Cycle III Activities Survey again your health and physical condition, paying particular attention to any area in which you made significant improvement and to those which you still consider less than optimal. Assess any behaviors or patterns which you consider less than optimal. Assess any behaviors or patterns which you consider to be addictive or compulsive and take whatever steps seem dictated by this assessment. Set goals for any new areas which have emerged or any old areas which are still unfulfilled. Assist other Cella Members to assess their health and physical condition.
Survey Again My Health and Physical Condition Early in Cycle III I became physically disabled. Surveying and working on my health and physical condition has become a major feature of my life during this time.
Assess Behaviors/Patterns I Consider to be Addictive or Compulsive
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The most important of these, highlighted by my disability, is what might be called "compulsive doing." I've been a doer all my life. "Doing" is such a core part of who I am that I kept trying to "do" at my feverish pace, even when my body could not keep up with my doing pattern and energy. In Cycle III, I have learned about my doer self, learned to manage my energy so that I can "do" the things that are most important to me and let go of the rest. Also, I've learned how to "be" through meditation, relaxation, and slowing down.
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Another behavior and pattern I have surveyed and changed is my relationship with the sacred plant, hemp. I've been an occasional smoker most of my adult life, generally a fairly light social/recreational smoker (I was too busy taking classes, applying to graudate programs, doing volunteer work, organizing activities, etc. to be a heavy smoker). My disability, however, changed that. I experience chronic pain (sometimes severe), and in the early years of my disability, I smoked more hemp than usual, for its medicinal benefits -- it is a miraculous pain reliever. As I explored my disability, my body, and my changing life, I came to realize that I had become dependent on hemp. In 1998 I began to diminish my use of the herb and today smoke rarely (a small amount, once or twice in a given year). In place of hemp, I manage my health and energy better, take supplements, and have learned mind/body techniques for dealing with pain.
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I have continued the "overcoming overeating" work I started in the early 1990s. I find that compulsive eating, or overeating, is something that I have pretty much eliminated in my life, though it does reactivate in times of stress. When this behavior resurfaces, I practice the techniques learned through study and therapy to let it go and return to conscious eating. My disability, which is a stress disease, among others things, has caused me to revert to this behavior for various reasons (its soothing, it is a kinesthetic activity and many of those are no longer accessible to me because of limited mobility and muscle pain that limits even sedentary kinesthetic work, like making art and doing craft work). As I said earlier, the disability has forced me to become very conscious of my body and health in order to slow the progression of disability and recover and sustain as much health as possible.
Set Goals for New Areas And/Or Old Areas of Concern Swimming: This is the best exercise (and virtually the only exercise I can do) for my condition. Since going on medical leave from work, I have had a membership in two community pools and most recently, an Athletic Club with a warm water pool. I also swim almost daily during the summertime in the lake in my neighborhood.
Digestion: In 1999 I started learning about digestion and experimenting with natural supplements to improve my digestion. I've been working with a Naturopath for about two years and am seeing improvements. When I've graduated from Cella, I intend to focus even more energy in this area.
Decreased activity has made me become glucose intolerant (pre-diabetic). In addition to taking supplements to improve circulation and insulin absorption, I have also been changing my eating habits -- specifically, I've been limiting my intake of carbohydrates, spacing my meals more evenly, eating less at a given time, making myself eat breakfast, lowering my intake of sweets. This has kicked up all kinds of dieting craziness from my years as a "fix-it" fat girl. It's taking time and patience to move through this, but my doctor is pleased with my blood levels when they are checked every three months. I have brought down my cholesterol and triglycerides to normal levels during the time I've been working on this, which is probably the most important record of my success.
My disability (fibromyalgia
complicated by weight gain and co-diseases such as osteoarthritis, sleep
apnea, IBS, etc.) is due to physical trauma (ranging from childhood
accidents to the whiplash (1994) that precipated the onset of fibromyalgia
symptoms), emotional
trauma (read an article on the relationship between emotional trauma
and physical pain here),
extreme stress (when I became disabled I was working in two highly political
environments: the RCGI office -- volunteer and apprentice work, and
a state legislative bureau -- money work). Fibromyalgia is a rheumatological
disorder, classed as a syndrome instead of a disease because they don't
completely understand what causes or cures it. It is, among other things,
a stress illness. 90% of those diagnosed with fibromyalgia are women!
Women with fibromyalgia tend to share to personality traits: perfectionism
and sensitivity. I have worked on limiting the expression and range
of my tendency to perfectionism, limiting the number of activities and
organizations I am involved in. I have also become more aware of the
nature of my "sensitivity" and respecting it by staying aware
from people, places, and activities that overstimulate and deplete me.
Other things I've done to maintain and improve my health: continued to practice "Hatha Yoga Around the House" (developed in Cycle II), developed a regular meditation practice, studied Reiki (and had Reiki I and Reiki II attunements), spent more time in Nature, the great healer, done body work, done hyponotherapy.
Assist Other Cella Members I have assisted other Cella members in several ways. The most important are these: encouraging those who fall into the "busy witch" syndrome to slow down; counseled with others about nutrition, supplements and exercise.