Happiness: A One Week Journey

Posted by Teresa, Volunteer Mentor @hopeful33250, Apr 30, 2017

To: @searchingforanswers @wendybarker @cathy615 @missy4396 @mlcmag @beemerw47 @danybegood1 @giggyg @georgette12 @heatherf316 @amberpep @deev @blindeyepug @alyric @liz223 @Gray @melsy @brit @gman007 @safetyshield @johnjames @jimhd @gailb @lesbatts @rspaulling @overwhelmed @ihatediabetes @johnhans @pdilly @jjwest @diana11 @ladycat @elizabethbryant, @tallygirl @martinius @lindylou @contentandwell @janharris0306 @peggygris @mari @freefromdrug1 @lighthouseceliac @hollyn @shushu @1000016352 @janetfinkel @miss2sassy @mentor51 @ronnie3716 @jay_baruch @berit @summertime16 @sharlynn62 @colessker @brglassman @saraandivor @halhilde @teri15 @johnlk @jbyrd @sylviaanne @jmbjar @seeker619 @book2075 @chassism @tori @frankie @anniep @tamara1967 @windwalker @kathyannyarborough @prescott @sharlynn62 @gracemary @4loss @dmac @fourtoesbroke112216 @tomgrinley @kimsworld @iman_im @livethrufocus @paulman58 @skunklady13 @lacey @kamuela @rose67 @sheilajean

As you have all posted in Mayo Connect's Mental Health Group, I wanted to invite you to join in a program by Dr. Amit Sood, entitled Happiness a One Week Journey. Probably many of you are familiar with Dr. Amit Sood, a psychiatrist at Mayo. This is a free online program that addresses the issue of happiness. Here is what Dr. Sood says about this program.

Dear friends,

You and I face one common enemy – suffering. Pain, physical or emotional, when it becomes unbearable, is experienced as suffering. Pain is unavoidable, but suffering is optional. My goal is to help you find a path so you can bypass suffering in this life. One reward of traversing that journey is finding greater happiness.

Happiness is a habit. Some of us are innately happy. But most others have to choose. We often, however, don’t realize we have that choice. We also don’t know how to exercise that choice. As a result, we push happiness away. Let that not happen to you.

Join me, if you wish, to spend the next week of your life, choosing greater happiness. Each day, you’ll be guided to a practice that can make you happier. To enroll, you’ll need to register with your name and email address to connect with us for the next week. Select ‘Happiness: A One Week Journey,’ below for more information.

Take care.
Amit

Here is the website where you can sign up and join me on this journey: http://stressfree.org/happiness/

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Mental Health Support Group.

@johnjames

I'm sure your right- I just have a hard time not pulling my weight in helping her,

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@hopeful33250, it really is difficult for family too. I had no idea how concerned they were until they did so much for me at Christmas, the best part our dinner was totally prepared my son, daughter and her fiance. My son has worked in prestigious restaurants (he waited tables in the Beverly Hills Hotel for quite a while when he first moved to CA) both in the kitchen and as a waiter so he somehow learned how to cook really well along the way, which is wonderful for me! He was the head chef and my daughter and future son-in-law were the sous chefs. 😉
JK

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@ihatediabetes

Thank you. OK I'm in. Yesterday I did try to get screened to be living donor for kidney. Thought it would be good for gratitude to give kidney. But they would not accept me because of type 2 diabetes history. Even if not on meds. And even if not currently diabetic. Bummer. But I will sign up for this to see what doc has to say.

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@ihatediabetes When I was single I worked for Blue Cross in Boston and they really encouraged giving blood so I did that every three months. I have gone once or twice since but now I am thinking that maybe I should resume that if I am not too old to be a donor.
JK

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@ihatediabetes

Thank you. OK I'm in. Yesterday I did try to get screened to be living donor for kidney. Thought it would be good for gratitude to give kidney. But they would not accept me because of type 2 diabetes history. Even if not on meds. And even if not currently diabetic. Bummer. But I will sign up for this to see what doc has to say.

