Category Archives: Positive Mindset Secrets
Psoriasis and The Power of Positive Thinking
Never underestimate the power of positive thinking. Negative thoughts and emotions are what often keep people in the condition they are in. Illness and disease happens, but it is the negative thoughts and emotions that keep us from healing quickly, or at all. Daily affirmations may sound like a lot of hocus pocus, but it is amazing what can happen when we get rid of the negative energy and replace it with positive.
Negative thoughts lead to negative emotions and actions. If you are feeling down, all you want to do is stay under the covers and not deal with anyone. Telling yourself negative thoughts can lead to you, and others believing those thoughts. If you constantly tell people you aren’t smart enough for that promotion, in time you and your co-workers will believe that to be the truth. However, if you tell yourself you are just as qualified as everyone else for that promotion, you and your co-workers will believe that to be the truth. A negative thought process and negative attitude will not give you the courage and strength to even try for the promotion. A positive attitude will give you the confidence to go for it, even if you don’t get it and least you tried.
The road to recovery is more than just medication and doctor’s visits. It is about convincing yourself that you are going to be alright. It is saying everyday that this illness or disease is not going to bring you down or stop you from reaching for the stars. You may have a disease, but it is not all you are.
Positive affirmations are a way to force a decision and commit to gaining control of your life back. Close your eyes and say “I will overcome this”. Bring up pictures in your mind of you free of your illness. Picture yourself living a healthy life and immersing yourself in healthy things. Remember that picture for when times get tough and things get hard.
You don’t have to spend tons of money on self-help tapes. It is easy and free to make your own daily affirmations. The trick is to make yourself recite these affirmations daily, even when you are in the foulest of moods. Write out things such as “I am getting stronger and healthier” “I feel better and more positive with each passing day”. Put these sayings in your purse or wallet or hang them in the mirror where you get ready each day.
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Making Positive Changes in Your Life
In each of our lives everyday, there is always something changing that affects us. It can be the environment, a downsizing at the company you work for, an economical recession, or even bad luck with getting dates. How can one continue to smile and make positive changes through it all ? For starters, it all starts with placing thoughts, dreams and visualized goals into action. At times, when we tend to think on something too much, we most likely follow with acting upon it, if it positively benefits us. Despite not getting a pay raise, or having a shaky marriage/relationship/or even unstable finances, do you see yourself making positive progress in what you desire to accomplish ? The changes you make today for the better will affect your future, slowly but surely.
One of the major changes I’ve made since working on bettering my life, was staying on track with what I spoke into existence. Just speaking it into existence before almost 18,000 friends helped emotionally to turn the “switch” back on in my brain. I’ve slacked for so long, and now was time in my early 30’s to clean up my act and back back rerailed on track. At the same time, I acknowledge I can’t continue to grow, without first acknowledging GOD, and extending my support of others throughout my mission of being a positive influence to someone else who needs uplifting in their pursuit of transforming into happiness and a better quality of life!
In efforts of cleaning up the mildly wild character of myself, I now analyze everything, in my expressions, videos, words and so forth. It helps to intellectually remain acute, while tweaking other areas which are being spiritually welded, such as image, relationships, how I come across to others, remaining optimistic about turning around as a completely new person. In anything in life, and the business world, OUR success depends on the meaningful relationships we have with others, and serving one another.
In additional changes being made today, I’ve learned and felt forgiveness lightens up the load on the heart. By default, before a vast majority of us take the time to focus on spiritually restrengthening ourselves in a closer walk and relationship with GOD, most of us “talking about myself too” tend to walk around with anger, bitterness, resentment and hatred in our hearts. If you’ve ever analyzed your actions in straightening up your life, if you’ve ever felt like you fell in love with someone, felt you had a chance to succeed at something, or could become a new person and leave the bad stuff behind, it helps to create a new love for life. In this new love for life, if you are truly in love , LOVE helps anyone to see where he or she went wrong , and work feverishly in cleaning up their act, in hopes that their character and persona is potentially acceptable, before GOD and others. Forgiveness also restores hope in anyone’s life, without the need to ingest St. John’s Wort on a daily basis (smile) LOL
Last but not least, daily exercise helps the mind to remain positive intact. What I mean is, when you workout constantly, while incorporating healthy cardiovascular activity and a clean diet , it helps to reduce the anxiety, cortisol and lactic acid buildup. As most of us know, cortisol and lactic acid buildup on the mind not only leads to muscle deprivation, but it also contributes to feelings of skipping the gym, and may possibly affect one in having an obtuse attitude in general. When most folks are starting out in their exercise endeavors is overweight, they may tend to have a negative attitude, due to life’s problems, not feeling sexy, or desired by the opposite sex.
