Practicing Trancendental Meditation is said to be a good way to relieve stress. The TM technique involves the use of a sound or mantra and is practiced for 15–20 minutes twice per day. For example, let’s say you are dealing with people who just don’t get “it”. Whatever it is. You can close your eyes while speaking to them and begin your meditation. I had to do this today when speaking with someone who deals with medical things. I had to explain that genetic conditions such as mine do not have magical “cures”…that basically that’s why the gene was inherited. If it did have a cure, I think I’d know about it by now as I would love to stop having pints of my blood taken every 6 months. So, in order to deal with this yet again, I had to go to my happy place. My place where my mantra was “Don’t slap the stupid people. Ohmmmmm. They can’t help it. Ohmmmmmm. They don’t know any better. Ohmmmm.” Repeat.
I have had to go to this place often in the last 17 years. When I then had to call the next doctor’s office to schedule my phlebotomy, the nurse said they needed to do more blood work. I said, no actually, you don’t. I just had blood work done, and the doctor told me if I was experiencing problems to call back and make a phlebotomy appointment. So, here I am experiencing “problems”, calling you to get things straight. Well, this went on for a while because she insisted he said I had to have more blood work done before I could have my pint taken. I calmly explained that it appeared I was breaking out in porphyria bumps and that most people with hereditary hemochromatosis don’t have the two fold warning system like I do to let them know it is time for the vampire visit.
By the time I was done with this, I had worked myself up again. I called my husband and my mom to vent because it’s either that or throw things…or cry. Which gets me absolutely no where. Then I am reminded of other people who are worse off and I feel bad about getting upset, but it can’t be helped. I thought back to my earlier conversation with a lady I just met. Her daughter has one of my conditions, fibromyalgia, and can’t work, get out of bed some days or drive a car. I am one of those people who really tries to think of other people when I feel bad. I really do. It makes me want to push harder to show these people that life can be lived. There is hope. There is a way out of this, and we just have to believe. Sometimes, we are going to have to put up with the “stupid” things in our lives. Whatever that is. Irritants, things that challenge us. Make us feel frustrated, mad, or ready to throw in the towel. Push past that to the other side. You can do it.
