Money and happiness in HEALing us all

"Frolicking Tartan" Painting by Neva Bruce


So scouring the net for things of interest to narrow focus, sometimes is     counterproductive, however in light of a few conversations in our HEAL groups.

              Want to be happy.. check out this TED talk.  

                 https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_norton_how_to_buy_happiness?language=en

Breathing is HEALing

Screen shot of Yellowpoint video by Neva Bruce

I have thought a lot about practices for health. What should I take up?

In the past almost three years my life has been turned upside down like I never thought possible. During this time I have had to remember to breathe. Breathing is natural, of course I was breathing, I am still here. What is interesting, is that I was not aware of my breathing, or more importantly when I was not breathing. We hold our breath when we are scared, when we are excited, and when we are trying not to cry.

Back ground life lesson - I learned to behave as a child. Not too loud, not to busy, not too rambunctious,not too quiet, and definitely not angry or sad or teary. That is not becoming.

Enter new life lesson.

A wonderful person shared with me this past year that if we don't breathe when we cry, our brains cannot process grief. The right brain and the left brain need to communicate and they need to do this through breathing. What basis this has in proven research, I have no idea, but I have learned to breathe and this has been helpful. 

The picture above is from a video that I took while on holiday in February of this year. It is a reminder of incoming and outgoing breath. So between, caring for my skin and my feet with coconut oil, having an occasional massage, acupuncture, physiotherapy and various other health supportive treatments, I am going to focus on my breathing.

This video is my five minute reminder to sit calmly and breath with the image of the tide, the sound of the surf, and focus on my breathing, letting go of the stresses in life with each breath. 

Breath is all we have.

Peeking through to HEALing

                                          Photo by Neva Bruce Lethbridge Alberta


I feel that often we as a society only see glimpses of others lives.
           Looking deeper through Raphael's text at the social determinants of health and viewing updates and the ongoing research seems a bit disheartening. We don't seem to be much further "up the beach" as it were and in fact maybe further down.
           I had some exposure to the social determinants of health a few years ago when the CNA (Canadian Nurses Association) provided a comprehensive report providing a springboard to inform and call nurses to action; for nurses to get involved with politics and pressuring policy makers in various positions to look at changing policies based on research. It is difficult for many to commit to such a seemingly overwhelming task. And still here we are, same story.
          More time to digest the inequities of income, the effects of job insecurity, intensification of work, globalization, and a worsening work life balance.
          Now to think of ways to destress, maintain my own equilibrium as I re-enter my profession after being away for over two years. Unfortunately I see more stress put on people with "do more with less" philosophy, taking health care into more of a business model, with quantitative measurements, LEAN processes and moving away from the caring side of health. We continue to be reactive, occasionally responsive and seldom look at the root cause of the current health issue presented.
           thinking...thinking... thinking....

My Brain Week One

Painting by Neva Bruce

My brain Week #1

So it pays to read all of the instructions.... All about me.

A short biography. 

Blue eyed, blonde
Born at 6lbs 15oz in the fall on the prairies into a family of five. 

Fast forward to now.

Blue eyed -no contactsNot so blonde (gray with highlights and low lights to be honest)

Married, son and two dogs (training one to be a service dog)

Residing in BC since 1986

I am a Registered Nurse with many years of experience in health care, working in both public and private institutions; across the health care continuum from acute care, critical care, occupational health and wellness, through to home health. The most significant roles include wife, mother, sister, aunt, friend and colleague. I have served in the community on various boards and ad hoc committees, involved in RACA (Richmond Arenas Community Association), RAM (Richmond Association for Montessori), PAC (Parent Advisory Council), and as a parent advisor on a school closure committee in School District #38.  All forms of art, including music, painting, pottery and dance, as well as skiing and cooking for dinner parties are part of my time well spent. I am passionate about nursing, ethical care, health literacy for patients, clients and adolescents and have lots of time for seniors and dogs. 

Why HEAL?

I have been a life long learner, with a keen eye, and a kinesthetic sense, I have learned much in my life thus far. I grew up when there were no organized sports, except figure skating. We were out running, playing ball, catch, street hockey, and hide and seek. Dinner was on when my sister whistled for us from blocks away. As an adolescent I skated and skiied and took Karate; even got my yellow belt and then nursing got in the way with shift work, dismantling my routine. Through, work experience, relationships, becoming a parent, life lessons and suffering significant loss in my life, HEAL seemed a good fit. Further to that, my previous professional role was focused on health literacy; sourcing and providing health information and self management strategies in a manner that is accessible and understandable. With a large number of immigrants in Richmond, we have ongoing challenges in educating our community members. HEAL (Health Education and Active Living) was of interest to me as I want to expand my knowledge base and utilize the formalized curriculum for the population that I serve. In my experience, learning has a way of leeching into all facets of our own life and I'm looking forward to the journey.

Mind Body and Health

My understanding and belief around the Mind body connection and physical health is that they are integral and inseparable. When I reflect on this, I think about Olympic athletes and how they train; just as hard psychologically as they do physically. They develop mental toughness and perseverance as well as physical stamina and strength. So many people that I have known and cared for have survived longer than expected and have managed seemingly insurmountable physical trauma and illness in part due to their ability to utilize their mind to transform their life and improve their health.

"The idea that our minds and emotions play a critical role in our health - a fundamental premise in integrative medicine-is far from new. Many ancient healing systems emphasize the interconnection between mind and body in healing, including Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, who taught that good health depends on a balance of mind body and environment."

http://www.bravewell.org/integrative_medicine/philosophical_foundation/mind_and_body_connection/

To Give and to Gain 

My hope is that my years of work and life experience will assist the cohort with a varied perspective, as much as I will garner from them. Retraining my brain and my ability to relearn in a positive way, increasing my neuroplasticity, and committing to doing something for myself are some of the goals within HEAL for me.

. 

HEALing begins.

                                           Painting by Neva Bruce

               So, we have arrived and survived the weekend of the first of our Masters Program. Whew.
My perceptions were as above. Challenging, muddling in the dark and in the rain, unsure of what to expect. Reading the shortened version of some of the assigned works has awakened many questions, topics of interest and calls into question our assumptions and our experience.

               We are so fortunate to have been accepted into this program and to get the opportunity to work with such a diverse awesome group of peers and accomplished professors to further our learning, to challenge our knowledge, to improve our skill sets and eventually get us a formal piece of paper that acknowledges to the world we have completed a marathon of study.

              I am interested in Health literacy, people and their support systems, challenging the norms and improving my writing, and garnering more information to arm myself to increase my own well being and the well being of others.