As we strengthen our minds through cardiovascular activity “both Spiritually and complimenting it with the physical” , we are congruently placing ourselves in a position for “infinite possibilities. Infinite possibilities includes the spontaneous respect we may receive from others, increased deepening of relationships, increased admiration, increased feelings of love and emotional wellness in OUR hearts. The list goes on. So, it always helps to exercise daily, in one form or another, even if you perform a stationary bike or mild treadmill run for 5 minutes a day. Not only will it strengthen your heart , but it helps you in the long run, performance wise, in exercise, daily productivity at work and feeling better about yourself.
Shawn Drewry is the CEO of
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Positive Discipline For Teenagers Lack of Respect
What Causes Lack of Respect in Teenagers?
The lack of respect teenagers show these days is certainly no secret. Today, I found myself thinking about what some of the causes could be and I identified three things I believe contribute greatly to the lack of respect found in teenagers.
Changes in Government and Society
There was a time, and not that long ago, when most parents enforced the rules in their homes through several different methods including physical punishment.
These physical punishments, most often spankings, were actually very effective positive discipline for teenagers. They might not seem so positive but they were because the paddling was the final line. It brought real consequences to a child’s actions.
For example, when I was growing up if I did something I wasn’t supposed to do I’d find myself grounded for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
Often, I’d be punished physically as well. I’m not talking about being slapped around or any foolishness like that. I’m talking about a good ole paddling. Often those were administered with a belt.
It wasn’t just me either. It was quite common for a kid to be spanked back when I was growing up.
The result? We learned if we did not want to get a whupping we needed to follow the rules.
Times have certainly changed. Some of the people who make the laws in this country decided that a parent disciplining their child by means of a paddling was child abuse.
These days any parent who spanks their child can have child abuse charges filed against them and find their state government interfering in their family life.
I believe this is one of the greatest reasons teenagers have a lack of respect today. Because without the backup of an actual real punishment there is no real motivation for a kid to change their behavior.
Parents today often have their kids right up in their faces yelling at their parents. What is the parent going to do? Well, when it comes right down to it they really cannot do anything.
Sure they can tell the child to stop it or else… but what is the or else? The parent can try grounding them from the television or computer. They can take away their cell phone. They can tell their disobedient child he / she are not leaving the house for a week.
This all sounds good. It should be effective, right? So… what happens when the child thinks “to heck with this!” and watches television and gets on the computer anyway? What if they sneak in and take back their cell phone? What if they sneak out of the house or simply walk out right in front of their parents?
Although this might seem quite extreme for kids to do, believe me, it does happen and is happening all over the USA every day. Talk to your friends. Watch the news. Search the Internet only briefly and you will discover what a huge problem this has become.
The bottom line is without any real “tool” in their toolbox the parents no longer have any real power to enforce the rules and make their kids behave.
Everyone Must Earn Respect… Including You!
Recently, I was reading an article that talked about how teachers are seeing an alarming trend these past few years.
The students are expecting everyone else to earn their respect. Teenagers make their teachers earn their respect. Until the teacher earns the respect the student has none for them simply because of the teachers position.
The same goes for their parents and even other teenagers. They do not respect people for being older. They do not respect people for things they have accomplished. They do not respect their parents for providing for them and for bringing them into the world in the first place.
I have talked to many teenagers in an attempt to understand it. The things I have been told are “what other people have done has nothing to do with me” and “Why do adults always brag about what they have done, pat themselves on the back and want us to kiss their behinds?”
The only explanation I have for this behavior is the teenagers may have learned this from a role model.
A Disrespectful Role Model
If a child has grown up around a parent, or other adult role model, who often talks and acts disrespectfully the child will pick up on that.
For example, if a parent is always complaining about their job, and in particular, complaining about their boss or other people they work with… think about what kind of message this sends to kids.
First, the child can begin to lose respect for their parent. They may think “wow, (mom or dad) must be a real pushover if they have so many problems at work.” They may also support their parent fully and think “I’ll never let some idiot ruin my life like that. I won’t even give them the chance to!”
