Day After Down

It's not even 24 hours since my last blog entry, but I feel an impetus to share as I listen, process, feel. While yesterday did not feel good, there was much for me to listen to: wishing for things to be different, feeling out of control of my body's reactions, wanting to maintain some control and "knowing or expertise", recognizing that "relying" too much on anything, even that which is good for us is not balance and indicates that further listening and allowing to happen is needed. Wow! Can I be thankful for the "down days". Yes, indeed, for without them, we have nothing to compare, no color to life. This morning's awakening was better, as I did get a few hours of real sleep. It is truly amazing what sleep does for us and although on the intellectual level, I can recite the hormones and neurotransmitters that are impacted by both good and poor sleep, none of that matters when it comes to feeling - a place that I am residing in more often these days. As soon as the mind starts to take off with its thoughts, processes, plans, I am now more often than not, commanding myself to STOP, BREATHE, ASK HOW I FEEL. It is a compelling, yet so simple technique to quiet the mind. In addition, ADD A VISUALIZATION OF SOMETHING PLEASANT. I recently researched photos of Natural Killer cells because these are very lower in my blood due to illness. I found a beautiful colored photo that was taken by electron microscopy and the colors were the densities of those aspects of the cell - a real cell! I made a copy of this, have it by my bed at home and am now using it as part of my visualization, imagining these cells coming down through the top of my head, multiplying and permeating my body. All the while, breathing deeply and smiling with happiness and gratitude. Works for me! How can we tolerate the "down days"? Know that there are better days to come! Smiling, Julie