Sandy's Corner: Living this Life.

Why is it that we take life for granted until we have a near-death experiance? Most of us go through life just trying to make it through another day. In the past, I had no idea what life was supposed to look like. Sixty-five years later I finally understand my purpose and lifes meaning. Some people, most peaople that is, are to filled with the fear of living their life that their potential and purpose are never met. Life is all about constant change, something far to scary for us to both accept. The change we must make is within ourselves not in our friends and loved ones. We have to do this for ourselves because no one else can do it for us. Friends, loved ones, therapist, doctors, or anyone else on earth can't make changes needed for you to have a healthy and happy life. You must do this for yourself.

What is it to truly live life? In a perfect world, having no daemons means no ugly, traumatic, or painful memories. Many strive to obtain the garden of Eadon here on earth—the makings of a Walt Disney movie. Not obtainable yet we should all strive for a better world and a better life for ourselves. To me, the first tool needed to bring about personal change is complete and total honesty with our thoughts, words, and actions. With that honesty comes acceptance of our responsibilities. You are responsible for your thoughts, behavior, and decision-making. It can be hard to fathom however, we have all power over our choices. Sometimes those choices may be awfully hard to make, yet nonetheless making any choices is up to us. In my opinion, this world is such a mess because it is far too easy to blame others for our pain. To make personal change we must be able to see and understand our negative thinking and behaviour. This takes honesty and humility. The next step on our road to living is to educate ourselves. We must understand our disorder/s and know why we have behaved the way we do and what it takes to make the change. I suggest you read everything you can about not only your disorder but the behavior that generally goes hand in hand with a disorder. If you get information from the internet, make sure the site is reputable and easy to read and comprehend. Your therapist, counselor, or doctor can help by suggesting books, articles, and videos to use. This site will also offer great sites to go to that can help you in this journey. I'd like to take a moment here and suggest a great place to get (good) used books. www.thriftbook.com is one great place to go if you can't get them from a library. www.amazon.com is a great place to get new books and audiobooks (a great deal). YouTube is a great site to watch videos on any kind of mental illness. I have a list of doctors and therapists that I like to use. They are clear and easily understood from beginners to professionals. TED Talks is another great site to watch lectures on mental illness and human behavior, and get inspiration.

Gathering coping skills is like gathering the right tools to do a job. The right tools will help you make change. Unfortunately, we have not been given the tools to control life and make change so you have to learn them and more importantly you have to practice using them. Life and the art of living is not an easy journey. It was not meant to be. Life is about breathing, eating, and staying healthy. Living is about internal growth, loving others, experiences, and becoming the best person you can be. Truly living this life takes courage, strength, and determination. Above all living requires hope, faith, and charity. Are you simply living or truly living the life you want to live?