Neither of these views is a healthy way for a child to see the world and other people. Under such circumstances, it is understandable how the child may develop an aggressive personality causing them to challenge all authority. After all they have seen what such people did to their parent’s life. They’ve listened to their parent complain about it for years. The child may simply be doing whatever they can to make sure they will not be treated the same way as their parent has been.
I’m not laying the blame solely on parents. Believe me, I understand this cannot be the entire reason behind teenagers lack of respect.
The Always Improving Parent has four children. He understands the challenges today’s parents face.
How Negative Ions Are Really Positive
By now, you have become a big fan of your water fountain. You not only appreciate the wonders it brings to your home- what with the relaxing and soothing mood it sets, the aesthetic value it adds to your foyer and lawn, the natural humidification it brings about your kid’s room, and being your pet’s favorite source of drinking water-your friends also rave about it!
There’s one more thing that would make you absolutely adoring to your water fountain- negative ions.
What are they?
The air is full with charged particles called ions. These are formed when electrons are ejected. This happens when energy reacts on molecules like water, oxygen or carbon dioxide .The dislodged electron affixes itself to a molecule which then becomes a negative ion. The original molecule, now without the electron, becomes a positive ion.
We have all experienced the effect of negative ions. Think of the time you were on a beach, or near a waterfall, high up the mountains, close to a pine forest, in the country. We feel better about ourselves and others, more alert and energized. Even in simple activities like taking a shower or turning your fountain on. Research has proven that negative ions are abundant when there is falling water. What flowing water does is split positive or neutral ions and create negative ions.
What negative ions do is help freshen the air in your home, lift your mood and relieve stress, amongst other benefits.
Freshen the air
They bring about clumping of allergens causing them to be heavy enough to be pulled down to the floor and be vacuumed, rather than being suspended in the air where they can be inhaled and cause allergic reactions. In other words, negative ions help eliminate dust, spores, pollens and other allergens floating in the air. This creates a better environment for your home or office.
Lift your Mood/ Relieve Stress
Some studies show that when negative ions reach our bloodstream, our serotonin level increases. This means that we feel happier and energized and our stress level decreases.
It is also important to point out that positive ions are undesirable. Breathing in positive ions decreases our energy and our over all health is compromised. It’s not easy to avoid positive ions as they are everywhere-indoors or outdoors. Household appliances- computers, TV, microwave ovens, refrigerators- emit positive ions. Outdoors, whenever warm, dry wind blows or when there is pollution (which is pretty much everywhere), there’s an abundance of positive ions.
That’s why having a water fountain is important. You have a constant supply of these healthy ions in your home or office. What that means are happier spouses and children, happier pets too! In the office, you not only get happier clients, you also get more efficient workers.
And then you prove for yourself that negative ions are really positive.
Article Source: http://ezineseeker.com/?expert=Kaye_Castillo
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Affirmations and the Power of Positive Thinking
To think positively, one has to change their mental and emotional thinking about every aspect of themselves. There are steps that you can take to create positive attitudes toward other people and different situations.
You have to learn what the most important factors are that affect your attitudes. In this way, you learn to eliminate all negative things that can affect the way you make decisions.
You have to take charge of things that affect your life, instead of allowing other people and circumstances to decide how your life will play out. You must also associate with others preferably with greater skills and knowledge that will help you develop in a positive direction and pull you up to their level. It is said that if a positive and a negative person are around each other for any length of time that the negative person will almost always bring the positive one down instead of visa Versa. Avoid negative people like the plague and take small steps each day to achieve your goals. Remember, ” How do you eat an elephant ?” Answer, “One bite at a time”. You should always associate yourself with like minded people who can motivate to achieve your goals.
Look in the mirror and say positive things about yourself to yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself how do you expect anyone else to believe you are successful. This is called positive affirmations. The way you communicate to yourself influences the way you think and the way you approach other people and situations. Read about those who have overcome great difficulties, fought their fears, overcome obstacles to succeed in life. You will then be able to learn understand new ideas. You will also begin have a positive outlook on life in general. Your mind cant hold a positive and a negative thought at the same time. So anytime you catch yourself thinking a negative thought, change it immediately to a positive one. Remember, you have control over your mind and what you think!
Always make lists to stay motivated in achieving your goals no matter how hard they may seem. Always take time to work on your goals. Accomplishing one task will motivate you to conquer another, and another and another, ect. This momentum snowballs and makes you more self-confident and when you are more self confident it is much easier to achieve more goals.
