!!!

Dealing With Uncomfortable Emotions

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! Right now I am dealing with some uncomfortable emotions. Emotions most people, including myself, don’t want to deal with. I am dealing with anger, anxiety and depression which sucks but at least I know how to deal with these unwanted emotions. They may not go away as quickly as I would like but at least I know how to deal with these undesired emotions.

I have pretty much been doing some form of mindfulness and/or meditation practice most of today. I started out the day like I normally do by doing a mindfulness meditation from the Calm App which is quite helpful for me. Other ways I have been practicing mindfulness and meditation is by reading magazines that focus on mindfulness and/or meditation. I have also been journaling about what I am learning regarding mindfulness and meditation. Something else I have been doing is working on a workbook that’s main focus is mindfulness.

Something that I have realized through all this mindfulness and mediation practice is how much my cat, Billie Dean, helps me with mindfulness. In fact I realized this the first day I brought him home when I adopted him. Billie has many ways and behaviors he does to help me with realizing I need to slow down and be in the current moment. Billie has been quite helpful to me with this.

I do not have much more to say in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you read my blog. If it wasn’t for you the reader, I wouldn’t be continuing to blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. I hope everyone has a great evening ahead of you. Peace Out, World!!!

Lack of Sleep = Self Care Time with Billie the Kat plus Mindfulness & Meditation

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It’s before the butt crack of dawn in Seattle and I am wide awake for some reason. I suspect my cat, Billie Dean woke me before a major PTSD moment while asleep. He does this a lot and I am learning to wake myself up because of what my cat Billie does. So, I guess I am learning new skill due to my beloved cat, Billie. I love my cat so much and am grateful that he is in my life.

Now it is on to some self care time with mindfulness and meditation. First and fore most Billie is a great way to start mindfulness with after a PTSD moment. Then it is to do a ten minute app from the Calm App to help ground myself even more so I can focus on reading one of the magazines focused on mindfulness and meditation with some journaling . In fact a fellow Peer Specialist/Counseling informed me of the Calm App. I was hesitant at first and now I swear by it as it is so helpful for me. So, from the looks of it, I will be starting my day at the butt crack of dawn doing mindfulness and meditation by ways of my cat, the Calm App and some mindfulness and meditation magazines with journaling involved.

I don’t have much more to say except thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you read my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog especially at the butt crack of dawn. Or at least it is the butt crack of dawn here in Seattle. I know it is Tuesday and I hope everyone’s work week goes well. Please take a moment to do a mindfulness exercise even if it is only for thirty seconds. Peace Out, World!!!

Happy Monday

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! I will be heading out to my volunteer job at PAWS Cat City within the next forty minutes. I love being able to volunteer my time with helping PAWS. I enjoy doing whatever is needed for me to do including the deep cleaning. I do have to say the best part of volunteering at PAWS Cat City is when the cats get adopted to their furrever home.

Speaking of cats, my cat Billie, loves doing mindfulness and meditation practices with me. Every time I do a mindfulness exercise on The Calm App, Billie gets in my lap as I do the exercise. It appears that the he does the practice with me. I love the fact that my cat, Billie, does the mindfulness practice with me through The Calm App. Doing a mindfulness and/or meditation practice helps me a great deal and is one of the best ways for me to start my day.

On a not so good not is that the air quality here in Seattle is considered hazardous. It is considered hazardous due to the wild fires around Washington as well as the rest of the west coast. Seattle isn’t the only place with hazardous air quality. California and Oregon are dealing with worse air quality that Washington is.

I do not have much more to say. I do want to thank you all for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you read my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. I hope everyone has a great Monday. I also hope everyone has an awesome work week ahead of you. Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses (or coffee). What I mean is don’t forget to take the time to just breathe. Peace Out, World!!!

Blogging in Pain While Being Mindful

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! I sit here typing primarily with one hand and it is quite challenging. Long story short last Friday, (November 8th), I injured my hand and wrist. I tripped over my poor cat, Lil Gertie. Thankfully, my cat, Lil Gertie, is just fine and being her usual self. Sadly, I am the one who got injured but am beyond grateful that Lil Gertie was not injured. Like I mentioned at the beginning I injured my wrist and hand. I went to the Emergency Room (ER) and got it x-rayed and unfortunately it was too swollen to notice any type of broken bone or fracture. Both the resident and attending believe I could have some form of fracture which is why they put my wrist a supportive type thing I can take on and off but want me to keep it on till I am able to get it re-x-rayed which is going to happen this Friday (November 15th). If it is fractured I will get a cast if not I will continue wearing what I have and go to physical therapy. They put me on some pretty powerful pain meds. I am not taking them as often as my doctor would like because I fear of getting addicted but my doctor is grateful that I am taking them with the help of other things. For instance I am also taking over the counter (otc) meds like Tylenol and Ibuprofen as well as icing my wrist and doing some mindfulness and mediation. I may be in a pain but at least I am able to get through it.

