A Helping Hand ..
The Flashback that Threw me Back:
I definitely could do with a
hug today. Most of all, I just want to hug my knees to my chest and shut out
the world. I thought I had kissed heartburn good-bye, thanks to following much
of the excellent advice of Ines 6375 on http://www.patient.co.uk/forums/discuss/how-i-cured-my-gastritis.
But lately it has been coming back… L
Image from:
I
was so fed up with that pesky little monkey in my chest today, that I fished a sheet of esomeprazole out of my desk drawer
and took the daily dose. Several hours later it doesn’t seem to have done much
good, but I know that Proton Pump inhibitors aren’t really quick fixes.
I’d rather not take them for long
though, since they can inhibit absorption of Vitamin B12 and often make me feel
nauseated and leaden-bellied after a few days. Also I was doing really much
better for a while, so it must be possible to curb the reflux via other methods.
I guess I will just have to re-consider my diet and lifestyle choices of
late, to see where I have gone wrong. Right now though, I am too sore to handle
such recriminations.
Nonetheless, experiences like this,
remind me of how I felt when I started to ring the Samaritans..
Back then I was
in almost constant pain of one form or another, from the moment I woke up,
until I went to sleep and often even the reprieve of sleep eluded me. I
was visiting GPs, physiotherapists and trying various alternative therapies on
a regular basis, but nothing was really making a huge difference. Plus I was
lonely. I wanted to live a better life, but sometimes it was hard to believe I
would ever get better.
I didn’t feel comfortable talking to any of the
people I knew about how I was feeling. My mother was my greatest
confidante, but it was not fair to burden her with all my woes. And I
didn’t really feel close enough to anyone else at the time. So ringing the
Samaritans (from a phone box) was the perfect solution. I emailed them
sometimes too.
How the Samaritans help
The Samaritans are a bit restricted
in what they can say to you- like many counsellors they can’t give specific
advice as such, but they can ask questions that help you to find your own
solutions and most of all they offer a listening ear to people who are at their
wits end and just need someone to talk to.
 |
| This image is from the http://www.samaritansbombay.com/ |
That is why I chose the Samaritans as
one of the three charities to raise funds for. I owe them!
How Early Intervention Helps:
The other charities that will benefit
from Healing Hands Happy Hearts are : 3Ts: Turn The Tide against Suicide and
Pieta House.
I chose these charities because they
are both very solutions focused. In different ways they are each working to
create facilities and/or societal norms that make it easier for people who are
feeling depressed/deeply unhappy, to find support and pathways to inner peace.
You can find out more about them all here: http://www.pieta.ie/ https://www.facebook.com/pietahouse
Like, Pin or share their sites and Facebook pages!
How You and I and Everyone We know
can all help
My fund-raiser is called: Healing Hands Happy Hearts and I am calling upon each and every reader to take part.
All you have to do is:
1. Pick a day on which to take note of all the people you shake hands
with or hug or pat on the shoulder.
2. Then go to http://www.mycharity.ie/event/healing_hands_happy_hearts/ : and donate a nominal amount for each person you made contact with.
a. I am
hoping that everyone will be able to find at least one person to
hug or shake hands with. Most people should probably be able to raise a fiver at €1 per hug/handshake etc..
Just hug your closest friends or family members!
b. Of course,
some people, like politicians, morticians and my warm-hearted in-laws, will
probably easily hug or shake hands with many more people- so they should
probably limit donations to something like 10 cent per hug!! Basically you try
to spread as much friendliness as possible and donate what you can afford pro
rata.
c. No credit
card? No problem. If you know me you can give me the cash and I will
acknowledge your donation on the mycharity page. Or you can just find someone
else you know and trust with access to a credit card!
3. Finally I
would love to get a little feedback. So send on whatever thoughts and photos
you are happy for me to share online. For example, you could answer one or more
of the following questions:
.jpg) |
| Brandon from the http://www.thegoodfoodshop.ie/ One of the people I shook hands with for the challenge! |
a. How did
you feel before you shook people’s hands? How did you feel afterwards?
b. Who do you
most like to hug?
c. What do
you like about hugging people?
d. What do
you like about receiving hugs?
e. What do
you find challenging about making physical contact with people?
(P.S. You
may use a nick-name if you like! )
NOTE: If
You live outside of Ireland, Please Plagiarise this idea using
whatever the equivalent of mycharity.ie is in your country and raise
money like this for your local branch of the Samaritans and similar charities.
Let me know of your initiative a and I will plug your fundraiser too.
To find out about my own fund-raising
week read the next blog post!
Xxooo
Sarah Kate.
[P.S. Since I first started to write
this the Heartburn has mercifully abated.]
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