My blog, Inspirations by Kathryn J. Raths includes posts from 2009 to 2016 that were an extension of my Healthy Living Examiner column which has been closed. However, the articles are being revamped as an extension of Kathryn J. Raths.com, which is in the making! The image is a self-portrait I drew in oil pastels; the woods gift me a deep connection with nature and safety!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Delusions are different from illusions, continued
Lifetime Art Impressions, LLC image
Click on the below article link to obtain background information to this blog post:
Examiner article
I find this topic extremely interesting. A delusional person might come across authentically because, with this mental illness, this person truly believes the false pretense. I'm not sure but I would imagine he or she could probably pass a lie detecter because they do not think this thinking is faulty.
As the article communicates, delusions are quite different from illusions because one is tied to beliefs (delusions) and the other is based on sensory perceptions (illusions).
I used to love those old posters that were filled with patterns and after looking at them for a while a shape or animal would surface. It is mind-boggling how images can be distorted. In a way, this is like the distorted image someone might see who is delusional when they look in the mirror. For example, someone suffering a Bulimic illness, and may look skinny like a skeleton, will see an overweight self image in the mirror. This is the power of the psyche and mental health.
It is important to keep yourself healthy and in check.
Do you know anyone who is delusional? Drop me a note and comment.
Labels:
delusional thinking,
filtering,
illusions
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Fantasy dating, continued...
Photo of Susan provided by Susan Casamento
Click on the below article link to obtain
background information to this blog post:
Suzanne continued the interview.
She talked about her path to transition,
“Beyond family and friends, social media has been an incredible support system.
I have met people on Twitter who have tutored me on how it works. I have met
other entrepreneurs and co-promoted with them and started friendships. People
have been amazingly supportive.
I am happy to share my experiences with you and
your audience. A few months ago, examiner.com gave Fantasy Dating a five star
review!
Please check out our review on examiner.com! http://www.examiner.com/review/ladies-give-dating-a-twist-with-fantasy-dating-game.”
If you would like to
utilize Suzanne’s services, email her or check out her website:
suzanne@fantasydatinggame.com
Labels:
career transition,
Fantasy Dating,
looking for love
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Dreams and health continued...
What is the monster in your dream telling you? Lifetime art impressions, LLC photo
Click on the below article link to obtain background information to this blog post:
Examiner article
What are you dreaming? I dream every night and remember my dreams most of the time. I did dream journals for years and I'm sure this has helped. Every week I used to interpret the symbols in my dreams. I am always amazed how these puzzle pieces fit so cohesively with my waking life situations even though, at a first look, they seem like Alice in Wonderland type of stuff.
If you are suffering trauma and you can't figure out how to move forward, start with your dreams. My sleeping mind has been a tremendous help in healing me after divorce and much loss. Next to a wonderful support of loved ones, my faith, my art, my exercise, my dreams are in my top 5 tools for coping and success.
Face these monsters, they are there to help you not to traumatize you. Figure out what they represent. Just by this interpretation process, you will gain momentum to move forward.
Leave me a note and let me know if this helped you like it has helped me!
Thursday, July 25, 2013
The miracle question, continued...
Click on the below article link for background information to this blog post:
When things feel upside, go with your instinct and implement change!
Lifetime Art Impressions, LLC photo
Here
is a sample dialogue from Solutions focused.net offering an example of the Miracle Question:
C: "I suppose I will feel like getting up and facing the day, instead of wanting to
cover my head under the blanket and just hide there.
T:
Suppose you do, get up and face the day, what would be the small thing you
would do that you didn’t do this morning?
C:
I suppose I will say good morning to my kids in a cheerful voice, instead of
screaming at them like I do now.
T:
What would your children do in response to your cheerful “good morning?”
C:
They will be surprised at first to hear me talk to them in a cheerful voice,
and then they will calm down, be relaxed. God, it’s been a long time that
happened.
T:
So, what would you do then that you did not do this morning?
C:
I will crack a joke and put them in a better mood."
Most of the time the client who is in therapy actually has the solution to his or her problem and the therapist just helps this individual gain perspective. The miracle question is a great way to do this.
What is holding you back? Try the Miracle Question, it just might work!
Labels:
feeling stuck,
the miracle question,
therapy
Monday, July 22, 2013
Career transition, continued...
Photo of Vanessa provided by Vannessa Wade
Click on the below article link to obtain
background information to this blog post:
Examiner article
Vannessa Wade continued the interview.
Her current role, “President - Connect The Dots
PR. I help organizations create and increase awareness of their product or
service. By crafting messages that resonate with potential customers, my
clients are able to enhance the community, increase visibility and ultimately increase
their bottom line. In other words, I help my clients get publicity. My hope is
to continue providing quality and favorable PR results and grow. Our
success has come from fusing traditional PR with technology and listening to
our clients. No two clients are alike- and we embrace that! We understand that
each client has certain needs and we eat, sleep and breathe PR, so our clients
trust us to look out for them. Yes some days are more demanding than others,
but that is what keeps the business thriving. I love the energy and I love
seeing results. I certainly love seeing my clients excited about
progress. It is my goal to ensure positive messages and be heard near and
far on behalf of the companies I represent.
Currently, I am putting the finishing touches
on a new Public Relations Workshop aimed at helping companies understand the
value of using PR.
My advice is to make the leap. Start each day
mapping out what you need to do to be successful and run towards it. Build
solid relationships. Voice what you need and watch doors start to open, even if
it is slow at first. I believe my strength comes from life challenges and
learning that I can't stop things from happening, but I can certainly have a
good attitude. It is not always easy to cross hurdles, but it is possible.”
