I'm Going On A Trip!

I'm very excited to have healed enough that traveling is now possible!

I am going to the Omega Institute next week (I wrote a bit more about it on my other blog here).

On the way there and back I will be staying for one night at a Bed and Breakfast that is MCS aware.  It has been used by patients of Dr. Sherry Rogers.  I will post a review of both the B&B and the Omega Institute some time after I get back. 

I'm also working on a post that has tips on having an MRI when you have MCS (I had 2 in June).  Writing is slow this summer so I'm not sure when these posts will happen but hopefully soon!

My summer is going well so far.  I am loving spending time in my gardens and morning walks and bicycling.
I am happy to be able to bike in traffic without reacting and ride on city buses!

I hope you are doing things you enjoy this summer! 

:-)

MCS Improvements Part 9: MCS and Magazines - not usually a good mix but...

The title says it all!
For most of my journey with MCS, I couldn't even be in the same room as a magazine, flyer or newspaper without negative reactions.
To my delight, I've noticed that those reactions are getting less and less lately.
I can read through most newsprint flyers or newspapers in small doses with no reactions although I dislike the smell.
I can also look through glossy magazines for longer periods of time - longer than newsprint and much longer than was possible even 6 months ago!

This is particularly exciting to me because I love making collages which magazines, seed catalogues etc are great for.

Here's a happy-that-it's-spring collage I did recently:

MCS Improvements Part 7: Tolerating Markers, Pens and Papers

It's very exciting to now be able to use pretty much any pen or non-permanent marker!

I can now use sparkly pens, metallic pens, ball point pens, gel pens etc etc.
Ball point pens in particular I never thought I would be able to use again and am now totally fine with.

I'm loving all the new colours that are opening up to me.
Being able to do more artistic things is increasing my energy and improving  my mood... and it's SO healing for me!

I'm also now fine with regular paper, watercolour paper, construction paper and various coloured and craft papers!  Yay!!

 

You can view more creativity-focused posts on my blog Divinity Withinity.

Feeding The Sacred Spark

I've been thinking, for a while now, of how much I'd like to have more positive focuses in my life so I've decided to take the plunge and participate in this neat creativity challenge.
I love the art of the woman who runs CED and have been following her blog for many months, feeling inspired each time I read.  Her name is Leah Piken Kolidas and she provides monthly themes to help creative juices flow.
It's a very laid back 'challenge' and basically any participant can take part in whatever way feels right to them.

I love it!

I know how much healthier and happier I feel when I am creative and I think being part of this will motivate me to do it more often.

I've started a new blog called Divinity Withinity to be my new 'home' where I share creativity and celebrate things I enjoy - unrelated to illness.
A place to have fun, be silly, and connect with the sacred spark inside of myself - the spark that flares into a flame when in 2 situations - when I am in nature and when I am being creative.

I believe it can be healthy to break free from identifying too deeply with a label or diagnosis and this step feels like a positive one on my healing path.

So if you're a person who enjoys sharing of creativity or artsiness, please feel free to check out the new blog!  (I will still post MCS improvements in this blog.)

What are some non-MCS related positive things that are in focus in your life?
I'd love it if you shared in the comments area. 
☺

please note: the new blog will have photos so for dial up users, it may be slow to load.  I've tried to keep this MCS blog low on photos and videos for that very reason but I really want to celebrate on the creativity blog by sharing photos.  I apologise for any inconvenience it may cause.

Got Brain? Fun & Free Games to Improve Cognitive Function!

Do you ever avoid doing something that you know would be good for you because it's not enjoyable?

 

I know I do!  ☺

I'd like to share 2 sites that have fun games to improve brain function/health.

Both of these sites have many games that can be played for free.

Best of all, they are FUN!

At Fit Brains, there are more than 20 scientifically designed brain games designed to target all five major cognitive areas of brain function and keep your brain "healthy and sharp".  Almost all of them can be played for no cost. ☺  Although Fit Brains always asks if you'd like to sign up for a free account, it's entirely optional and when the little window pops up, you can select the 'Play Without Tracking' button to play the games without signing up. A free account allows you to track your progress, have brain games adapt to you and challenge your friends.

At Lumosity, although they also have more than 20 games, only the 'featured games' shown at the top can be played without signing up for a free account.  A window may pop up asking you to sign up for an account but if you hit the X in the upper right corner of the pop up window, you can then play the game without signing up.  Once again there are games you can play without signing up or paying.  A free account allows you to save your scores and compare scores with others.

Lumosity games are organised by what brain function they help hone.

For those interested in reading more about how our awesome brains can change and heal, there is literature on those 2 sites above and there is an excellent blog called Brain Leaders and Learners.

Have fun!

p.s. in my opinion, having fun is an absolutely necessary ingredient for healing!

☺

Do you know of any other free resources for building or improving brain function?

If so, please share them in the comments section!

I'd also love to hear if you have a favourite brain game from either of those sites.

Thanks!

Healing Humour: A Great Poem About Fudge

Those of you with food sensitivities may appreciate this great poem by Amestress on her blog Life: The Final Attempt (not really).

It's called I Remember Fudge: a eulogy and to me it felt like she was using humour to express some painful feelings about loss.

I am green with envy over her writing skills!
Amestress is using dance to track her recovery from MCS and posts videos (sometimes with fun songs that crack me up :).

I personally have found humour to be a great coping skill and sometimes a healing tool. On down days, I access the healing properties of laughter by watching funny videos online or reading funny stories/books. Studies show that laughter can improve immune system health, increase oxygen to the brain, reduce pain and stress and much more.


Thanks Amestress both for permission to link and for inspiring me! ☺