Replace your old sad depressing mental images with happy positive images that you want to experience. Become aware of your attitudes and behavior. You can then make an action plan to create those attitudes you like and and discard the ones you dislike.
Always think about, “what you want, not what you don’t want”, if you believe in the,”Law of Attraction”, you will bring into your life, what you think about. So only think about what you want!
You cannot control all things all of the time in your live, but you can change the things that you think about in a positive way. You have the option to choose what you think about to increase your self-esteem.
Positive affirmations are a powerful tool that can influence your attitude and behavior. When you say positive things about yourself, you will be able to respond and react internally on what you would like to happen in your life. Your thoughts determine your personal feelings and your reactions to certain situations. When you practice positive affirmations, you start taking control of things that can affect or change the way you see the world and your life.
The way you speak to yourself allows you to see your emotional side. What you say to yourself should relate to things that are currently happening in your life. Remember, you are in control of what you think and what you think determines how you feel and therefore your actions.
Get a Mentor! A Mentor is someone who has achieved the results you desire in life that agrees to take you under their wing and teach you how to do it. Your gains under the direction and guidance of a mentor will supercharge your progress many times faster. Example, The U.S. Small Business Administration offers a program of retired business executives that act as mentors to those wanting to start their own businesses using their experience to help people avoid many of the pit falls they have already experienced.
READ, READ, READ. Your mind is like a sponge. Let it soak up all of the knowledge possible. Never stop learning. This is one of the main reasons people shortly after retiring. They quit life and learning ! Never retire from learning and doing new things.
Help someone else, it’ll make you feel great!
“Now go out and make someones day”
Corky Carsons”
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The Law of Attraction and Positive Thinking
The process behind the realization of what it is you want to experience in life is commonly referred to as the Law of Attraction. This process is arguably one of the most fundamentally important law to the building of a fulfilling and beautiful life and yet despite the prolific amount of information available that is dedicated to the Law of Attraction it is widely misunderstood.
The most common mistake is the misinterpretation that the Law of Attraction is merely a fancy term for positive thinking, a mistake that also acts as one of the key aspects seized upon by those who seek to ridicule the idea of the Law of Attraction as a mechanism for creation.
The more people who misinterpret the idea that the Law of Attraction is reliant on positive thinking, the harder it will be for the human race to awaken to its true nature. For this reason alone I would like to wrap some clarity around the subject.
The process described by the term Law of Attraction begins through the fixated and isolated placement of attention. The process itself has nothing to do with positivity – it has everything to do with attention. I’d like to repeat this, for it is most important to understand:
The Law of Attraction is a natural process of creation that works with or without positive thinking.
Yes, in respect to certain desires, through the power of isolated attention the Law of Attraction can be invoked and will fully manifest the object of attention purely by thought. However, it should always be remembered that the world we live in is a co-creation – not only of mind, but also of matter.
There are many mental and physical beings who, through that which they place their fixated attention upon, create their life and, at the same time, co-create the changes that reality itself undergoes – changes to the world that we all share. Because we are mental and physical beings, the Law of Attraction is primarily a process of creation that works through both the mental and the physical. That is, it requires the application of both mind and matter.
Rather than being a magical fancy of ‘think positive and it will appear’, the Law of Attraction is instead a systematic method of active creation through the principle of combining ‘isolated and fixated attention’ (mind) with the necessary ‘action’ (matter) towards the object or experience of desire.
What we create, either individually or as a shared collective, manifests as a synthesis of the active image in mind (thought) and the active image in form (matter). Manifestation can occur through pure thought attention, but, at least in human reality, it occurs primarily as the result of the combination of an active mind and body. Regardless of the way in which manifestation may occur it is not a process that requires positive thinking as its prerequisite.
The bridge between the effectiveness of the active thought and the physical action that is necessary to contribute to the manifestation of the thought is what is referred to as ‘receptivity’. Receptivity is the ability to see the signs that inspire thought and action towards realization of the intended object or experience. In other words, receptivity is the art of taking notice and even looking for the signs that relate to the bringing of the image in your mind into the form of reality – moments that highlight or indicate things you should or must do to make the object of your intention a reality.
Again, receptivity requires fixated attention – not positivity. That is, receptivity means watching for, or at the very least being actively open to noticing signs upon which you can take the necessary action required to advance the manifestation process. All the amount of positive thinking in the world will never substitute for a mind attentive to that which it wishes to experience, receptive to the signs to make it happen, and active in its approach to helping make it happen.