If you would like to learn more about Vannessa
and her work, you may email her at, vannessa@connectthedotspr.com or explore
her website, www.connectthedotspr.com.
Labels:
career change,
starting over,
Vannessa Wade
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Life skills, continued...
Lifetime Art Impressions, LLC photo
Click on the below article link to obtain background information to this blog post:
Examiner article
4.
Employability Skills, job skills to be hired and maintain work, ability to get to work,
understanding of how to get work, skills for resume creation, understanding of
appropriate dress code, ability to interview successfully, timeliness of work
and arrival/departure timing, reliability to be counted on, comprehension of
when to ask questions, initiative to take on new responsibilities, ability to
supervise, customer service skills, sales skills, self promotions skills, good
communication skills, leadership ability and strategic planning skills.
5.
Friendship/Intimacy Skills, investing in others, getting to know others, connecting emotionally,
connecting intimately, ability to initiate and reciprocate dating roles,
meeting commitments, understanding lifelong responsibilities and supporting
others.
6.
Learning/Education Skills, reading, writing and arithmetic, comprehension, good written and verbal
communication, analytical skills, memory retention, motivation to learn,
research know how, note=taking ability, organizational skills, technological
skills and mentoring ability.
7.
Life Planning Skills, ability to prioritize, goal-setting skills and planning.
8.
Self Management Skills, understanding and management of physical, mental and spiritual health,
self care during illness, follow through, temper management, humanitarian
efforts, forgiveness, ability to process emotions, ownership of good values,
faith, loyalty, balance, understanding of respect for self and others, and
ultimately knowing of a higher power and need of prayer.
Usually with maturity and experience life skills are developed. When
you do wrong and you realize it, you learn to do better next time.
The younger you are, the more likely you’ll mess up because you
haven’t gained the life skills to fully access your decisions prior to the
action. Although, many adults continue to make the same bad decisions because
he or she has not taken responsibility for their self and without ownership of
one’s actions, you do not learn the lesson.
Mudrashram.com communicates, “Digging Your Self Out of the Rut and
Moving Forward with Your Life…
Now that you know what needs work, you can begin today. Identify which
of these skills you need to learn and start to acquire them. Here some ideas:
Environmental Skills - (now you understand why your parents kept
giving you chores that you resented and hated—it was to prepare you to function
independently) find a friend who knows how to do these tasks and ask them for
advice. Ask or pay a friend to do them, and watch him or her so you can learn
how to do it. Assist your parents, friends or relatives with cleaning and other
environmental tasks with an aim to learn how to do them. Read books in the
library on how to clean, how to cook, and how to do basic repairs. Additional
information is available on these topics on the Internet. You can also
volunteer or do paid work with a carpenter, electrician, plumber or auto
mechanic to learn some of these skills.
Financial Skills - take classes on economics, the law,
accounting, and personal financial planning. Read books on these subjects and
go to seminars. Consult with an attorney, lawyer, accountant, stockbroker, or
personal financial planner as is appropriate for your situation to help make
sound financial and legal decisions. Study business administration in college.
Social/Civic Skills - take a Social Skills training course (Job
Corps has this—if you're 16 to 24, you can learn these skills), an assertiveness
training course, or human development courses at college. Associate with people
who are polite, have good manners, and speak in a respectful and civil way (you
may find this will rub off on you and that you can act this way too if you
wish). Read books on etiquette. Educate yourself about community and political
issues by watching the news. Volunteer in your community. Get involved in your
political party, register to vote, and attend community forums.
Employability Skills - Enroll in vocational classes while you are in
high school or college to learn skills that will help you get and find a job.
There are programs available from your school district, your local Work Source
Center, and Federal programs like Job Corps that will help train you for a
career and will teach you many of the employability skills. You can also enroll
in private vocational training programs. If you have been disabled, you can
obtain assistance from your State Vocational Rehabilitation Department. Obtain
a job, or a volunteer or intern position to gain valuable work experience. You
may be able to learn to drive through your school district, or you can pay for
private lessons.
Friendship/Intimacy Skills - you can learn to develop many of these skills
by finding a mentor, someone who can model for you how to be a compassionate,
considerate, and caring human being. A mentor can be a relative, a wise friend,
a co-worker, a teacher, or someone who is a member of your religious faith. You
may need counseling or psychotherapy to undo some of the wreckage of your own
past, but even deep scars can heal, and you can begin to retrace your way.
People can find guidance in this area from self-help groups, and there are
recovery groups to assist you if your friendship/intimacy skills have been
warped by an addiction. There are also good books on this topic. Your school or
college counselor has resources in this area, too.
Learning/Education Skills - Here your school or college counselor has many
resources. If you have problems learning a subject, your school can develop a
special program for you to help you succeed in this learning skill. There are
many good resources available through your library on how to study, and also
on-line on the Internet. Make friends with a good student and study with
them—you'll learn a lot on how to be a better, more successful student.
Life Planning Skills - You can learn to set goals and plans. There
are resource materials available from your school counselor and at your public
library. There are private programs that teach life planning skills, like
Success Motivation Institute. You can also learn about goal setting and
planning on-line on the Internet. You can learn how to do a personal inventory
like this one and begin to make changes in areas you want to improve.
Self-Management Skills - This is also an area where a good mentor is
invaluable and indispensable. You can obtain counseling or therapy to help you
work out issues with anger, grief, resentment, and dysfunctional styles of
relating to others. You can learn about caring for your health, diet, and
exercise. You can learn how to relax and calm yourself—there are tapes
available. There are programs to teach you how to cope with stress. There are
yoga and meditation groups, and classes available through your religious
organization that teach ways for you to control your reaction to stressful life
events.”
Labels:
balance,
finding relief,
healthy living,
life skills,
success
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)