Author: Courtney

The After Math of Meditation Meeting Schizophrenia   

 

Courtney LaGrange 

Jill Belli 

ENG 3402-OL20 

05/04/21 

The After Math of Meditation Meeting Schizophrenia   

The question presented is whether meditation is a viable treatment for patients with schizophrenia. To set the stage for such an opinion we must have a thorough background of what meditation is and how it affects the brain with potential side effects. Then understand schizophrenia and its complications and how it affects an individual.  Through comparing the findings and the market for meditation as an alternative treatment one can make the opinion whether it is worth the risk or the ladder.  

  1. Meditation Facts 
  • “The oldest documented images of meditation are from India and date back to 5000 to 3500 BCE. ”(Mead) So the creater is not clear, but it is clear India, China, and Japan had early variations of the goals of the techniques. 
  • 20th centry was the turning period for meditation in the West as a more mainstream practice option.  
  • “When the science of meditation is explored from a historical perspective, this lack of objectivity has been a recurrent problem for a long time, at least forty years. Its root causes go back to early engagements between non-positivist knowledge systems and psychology.” (Stephan) This leads me to question whether the statements from a statistical point of view is correct in the terms of side effects when some are only reporting positive outcomes as priority.  
  • Side effects and EEG monitored meditation sessions to see brain activity.  
  1. Schizophrenia  
  • What is schizophrenia? “Affects less than one percent of the U.S. population. When schizophrenia is active, symptoms can include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, trouble with thinking and lack of motivation.”(APA) 
  • Effects of medication – Side effects range from dry mouth to something as serious as diabetes according to Healthy place and Oxford Treatment Center.  
  • When did meditation become an option as treatment in general medically and when for schizophrenia? Herbert Benson, M.D comes to mind from the 1960s for cardiology patients soon more doctors followed suit according to Greider.  2005 studies documented for meditation used for schizophrenia in Dr Prem Community article.  
  1. Pros and Cons of the use of medicinal meditation for schizophrenia– 
  • Personal accounts-  
  1. Macel Armstrong in his book “Living Thoughts: Glimpses into the Altered Reality of Schizophrenia” 
  1. Kurt Snyder’s account of his choice of medication over medicinal. 
  1. James Kingsl’s account of his friends.  
  • Side effect sources- 
  1. The Daily Meditation 
  1. The Convention 
  1. “The Relationship Between Focused Attention Meditation Practice Habits, Psychological Symptoms, and Quality of Life.” 
  1. “Is Mindfulness Useful or Dangerous for Individuals with Psychosis?” 

By the end of my research, I would like to establish debatable questions if given all the information I provide would you think meditation is right for individuals with schizophrenia.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

               Sources 

 