The simplest definition of the Law of Attraction is to say it is the process of bringing together the various things necessary to realize the object or experience of your desire. This is why I actually prefer to refer to the Law of Attraction as the Art of Realization. You may also refer to it as the Process of Creation or any other fancy term, as all would be just as accurate. However, to refer to it as purely a method of positive thinking is inaccurate.
It is here that I qualify my commentary to avoid the inevitable interpretation that I am somehow against positive thinking. Quite the contrary, I highly recommend maintaining a positive outlook for a positive mind will most definitely support you as you progress through this thing we call life.
The nature of your outlook will also influence the nature of that which you attract, and so positivity is beyond a shadow of a doubt an important element of a healthy attractive mind. But positivity is not the key to harnessing the process of creative attraction and neither is the Law of Attraction another term for positive thinking.
The Law of Attraction as a term has many misnomers associated to it thanks to a variety of representations from those who do not truly understand it. Sadly there are many so-called ‘experts’ who actively present it in ways that confuse many people such that through error the concept itself has attracted much stigma. Fortunately the process that the Law of Attraction refers to does not become a kind of nonsensical magic simply because certain misinterpretations paint it so.
The wonderful truth is the Law of Attraction is really quite simple to put into practice, even if you don’t fully understand the universal mechanics of manifestation. It is surprisingly empowering to realize that even on the days where you struggle to find positivity, you are still able to wield the Law of Attraction with power simply by keeping your attention fixated upon your goal, remaining attentive to the detail, being receptive to the signs and taking action when you notice them.
Become Aware Of Yourself: http://www.therealizationsystem.com
3 Secrets For a More Positive Mind
Remember Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live? If he said something negative about his life, he’d stop himself and say, “No, that’s just stinkin’ thinkin’! I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!” This was Stuart’s way of shifting his thoughts of low self esteem and personal defeat into feeling okay and even loved. If you ever tend to look at all the possible ways you or your life are no good, you can shift your thoughts into higher levels.
Thought Shifting
 So if like Stuart you do a litany of stinkin’ thinkin’, you can shift your thinking upwards. First you take note of what you’re doing. Here’s what Stuart once said to himself:
 “Oh my God, I said the wrong thing to someone. I’m going to die homeless and penniless, I’m twenty pounds overweight, and no one will ever level me.” That’s Stuart’s negative spin and is not quite the truth. Choose your own negative spin if you have one. You first pay attention to it and look at it from a distance. Stand back as if you’re on a mountaintop and take a look. No judgment, just observation. “What am I attempting to say here?” you might ask yourself. You may be attempting to self destruct or treat yourself less than well. (You can blame it on the devil or the negative thought forces of the world.)
“No that’s just stinkin’ thinkin’ – or something like this to yourself.” “I don’t need to do this anymore. I’m a being of the universe.” Or “I’m fine just the way I am.” Or “Maybe I didn’t do so well that last time, but I can transform this, and I will.”
 And you can always remember this: “It is what it is!”
Seeing the Advantage of Everything
 If you lose something or regret something else, you can look for the advantage, the other side to all things. Maybe you hurt your leg, but perhaps this keeps you from having to do some work you really didn’t want to do. Maybe you lost something, but you’re learning to be non-attached. Or maybe you’re being opened up to a new life. Perhaps you’re being prepared for something higher or more expansive. Maybe you’re learning the importance of spiritual values. Perhaps something has worn out its usefulness or relevance in your life, but you haven’t yet acknowledged it, and now you can. Learning to see the advantage of everything is a major life transforming habit of mind.
Connecting with Your Wisdom
 Your Wise Mind has a fresh perspective on life. When you ask it what it would like to tell you about something, it will tell you the truth. A young eleven year old girl was afraid to go to sleep because she could only think of bad people who might try to harm her. She allowed herself to feel her fear, and then she asked her Wise Mind to tell her more:” It’s okay. You used to feel this way when you were a younger child, but now you can grow up some more and think thoughts of being safe.” Anyone can do this, young and old – connect with the Wise Mind, for fresh perspective and for truth.
Want to learn more about life transformation, spiritual growth, and healing? You can download our 100 page free ebook, Extraordinary Healing at http://www.thewisemind.com You can also subscribe to our wonderful free monthly newsletter, “The Transformation News.” Marilyn Gordon is a board certified hypnotherapist, teacher, speaker, healer, school director, and author with over thirty years of experience. Her latest book is The Wise Mind: The Brilliant Key to Life Transformation and Healing.
