Tips for Getting by this Holiday

The holiday season is generally thought of as the “most wonderful time of the year”, but for many of us, it can be a time of loneliness or stress. Some people live far from family and miss seeing their loved ones this time of year. It’s also common for us to feel emotional distance, thus feeling lonely even if we’re in a room full of people. Christmas often holds a lot of memories and expectations for us that cannot be met this year.

If you’re experiencing loneliness or stress during this holiday season, the following suggestions might help:

1. Realize that you’re not alone. Many others are feeling the same way you are. It’s common to be blue during this time of year and it can help to simply acknowledge to yourself that you feel down, and that’s ok.

2. Try to divert your attention from all the Christmas fuss by following your regular routines. Try to get regular rest, exercise, and don’t overeat or drink excessively.

3. When you feel worst about yourself, it often helps most to reach out appreciate or help others. Put the focus on those around you who are in a similar situation and offer them what you can: kind words, a listening ear, a small gift, or even just a hug.

4. Use the stresses of this time of year to motivate you to improve in the New Year. Evaluate 2009: where you have been, where you are at, and make a plan for how to get where you want to be in 2010.

Lastly, take it easy on yourself. If none of the previous tips help, you can always apply a simple but useful wisdom to this holiday season: this too shall pass.

What Is Working in Your Life? Go There!

by Thea Sheldon, The Prime of Life Coach is owner of Prime of Life Coaching, LLC and founder of the True Voice coaching approach, where midlife women gain unstoppable momentum on what really matters...for the rest of their lives. To receive Thea’s complimentary online newsletter, Flourish after 50, please visit www.TheaSheldon.com or contact her at thea@theasheldon.com

What Is Working in Your Life? Go There!

Too much time and energy is spent on the negative. This isn’t really news. We’re surrounded by stories of what doesn’t work every day. I talk with clients frequently who have internalized the mindset that things aren’t going right; that there’s something wrong or missing. They agonize over what’s not working.

It may be true there are things in your life that aren’t working out for you. Or there are aspects that you’d like to change, tweak, or improve. This is natural to human development. We make mistakes, go down unfulfilling paths, feel dissatisfaction or sometimes get ourselves in a real pickle. When these things happen, it can feel like nothing is working right.

Now look at it this way— what you focus on expands. This universal law comes in handy when you’re attempting to turn things around in your life. The tricky part of this law is that it really works.

When you shift your gaze toward what’s working, you get more of that. It’s subtle. And the miracle is that it’s entirely within your power to shift your gaze.

The next time the negative feeling of “things are just not working” overwhelms you, here are a few tips to help you respond differently than you may be accustomed to.

Stop and breathe in the reality of your situation. Allow yourself to completely receive what is happening into your being. If something isn’t working, take it in and consider it. Then ask, what else is true?

Assess what else is true. Ask yourself exactly what is not working. Make your list and ask again, what is true about that?Often when you seek the “truth under the truth” of your situation, you discover it isn’t what you thought. Be honest in your answers and ready for surprises in you discovery.

Do what you need to do to respond to real issues. Quickly and decisively handle whatever is actually not working. Your choices are: to ignore it and let it fester, to hang out with it and worry, to fix it now, or to let it go. Choose your best strategy and move as quickly as possible to clear the “not workings” out of your life.

The simplest response to the negativity of “things aren’t working” is to look elsewhere. A coach-friend of mine recently caught me up short. After listening patiently to my long list of complaints about what wasn’t working, what never did work, and what could never possibly work, she said to me, “Thea, when you first wake up in the morning, put your focus on what IS working in your life. And then several times a day continue to ask, what’s working?” So, I started to do this every day.

Surprise! This technique works. It creates a confident feeling to look at all the things that are working in your life—there are so many! When you gain confidence that so much is working and working very well, you feel empowered. Maybe you’ll start to have lots more ideas of how things could work even better.

If you want to get different, desired results, look at what is working in your life. Then be ready to get more of that!

© All Rights Reserved Thea Sheldon 2009

Time is precious at our age. Take a step today to gain unstoppable momentum on what really matters...for the rest of your life! Explore how life coaching with Thea Sheldon, The Prime of Life Coach can get you moving. Details are at www.TheaSheldon.com

LET YOUR SOULSHINE

When you can't find the light,
That guides you through a cloudy day,
When the stars ain't shinin' bright,
You feel like you've lost you're way,
When the candle lights of home,
Burn so very far away,
Now you got to let your soul shine,
Just like my daddy used to say.

[Chorus]
He used to say soulshine,
It's better than sunshine,
It's better than moonshine,
Damn sure better than rain.
Yeah now people don't mind,
We all get this way sometime,
Got to let your soul shine, shine till the break of day.

