Facing My Fears
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It’s that time of year again. Everyone is out shopping and preparing for the holidays season of giving. If you’re like me, you can sometimes struggle with what to give some people in your life, and worse, not sure what others can get for you, especially if you are struggling with mobility, pain, or lack of strength.
I decided to let you in on my all-time FAVORITE gifts that I have received, since my amputation, that have helped me get stronger, shed weight, become active (even on days when my leg hurt too much to walk), and get mobile.
There is no reason you can’t get out and live your life, with the right equipment. Please, just make sure that you wear protection for your head and body. I don’t want anyone getting hurt. I wear my helmet, and depending on the activity, wrist, elbow and knee guards, too!
Whether you need a gift for someone who is struggling to become mobile, or you need a fun gift for yourself these should get you started on a path of fun and healthier living.
Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
And as always,
Be Healthy,
Be Happy,
Be YOU!!!
Much love, Angie
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Sorry, I had the Beastie Boys song stuck in my head. But, for real, do what they say and FIGHT for your rights!!!! They know what’s up!
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Life is never truly easy, for anyone. Sometimes it feels like everything is going our way when out of the blue a bomb drops.
Maybe your job or family life is struggling, or maybe your health. Then you can feel overwhelmed and defeated.
But don’t fret. We all go through these moments. We all have valleys we must trudge through. What I have learned through life is that the valleys don’t last forever and soon you’ll be on top once again.
The problem being on top is that you never know when a valley will strike again, when you get gut punched and feel the wind knocked out of you.
If you realize that this is just how life goes, the sooner you can prepare yourself to handle those moments.
Not like you will ever be totally prepared but at least not naive to the fact that it happens. If you practice positivity, and strengthening your character, you will be better prepared for those moments. They won’t control you and every aspect of your life.
Our job is to learn from them, to build up our resilience and character to better handle those situations.
As an amputee I have these moments a lot. As soon as my socket feels great, I’m out being active, life is good….. BOOM!
My socket doesn’t fit anymore, it’s too loose, or there’s a crack that’s hurting my leg, leaving painful raw spots every step throughout the day. That’s when I need to dig down deep, realize that this too shall pass, and I must carry on. My family depends on me to function. I have goals I want to achieve and a life I want to live… to the fullest.
If you are struggling right now, life has served up some lemons and a swift punch to your gut, don’t fret. You can get through this.
We all deal with these moments, wishing they would just pass us by, but if you can see these as learning moments, to better serve you in the future then you are on the right track. Each trial we go through breaks us down to build us back up, preparing us for the next, making us stronger. But it’s up to you to rise to that challenge, it’s not just given to you. You won’t just rise up because you sit around pouting about your circumstance. You rise up and build character if you FIGHT! You have to use those muscles to get back up, you need to speak positivity into your soul, you will struggle otherwise.
Take a look at today’s Call to Action for steps to take to work on your resilience today.
This week I want you to prepare for the storm.
How you do it might be a little different from me, but a basic strategy is:
I hope this helps you get through your week, and your future. Fight the good fight, Warrior! You and your family are worth it!
As always,
Be Healthy,
Be Happy,
Be YOU!!!!
Much love,
Angie
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No one knows what our future holds, and for sure, I never expected to become an amputee, but here I am. And quite frankly I am a better person for it, have met amazing people through it, and grown in ways I never would have if I never went through it.
I found acceptance of my circumstance BEFORE going under the knife, and that has helped me embrace, love, and move forward as an amputee, even through neurological pains, physical healing, and never-ending phantom sensations. Not everyone gets that chance though, and I get that. Some of you went through horrific accidents, war, and illnesses like cancer or diabetes. Some of you have anger at the person or circumstances that surround you, and put you where you are today. That is understandable, but are you holding onto that anger, bitterness and resentment? If so, you are also not allowing yourself to truly heal and move on…and there is so much more out there for you. A better life, and happier place to be, healing!
I know that I can’t speak to your situation, but I’ve had smaller issues in my life, times when people have wronged me, and I couldn’t let it go. I held on to the anger, the frustration, and couldn’t stop grumbling about how rude and wrong the other person was. I have had to let that go, walk away, both physically and mentally from that person and that wrongdoing, for the sake of my happiness and my family. It’s not easy, and still, to this day, I can still allow myself to go back there and remember how angry I was. But what does that accomplish? NOTHING!! It just wastes my time and energy, that’s all.