  1. Mead, Elaine. “The History and Origin of Meditation.” PositivePsychology.com, 4 July 2019, positivepsychology.com/history-of-meditation/. 
  1. ‌ Stephen, Author. “Meditation and Negative Side Effects: The Latest Research.” The Science of Meditation and Mindfulness, 12 Oct. 2020, thescienceofmeditation.org/2020/10/12/meditation-and-negative-side-effects-the-latest-research/. Accessed 5 May 2021. 
  1. ‌ American Psychiatric Association. “What Is Schizophrenia?” Psychiatry.org, American Psychiatric Association, Aug. 2020, www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/schizophrenia/what-is-schizophrenia. 
  1. ‌ “StackPath.” Healthyplace.com, 2019, www.healthyplace.com/thought-disorders/schizophrenia-articles/side-effects-of-the-medications-used-to-treat-schizophrenia. Accessed 9 Dec. 2019. 
  1. ‌ “Side Effects of Antipsychotic Medication (Short and Long-Term).” Oxford Treatment Center, oxfordtreatment.com/substance-abuse/co-occurring-disorders/antipsychotics/. 
  1. ‌ Greider, Linda. “Meditation as Medical Treatment Gaining Ground – AARP Bulletin.” AARP, www.aarp.org/health/alternative-medicine/info-04-2009/meditation_goes_mainstream.html. Accessed 6 May 2021. 
  1. ‌ Burton, Neel. “A Brief History of Schizophrenia.” Psychology Today, 2017, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201209/brief-history-schizophrenia. 
  1. ‌ History Cooperative. “Divine Madness: A History of Schizophrenia.” History Cooperative, The History Cooperative, 29 Jan. 2015, historycooperative.org/divine-madness-a-history-of-schizophrenia/. 
  1. ‌  Dr Prem Community. “Mindfulness Exercises for Schizophrenia Can Be of Great Relief to the Patients.” DIY Health | Do It Yourself Health Guide by Dr Prem, 30 Mar. 2018, diyhealth.com/mindfulness-exercises-for-schizophrenia-can-be-of-great-relief-to-the-patients.html. Accessed 6 May 2021. 
  1. ‌ Armstrong, Macel. Living Thoughts: Glimpses into the Altered Reality of Schizophrenia. 2018. Marcel Armstrong ed. 
  1. ‌ Snyder, K. “Kurt Snyder’s Personal Experience with Schizophrenia.” Schizophrenia Bulletin, vol. 32, no. 2, 9 Dec. 2005, pp. 209–211, academic.oup.com/schizophreniabulletin/article/32/2/209/1899556, 10.1093/schbul/sbj032. 
  1. ‌ Kingsl, James. “Mindfulness Shows Promise in the Treatment of Schizophrenia.” Plastic Brain, 23 Jan. 2017, plasticbrainblog.com/2017/01/23/mindfulness-shows-promise-in-the-treatment-of-schizophrenia/. Accessed 6 May 2021. 
  1. ‌ “Mindfulness Meditation for Schizophrenia Disorders.” The Daily Meditation, 27 June 2020, www.thedailymeditation.com/mindfulness-meditation-for-schizophrenia-disorders. Accessed 6 May 2021. 
  1. ‌ Mendrek, Adrianna. “How Meditation Can Help Sufferers of Schizophrenia.” The Conversation, theconversation.com/how-meditation-can-help-sufferers-of-schizophrenia-98231. 
  1. ‌ Bilican, F. Isil. “The Relationship between Focused Attention Meditation Practice Habits, Psychological Symptoms, and Quality of Life.” Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 55, no. 6, 2016, pp. 1980–1995, www.jstor.org/stable/44157057?addFooter=false&seq=1. Accessed 6 May 2021. 
  1. ‌ “Is Mindfulness Useful or Dangerous for Individuals with Psychosis? | Here to Help.” Www.heretohelp.bc.ca, www.heretohelp.bc.ca/visions/mindfulness-vol12/is-mindfulness-useful-or-dangerous-for-individuals-with-psychosis. 

The Aftermath of Schizophrenia and Meditation Meeting Proposal

Research Topic/Title-

            The topic I would like to explore is the negative effects of using meditation as a treatment for schizophrenia. Is it a viable treatment option? The negative side affects documented in several trials as well as personal accounts will allow me to come to a consensus. The title I would like to use is  “The Aftermath of Schizophrenia and Meditation Meeting”. By looking at the side effects from both schizophrenia and meditation then going deeper will show me the bigger picture. 

Background

  1. Schizophrenia 

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)  “Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. People with schizophrenia may seem like they have lost touch with reality, which causes significant distress for the individual, their family members, and friends. If left untreated, the symptoms of schizophrenia can be persistent and disabling. However, effective treatments are available. When delivered in a timely, coordinated, and sustained manner, treatment can help affected individuals to engage in school or work, achieve independence, and enjoy personal relationships.”    NIMH » Schizophrenia (nih.gov)

Possible side effects are but not limited to the following according the Mayo Clinic;

