What Matters Most?

It seems that storms are getting stronger, with more damage the past decade or so. Every year there are several places around the globe that get devastating damage. Superstorm Sandy has me thinking more than any other disaster. Maybe it is because I know people in New York and New Jersey, and know that area fairly well myself. Other disasters just didn't feel as real to me.

I live in Northeast Ohio, a distance away from Lake Erie. This area has few natural disasters. There is an occasional tornado, with occasional wind or hail damage, but nothing major in this area that I know of. We have occasional earthquakes, some of them of great enough magnitude to feel, especially if you are in a high-rise building. No earthquake damage around here that I ever heard about. No big floods, though some of the lower lying areas do get flooding now and again. No rampant wildfires, and the blizzards we get are enough to close schools for a day or two, but I still manage to get to my job at the hospital. But, still, there are no guarantees for the future.

Our Rabbi's sermon this past Shabbat (Sabbath) was about what you would take if you were given 10 minutes to evacuate. My first thought was my cat and my husband. Thankfully, his first thought was me and the cat. But beyond that, it isn't so easy. I would likely grab my box of medications, because it would likely be difficult to get them refilled. I would grab my purse,because it has all my ID's, keys, some money, etc.

I have a lot of art I have created, both original and prints. I would grab my favorite, a colored pencil drawing I did of my husband and youngest son when he was about 14. My husband always blessed each child every Shabbat, putting one hand on their head, the other under their chin. Jacob would always reach up and put his hands on his father's head the same way. After years of adoring this, I finally took photos of it and did the drawing. I would try to grab a few other originals, because they could never be replaced. I would also grab my laptop, because I take digital photos of all my work, and download them into Photoshop on the laptop.. That way, even if I could not save all the originals, at least I would have the photos of them.

Beyond these items, I don't know what I would want to grab, but I plan to think about it, maybe even wander around the apartment, looking at what we have, and make a list. When given a short time to grab things is not the best time to be trying to decide what to take. Most people I know have so many possessions, most of which is just background noise in our lives. We don't use them, or even look at them on a regular basis, they are just there. Most of our possessions are readily replaceable, or our lives would not change if they were gone. We all have some items, though, that we would really hate to lose.

It is good to think once in awhile about what is really important in your life. If you have chronic pain or illness, it might be difficult for you to gather your most prized possessions in a hurry. Look around your home. What is really important? Make a list of what you want to grab if you have to evacuate. This could also be an opportunity to simplify, to get rid of excess. You will have less to clean, less to take care of. A less cluttered environment is less stressful, less stress means less pain. I sure like the sound of that.     

Picture of Health

An article in the Sept./Oct. issue of Arthritis Today magazine piqued my interest. It was titled "Picture of Health". I have written here before that creating art can help you feel better. This article starts out mentioning that, as well as that research has shown that having a beautiful view outside a hospital window can reduce pain, shorten length of stay and improve mood.
The main part of the article is about a study that showed that looking at comforting images (family members, nature, etc.) measurably improved quality of life, lowered anxiety and depression, and provided a better overall experience to the oncology patients in the study. 'Studies show that looking at an enjoyable image makes an area of the brain that is rich in anti-brain, feel-good endorphins become active."
There is evidence that both creating art and viewing images can lead to a meditative mindset, focusing the mind and thus blocking out pain and unpleasant thoughts.
If you create art, create more. If not, give it a try. If that doesn't appeal to you, surround yourself with images you find appealing. Put pictures up on the wall. Set up a "rogue's gallery"- a wall full of family photos. Frame posters, magazine covers, even album covers (remember when music came on large, black plastic disks?) You can create a digital photo album of your favorite places, people, pets etc, in a digital frame, or online. http://virtual-photo-album.winsite.com/ has a variety of options, both free and otherwise, including some that you can print out and some that can be used as your screensaver. At www.flickr.com you can not only upload your own photos, but also browse through thousands of photos from around the world on virtually (pun intended) any subject. Once you have your images, look at them. It will reduce your pain and improve your mood.
    

