Monday 24 June 2013

Therapeutic ventures

Good morning all,

I am sat here gingerly this morning with a frozen gel pack against my lumbosacral region as the recent combination of over-exuberant gardening and frequent linen changes of a very low toddler bed has reignited an old back injury caused by my former life as a midwife. Daily contortions around labouring, birthing and breastfeeding women have taken their toll and left me with back which does not appreciate the abuse it is asked to tolerate. However after a careful weekend of intermittent standing, lying, anti-inflammatories, and repeatedly freezing my muscles into submission, I'm relieved to find it slightly improved today. I would have found it unbearable to have another day of inactivity. Although, requesting the husband to take command of all nappy changes has been a pleasant bonus.

It's been bad, but not quite as bad as the last time I seriously injured my back and all attempts to crawl into the car to go to A&E had failed. I was lay on the flags by the front door, with all the neighbours watching excitedly as I writhed around in agony, and my husband thought I needed covering with a quilt to keep warm. The ambulance arrived and my husband was requested to move the aforementioned car to get the ambulance closer to me, which he did hastily, running over my foot in the process, causing a meltdown of epic proportions, the unsympathetic paramedic to insist I get a grip, and me to lie there wishing the husband could just do a job properly for once and finish me off completely. True story without embellishments - you couldn't make it up.

However, on a serious note, being incapacitated requires a mental strength I do not possess, and I really admire the strength of people who suffer but cope with immobility on a more permanent basis. Conversely though I can completely understand the rationale behind the late campaigners Diane Pretty and Tony Nicklinson's fight for the right to die. Controversial and extreme, yes, but prime examples of how mental suffering can be far more devastating than the actual physical suffering. As a person with both professional and personal experience of the devastating effects of mental illness with or without an accompanying  physiological illness, I would advocate any method experienced as helpful to the individual to maintain and improve mental health, be that drug-based, talking therapy, meditation/yoga, something totally different, or any combination of these, placed in no particular order of importance. For my husband, it's running. For me, it's a combination of all of the above, Classic FM, and my card therapy because of the resulting pleasure it brings to both myself during the creative process and the person receiving the end product. Having recently completed my latest bout of talking therapy with a fantastic psychotherapist, and missing the outlet and support those sessions brought, I have been searching for constructive articles to read and found these free guided meditations and also this interesting +Psychologies article '5 Ways to Thrive Without Having Therapy' which others may also find useful.

So, onto my therapeutic card creating of last week! Here is my moving house card:




Made using a combination of Spellbinders dies, ric rac, Tonic Studios punches, +WOW! Embossing Powders in Pastel Pink and Lili of the Valley sentiment, fancy brad and key charm.

I will sign off now with another couple of photos:



One from my garden this morning and the other from a card I made last summer.

Have a lovely Monday everyone, time to go and get hugs and kisses off my little hellraisers,

Emma x

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