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I definitely got something out of blood donation from an emotional perspective. There's no upper age limit. I think there's just the criteria like HIV, living in England, etc. With lots of things we do, we don't know if its right or wrong, good or bad. So many things are just grey - not right or wrong. But with blood donation its all good. There's nothing wrong or grey about it. We don't get paid. (Oh but we can get a cool shirt and a big cookie.) Donating blood or organs is just because you want to help somebody. So I think its meaningful. I also believe it pleases God just to try to help.

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@ihatediabetes

Thank you. OK I'm in. Yesterday I did try to get screened to be living donor for kidney. Thought it would be good for gratitude to give kidney. But they would not accept me because of type 2 diabetes history. Even if not on meds. And even if not currently diabetic. Bummer. But I will sign up for this to see what doc has to say.

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Windwalker, I had gestational diabetes too with my second child. I have learned that exercise and diet are really important to reversing diabetes trend. When you exercise your muscles take the glucose directly out of bloodstream to fuel the exercise. Good to do resistance training too. I stopped drinking orange juice. I definitely think its good to never get diabetes in the first place. I know that if insurance law changes and if I'm back in the individual market that I will get rejected for pre-existing condition of diabetes. They never forget once in medical record. Yup.

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@johnjames

I'm sure your right- I just have a hard time not pulling my weight in helping her,

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Yes I have- she is a Nurse, and understanding- but I told her I still don't take that for granted, and deeply appreciate what she does above and beyond.JJAMES

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@johnjames

I'm sure your right- I just have a hard time not pulling my weight in helping her,

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<br><br><br><br><br>Ha ha ha! My guy is funny about other people giving him a massage - only I <br>can. But he will do the foot massages. They are typically Asian people with <br>knowledge of pressure points in the foot that help so many other organs in the <br>body without you even knowing it. He says it helps his sciatic issues. Annnnd, <br>they message you up to your knees and sometimes throw in a shoulder massage. It <br>is a great gift!<br> <br><br>

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@ihatediabetes

Thank you. OK I'm in. Yesterday I did try to get screened to be living donor for kidney. Thought it would be good for gratitude to give kidney. But they would not accept me because of type 2 diabetes history. Even if not on meds. And even if not currently diabetic. Bummer. But I will sign up for this to see what doc has to say.

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<br><br><br><br><br><br>All good points! I go to an exercise class three times a week. Bicycle <br>some, and walk daily. (I am hoping going up and down my stairs a hundred times a <br>day counts!) Doctor said that toned muscles use less oxygen, therefore they <br>won't rob the rest of your organs.<br> <br><br>

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@johnjames

I'm sure your right- I just have a hard time not pulling my weight in helping her,

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<br><br><br><br><br>That is awesome! Lucky you to be on the receiving end of <br>delishiousness!<br> <br><br>

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@ihatediabetes

Thank you. OK I'm in. Yesterday I did try to get screened to be living donor for kidney. Thought it would be good for gratitude to give kidney. But they would not accept me because of type 2 diabetes history. Even if not on meds. And even if not currently diabetic. Bummer. But I will sign up for this to see what doc has to say.

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<br><br><br><br><br>It is, and I am sure greatly appreciated.<br> <br><br>

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@johnjames

I'm sure your right- I just have a hard time not pulling my weight in helping her,

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<br><br><br><br><br>Hi John. Feelings of guilt about one's caretakers are quite normal to those <br>with chronic illness. You are doing good by expressing gratitude. When it is <br>genuine, they 'get it'. Don't forget, they have the view from the outside of <br>you, they can see you have slowed down, or that things have become increasingly <br>difficult for you to achieve. Most people understand.  ( I am <br>excluding that small margin of folks who are thinking how they didn't sign up <br>for this.)<br> <br><br>

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