An Artist Returns

When I started this blog over 2 years ago, I intended to write about my art at times, as it was a major part of my life, and an excellent way to cope. That didn't happen, because I have not been doing much art these past two years. When people have asked how my art was going, I hesitated to answer. I told them that I was putting my creative efforts into writing this blog, and running my Chronic Illness/Chronic Pain Support Group. That's only part of the truth.
Every once in awhile, I go into an art funk, where I let it get to me that I am not selling much of my art. I start thinking "Why am I bothering to make this stuff if it is just going to pile up?" I had quit doing art festivals because they were too hard on me physically, and the amount of money I made at them did not make it worth hiring someone to help. I have my art gallery, which was actually more my husband's idea than mine. My art had lost its magic for me.
In recent blogs I have written several times about my increased pain issues, and about a necklace pendant I bought with the Hebrew word 'Tikvah', which means 'Hope'.  A friend suggested last week that maybe I needed to do some art. Last Saturday I was in bad shape, fearing I would end up as a patient on the psych ward where I work as an occupational therapist. I went into my studio and started to design a piece that intertwines the words 'Tikvah', in Hebrew, and 'Hope', in English. I worked on it for several hours Saturday and again on Sunday. As soon as I sat down at my drawing table, I felt better. I still hurt physically, but emotionally I felt the anxiety and depression dissipate. The physical pain is no longer as vast and as all encompassing.
I remember now- I don't create my art for other people, though if others like it, and better yet, buy it, that is a bonus. I create my art for me. It feels good to create. When I am working on my art, I am focused, 'in the zone'. It is almost like meditation for me. And in the end, a thing of beauty exists that never existed before.
I plan to share my art with you, including some 'how to's'. Meanwhile, what is your art? What do you create? What gets you 'in the zone'? What heals your emotional pain?

Art from Pain

Art and pain- a connection close to my heart (actually, my heart is fine- it is other body parts that are involved).  I  found a website I would like to tell you about.  It is the site of the American Headache Society, and a patient-health professional offshoot, the American Headache Society Committee on Headache Education, with the appropriate acronym ACHE.  The site has a good variety of info and links related to chronic headaches (something I can, unfortunately, relate to).  They have self help tools, forums, education, and, among other resources, an art gallery.
This art gallery has a collection of art created by people with chronic headaches, depicting how they perceive or experience their headache.  When someone says "I have a headache", the reaction often is "So, I get headaches, too."  Having a chronic headache, especially of the strength of a migraine, is not just a headache.  Just like any chronic pain, it can have a big impact on the individual, and pervades all areas of life.  It is hard for someone who has not experienced it to perceive what it is like.  The artworks, most of which have a head somewhere in the depiction, can tell more than words.  Seeing a picture of a head being squeezed in a vise, or with a jagged flash of lightening stabbing the eye says more than "I have a headache".  Van Gogh's painting The Scream would fit well in this collection.
There are other sites that have pain related artwork.  Two are: Pain Exhibit, which features art by artists with different types of chronic pain, and  Pain-Topics.org which has info about chronic pain as well as a gallery of art created by artists about their pain. The Pain Exhibit site gives artist statements, and divides the art into different topics, such as Pain Portraits, and But you Look So Normal.  The Pain Topics site gives explanations of the art.  Much of the art in the Pain Topics gallery come from the Pain Exhibit, but are presented in a different way.  Both these sites are interesting to explore. 
Looking at each piece of art tells a story about the person who created it.  To tell your own story, get paper, canvas or clay, or any other medium you would like to work with.  Sit quietly with your medium at hand.  Close your eyes, and focus on your pain.  What shape is it? What color(s) does it project?  What is it trying to tell you?  If an image comes to mind, create it.  If not, just start to experiment with your chosen medium.  Often, an image will create itself.  Don't try to direct your art, just let it happen.  Don't concern yourself with trying to make it look pretty, or perfect, or exact.
You don't have to be an artist.   In fact, sometimes artists have a more difficult time with this.  They are too focused on quality and their reputation as an artist to allow the art to be genuine and natural.
You now have a new way to express yourself.  Experiment with it, play with it.  Learn from it.  Let your pain flow into it, and hopefully, your art will ease your pain.