Category: Self Help

Blogging · life skills · Self Help · Writing

Awakening My Creative Consciousness…

jacquelineobyikocha2 Comments
love-pen-bed-drinking-writing-reading

Finally. I believe that I have succeeded in crawling out of the doldrums. There are days that run into weeks and then months when creativity flows freely through your fingers and mind and feels like the easiest thing ever, then there are those days… that seep into weeks… and then months… when you are lost and in a total stump.

When this happens, we deeply feel that something is amiss. Things generally seem harder and somehow the rudder of our direction stagnates or at worse will be over the place. How do we re-center ourselves? How do we reignite our passion to continue doing those things that we most enjoy? How do we declutter, distill the disturbance, and climb out of the miry bog?

Most certainly, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to such a dilemma. However, we can prime the pump and flow of inspiration in our lives by taking some simple steps and these steps are what I am trying to retrace. Not so much to find out where I fell off the track but to attempt to get back on track and fall in love again with those things that bring me joy.

I can’t even explain to you how the past few days of getting back to blogging, making my short videos on Tiktok, YouTube and Instagram makes me feel. I feel better. I feel less pained and guilty. I feel a deep sense of satisfaction and I intend to keep it that way; so help me God.

Here are a few practical steps to apply should you ever find yourself in such a rut.

  • Be grateful for where you are at the moment and thankful for the potentials that the future holds.
  • Seek and find joy in the little things happening around you. Find laughter. It matters a lot.
  • Declutter your mind. Ask yourself what you are really feeling and try to understand why.
  • Define and refine what creativity and inspiration means to you.
  • Remind yourself of those things that you really love.
  • Revamp your thought process and approach where possible.
  • Don’t make big plans, take baby steps one day at a time.
  • Take time to reflect and let your imagination flow. It may be jumbled and rusty but just go with the flow.
  • Be humble and keep learning.
  • Make your creative moments fun.

What self-help tips and suggestions do you use and recommend to others to try?

Advertisement
Inspiration - Motivation · Poetry/Poems · Self Help

The Patched Ones…

jacquelineobyikocha7 Comments

 

Here are the beautiful ones.

Hidden in the shadows of the glittery ones,

many times they’ve been broken,

and unevenly patched by the potter’s hands,

yet their value is priceless.

 

Image result for images of kintsugi

 

This is about us. Many are broken. Many are hurting. Many have forgotten their true worth. Many are clinging to past mistakes and allowing them to dictate their present circumstance. Many hold on to their pain and weave unforgiveness into their soul. They forget to put down their burden at the Masters’ feet not knowing that in the potters’ hands, their broken pieces are gathered, refined and made far better than the original piece. Just like the Japanese practice of golden joinery ‘Kintsugi,’ – when something has suffered damage and has a history, it becomes more beautiful. No one is ever too broken to be fixed.

Come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will grant you rest. Matthew: 11: 28 – 29

 

Health · Self Help · Wellness

Dealing With Chronic Pain? You’re Not Alone

jacquelineobyikocha3 Comments
Chronic Pain, Ailment, Lego Pain, Support Groups
Flickr Picture

According to a recent report, 11 percent of people suffer from chronic pain. Chronic pain can impact a number of areas across the body, but it is typically common in the back and limbs. If you have RSI, you might have chronic pain in your wrists and arms. Whereas, individuals who have suffered an injury after lifting a heavy object may experience chronic pain in the lower back.

It is important to be aware that chronic pain can grow worse as time goes on. You might think that the issue remains constant, but this is not the case. It can also lead to further complications such as arthritis and difficulty with mobility.

Can Chronic Pain Be Cured?

It depends on the type of chronic pain that you are suffering from. Some chronic pain can be fixed with surgery. However, this can be both expensive and intensive. It can also be a coin toss as to whether or not the surgery actually has a positive effect. If you are thinking about getting surgery to deal with your chronic pain, you should consult your doctor. Make sure that you are aware of the possible side effects and issues that can be apparent even after the surgery is complete.

If your chronic pain can’t be cured, there’s still a good chance that it can be alleviated or indeed reduced. There are numerous studies exploring this possibility and researchers have seen good results with aqua therapy. Particularly, for patients suffering from fibromyalgia. Doctors may also recommend medication but this can be a slippery slope, and it’s easy to become dependant on the meds that they recommend.

How Does It Impact Your Life?

People with chronic pain may struggle to maintain their career because of an inability to concentrate on a job or task. For instance, people suffering from RSI will have difficulty completing typography work. This is an issue as typically the condition is caused by jobs that involve typing. As such, you could suddenly be unable to complete a job that you are trained for. It’s for this reason that people often find that chronic pain can impact their income dramatically.

That’s why you should think about the cause of your chronic pain. It’s possible that the pain was due to an accident that wasn’t your fault such as a work-related injury. If it was due to another’s negligence, you could be entitled to a large settlement that will help you in the future. Don’t forget, people with chronic pain often have large medical bills to pay.

Coping With Your Condition

If you are suffering from chronic pain and you are struggling to cope, a support group could be the answer. There are various support groups online for people who are struggling with the same issues as you. By talking to them, you can get coping mechanisms from people who have first-hand experience of your condition.

We hope this helps you deal with your own chronic pain and some of the life challenges that may come with it.   

 This is a collaborative post.
Poetry Cards · Self Help · Wellness

When Lost Don’t Panic…7 Simple Tips To Find Yourself When Lost.

jacquelineobyikocha34 Comments

Marking, Path, Direction

When lost don’t panic,

just leave little marks of hope on your path

and

they will lead you home.

©

Jacqueline

There are times that we feel overwhelmingly lost, but this doesn’t mean that your life is doomed. It spells a transition and transformation. The key is not to get stuck in your current rut, but to tap into your hopeful and creative power to redirect your steps back to the life and you that you love.

