a cooking pot and twisted tales
Thoughts and Tales…A Lifestyle Blog with a Zing.
The silence in her life
rang like a loud bell
she wanted no one to hear.
The raging loneliness
sank into her bones
solace became one with her
she no longer knew
how not to be alone
The need to end her pain
beckoned in a beguiling manner
to succumb; an option she pondered.
© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha 2022
as we laid
your body down
and you crossed the bridge
to the other side
the airy wind
blew it’s gentle breeze
around us, it flowed
to the other side
a lone tear
escaped my eyes
racing to my mouth
I had promised
that I would
stop crying
but the calmness
of the air
reminds of your gentle ways
when will we
see you again, if ever,
my heart is pained.
For you my dear friend – departed – I wish not to say. May your soul find rest after all the pain. May you know peace and may your wings continue to flap gently in the wind. I see your smile. Though we know that none of us will get out of here alive, that death is part of life, yet, its sting is never lessened.
No.
They look tired.
They seem hardened.
Some look utterly exhausted.
Beaten, bumped and scarred.
by life.
Physically and emotionally…
drained.
I pray peace for them.
a warm, soft and safe place
to lay their weary hands and heads.
without hope
where would we be…
buried under heaps
of rotting despair
without hope
what would we think…
that all is lost
and nothing is gained
with hope
where would we be…
searching for sunshine
and reasons to hold on
with hope
what would we think…
that after every dark night
there’s always rays of light
© Jacqueline
may there always be light at your end
I always thought that I was strange
till I became totally estranged
not knowing when things would change
or if one would become deranged
this is where I am truly me
yet I feared my space for many moons
caught in the mire of an arid desert that bogs us down
getting through each day of life like a clown
with many faces that smile and scares
with glinty tears, recurring fears and frozen scars
forgotten in the sirens of deaths mounting toll
and staying thankful to every lifesaving call
© Jacqueline
…life is never truly sunshine and butterflies
To liberate oneself, the need to search out and study all the dark corners of one’s mind and come to terms with what you find is paramount. The question should always be, ‘do I know who I am?’
Without acceptance, one lives in a continued state of denial.
Old age, it’s one of those things that we consider to be so far ahead in time that we don’t need to worry about it. But old age creeps up on us sooner or later, whether it’s planning for retirement by starting up a pension in your 20s or 30s, or we have a moment in life that makes us realize how fallible we are. Preparing for old age is something we can all do, regardless of how are young we are, and what are the best ways to do this?
Not just the aforementioned pension, but if you live in places where you need to pay for your medical treatment, it is essential for you to start a pension pot as well as a medical fund pot as soon as possible. While there are many organizations that can help with regards to medical payment, such as GoMedigap, – that helps pensioners with Medicare costs – you can find out more from GoMedigap.com, but it’s your prerogative to start preparing for your twilight years in the financial sense. It’s heartbreaking to see so many people in their old age struggling to pay bills, or living without the essentials in life, and this appears to be the way of the world currently. So it’s in your best interests to start preparing for a more enjoyable later period in life.
It looks like there are more cases of Alzheimer’s and age-related cognitive decline than ever before. And you might have seen relatives succumb to Dementia, and how upsetting it is for the caregivers.
Looking after our brain isn’t a difficult task. The trick is, much like physical exercise, we need to be doing enough to stimulate our brain muscle so it can grow. Essentially, this is all about doing stuff that you find challenging. And while it may sound like you’re going back to school, do things that are stimulating, but stuff you enjoy.
This could be playing more computer games, as they have been shown to have a positive impact on brain development, or it could be something as simple as having a strong coffee while playing Sudoku. Caffeine has been shown to have a positive impact on the brain, and Sudoku is one of those complicated puzzles that you can do anywhere. If you’ve always wanted to learn a language or an instrument, these are options too. But we all seem to think that our brains get worse as we get older, this is not the case!
In old age, we can all start to feel somewhat isolated, especially as people our own age starting to pass away, and you might not feel that people aren’t listening to you anymore. It’s important for us to know what makes us happy. It’s not just beneficial to us in old age, but it’s beneficial to us in life. We can spend our whole lives not knowing what really makes us happy because we focus more on other people. Your happiness is paramount to ageing, but it’s also important to how you live your life.
And of course, making sure that you appreciate life, by getting out regularly into nature, is something simple that we can all benefit from. There’s an article on TheGuardian.com explaining more on why we need to get out into nature. Not only is it beneficial for our minds and bodies, it helps us gain a perspective on what really matters in life. This, ultimately, is what will help us keep a sense of perspective as we get older.
Humans, as a whole, tend to be a rather skeptical species. In some ways, that’s beneficial; our ancestors who were sceptical about being able to survive a fall off a rock, for example, did humanity a huge favour.
