Along came Kitty

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Posted on December 10, 2022 by Blue Skies Craft

It’s been another hard year.

Yet I still think if I had to put everything on the scales, the good and the bad, there has been more good than bad this year. I know this hasn’t been the case for everyone.

In the darkness there has been light. The light has prevailed against the darkness. Thank goodness.

Friendships, connections, helping others, getting outside of myself, having a perspective bigger than myself is what has helped me. I changed what wasn’t working.

Jesus said that He was the Light of the World.

If you don’t know Jesus, just ask Him to show Himself to you, and He will.

A simple prayer “Dear Jesus, please show yourself to me.”

That’s what He did for me, and that’s why I believe He exists, and what He says is true.

Jesus is the only God who came back from the dead. Documented evidence in ancient manuscripts like the Bible and others, say He showed himself to many people after he had died. This is where my Hope lies.

Here’s a before and after picture of Kitty, a stay cat who adopted me two months ago.

After a truly awful experience, she came along and got me out of my own head and soon had me looking after her.

Things got shitty
But along came Kitty.
A little Kiss from Heaven.

She doesn’t trust me enough yet, and still lives under the house. She’s heard me dictating this through the floorboards and is now meowing at my window. It must be breakfast time.

Blue Skies Tomorrow. There is always hope.

Managing a panic attack

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Blue Skies Craft

A panic attack can come upon us very quickly.

That feeling of being overwhelmed and being immobilised with a blank mind, where a solution or any rational thought has gone clean out of our head.

It’s a horrible feeling. However, it can be managed.

When we go into a full on panic, we switch from the thinking part of our brain (higher cortex) being in control to the emotional part (amygdala) taking over. From from there it is very hard to access reasoning, problem solving and critical thinking.

The brain mobilises the body into its fight/flight/freeze response and we may feel tense, sick in the stomach, sweaty, lightheaded, and our heart begins racing, as blood is shifted in the body to our arms and legs to get us ready to either fight or run for it.

So we need to calm everything down. We need to slow down our heart rate by breathing slow deep breaths.

We can focus on relaxation strategies by using our muscles – going for a walk, do some gardening, exercising or playing sport.

Be mindful and bring yourself back into the present moment and stop thinking about yesterday or tomorrow, which can break a negative thinking cycle. Ground yourself by noticing things around you with each of your five senses.

Only when we are calm can we utilise thinking strategies, as the thinking part of the brain is now back in control.

Notice what you were thinking about. Ask yourself – Is this thought helping me or hindering me? Is my thinking helping me to achieve my goals? If not, what is another, more realistic way of thinking about the situation?

This all takes practice, but don’t be discouraged. In time you will recognise that you are getting better at manage those big emotions.

If you feel you don’t know why you are feeling overwhelmed or what is triggering your panic attack, seek out a Counsellor or other health professional to help support you through what could be a time of self discovery and realisation.

We can’t control what we are not willing to face.

I know you can do this. There is always hope.

Blessings, Leeony

Blue Skies Tomorrow – blueskiestomrrow.com – There is always hope.

Blue Skies Craft – blueskiescraft.com – Using art and craft to restore