Empowering Group Program Run-through - Lesson 14

[MapleLane]

Hello All,

I was talking to Ninja and he is feeling quite under-the-weather so he asked me to relay the message that our Lesson 14 discussion will be delayed by a week.
Hope you feel better soon Ninja!

On a personal note I will just explain that you haven't seen me post for a few weeks as I have fallen behind on the lessons. I'm still chugging away and enjoying learning but due to a few busy weeks I had to slow down my pace.

[forever young 06]

get well soon mike I am also getting behind. I have not done the lesson for last week. I am baby sitting again as I have a sick grand baby he has strep and rsv. I think I have taken it too. where are you THH?

[THH]

Hi Maplelane, We have missed you. So nice of you to let us know about Mike. Hope you get to feeling better SOON!
I really don't think any of us care that we are going to wait a week as all of us have fallen behind a little. So we can catch up this way. Get better Mike...

Forever Young,
I'm here! I am in the exchange program! I have to wait a couple days and call and may the payment and then they will send out my new stuff. I hope its as good if not better than my old plan! Fingers crossed.
I am doing alright. At times I feel good, and I have had a couple things cause me to obsess with my health. I had a dental cleaning today and did pretty good. I do get uncomfortable at times in the chair, and having them not saying anything. I always ask if everything looks good or the same? I don't like silence. Keep talking to me and tell me what your doing and how things are looking. Don't wait 1/2 hour and give me the everything. But I am proud as I did not think about it last night and get myself all worked up. Also, I have been on a stomach pill for years, the product is over the counter but it says not to take more than 14 days. My doctor told me to take it, and I have, but part of me wants off it to see how my stomach is. I will have to wean off it as it will have a rebound effect and I keep going back on it. Another obsession for me. I am going to try over a period of time to get off of it. My doctor says it is better to take it than get a ulcer and I do well for awhile but then question it. I also read on the internet how bad it is for you.( Another no-no and I almost always stay off there in the medical area) SO that is what started all the "get off the pill" . Maybe it was to think about something else rather than the dentist! LOL.. Who knows.
I have not done this weeks lesson, so lets wait for Mike to return.
Poor baby, hope he / she gets well soon. Your a good grandma forever!

[bradley1960]

I would like to make an observation here, as I have been following Empowering Group Run_through since lesson three, but not as regularly as the rest of you. And I haven't shared here very often. And that observation is... Even with a few challenges such as Mike not being able to offer his leadership skills this week or falling behind in the lessons and fears trying to creep back in realize one thing. You still posted here and supported each other. in spite of setbacks or challenges progress is still being made. You continue to support each other and therefore continue to move forward. Actions speak louder than words. I would like to relate a message I heard vfrom Wayne Dyers' mentor Rabanath Tagore... I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and found that life was service. I acted and behold service is joy. Keep moving forward.

[forever young 06]

THH I am in the exchange finally too. did you take the new insurance? that is what I took and it has a lower deductible and suppose to have a large network of drs and hospitals that is one thing to be sure of. all of this gets on my nerves I have been working on this since oct. I have a friend that has used the insurance but it hasn't paid yet I feel uneasy with change. how could anyone guess that.

I am getting sick myself wow this stuff stinks. I have a stopped up nose and a sore throat and coughing. I am still trying to take care of my grands they are grand such sweet hearts. they are getting better my daughter doesn't want to send them back to baby sitter util she is sure they are well. The little guys birthday party is sat and we are hoping they will be well he will be 1. good job with the dentist. It is mind over matter. I have been having to do a lot of self talk. all positive lot of prayer and confessing scriptures. I am getting there.

[THH]

It has been a long week for me, and I a doing well. Just a bit tired. Yes I have worked hard on keeping my mind focused on being in the now. I have had lots of temptations to let old habits creep back in my thoughts. I recognize that I am tired and to shut it down before I get to overwhelmed. Over all I a pleased that I got new insurance, had a dental appt., my husband had a procedure, and it is only Thursday!

Forever Young,
Yes I took the silver plan. Lower det. It will start in April, I hope they get it right with the billing. Canceling one policy and starting another. I certainly don't want to pay for 2. Fingers crossed...
I understand how you feel. I don't like change either and I had a high det. with my old policy but I knew the plan well, understood much of it, to change to a complete unknown is scary. But I had no choice, that made me angry too. Our old plan was not renewable.

Oh I hope you do not have the flu. Gezz I had that and it was terrible. That is the only problem with kids, they catch everything. If you had a flu shot you just would get a milder version. I did not get a flu shot, so I suffered with the full flu for a couple weeks.
Good for you keeping your self moving forward! We are getting this it just takes time and practice!
Thanks Bradley1960, your thoughts are always welcome. We are moving forward, it is best not to think about it too long! Just keep rolling... How are you doing?
I love your quote I think of it often!