I grew up thinkin' that I had it made,
Gonna make it on my own.
Life can take the strongest man,
Make him feel so alone.
Now sometimes I feel a cold wind,
Blowin' through my achin' bones,
I think back to what my daddy said,
He said "Boy, in this darkness, before the dawn:"

[Chorus]
Let your soul shine,
It's better than sunshine,
It's better than moonshine,
Damn sure better than rain.
Yeah now people don't mind,
We feel this way sometimes,
Gotta let your soul shine, shine till the break of day.

Sometimes a man can feel this emptiness,
Like a woman has robbed him of his very soul.
A woman too, God knows, she can feel like this.
And when your world seems cold, you got to let your spirit take control.

[Chorus]
Let your soul shine,
It's better than sunshine,
It's better than moonshine,
Damn sure better than rain.
Lord now people don't mind,
We all get this way sometimes,
Gotta let your soul shine, shine till the break of day.

Oh, it's better than sunshine,
It's better than moonshine,
Damn sure better than rain.
Yeah now people don't mind,
We all get this way sometimes,
Gotta let your soul shine, shine till the break of day.

- By Warren Haynes of Gov't Mule/Allman Bros

Stop Beating Yourself Up!

Here's an article with a message we could probably all use:

Stop Beating Yourself Up!

Winter Shelter Now Open

WINTER SHELTER

The Emergency Overnight Shelter (Winter Shelter) will begin operation for the fall/winter of 2009/2010 on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

Men and Women desiring shelter MUST register at the Albuquerque Rescue Mission. The Mission will register guests starting at 3:00 P.M. Mon. thru Sat. and 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. Sundays in the Community Resources Room located in the lobby.

Buses will depart from the Rescue Mission

each evening from approximately 6:15 P.M. until 8:45 P.M.

242-COPS will give you a pick-up location in coordination with the EOS Program

Guests will be housed at the Westside facility. Buses will return from the Westside shelter each morning to the downtown vicinity starting at approximately 5:00 A.M. until 7:00 A.M.

How do YOU honor our Vets?

PLEASE HONOR OUR VETERANS TODAY & EVERY DAY!

We are now in November, moving ever closer towards the winter, but still, warm weather and blue skies hang on. The season is in transition, and so too, are many of us.
Do you sometimes feel like you are always “in the meantime”, waiting for something to change, stuck in the middle, wondering when the turning point will come?

Ralph Waldo Emerson said:
“The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it - so fine that we often are on the line and do not know it.”

Look at your day, at your life, and recognize the ways you are already on the path. You are already transitioning to something new, something better. It may not seem as quick or obvious as the snow storm that came in the middle of the day, but things are changing, not just in the weather, but within us. Recognize and give thanks for these transformations. You may be closer than you realize.

Effectiveness of Flu Vaccine

The CDC claims that studies demonstrate that vaccination can be a cost-effective counter-measure to seasonal outbreaks of influenza;[42] but not perfect. A study led by Dr. David K. Shay in February, 2008 reported that
"full immunization against flu provided about a 75 percent effectiveness rate in preventing hospitalizations from influenza complications in the 2005-6 and 2006-7 influenza seasons."[43]

Modern influenza vaccines have been criticized for a lack of effectiveness demonstrated in controlled studies. A 2006 Cochrane review of influenza vaccination in the elderly stated "The apparent high effectiveness of the vaccines in preventing death from all causes may reflect a baseline imbalance in health status and other systematic differences in the two groups of participants[44].

A study on selection bias for influenza vaccine in the elderly found that it could account for the entirety of the protective effect.[45] A 2008 Cochrane review of healthy children found "Influenza vaccines are efficacious in children older than two but little evidence is available for children under two." [46]. The CDC recommends every child over 6 months be given the influenza vaccine.[47] A 2007 Cochrane review on influenza vaccines in healthy adults found that while vaccines were effective against the influenza strains they are designed to vaccinate against, this ended up translating to only a modest impact on working days lost due to influenza-like infections.[48]

The group most vulnerable to flu, the elderly, is also the least affected by the vaccine, with an average efficacy rate ranging from 40-50% at age 65, and 15-30% past age 70.[49][50][51] There are multiple reasons behind this steep decline in vaccine efficacy, the most common of which are the declining immunological function and frailty associated with advanced age.[52]

In the United States a person aged 50–64 is nearly ten times more likely to die an influenza-associated death than a younger person, and a person over age 65 is over ten times more likely to die an influenza-associated death than the 50–64 age group.[53] Vaccination of those over age 65 reduces influenza-associated death by about 50%.[54][55] However, it is unlikely that the vaccine completely explains the results since elderly people who get vaccinated are probably more healthy and health-conscious than those who do not.[56][57][58] Elderly participants randomized to a high-dose group (60 micrograms) had antibody levels 44 to 79 percent higher than did those who received the normal dose of vaccine. Elderly volunteers receiving the higher dose were more likely to achieve protective levels of antibody.[59]