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Believe and Receive – Positive Affirmations
Today is great! I believe today is going to be the greatest day of my little ole life. I will succeed, achieve, and accomplish goals today. I will be happy, healthy, and wealthy today. I have a smile on my face right now and I will smile the entire day.
Without believing you can never receive the blessing God has for you in this day so believe, believe and believe again and again and then one more time determine to place your faith in God. God is God, you are His kid, and He is blessing you right now in this day.
Name ten things you believe God does for you that you can’t do for yourself. Well, stop scratching your head and just start shouting them out. Ok, God hangs out the sun, yep. He keeps me safe on the freeway. He keeps my kids safe and on and on and on. Now, He also provides for me. Things like toothpaste and cool water and toilet paper. Wow, God provides toilet paper. Yes, he provides you with the power to work which brings money, which pays for the toilet paper.
Believe and receive. I tell you what, quickly without too much thought write out or shout out ten positive affirmations about this day. Base these affirmations on the word of God. Go, I am happy. I am going to succeed today. I am ……… fill in the blank. Do you believe these affirmations? Ok, believe and receive. Your day is going to be the greatest day in your life.
One more thing, positive affirmations are beliefs and beliefs results in actions. Now start acting like you have received these affirmation. The affirmations are coming true right now, so act as if they are true and alive in your life. Actually, affirmations can be prayers. Prayers God wants to answers in your behalf because He loves you and He loved you enough to provide Christ Jesus just for you.
Dr Bob Wilkerson is author of the book, “I Will Not Be Defeated Anymore”. He is dedicated to helping others recover from life altering circumstances. Dr. Bob is a motivational speaker/singer with a true life story of God’s power to change any individuals life. If you would like more information go to http://www.freewebs.com/bobwilkerson
A Positive Story About Reconstructive Surgery
If you’re not familiar with the story, in 2004, Ms. Culp’s husband, Thomas G. Culp, tried to kill his wife by shooting her in the face with a shotgun. She survived (as did he, unfortunately, and is now serving a seven-year prison sentence for aggravated attempted murder).
But while Ms. Culp survived, her face was horribly disfigured. Do a search online for Connie Culp and you can get photos of her before the shooting and after. The shotgun shattered her cheeks, nose, one eye and the roof of her mouth. Ms. Culp has reported that it was terribly uncomfortable for her to go out in public because of the stares she would get.
Enter Dr. Risal Djohan. While not a plastic surgeon by normal practice, Dr. Djohan combined plastic surgery methods with transplant procedures to perform what is being hailed as the first human face transplant. A donor had left permission to use the biggest portion of the organs and constructions that comprised her face to be used later for this procedure.
Dr. Djohan and associates have performed six major reconstructions and 30 total operations before the face transplant itself,and then the actual transplant. He says the patient can expect two or three more operations to improve the look of the face, including removing excess skin tissue. Most of these two or three procedures will be almost entirely plastic-surgery-related.
According to what I read in The Associated Press, Ms. Culp can now smile and eat and drink. Her face remains a bit bloated and squarish, and there are skin droops. However, this bloatedness and these folds should be improved with the operations yet to come, as the doctors pare away some of the excess skin. Eventually, they say, her face will begin to look like something of a combination of Ms. Culp’s own face and the donor’s.
This, I believe, is a tribute to what modern medicine can be and should be. Remember every time you read about the quacks and the whackos in the plastic surgery field and the tragedies that taken place, there are ten more stories of instances in which plastic surgery has genuinely saved a person’s way of life and way of looking at themselves. This story of Ms. Culp and Dr. Djohan is a story of heroes. But there are lots of other unsung heroes in the world of plastic surgery.
Dr. Helen Colen is a board certified plastic surgeon in Manhattan. Visit her blog for more information about vaginoplasty and labiaplasty
A Positive Birthing Experience Is Possible!
When I first found out I was pregnant, I was overjoyed. I was about to embark on an exciting rollercoaster of emotions, hormones, spiritual and physical changes as I journeyed into motherhood. This joy and rush of excitement however soon turned to anxiety as I realised that before I can hold my beautiful baby in my arms, I would have to go through labour first! As someone who has always been a little bit… “delicate” I was, in short, terrified and the countless horror stories from friends and family (one friend said dying would be easier!) didn’t help.