[THH]

I read my book today and like this session as well. Controlling stress. I have the hardest time with stress responses to my own way of thinking.
If I can learn to recognize my negative thoughts I have a good chance that I can change my perception which may lesson my reaction or have a different approach all together.

I feel I have been doing a good job at controlling stress this week. I also am trying to prepare myself incase I don't have such a good week or deal with it as well. Knowing that lapse's have thrown me in the past. I have learned many new things about my self this run through. I am feeling stronger at times. I also need to remember to keep things simple!

I liked in the book how they mentioned that pursuing a healthy lifestyle is an ongoing process.
If we were not challenged we could not grow. With one more session to go I feel pretty good about many things. I'm glad I did the challenge again. Hope everyone feels they have improved in some way!
Have a good night!

[forever young 06]

THH I know what you mean about cancelling the plan we have and starting a new plan. I kept asking them if it was in effect and they say yes. Mine starts in in march I am having my insurance now taken directly out of the bank. I am afraid of cancelling my old plan. I hate change I will have to be sure it is in effect. we have already got our new cards.

I have really slacked in the last two weeks on the lessons. I have never went this far even listening to the tapes. I think we have learned a lot about ourselves and realizing we are doing this to ourselves with our thinking the worst and being so negative.

[bradley1960]

THH AND forever Young change is a given everyone with a pulse must deal with. Your actions in taking on new insurance will make leaps and bounds in your efforts to overcome anxiety. I would like to share two thoughts that have helped me accept change. The first is from a side bar that appears in "womens world"... a publication that is available in most stores near the checkout, with the tabloids and magazines. this one I have on my mirror where I perform my morning routine. It reads "Hope is eternal because change is inevitable". Change also brings good things... children grow into adults and give us grandchildren to love etc. Learn the new insurance the way you did the old insurance and once familiar you will once again be comfortable. Keep moving forward. The second quote was from my nephew when he told me on facebook that worrying is nothing more than trying to control life by seeing it the way you don't want it to be!!!! I have discovered a practice that helps with accepting change that goes hand in hand with this course. It is simply Plan, Do, Check and Adjust. You create a plan (write it down no matter how simple that may be right now...you will get better with practice) then put that plan into action (no matter how hard or accurately you do so) then check the results (what worked and what didn't) then adjust that plan (and repeat entire practice). But you must do all four steps regularly no matter how well you do them or you won't get better at them. Don't judge your efforts, monitor your progress and always adjust the plan for things you didn't see coming. Accept your new insurance, get to know it as well as the old and soon you will be as comfortable as with the old and new hopes will be in your sites to accept. See life the way you want it to be and never under estimate the success of small incremental changes over time.
Bradley

[Ninjafrodo2]

Hey All! Well first of all I just wanted to say thank you MapleLane for relaying my message and for creating this thread for the 2nd last lesson of the program and I'm sorry for becoming distant the way I was and yeah i'm feeling much better now. I think THH said before that every run through we've ever done, it tends to slow down as we go through and yeah I think thats what was going on. Its so easy to just fall back on the program. I've been catching up on last week's lesson and I still have a few things to catch up on with previous lessons but have been continuing to face limitations.

I spent all day today timing my activities and it felt pretty good, I feel good about scheduling the day instead of just writing out a to do list and hoping that I accomplish everything...i'm trying to come up with a good balance and not overload myself.

I haven't been using the relaxation cd for quite a long time now and instead was doing meditations to cultivate love as well as meditations to feel pain whenever painful memories would come up and a bit of mindfulness meditation as well but it doesn't seem like that is enough and I'm realizing out of all the meditational work that I've done, the most relaxing type is actually the progressive muscle relaxation (the part in the relaxation cd where you tense muscle groups and relax)...I didn't really look at it but i'm realizing that it is really important to work on the muscle tension of the body. I really don't like the relaxation cd so I ended up looking for something else and I found something that works better for me and it omits the visualization aspect (which I found really stressful as visualizing is difficult for me)...so lets see how that works.

I've noticed that many of us have been falling behind but still working towards doing these things and I just wanted to say that it is great we are all still making effort and pushing forward despite the challenges. I'm also glad that you guys were still talking on here and helping each other in my absence like Bradley had mentioned...great job!

Also great job on the insurance switching as well as the other great accomplishments that were made this week especially Forever with getting as far as she has with the program, I read that this is the furthest you've ever gone with the program and that is worth bringing attention to

One thing that sticks in my head from the book (lesson 13 stuff) is that it really isn't the big stuff that gets us but rather the small stuff...I know THH mentioned this earlier but I wanted to re-mention it. It really is the smaller stuff and it goes well with what THH mentioned about that she read in the book about positive lifestyle changes taking time. Its not about facing limitations, its about changing the smaller stuff from less useful patterns to more useful ones.

I hope this week gave people somewhat of a chance to catchup with things and if not, no worries because we can defiantely catch up at the end of the program and discuss our experience through it...what changed, what stayed the same, what things are still challenges for us...ect.


Mike