  • Delusions. These are false beliefs that are not based in reality. For example, you think that you’re being harmed or harassed; certain gestures or comments are directed at you; you have exceptional ability or fame; another person is in love with you; or a major catastrophe is about to occur. Delusions occur in most people with schizophrenia.
  • Hallucinations. These usually involve seeing or hearing things that don’t exist. Yet for the person with schizophrenia, they have the full force and impact of a normal experience. Hallucinations can be in any of the senses, but hearing voices is the most common hallucination.
  • Disorganized thinking (speech). Disorganized thinking is inferred from disorganized speech. Effective communication can be impaired, and answers to questions may be partially or completely unrelated. Rarely, speech may include putting together meaningless words that can’t be understood, sometimes known as word salad.
  • Extremely disorganized or abnormal motor behavior. This may show in a number of ways, from childlike silliness to unpredictable agitation. Behavior isn’t focused on a goal, so it’s hard to do tasks. Behavior can include resistance to instructions, inappropriate or bizarre posture, a complete lack of response, or useless and excessive movement.
  • Negative symptoms. This refers to reduced or lack of ability to function normally. For example, the person may neglect personal hygiene or appear to lack emotion (doesn’t make eye contact, doesn’t change facial expressions or speaks in a monotone). Also, the person may lose interest in everyday activities, socially withdraw or lack the ability to experience pleasure.
  • In men, schizophrenia symptoms typically start in the early to mid-20s. In women, symptoms typically begin in the late 20s. It’s uncommon for children to be diagnosed with schizophrenia and rare for those older than age 45.

Schizophrenia – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic

Meditation Side effects

Not specifically limited to individuals with mental health issues, but is known to happen in anyone is the following;

9 Meditation Side Effects So Dangerous You Cannot Ignore Them (thedailymeditation.com)

  • Anxiety-Research shows that some methods may, in fact, harm people with a history of anxiety and depression.

    Such people may feel increased anxiety, fear, stress, panic and low moods when meditating. Research conducted by Brown University neuroscientist Dr Willoughby Britton showed that feelings of fear and anxiety are a common negative effect of meditation.

    Dr. Britton has stated that during a retreat she felt like she “was having a nervous breakdown.” She later learned that intense practices could lead to symptoms severe enough to warrant a psychiatric diagnosis (1).

    Sarah Bowen, a researcher at the University of Washington, suggests that people who have a history of depression or anxiety should only meditate under expert guidance in case stressful, painful or upsetting thoughts do arise.

    Neurobiologist Dr Nancy Hayes, states that “Patients with emotional disorders may have adverse reactions to meditation.”

  • Seizures-Neuroscientist Dr. Michael Persinger at Leurentian University of Canada researched the relationship between seizures and meditation. In 1993 he studied 1,018 meditators. The results of his research show that meditation can lead to symptoms of partial epilepsy, including hearing voices, feeling vibrations and experiencing visual abnormalities. Epileptic patients suffer from auditory and visual hallucinations, with many believing that they have spiritual experiences, including speaking with God.

    Persinger has subsequently researched the experience of so-called “spiritual events.” In his tests, Persinger had patients wear helmets through which were passed electrical signals that led to magnetically induced seizures. Four out of every five of his test subjects stated that they had experienced a spiritual event.

  • Hypersensitivity To Light And Sound and Movement Problems

Brown University researchers recently interviewed 100 meditators and teachers and asked them about the side effects that they had experienced. A significant portion of the interviewees stated that they had been experiencing hypersensitivity to light and sound, as well as insomnia, occasional involuntary movements, and feelings of fear, anxiety and panic.

Newberg observed that blood flow to the posterior superior parietal lobe decreased during meditation (10). This is the part of the brain involved with navigating our environment. “Patients with damaged posterior superior parietal lobes often cannot move without falling,” he tells us. He also states that oneness (the state in which we feel we are one with our surroundings) could have hidden negative side effects. By blocking blood flow to the posterior superior parietal lobe, you “lose the boundary between yourself and the rest of the world.” This can lead to disorientation and falls.

  • It Brings Up Painful Memories

    When you meditate, your mind relaxes more than usual. Many people who are new to the practice have never experienced such a deep level of inner stillness. Because of this calmness, you become more aware of your mind and your thoughts. Some of those thoughts are unpleasant. For instance, you may notice painful memories. And this might make you feel upset. However, although this can seem like a negative, it is an opportunity to change the way you think and feel.

  • Mental atrophy

    Another study into the negative side effects of meditation was conducted by Arthur Chappell, a former Maharaj devotee. He states that the practice “Deprives the mind of stimulus”, leading to sensory deprivation.