As I mentioned one of the ways I am helping with the pain is doing some mindfulness and meditation. I am primarily using the Calm App to do this. I have found that the Calm App to be quite helpful. The primary narrator is Tamara Levitt. She has en extremely calming voice.  The Calm App is a free app and you can also subscribe to it annually to receive more mindfulness techniques which is something I have done. I really enjoy doing mindfulness meditation now. I have found it quite helpful for my recovery with my mental health challenges as well as with my health. Yes, it is sometimes challenging to take time out of your day to do mindfulness and/or meditation but it helps start the day off right as well as to end the day off right. I schedule to do it twice a day and try to make an effort to do it more than twice daily.

Something else I have been doing lately beside mindfulness meditation is art. The type of art I have specifically been doing is painting. I have been painting some abstracts that are looking pretty cool. It is something I can do with my good hand and wrist. Painting and other type of art help me a great deal with letting out emotions I am unable to speak which is essence helps me with my recovery.

I don’t have much else to say and am in physical pain so I will end this post. I hope everyone has a good rest of your day. Thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope everyone has a great rest of their day. In fact I hope everyone has a great rest of their week. Peace Out, World!!!

Thursday Night Ramblings

Posted on by Gertie

Hello, World!!! It is eleven o’clock at night in my corner of the world. I have attempted to go to sleep yet I am unable to do so. I am hoping that I can get to sleep tonight as I took a nap earlier today because I was unable to sleep last night.

I have been using the Calm app to help me with my sleep. I find that it does help me get some great rest if I’m unable to sleep. Mindfulness and meditation helps me sleep as well as relax because it gets me to be in the present moment.

Being in present moment is always a good thing as it means I am in the here and now. Being in the here and now means I am able to enjoy the moment even if it is a negative moment. It is my goal to enjoy each moment as it comes even if it is a not so good moment.

Thank you for reading. Peace Out, World!!!

Experiences Have A Beginning & An End

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! I’m feeling slightly calmer than I was an hour or two of ago. That is because I used the Calm app and did a few pages in my mindfulness workbook. It appears that todays topic in both avenues of my mindfulness was experiences have a beginning and an end. Mainly talking about letting go of emotions. Both the app and the workbook was discussing on how to let go of emotions and they don’t last forever. Even the good emotions.

This is helping me come to terms with both the negative and positive emotions that a coming up for me in my life. Such as my grandma being in hospice and me having job interviews. I’m hoping that with continued mindfulness and meditation practice that I will just be able to let go of emotions or at least be accepting of them.

Thank you for reading. Have a wonderful evening and Peace Out World!!!

Friday Evening Ramblings

Posted on by Gertie

Happy Friday, World!!! Overall, today has been a good day. I have had some difficult moments today but who doesn’t from time to time.

Despite having difficult moments today, I made the best of the day. First and fore most I briefly saw my case manager for about fifteen minutes. She wanted to “check-in” with me since I’ve been out of the hospital for a full week now. She gave me some homework. Something I already am doing for the most part however she added something to it. My case manager wants me to do my mindfulness/meditation practice twice a day instead of once a day everyday till I see her again for our regularly scheduled appointment on the 29th of this month. On top of that she would like me to write how I am feeling before and after doing the Calm app which I do for my daily mindfulness. In all honesty, I’m glad she is having me do this. Hopefully, it will help me keep track on how helpful it is for me and how it is helping my mental health symptoms improve.

Something else that has helped me today is that I went to DBT group. I found out this past week that I am finally accepting a skill I highly disliked for the longest time which it being mindful of current thoughts. I actually like doing this skill now especially if I use nature imagery along with it. I was also able to help teach this particular skill in group today.

After I got home, I decided to do some art work. I started of collaging one of the paintings I had finished. I collaged with words and those words created a poem. After finishing up the poem, I then started on another painting.

Now, that I’m done with my art as well as fed, I am blogging. As I sit here blogging, I am figuring out what I’m going to do next. I think I’m going to do my workbook on Queer & Trans resiliency. I’m actually enjoying it even though its quite challenging for me to do at the moment. Anything to help with my recovery and me to accept my gender identity.

Before I go and do my workbook, I want to thank you for reading. I really appreciate you all reading and/or following my blog. Have a great day. Happy Weekend, World!!!