Apply these 7 simple tips as often as you need to help yourself out of that state.

1. Listen. 

With the frenetic lifestyle that we live and the persistent mind chatter, it’s easy to drown out those signs that speak to us, which is why it’s important to create silence and listen. Life offers us divine messages through various means – songs, billboards, books, nature, the people we meet etc. When we keep our eye’s and minds open we receive guidance and take notice of more.

2. Always remember that the choices are yours. You have the power to be and to do that which you desire.

You get to choose how you feel, what you think, what you do etc. You are empowered to create the life you wish for and it’s important to focus on the positive things around you. The power of attraction makes it such that the Universe will send you more of the same things that you seek.

3. Go and do those things that you love to do. Have an adventure.

Toss out the excuses of no time, no money, no this and that and create the space to do those fun things that make your heart sing. Go out and explore your world – a retreat, solitary walks, a day trip etc. Taking yourself away from your regular patch and its noise offers you opportunities to experience life through fresh eyes.

4. Extend yourself beyond your comfort zone.

Growth will not happen when you stay confined in that comfortable, familiar bubble of yours. Challenge yourself to do new things that invigorate you.

5. Reconnect with your dreams and aspirations. Expand your coast and dream bigger.

What dreams did you have for your life before you deemed them impossible to achieve or they fell through the cracks of a frantic lifestyle?  Revisit those dreams. Write them out and enjoy floating in your dreamland. Reconnecting with your dreams has a way of opening up your mind and floodgate of inspiration.

6. Live a healthy lifestyle, have an adventure

When you are healthier, you feel better in general. Eating right with regular exercises rewards you with a clearer mind.

7. Ask for help

You don’t have to stay stuck in the jam trying to figure it out all on your own. Reach out and ask for help, because sometimes a mere chat with someone you trust can ease the burden and provide great insight that will help you move forward.

 

Self Help · VLogs

Deal with your fears and live your life.

jacquelineobyikocha3 Comments

Fear is all in the mind. Don’t let the impulsive thoughts get in the way of your success. When you understand the root of your fear, the reason behind it, you overcome it. Face it today. Deal with it and thrive.

Hope · Life · Midnight motivation and musings · Self Help

Midnight Motivations and Musings 79

jacquelineobyikocha11 Comments

1463054136858[1]

Life is full of possibilities but you’ve got the leave the corridors of I can’t to the elevators of I’ll do my best to keep seeing change and empowering results.

Most times, change is painful and slow, but once it’s set in motion, there’s an incremental result.

We have to leave negativity behind to see clearer. Always keep an open mind, hearing ears (note that there’s a difference between listening and actually hearing), seeing eye’s – beyond the peripheries and an empathetic questioning mind.

We are called to live life in the fullness of joy and though this might be impossible to achieve 100% of the time, it’s possible to get it 95% of the time.

Love and Light,

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

Out of the silent breath

I can see clearly now the ghosts are laid to rest

Broken visions melded and better than the first

Atop the ladder of scattered dreams and buried bones,

I glimpse the brighter vision reflected and renewed.

**an excerpt of my poem**

Life · Midnight motivation and musings · Self Help

Midnight Motivations and Musings 79

jacquelineobyikocha7 Comments

1462940300083[1]

Challenges will come and sometimes they will shake your faith and hope. These tribulations present themselves to taunt and test you. That’s called life.

Unexpected incidentals of life happen when we are busy making plans about other things that we want to do, so in order to brace ourselves for these little bumps, we must equip our system with buffers like hope.

Hope is not an abstract word. It’s a very active word that lives and grows when we build on it.

It’s like a safety net or emergency funds that we draw on when the need arises.

How do we build up hope? I’ll be sharing a post specifically targeted at building hope on Sunday.

Love and Light

Jacqueline

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

Out of the silent breath

Never leave me lonely

With words left unsaid

You walk away into the dark

Like a mist, that melts away.

Hope · Life · Midnight motivation and musings · Self Help

Midnight Motivations and Musings # 78

jacquelineobyikocha21 Comments

1462855098894[1]

Now and again, I read articles that people write or listen to people where they sound as if there’s nothing good about their lives.

I have been privy to desperate cries of help and despair, but what saddens me is not the desperation, what saddens me is when the despairing soul feels so hopeless that they’ve given up hope on themselves, that no amount of counsel and reasoning seems to penetrate.

No one is guaranteed a breezy life that’s not laden with struggles, for it’s out of our tests that we obtain our testimonies.

The truth is that no one can walk through individual tribulations for another. No two people have the same mantle or message, but what they can do is to hold your hand while you wade through the mess.

Sometimes, you may not even be fortunate to find someone to hold on to. You hold on to God. He’s the ultimate fortress, refuge and present help in the time of need.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

Out of the silent breath

Brand me whole as only you can

That the entire score of me

Knows nothing but the fullness of you.

Midnight motivation and musings · Self Help

Midnight Motivations and Musings # 77

jacquelineobyikocha16 Comments

1462806550816[1]

We spend valuable time waiting for the best opportunities, the best time, the best scenario and creating a million and one reasons why we are unqualified to create our own opportunities.

What if that expected opportunity never comes our way? What if no one else believes in us sufficiently to want to hand us such chances?

What would you do? Will you just curl up and watch the time pass or would you take a good look around you and see the little openings that surround you?

Like the saying goes, that opportunity comes but once, however, it has to find you willing and ready.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

Out of the silent breath

Dance to your heart’s delight my African child, until echoes of your stamping feet, beating heart; bright eyes, smiling lips; and waving hands, resonates over and over like thunder claps, reverberating throughout the Universe.