 

 

 Meditation side effects

Sources: 

3:Meditation May Predispose to Epilepsy https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15617849

4: Dark Side of Meditation http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/17/aaron-alexis-and-the-dark-side-of-meditation/

5: Effects of meditation https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288468969_Effects_of_meditation_on_brain_electrical_activity

6: Mental Health And Intense Meditation Retreats https://zensydney.com/Mental-Health-and-Intensive-Meditation-Retreats

7:Study documents range of challenging meditation experiences https://www.brown.edu/news/2017-05-24/experiences

8: Meditation may cause negative side effects https://www.today.com/health/meditation-may-cause-negative-effects-some-study-finds-t111957

 

Schizophrenia Lost in a World of Mindfulness

Case study

When it comes to schizophrenia the average person knows little to no knowledge other than the common insult muttered “They’re crazy”. Schizophrenia is a Greek term meaning split mind. I choose to look into three articles that critiqued intergrading meditation with this kind of mental disorder because of the grounds of obtaining such a disorder per say. It chooses you rather than you develop it through experiences like many other mental illnesses. 

My first article I choose was  NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS OF MEDITATION: By Sarah McLean. Sarah goes on to mention the hype we have heard before, but then highlights something rather interesting that I did not consider before. She states that some instructors aren’t trained to teach or have ever meditated themselves. I find this rather alarming as how will they know the feelings experienced. Even though everyone has a unique experience they should have a base line of knowledge. After going over the uses of meditation such as relaxing, stress , among others she makes a rather intriguing statement. “This is the yoga, the “union” of one’s awareness with all that is.”(McLean) Being the goal of meditation. She goes on in her article to list a variation of negative side affects which I found very transparent of her. The side effects she listed are but not limited to insomnia, mania, hallucinations, depression, and withdrawal from life.  Most of what I just listed are signs or symptoms of schizophrenia. One must think if these symptoms already have the potential to exist then one can only speculate meditation will increase those odds. I do however appreciate how she added tips and a list of questions at the end of her article to keep in mind. 

Negative Side Effects of Meditation & Questions Your Should Ask Your Teacher (mcleanmeditation.com)

My second  article I choose was Warnings about Meditation (Precautions and Negative Side Effects) In Meditation by Chris A. Parker. This author broke down his article by medical and mental side effects one could possible experience due to meditation. Psychosis is one of the many the author listed that can be drawn back to schizophrenic individuals would probably experience the most. Among psychosis he talks about mental atrophy, using meditation as an escape , and hypersensitivity to light and sound. A close friend of mind with schizophrenia would fall in all of those named categories. He carefully explains each issue and the people it may possible target. I found this article to be straight forward and persist at establishing a platform anyone can understand.   

Warnings about Meditation (Precautions and Negative Side Effects) (lightwarriorslegion.com)  

My final article was Mindfulness Meditation for Schizophrenia Disorders by Paul Harrison. This research was conducted in Berlin. During fall 2017 to fall 2018 twenty-seven interviews took place.  He goes on to explain 13% of the psychiatric hospital in Germany is people with schizophrenia and breaks down the symptoms. ”  Schizophrenia is often treated with psychological support, psychopharmacology, and cognitive behavioral therapy exercises. However, due to financial constraints many people are unable to receive these treatments.”(Harrison) Thus explaining why some would turn to mindfulness as a treatment. I enjoyed how he broke down the definition of mindfulness and the history and origin. Although I found the results of the experiment very vague none of them had increased negative side effects that they reported. Some of them admitted to being more self-aware and better understanding. This was too small of a group for it to be indefinite, but I am glad it helped the individuals it did.  

Mindfulness Meditation for Schizophrenia Disorders (thedailymeditation.com)

 

Although I choose two negative and one positive critique I am not totally against trying alternative methods as I mentioned a good friend of mine that happens to be a Harvard University graduate has schizophrenia and I’ve seen first hand how opposing medication can be with trial and error. There may be positive options depending on the case with meditation. I think more trials or selective meditation could be used in another group to show further success.  Marcel Armstrong is the friend I spoke about and writes first hand about his struggle with meditation and schizophrenia in his book   “Living Thoughts: Glimpses into the Altered Reality of Schizophrenia”. He was it available for free in kindle format. Link provided below. 