Information obtained from:
Margy Wienbar, Region Director
Public Health Regions 1,3
New Mexico Department of Health
1111 Stanford Dr NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
(505) 841-4110
FAX (505) 841-4147

LET IT BE ME

Enjoy these inspiring words from the Ray LaMontagne song Let It Be Me and think of Community Voice Mail as the friend you can call:

There comes a time, a time in everyone's life
where nothin' seems to go your way
where nothin' seems to turn out right
there may come a time, you just cant seem to find your place
for every door you open, seems like you get two slammed in your face
that's when you need someone, someone that you can call
when all your faith is gone
it feels like you can't go home
let it be me
let it be me
if it's a friend that you need
let it be me
let it be me
feels like you're always commin' up last
pockets full of nothin', ain't got not cash
no matter where you turn you ain't got no place to stand
reach out for something and they slap your hand
i remember all to well
just how it feels to be all alone
you feel like you'd give anything
for just a little place you can call your own
that's when you need someone, someone that you can call
and when all your faith is gone
feels like you cant go on
let it be me
let it be me
if it's a friend you need
let it be me
let it be me

Don't Lose Hope

Check out these amazing lyrics to a very beautiful song, by 3rd Storee.


Lyrics | 3Rd Storee lyrics - Don't Lose Hope lyrics

All you Women are a SUPERWOMAN!

Everywhere I'm turning
Nothing seems complete
I stand up and I'm searching
For the better part of me

I hang my head from sorrow
State of humanity
I wear it on my shoulders
Gotta find the strength in me

'Cause I am a Superwoman
Yes I am, yes she is
Still when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes, I'm a Superwoman

This is for all the mothers fighting
For better days to come
And all my women
All my women sitting here trying
To come home before the sun

And all my sisters coming together
Say yes I will, yes I can

'Cause I am a Superwoman
Yes I am, yes she is
Still when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes, I'm a Superwoman

When I'm breaking down and I can't be found
As I start to get weak
'Cause no one knows me underneath these clothes
But I can fly, we can fly, oh

'Cause I am a Superwoman
Yes I am, yes she is
Even when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes, I'm a Superwoman, yes she is

Let me tell you, I am a Superwoman
Yes I am, yes she is
See, even when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes, I'm a Superwoman
Yes I am, said I'm a Superwoman, yes you are

Oh yeah, I'm tellin' you
I'm super, so super
I'm super, so super
Yes I am, yes we are
Yes I am, yes you are

We All Need Somebody. . .

Whatever you do - - PLAY IT LOUD!

Hang On

The Plateros of Tohajilee, New Mexico are one of my absolute favorite bands. Led by 17 year old Levi Platero, they write inspiring lyrics accompanied by amazing guitar work. Below are the lyrics to the title track of their new album Hang On:

Hang on won’t be long

Hang on keep the faith

Hang on sing your sing

It can seem impossible

But within we are able

To see another dawn

On and on. . . . .

Well I know and understand

It’s a hard and troubled land

But through it all we make a stand

We’re gonna reach the promised land!

Hang on won’t be long

Hang on keep the faith

Hang on sing your song

It can seem impossible

But within we are able

To make our fears be gone

On and on. . . .

When the devil this way comes

Claiming victory is won

You shall rely on the light and the skies

Keep showin’ the way Yeah show me the way

Hang on won’t be long

Hang on keep the faith

Hang on sing your song

It can seem impossible

But within we are able

To love away the wrong

On and on. . .

On and on. . .

On and on. . .

On and on. . .

On and on . . .

On and on. . .

Great words to remember and live by every day. I am hoping to set this awesome song to pictures sometime so that more of you can hear it. Meanwhile, you can visit the Plateros at www.myspace.com/theplateros

Have a Blessed Holiday Weekend!

-Your CVM Manager, Amanda Clearwater

Just a little. . . .

Here are some inspirational words for your thoughts.

Do you often get caught up in the hustle and bustle of responsibilities and tasks and struggles of life? It seems we want instant gratification, for everything to always go just the way we want, when we want it. But when is the best time? Do we always know?

One of the most diversely talented people to ever live, Ledonardo Da Vinci, said , “Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will then be powerless to vex your mind.”

How much patience are you putting on for protection? I find that the pace of things is never perfect, so I try to practice patience. We are almost always living in “the meantime”, so we might as well set our minds to enjoy it!

Remember to always check your messages and have a great day!

-Your CVM Manager, Amanda Clearwater

All of the Bad Feelings Have Disappeared!

Inspiration for a Happy Heart

We all need someone to Stand by Us. . . .