In other ways, our skepticism can cause real and genuine harm to the way we live our lives in the modern age. We demand proof of everything, which is definitely beneficial to our survival, but also rather limits us.
One only needs to mention anything that sounds remotely “New Age-y” to a certain section of society, and they will recoil in horror, and immediately insist they would never try that. Of course, this helps to protect against true quack therapies, but it also means they cut themselves off from practices and treatments that offer a genuine benefit to their physical and mental well-being.
Below are three such options that are dismissed, even scorned, as nonsense – but that, in actuality, could greatly improve your experience of life.
Meditation is often derided; “it’s just sitting doing nothing!” the critics will cry, insisting that any improvements are circumstantial, insisting that meditation is a waste of time and energy.
The reality is very different. We know, because it’s been tested, that meditation has a seriously positive impact on the human brain. This isn’t quackery; these conclusions have been reached via fMRI brain imaging, showing the literal physical benefits of meditation.
If you suffer from stress, anxiety, or just want a little more time to relax, then meditation is a wonderful option to pursue.
You don’t have to look too hard for counselling to be dismissed by critics. These critics argue that emotions just have to be pushed to one side, rather than wallowing in our feelings with counselling– this is the despite the fact that “pushing feelings to one side” is not considered to be effective emotional control.
Counselling has been shown, time after time, to be hugely beneficial for human mental health. It helps to ease problems, come to conclusions about your behaviour, and focus yourself on the direction you ultimately want to travel. The likes of Sunset Community Counseling can help to ensure you live the best life possible by providing the emotional outlet we all need.
Counselling is beneficial for your mental health and your emotional well-being, and the positive effects can last for years.
Acupuncture sounds like a stereotypical quack remedy, but it’s not. There is scientific support for the efficacy of acupuncture, especially when handling long-term chronic pain conditions.
If you say this to a skeptic, they will say that it’s “just a placebo”. However, isn’t an improvement — even one due to the placebo effect — still a benefit? Anything that lessens pain or eases anxiety is beneficial, surely?
Acupuncture is a useful tool that is worth considering for physical, mental, and emotional health.
Hopefully, the above will allow you to embrace the possibilities and give you the tools you need to enjoy your life to the fullest.
Mental health issues are terrible. Thankfully, they’re now recognized by health professionals as chemical imbalances. As such, treatment and general approaches have changed in significant ways.
But, there’s less focus on the way a ‘chemically healthy’ brain can cause damage to health. While not a medical issue, negative outlooks can cause health problems. Yet, many of us suffer from negative thoughts in at least some aspects. It’s a real issue. Which is why we’re going to look at some of the negative outlooks which could harm your health if you aren’t careful.
We all experience a lack of confidence at some point. You could argue that it’s a result of the competitive pressure we place on beauty. But, whatever the reason, lack of confidence usually starts in our teens and haunts us throughout our lives. As well as leading to issues such as depression, lack of confidence can lead to problems like anorexia, which can do untold damage to health.
If you’ve been fighting a lack of confidence, it’s past time you addressed the issue. You could choose to embrace some self-love practices and become more acquainted with your body. Or, you may want to take more extreme measures, such as cosmetic surgery. You could even opt for a less-invasive option like non-surgical lipo. If you think this is the way to go, you can contact Cosmetic Laser Dermatology and others like them for more information. Bear in mind that a step like this may not have the desired impact on your outlook. It may also be necessary to engage in the self-love activities mentioned above. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself in the same position.
We feel disinterest for a variety of reasons, some of which require medical help. Depression, for example, often leads to apathy. If you think this may be the case, it’s important to seek medical help. But, sometimes, the cause is more to do with our outlook. Secretly, many of us would prefer an evening on the sofa to a night out. But, if you pass up every opportunity, you’ll soon find that issues such as depression creep up on you. Not to mention that inactivity can cause weight gain and other health issues.
To get around the issue, find ways to boost your energy levels, such as healthy eating, or exercise. It may also be worth finding hobbies which peak your interest. That way, you’ll be more motivated to make an effort.
It’s not unusual to seek relief from stress. But, many of us satisfy the need through destructive behaviours such as drinking, smoking, or drug use. You don’t need us to tell you what these could do to your health.
Instead of giving in to destructive cravings, find a release which isn’t harmful, such as reading, or playing games. Evidence has shown that you get a chemical buzz from game playing, like that of an addict. So, why not give it a go and see how much better you feel?
By day,
she casts away
the burdens of her ordeal
through the flow of her ink
By night,
she goes back
to live her nightmare
in the silence of the dark
©
Jacqueline
a cooking pot and twisted tales 