Amazon.com: Living Thoughts: Glimpses into the Altered Reality of Schizophrenia eBook: Armstrong, Marcel: Kindle Store

 

See the source image

 

 

Meditation Self-Help Critiques

When someone says mindfulness most of us automatically think of organizing endless thoughts we have throughout the day. In the three articles assigned they have similar yet different views on what mindfulness entails. Ranging from being in the now, a means for survival, and simplicity.  The question is can mindfulness keep the promise mainstream would like us to believe without loosing our self-understanding.

“The Mindfulness Conspiracy” by Ronald Purser goes on to talk about the promise mindfulness offers through a profit of about four billion. She goes on to explain the mainstream purchasing books, magazines, and other types of forms to just just dismiss our civil responsibility. How do we balance ourselves. “We are repeatedly sold the same message: that individual action is the only real way to solve social problems, so we should take responsibility.”(Purser) In this article she goes over a lot of valid points we can possibly neglect by buying into what society considers mindfulness.

 “The problem of mindfulness,” by Sahanika Ratnayake perspective is rooted through Buddhism which I found very interesting as I am a believer of a lot of their teachings. The comparison of western views compared to her own beliefs show how the common person can loose self care in mindfulness.  “With its promises of assisting everyone with anything and everything, the mistake of the mindfulness movement is to present its impersonal mode of awareness as a superior or universally useful one.”(Ratnayake) As I started meditation with the class and doing the assignments I can relate to her views on one size or spectrum does not fit all and could be used at your discretion. In this we are able to be aware of what is right for us as an individual in an industry that says one size fits all. 

“The Mindful Revolution” by Kate Pickert  take a simplicity approach to mindfulness as making our bodies and mind the key elements. It is our well being that is the main focal point that has to be in order. MBSR ( mindfulness based stress reduction) was the tool she used from being in a course and was able to get good results as have some of her classmates.  “I’m eating a raisin. But for the first time in my life, I’m doing it differently.”(Pichert) With the techniques learned about being in the moment something as simple as eating was a renewed experience and actually intrigues me to try the experiment she went through with the raisin. 

Over all the articles were very insightful. I would lean more towards Ratnayake because some of our views are similar without forgetting about ourselves. Mindfulness for me can not replace all modern medicine as suggested in some articles and has to be taken into consideration with people who do have sever to moderate conditions.      

 

 

Meditation

  I’ve always used meditation as a sleep aid, nor have I used guided meditation. It is my fear that certain voices with cause anxiety other than relaxation. While on the other hand other voices may be too relaxing. I am however excited to try this new experience. Meditation for me has always  consist of laying back and hugging an arm pillow and watch YouTube videos such as posted below.   This mixture of videos included anything from a lullaby to some calming music. Anything with a display you can get lost in. Closing my eyes will definitely be a challenge I am hopefully ready for.  When this experience is over I want to take away the ability to use meditation on a variety of thing in order to organize my life and inner strength. 

The three applications I choose are Guided Meditation and Relaxation by OuiApps, Calm Meditation, Sleep, Relax by Calm.com, Inc., and Serenity: Guided Meditation & Mindfulness by Olson Meditation and Mindfulness Apps. I choose the Apps at random and tried each of them for one meditation session each and evaluated the rest of the content by skimming. 

Guided Meditation and Relaxation by OuiApps has a menu of nine categories to choose from which leads you to sessions under each selection. The duration of the audibles vary as do the voices even under the same topic. You have the ability to shuffle and put the playlist on repeat. There are however a lot of adds when changing menus . 

Guided Meditation & Relaxation – Apps on Google Play

 

Calm Meditation, Sleep, Relax by Calm.com, Inc is an application I would not advise for anyone unless you would like to pay for stories told by different people from what you can actually preview. Most of the application is locked that tries to get you to purchase a year membership so it can be hard to judge an application based on limited clips available. I was however delighted to see “How are You Feeling” check in on the application. The application also has more content than the previous app and this includes music. 

