I've been out surfing and, learned something today

We were in the cruise-out-from-the-day zone last night when my son called. He made it back to the Island after the four-day Thanksgiving visit, and had just gotten out of the water...warm, Pacific Ocean water...stand-up surf boarding off of Kaimana Beach. In an instant I went from watching old Hercule Peirot mysteries to being in the warm salty water of the Pacific. This morning I've been surfing visiting sites and blogs and found a story and link from Miss Molly who blogs over at I LEARNED SOMETHING TODAY.


Today is Tuesday, and on many Tuesdays (including this one) since we have lived in Washington I have an appointment with Chulan Chiong my NAET practitioner. The one hour treatment I have with Chulan is one of the things that makes the experiences/physical symptoms and discomfort of living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities less debilitating. I find the treatments reassuring, giving me a regular and non-invasive comfort. I don't go to Chulan to be "fixed" because I'm not broken. On some days I think "it's gone" ... I've been feeling so good for weeks at a time. On other days I can't remember when or why I've lost my old self/old life/used-to-be-able-to... Living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivites can really piss-me-off. My Tuesday appointments release some of the pressure. Along with my calls to supportive and 'I get it' friends who also just let me be down low if that's where I need to go, I get out of the depths and learn something.


So...to the point where I was out surfing and found Miss Molly's post. It was the perfect find. See what you think. Her post linked to this:

Gary McClain, president of JustGotDiagnosed.com, said that chronic illness
can leave patients feeling that their life is spinning out of their control ...
"When we feel out of control, anger is a natural response," McClain
said in a statement.
"People with serious health conditions often feel that they shouldn't show their anger, but instead try to just accept their lot and have a positive attitude, so this strong emotion is often kept inside and pushed to the background."

The Web site JustGotDiagnosed.com has posted anger-management guidelines to help people deal with the anger that often springs from living with serious or chronic illnesses. The Anger Management Checklist suggests:
-- Find a safe person to release the feelings of anger, someone with an open mind, without judgment and without the need to "fix" you. Once released, anger loses its power.
-- Avoid the positive-thinking police. Don't let anyone, badger you into suppressing your anger and putting on a happy face.
-- Take time to grieve what you have lost.
-- Let go of the need to be in control. Humans often cling to the belief that they are always in charge of their own destinies, and when they find out they aren't they get angry.