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Inspiring and empowering people to maximize their quality of life in spite of a chronic health condition or a disability |
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STEPS TO CHANGE |
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Issue # 6 October 2004 |
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This ezine is 100% opt-in. You are receiving it because you subscribed but may cancel by using the link at the end of this message. |
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IN THIS ISSUE |
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A chronic health condition can be a catalyst for personal growth and self-discovery. Are
you ready to break free of the bindings that are holding you back from
discovering your
own personal level of optimal health? We all have one – no matter what the condition is that ails us. I
challenge you to want to discover yours! I take people from an overwhelmed existence to a comfortably paced lifestyle.
Contact me today for a fr~ee sample coaching session and get started on living your maximum life. |
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TRAVELS WITH TRISH |
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There’s absolutely nothing like the variegated colours of the leaves in early autumn. Sometimes, during the cold, slushy days of winter or the oppressive heat and humidity of summer, I long to live in a temperate climate. But when I see the richness and depth of the trees in fall or the budding of the crocuses in spring, I’m profoundly grateful to God for the change of the seasons. I’m writing this on Thanksgiving weekend, on our way back from Windsor where Ernest and I have enjoyed the company of my family. For my fellow Canadians, I hope that you’ve had a Thanksgiving filled with gratitude and warm fellowship. The Halloween season will soon be upon us, promising devilish “trick or treaters” and thoughts of our own childhood seasons of fall turning to winter. I hope this newsletter sees you well or at least stable in health. Till next time, take care and God bless. ~~ Trish :-) trish@changingpaces.com ~~ 905-967-3014 ~~ www.ChangingPaces.com |
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FEATURE ARTICLE |
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ENERGY AND THE DELICATE BALANCE Energy is that resource or force that you draw upon to get you through the day. It enables you to physically move about, to be cognitively present and to remain emotionally in charge. For people who are healthy, energy can be perceived as an endless, renewable resource. That’s not the case for those of us with a chronic health condition (CHC). If you’ve ever felt the onset of fatigue as it “hits you like a brick wall”, then you know exactly what I mean. Energy conservation is critical to those with a CHC. That can be as simple as sitting down instead of standing when possible or as dramatic as using a wheelchair instead of a walker to accompany your family to the mall. I like to compare the limited, fixed amount of energy that a person with a CHC has with that of a car battery with one dead cell. The battery can no longer hold a full charge so sometimes it’ll start the car and sometimes it won’t. It’s an unpredictable situation that there’s no way to control. If you have a good battery that takes a full charge, your energy source is reliable and dependable. But if your battery has one dead cell, then you’re always starting the day with less than a full charge. Furthermore, you’re never certain when it will fail completely and leave you stranded. Hence, the need for energy conservation and balance in our lives. Balance can be defined as a state of equilibrium. In our daily lives, balance must be found between productivity or work and leisure or rest. Just as too much weight on one side of an old-fashioned scale will cause it to tip and become immobile, we too would cease to move if we over-extend ourselves on either work or rest. Productivity is important for self-esteem and rest is important for self-care but either activity to extreme would prevent us from effectively managing our lives and our health. Balance doesn’t happen by accident though. It’s only accomplished through proactive planning. The easiest way to manifest balance in your life is to plan blocks of time to dedicate to each side of the scale. If you work all day, be sure to plan leisure for the evening. If that isn’t possible, and you need to be productive all day, plan to set aside leisure time the next day. Granted, it’s a never-ending challenge, but well worth the effort in terms of maintaining the energy you need for the quality of life that you deserve. |
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FEEDBACK FORUM |
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| "What
a wonderfully positive support group you lead!
I hate to say that in my short time with MS, I have experienced
mostly negative groups with people who spend an hour complaining about
their illnesses. Don't
get me wrong; I understand that some people just need a forum to vent.
But the groups never end on a good note, unfortunately. On the other
end of the spectrum, your group is very refreshing and I will
definitely be back." Jeff
Cadwell is a Life Coach who lives with multiple sclerosis. You
can visit Jeff on the web at www.JeffCadwell.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “When
things overwhelm me, it helps to have an unbiased opinion, knowing
that I'm not being judged & helping to guide me back to
confidence. Also knowing I’m not burdening friends or speaking out
of turn. Trish made me aware of my many blessings. She is right on the
mark with references, remembering names & connections showing her
interest in my concerns. The "homework" gave me insight into
my outlook & how to look at life from other angles. To hear her
welcoming voice with positive follow up remarks made me aware to try
to keep out negativity. My health conditions have greatly improved.
I've lost weight and am interested in life again. Very little
pain, if any still remains.” PGP
is a retiree living with arthritis, fibromyalgia and depression. |
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CHUCKLES TO LIGHTEN YOUR DAY |
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| Upon
hearing that her elderly grandfather had just passed away, Katie went
straight to her grandparent's house to visit her 95-year-old grandmother
and comfort her.
When
she asked how her grandfather had died, her grandmother replied,
"He had a heart attack while we were making love on
Sunday morning.” Horrified,
Katie told her grandmother that two people nearly 100 years old
having sex would surely be asking for trouble. "Oh
no, my dear," replied granny. "Many years ago, realizing our advanced
age, we figured out the best time to do it was when the church bells
would start to ring. It was just the right rhythm. Nice and slow and
even. Nothing too
strenuous, simply in on the Ding and out on the Dong." She paused to wipe away a tear, and continued, "He'd still be alive if the ice cream truck hadn't come along." |
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FR~EE RESOURCES |
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TeleSupport
Group
Support
for People with a Chronic Health Condition
(membership
is a $10 per month value – yours FREE)
What's
a TeleSupport Group? Glad you asked that! It's like an in-person support group meeting in that there is a facilitator (me) and there'll be participants (yes, hopefully you) and we'll be getting together to share the challenges and successes we've experienced living with a chronic health condition. The differences are that you don’t have to leave your house, you don’t have to drive to some distant location and you don’t even have to get dressed! How
do I join? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TeleClass
3
Strategies for Living Well with Chronic Illness
(this
event is a $30 value – yours FREE)
Are you ready to break free of the bindings that are holding you back from discovering your own personal level of optimal health? We all have one - no matter what the condition is that ails us. I challenge you to want to discover yours! Class
Description: Over the course of one hour we'll explore 3 great strategies that you can incorporate into your life right away that will help you live well with chronic illness. The key messages that you'll take away with you will include the ABC's for finally taking control. Class notes will be provided by email following the session. How
do I register for the class? Call me today at 905-967-3014 or email me, provide me with your first name only and I’ll provide you with the bridgeline to join us for the next class. I hope you can be with us for this interactive event. Contact me today - you'll be glad you did! |
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WORDS TO CONSIDER |
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This
92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed
each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably styled and
makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a
nursing home today. It's
a decision I make every morning when I wake up.
I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the
difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or
get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. 1.
Free your heart from hatred 2.
Free your mind from worries 3.
Live simply 4.
Give more 5.
Expect less |
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ABOUT TRISH |
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Trish Robichaud is a Maximum Life Coach living with multiple sclerosis. She's grateful to have been blessed with a God-given, instinctive ability for seeing assets in people and then reflecting those assets back to them. This enables her clients to confidently reach for and unleash their full potential. She facilitates TeleClasses and a monthly TeleSupport Group at no charge to participants as well as publishes a free monthly electronic newsletter. Her background is in business with training in supportive counselling and life skills facilitation. Together with her experience advocating for people with disabilities, this makes her ideally suited to coaching others through their life and vocational transitions. She can be found on the web at www.ChangingPaces.com. |
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| Copyright
© 2004 Trish Robichaud, All rights reserved |
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