Calm – Meditate, Sleep, Relax – Android app on AppBrain

Serenity: Guided Meditation & Mindfulness by Olson Meditation and Mindfulness Apps is a forced completion application which I found very interesting. Based on the limitations I am not sure if you can move from “Foundations” in the app to “Work” unless completed because of the required membership. Lesson one basics gives you tools on how to meditate. I have to admit even though the app is very limited I like the voice the app choose to use even though it’s a voice with an accent.  This however is the only application that doesn’t seem to play if you minimize the application from your screen. 

Serenity: Guided Meditation & Mindfulness – Apps on Google Play

 

I decided to use Guided Meditation and Relaxation by OuiApps because you have more flexibility , there is no pressure to sign up for a membership each time you click something, and I can shuffle playlists. The ability to choose different topics and start where I want is amazing! I would use this application for ten to fifteen minutes a night as I work overnight. So about an hour after I wake up I will engage in a session. The pillow I just purchased for a Japanese style dinning set will be perfect to set up against the wall . Mindfulness and Deep Muscle options in the menu looks like an interesting place to start. I plan to choose from different categories based on the subject that would help me most that day. Also I would determine audible choice based on narrator’s voice.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Power of Now Response

      The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle was a very diverse read that had, in my opinion, something for everyone. Living in the present is the focal point and dismissing complaining, suffering, negativity, and grudges. Leaving room for forgiveness, acceptance, happiness, and compassion. Tolle mentions a lot of controversial subjects such as God, relationships, and enlightenment and how it is understood on a gender level. This type of book is meant to return to. In order to understand all the messages the author is trying to convey. I do not agree with most of the messages he is sending ,but as stated before there are views for everyone to relate to.

2617-Eckhart-Tolle-Quote-The-past-has-no-power-over-the-present-moment.jpg (3840×2160) (quotefancy.com)

   Your are encouraged to dismiss the past and future to engage in the now, the present. He goes over how the brain hinders our progress and should be used in meaningful ways. “You usually don’t use it at all. It uses you. This is the disease. “(13 Tolle) The author sets the stage and justifies it by providing you with what can be seen as absurd or validated reasoning. By saying compulsive thinking is an addiction that controls you could be taken very differently depending who you are. Repetitive thinkers are also discouraged in the ideology that once a task is completed there should be no further thought. I disagree with this form of thinking. Personally I think for some it is important to look back at what you have achieved to stay motivated in your goals.

   Religious believers in my opinion would be mortified in the way he mentions God and Buddhism. He goes on to explain God and so forth is merely a mental crutch use. “The word Being explains nothing, but nor does God”(11 Tolle) More so to establish it is an empty word that helps justify our thinking and behavior. As he also mentions Buddhism’s idea of being is faulted because to the author there is nothing to establish in silence. I do not follow Buddhism perfectly, but I do agree with a lot of the base line teachings I find this way of thinking extremely insulting. To say someone’s belief is incomplete sounds egotistical which the author also mentions as an obstacle, but to me he is exhibiting the very thing he is against.

    To have freedom one must forgive, accept, and have compassion. He speaks about forgiveness in a very peculiar way as if you should fade into the background noise when you feel defensive so there is nothing to forgive because the insult passed though you and forgiving is automatic. In human nature it is almost second nature to take into account what others say to you then process them and react. Accepting comes when you limit your thinking of what can you possible change and take things as they are. If you find yourself unable to do so especially in relationships you must free yourself for such endeavors. That frame of mind seems logical to me. Why would you stay in an unhappy relationship, not to dismiss many people that do according to circumstances.

  Over all this book was a hard read for me because I disagreed with a vast majority of it’s content and found myself rereading some of the content to make sure I understood how absurd I found some of the text. I do however truly believe in some of the concepts in this book and would go back to those sections.                    

Class Notes 03/18/21

At the beginning of class we went over the pandemic blog and how writing affected each of us as all of our experiences were different. Professor will be posting tools for mental wellness and pandemic journaling that are available online. This is not mandatory, but provided as an aid to help you along your journey.  

We participated in our second group meditation subject was releasing anxiety. We were given keep points to keep in mind during our experience to keep in mind to enhance our responses. 