Forgiveness is hard, and it takes practice. You can feel like you are over it one day, and the next day be just as angry. Allow yourself time to heal and practice forgiveness. Just don’t give up, it is well worth the time and energy to forgive someone or your situation in the long run. You will find your happiness return, and an ability to live a more peaceful, centered, and happy life. When you do heal from that situation you will find that you can then begin to heal on the outside as well, and move forward in life, instead of being stuck in the past, and in anger and resentment.
Once you have decided to move forward and let go of the past, then you can truly heal. You may find that the pains you are physically or neurologically experiencing will lessen or even dissipate over time, or at least become manageable.
Trust me when I say that forgiveness and letting go of negativity is the cornerstone to feeling better and getting your life back on track. What have you got to lose? At worst, you’ll stop being overcome by anger and hate, at best you can heal and start living your life again, truly living your life again, not just surviving.
Are you just surviving? It’s time to start living and healing! Don’t waste another moment on those negative things. Bring closure and forgiveness into your life so you can begin to heal, from the inside out!
This week’s call to action will be hard for some of you. It will definitely take more than a week, but today is a stepping stone in the right direction for your well-being and happiness.
Today you begin to forgive the person, circumstance, or yourself for where you are right now. I know it’s hard, but if you are listening to my podcast then I believe you want to live a better life…and this is the first step in doing that. You cannot expect to find happiness and peace amidst anger and resentment. Let it go!
Find a mantra to repeat whenever you feel the anger taking over. Even a simple: ” I forgive you” that you can repeat out loud or to yourself, everytime your mind goes back to that negative space.
Don’t stop! Keep repeating until you live it! Remember, our brains are powerful and will believe whatever you feed them. If you speak positive, then your brain will follow your lead. Keep at it. Reach out to me to let me know how it’s going.
It won’t be easy, but good things take hard work. Your spoils await you on the other side of forgiveness. Keep at it, I know you can do it!
It’ll be well worth your time and energy now. Believe in yourself, believe in a better tomorrow! Start TODAY!!!
As always,
Be Healthy,
Be Happy,
Be YOU!!!
Much love,
Angie
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If we could only see the damage within ourselves from past experiences, like we can see the physical damage done from surgery, we would understand the importance of healing within ourselves. If you are hurting, feeling discouraged, broken, sad, anxious, angry, then you really need to focus on your inner YOU before you can heal and build up your physical YOU.
When we feel great, happy, content, or relaxed we tend to have energy and then that energy is used to move us, heal our bodies, and become more physically active. Ironically, when we do start moving our bodies not only is that good for our physical being, but it, in turn, lifts our spirits and helps with our emotional and mental state as well.
So what comes first? It’s like the chicken or egg scenario. If you are emotionally defeated, it’s hard to motivate yourself to do something good for yourself. Yet, if you could just push past that, the endorphins that your body releases when you become active can boost your spirits.
After all I have been through since 2013, when I couldn’t be active, left me feeling miserable at times. It actually took its toll on my body as I had gained 55 pounds through 5 years of knee surgeries. It was actually after I had my amputation that I was once again able to move, and rose up to once again, define who I was and live a better life. It was hard, I stumbled and fell often both physically and metaphorically, but I kept pushing myself, and the boundaries, until I began to soar.
The first picture, on top, was me right after my amputation in 2018. The 2nd picture is from 2 weeks ago.
I began doing things I thought I may never do again, I attempted new sports and activities, and found a pure joy that no one could take away from me. I healed myself from the inside out and accepted my new situation, and moved on from there, challenging myself to anything and everything I could think of as an amputee. I became so active that the extra weight dropped off and now I am more fit then I was, even in high school!
You can achieve this, if you want it. It takes commitment and perseverance. You must set goals and follow through, but it can be done.
Don’t count yourself out just yet. I believe in you!
It’s simple this week:
Write down all the emotions and feelings you are having that eat away at you. All the negative thoughts and feelings you have about yourself, where you are at in your life, your medical situation.
Now destroy that list! Burn it! Tear it to shreds! Crumple it up and throw it in the trash!
It’s time to move onward and upward. Today you learn to forgive, have grace, and think positive thoughts.
It’s never too late to start a new path, take a road less traveled, and to adjust your life.
Don’t put it off anymore, you deserve the best from yourself.
I believe in you! Let’s do this!
Best wishes on your new beginning!
As always,
Be Healthy,
Be Happy,
Be YOU!!!
Much love,
Angie