I had a brilliant pregnancy. No cravings, no morning, noon or night sickness, no backache. In fact the only give way sign that I was pregnant was my expanding tummy, and even this was a cute neat little bump. I decided that the best way to overcome my fear was by the power of positive thinking. Even though the baby will learn more in the primal period than in any other time of their life, they also teach their parents a lot and give back to them from the very start. My baby was looking after me so far, and I persuaded myself that somehow she (I found out the sex so I could shop, shop, shop) knew I was afraid and would do all she could to look after me. That feeling stayed with me throughout my entire pregnancy. I no longer felt scared and really believed that my little girl would make it as easy for me as she could.
Due date arrived, she arrived. Only 5% of babies are born on their due date and as I went into hospital (St John and St Elizabeth; a marvelous private hospital that I would thoroughly recommend to anyone in London) I knew that this would be the day she would be born. I am an impatient person you see, so her being late would have caused anxiety and she wouldn’t do that to me! My husband, sister and I went to the hospital at 4pm and as I complained of sporadic twinges they said I was already 3cm dilated but certainly wouldn’t be giving birth before midnight. I got ready and went to the birthing room where the pool was set up, scented candles were glowing and the room was peaceful. I had a membrane sweep and at that point my waters broke. The pain was immense with no let up. The gas and air did nothing for me, but my husband and sister certainly made the most of it! It was 6pm and I thought there is no way I can go another 6 hours with this kind of pain. All thoughts of a natural birth went out the window as I demanded (in my weak voice) for an epidural. By the time the epidural was set up I was 9cm gone and the midwife said the baby would be born in half an hour. Okay scrap the epidural, I will just go for it. I climbed into the birthing pool while my husband massaged my back and my sister got her hands squeezed so hard they nearly fell off. I withdrew into myself and focused on pushing. By 7.59, one minute before my midwife was due to sign off duty (which I was not looking forward too. Continuity of care at that point is so important), my gorgeous little girl weighing 6lb 6oz was born. She was placed in my arms looking all shiny and new and looked up at me with her beautiful big eyes and gorgeous long eyelashes. She came through for me (and also through me!); no pain relief, no stitches, nothing.
After my daughter was checked, we were taken to our large private room which resembled a hotel more than a hospital; large flat screen television, en-suite bathroom, lounge area. Best of all there was a double bed so my husband could stay (I would have hated it if he had to leave) and a beautiful wooden crib for my little angel. She slept through the night which I was overjoyed with. Until that is the midwife said they all do for the first 24 hours because they too are so tired after monumental journey into the world. Take lots of rest while you can they said, it won’t last long. It didn’t.
I stayed for 3 days and was taught how to do all the basics by the midwives. After all being a parent doesn’t come with a manual and no matter how many books there are out there on parenting, it doesn’t compare to having someone experienced there to show you just what to do and to re-assure you. In fact I enjoyed staying there so much that I actually did not want to leave the hospital and go home (and be left to my own devises)
The midwives were very supportive and with a 24hour number you can call on if need be, no matter how silly the question (she has had hiccups for the last 10 mins, is she okay, is she going to get frustrated, what do I do) they were always on hand. In fact they could not believe my first birth experience was so quick and so straight forward that they that they invited me to talk about my positive birth experience and the parents’ weekend.
Okay I went to a private hospital and paid the earth for it, but I saved and saved for it to get the best and most out of what was sure to be the most momentous and special day of my life (people spend more than what I did on their wedding and that is just one day too) It is such a shame that the cost is so high however, and more of a shame that NHS hospitals just do not have the budget for this level of care, no matter how nice and experienced the midwives are. Yes the midwives that work in private hospitals have come from NHS, but where the average NHS hospital takes about 400 expectant mothers per month; St John and St Elizabeth only take 40.
But this isn’t a plug for the hospital. What I really wanted to say is that pregnancy is a time of new experiences and opportunities that need to be savoured. Labour can be easy(ish) and if I had a choice, I would rather focus on how smooth it can be as opposed to focusing on the rocky road that may lay ahead and the potential horridness of it all.
I am expecting my second child now (three years after my daughter was born) and am going back to St John and St Elizabeth. This time they are really worried that I may not make it to the hospital at all and my baby will arrive en-route, so fingers crossed for me please!
This article was written by Tom Shurville, injunction with ThatCuteWebsite.com Managing Director and Mother of 2, Kruti Shah, a online baby boutique that sees a wide variety of bay clothes and toys including the ever popular shoo shoos.