  • Describe in as much detail as possible.
  • What feelings are you experiencing both negative and positive.
  • Focus on body and mind in the moment.
  • How is your body reacting in accordance to your feelings.
  • Be present in the moment without thinking of what you will write in the responses. 
  • Ideally your posture should be sitting upright, facing forward, be mindful of hand placement, cross your legs if possible, and feet should be grounded.
  • Allow the background noise to sink in and fade away into it.
  • If you feel yourself  drifting off re-center yourself.  

As a key point to keep in mind for all blogging would be to turn the blog engagement into yourselves. 

Reminders for this week

Side note-

 I would like to apologize to the class and professor about the timing in which I posted the class notes and notes I may be missing as I had a medical emergency. 

 

My Pandemic Experience

See the source image

       Last year was nothing short of chaos bundled with work, my health,  school, moving, and the adoption of my two kittens. I had no expectation on  how life would be after the announcement of the pandemic. Everyday life became a strain and routines where either enhanced or diminished. I was one of the lucky few in so many works that was able to keep my job and maintain my school work to a certain extent. Like many in my family I also believe in this is far from over as viruses evolve and the vaccinations will do little to nothing as protection. The act of purchasing hand soap was painful. It really makes you look back at what you had to do for yourself and household. How did I manage to keep it together?

See the source image    I think my job was the most difficult part of my experience last year. I am considered an essential worker and had to travel in person. Since the start of the pandemic my hours have changed in order to meet the shutdown times of MTA  because I work overnight. While I have been stationed as a Fire and Life Safety Director in the same building for almost two and a half years now my main company changed twice. Once at the beginning of 2020 as all security business is similar to a monopoly when it comes to clients choosing services. The client or building you are in can choose to keep you and go with another company without notice. This is what happened to me , of course it was my choice to sign on with this new company and forfeit the raise I was about to receive. At the time I thought it was worth it until mid last year the security company itself was bought out by a larger company. That affected the coverage availability and putting more responsibilities on the team that works with me. We felt abandoned during the rest of the year only receiving letters stating we were essential with no work ID’s. That caused a few problems getting through NYPD barricades. This year I find out we are not getting raises because of the loss of business. Through the pandemic and riots that directly affected my building ,coming to work became punishment rather than necessary to survive.

  See the source image

    My doctors where of course increasingly harder to get to during last year. Every three months I am suppose to go in for trigger point injections for my nerve condition. Needless to say I missed most of last year because of short staffing, tele meds also known as video visits, and supply falling short of demand. My pharmacy also had trouble keeping my current medications in stock so I started taking less to conserve. I am glad I did because their delivery company failed to provide for three months causing an outrage in the area. When things picked back up towards the end of the year I was told of three more diagnosis including my autoimmune disease. That alone made me dismiss the pandemic as I felt a void of existing wondering if every year they would tell me something new so covid had no mental impact on me health wise after that.

School transitioning to online was nothing new for me because I’ve done online classes before or so I thought it wouldn’t affect me. I do not believe most of the professors I had last year practiced online instruction. Assignments were posted late, timed test did not give efficient time for typed answers considering most of us had Ipads at the time, and language barriers became insanely difficult. I have no clue how I maintained my GPA much less was accepted into my second honors society. 

Bentley

NiKlaus

Moving was easy because the roads where empty and it seemed like the right time to get a kitten towards August. Bentley was my first adoptee as I like to call him sometimes. He was two months when I went in person to pick him up. I had no idea how the Vets were operating until he sneezed blood the day after being home. Thousands of dollars later and having to stand in all kinds of elements Bentley is a healthy happy little boy. It was difficult standing under store fronts to shelter myself from rain, snow, and sleet. In December I adopted NiKlaus because Bentley would cry every time stray cats would come visit our window. After another vast amount of money and as recent as this month we are still working on Niklaus’ health. It is infuriating how the standard of animal rescues have dropped and to consider which ever licensed vet neutered them was inadequate. Why snip a sick animal was my way of thinking. 

  My metal exhaustion is held at bay because of Bentley and NiKlaus. I needed them as much as they needed me. Providing them a safe space ultimately provided me with comfort and that unconditional love only a pet owner would understand. It got me through my job’s obstacles,  school being online and finally getting a computer, and my health. Last year will be one for a scrap book and like many other pandemics , will leave it’s scar on the way we function as a society.

 

                  

Self-care

    This would be the first time I think of self-care as a focal point. Things done for myself in the absence of guidance I’ve never actually categorized as self-care ,but have always thought about them as routine; requirements in order for me to be my best self. These actions or lack there of on some days allow me to reset my mind and refocus my energy on areas of my life I need to and aid in achieving my short term as well as my long term goals. Most weeks my Saturdays and part of my Sunday mornings are dedicated to just that.

  Saturdays usually involve my part of self-care that is accomplished alone for the most part. I wake up around 2-3am and start off my day with controlled breathing while watching my favorite meditation aids from youtube. I believe my two kittens, Bentley and NiKlaus ,love this time as well.  Skyrim – Music & Ambience – Night – YouTube  would be one of my go to videos I use for waking and prior to going to sleep. After my morning youtube session I take time out to stretch and have a walk. Then write in my journal before and after . My self activity is decided during the week and always changing whether it’s an art gallery, different museum, the zoo, really any outing that will get me out of the house ,but yet enjoy my own company while doing so. When Saturday is drawing to a close I do order out as that is my only cheat day from my diet . 

    Sunday is rather shorter with the same morning ritual, but the daily activity I choose to have a friend accompany me or just have a coffee at the house while engaging with one or more close friends. Since I’ve adopted Niklaus and Bentley I try to keep my social gatherings to a minimum not to disrupt their time with me as I find them just as much of my self-care as any other part.    

7 Habits of Highly Effective People By: Stephen R. Covey Notes

My immediate feeling of  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey has a resemblance to past works because of the repetitiveness of the text. We have read prior text with questionable sources. While in this particular book it provides recognizable sources I think adds a certain comfortability to the intended audience.  Although I felt a paradigm shift according to Covey and felt a connection to the text as part one opened with hopelessness. I believe we have all encountered in our lives. Whether this failure to grip was in relationships , school, work, or family. He shares his own experience with trying hard to keep his life together. Having heavy criticism  until the point of his perspective changing. Keeping all this in mind there are things that can be taken in different ways according to your own perception ,as for my own I cling to some of his views while dismissing others.

“There is no real excellence in all this world which can be separated from right living. (Covey 25)  

The act in which he draws in his audience is through testimonials from recognizable figures of society and himself. I think he was brilliant in the use of using individuals with great accomplishments that are well known to draw people in merely because of the influence they hold over a mass amount of people. Also using himself makes the reader comfortable with associating themselves with the author and finding common ground. The use of accomplished people like the senator he used holds no creditability with me. His own testimony I can partially relate to when it comes to his life falling apart until it came to his son. The moment he told his son you are on your own with the explanation of he has to learn was very harsh after being bullied in softball.         

This book is very repetitive when it comes to the word paradigm  and the way we think. I agree when Covey mentions our core does not change. What we see a situation as hardly ever changes without different perspectives to gage them with. For instance the picture exercise , I failed at seeing the older woman. No matter how hard I tried , I only could see the younger lady.  According to Covey we have two different mental maps. One in which we see the way things are and the second is the way things should be. Which was very intriguing in itself. I see that as someone setting a life goal. Looking at their present life and where they want to be in five years. 

P/Pc was also an important concept to value not only the fruit of the labor ,but the actual bottom line in sorts. The example used in the text was the goose and the golden egg. Without your bottom line your work would not be as productive. I find this outlook very useful for growth and prosperity. With this concept in mind we should be able to differentiate what are negative outlooks or paradigms and positive. Basically what works and what doesn’t for us . “Being is seeing in the human deamination“(Covey 40)

Independence and the two required shifts being the goals before truly understanding this book were again interesting. The first shift was to continuously read the text through out your success and the second was to teach within two days of reading, which I thought was just a marketing technique. There are great points to take away from this text while others fall flat to me. I would say there is only really six habits as the last is just to repeat the first six. 

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