Posts Tagged ‘Nia student’
Posted by terrepruitt on January 15, 2018
In my last post I mentioned family, friends, and both Nia and yoga students giving me cat things or things related to yoga this past Christmas. I received a lot of cute things. And I received a lot of thoughtful gifts. I want to share another one. (I know I have already posted about a few.) One of my students gave me a Gumby. Do you member Gumby? He is very flexible and bendy. She said it was because she called me Gumby, although I don’t ever remember hearing her call me that.
He has a tie-dyed shirt on! So cute! She made a tie-dyed shirt for him. She actually “tie-dyed” it. At first I thought she just found some material that looked tie-dyed and then she used it to sew a shirt. But nooooo! She actually used pens and colored the shirt making it tie-dyed. For those of you who have never taken one of the classes you might not realize that I wear tie-dyed shirts. They are kind of like my “uniform”. So this was super cute. It made me laugh. We were going to lunch the day she gave it to me and I had to bring it into the restaurant to show everyone. I also wanted to share it with you because it was so cute.
I also have some Gumby facts because this particular Gumby is a 50th anniversary edition Gumby so the packaging came with interesting facts listed about Gumby. I can say that I really didn’t know that much about Gumby. So these were things I didn’t know about Gumby.
-Gumby’s TV debut was on the Howdy Doody Show in 1956.
-Gumby got his own show that year. The Gumby Show.
-The Gumby Show aired from 1956 to 1968.
-By 1966, Gumby sales break all records.
-It takes 1,440 still-frame pictures to make 1 minute of clay animation.
-In 1988 100 new Gumby episodes were produced.
-There are 214 Gumby episodes in existence.
-Gumby’s first feature film was release in 1995.
So there. Now you know some Gumby facts.
Do you remember Gumby? Did you watch him on TV? Do you remember his side kick?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: 50th Anniversary Edition of Gumby, Christmas gifts, creative gift, flexible, Gumby, Howdy Doody Show, Nia student, The Gumby Show, tie-dye shirts, yoga student | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 23, 2017
I like it when I have an idea for a blog post and I don’t have to think about what to write. I wish that were always the case. I like to post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but I just don’t always have that many posts in me. I have been struggling lately with posting on Mondays when I have been at my dad’s all weekend. Going through stuff and getting rid of items is proving more difficult than one would think. So many people and entities say to recycle and donate, but that is harder said than done. While trying to think of something to post about I got to wondering what I posted about on this day (or close to it) in the years past. So . . . speaking of recycling. (See how I did that?)
In 2009 I posted about the free songs iTunes used to give away. Do they still do that? Back then they used to give out cards at Starbucks and they had a code to a free song. I was introduced to a lot of artists and songs that way that I still listen to. I also posted about Collage Video which is a website you can get exercise DVDs from. I had liked the way they described the videos with a break down of minutes of each cycles.
In 2010, October 23rd fell on a Saturday and I was posting on Saturdays back then. I posted about Nutrition Facts of Bell Peppers. I LOVE bell peppers.
In 2011, the 23rd fell on a Sunday, on October 22nd, a Saturday, I posted about being Ready To Receive. In my post I talked about when we first experience or hear about something sometimes we put up our barriers and we don’t want to accept it, so we really have to be ready and “open” to receive in order to actually receive and learn. I also mentioned Natural Time and how we are ready and open in our own natural time. While I wasn’t talking exactly about what was going on at the time, it was somewhat related to it. October 2011 is the year my mother-in-law was in a fatal automobile accident. She died October 23, 2011, six years ago today.
October 2012 I was making smoothies. In September of that year I had gotten my super blender for my birthday and I was making and drinking smoothies. I found that during that period I did believe the science behind the need to rotate the vegetables according to the family, but I never quite got it right. I wrote about it in my The Greens Go Round And Round post, but for me it was easier said than done.
October 23, 2013 fell on a Wednesday and I wasn’t posting on Wednesday back then, I was posting on Tuesdays and Thursday. On Tuesday the 22nd I posted about a yoga pose. I posted Icky Name, Great Pose which is about the locust pose (Salabhasana) where you lift your legs and chest up off the ground creating a back bend. On Wednesday I posted about how Messing Up Is Fun. It is about Nia and what a student felt about it.
I was actually thinking about my post from October 23, 2014 just the other day! But I didn’t know that. I was thinking about the “tea” that I had heard about that one blogger drinks when she is sick. She calls it Sick People Tea. I wrote a little bit about it and the oregano that is part of the recipe.
October 23, 2015 was a Friday. I wasn’t posting on Fridays back then. But we had our cats and on the 22nd I posted about them. The post includes some of the best pictures I have ever taken of them. They are pretty darn beautiful. On the 24th I posted about the difference between what are labeled Leisure Classes with the City of San Jose and what are Group Ex classes. Although the City of San Jose no longer has the “Group Ex” program we have SJCITY Fit, which is similar. You might want to check it out as their annual membership is a GREAT deal!
In 2016 I was posting on my current schedule of Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The 23rd of October fell on a Sunday so the closest post to the 23rd is the 24th and I posted about Sunburns And Ants.
I do hope you will have a moment to click over and check out one or two of the posts from Octobers past. Which one has you wanting to click over and read it? Perhaps you can click over and like it and leave a comment.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: bell peppers, Blendtec, blog post ideas, Collage Video, essential oil for sunburns, exercise DVDs, free songs on iTunes, green smoothies, locust pose, Natural Time, Nia, Nia class, Nia student, oregano, ready to receive, Salabhasana, San Jose exercise classes, San Jose Group Ex, San Jose Leisure Classes, Sick People Tea, SJCity Fit, Starbucks, Vi Pruitt, Yoga, Yoga class | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on February 24, 2017
Isn’t this cute? I received this from a friend and Nia student for Christmas last year. She found the little purses and filled them with lavender. They are really cool because the top is velcro so the lavender can be replaced when needed. I just love it so much. I thought it was so cute I wanted to post it. The sequins make it sparkly and you know that I love the sparkles!
I am sharing this cuteness as my Friday Photo. How was your Friday?
Posted in Friday Photo | Tagged: Christmas gift, Friday Photo, lavender sachet, Nia, Nia student | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 1, 2016
Last week I was walking to my car from class. I had just taught yoga and Nia, so I was feeling tall and in good posture. I was sensing the spaces that allows for comfortable movement. I looked up at a woman coming towards me and at first I thought it was a woman I knew. The woman walking toward me bore a resemblance to my friend, but as I watched her it occurred to me that the woman I was looking at had completely different body language than the person I thought it could be. The woman I was thinking of walked tall and erect. She exuded confidence. The person walking towards me didn’t do that (stand tall) or give off that impression (confidence). It made me pause. It made me think. It had me saying to myself, “Egads, what does my posture say?”
When I am walking on a campus of one of the places I teach, I try not to use my phone. There are occasions where I have gotten delayed by traffic so I am turning my phone to airplane mode and preparing my music because I am going to be walking in with less time than I would like to have before starting class. But, I think of walking to class as a time where I might have an opportunity to engage a member or student, so normally I am not on my phone. I don’t usually walk bent over/looking down. But I see a lot of people who are.
I AM normally juggling with my stuff, I take in my purse, a canvas briefcase, a water bottle, my phone, my keys, sometimes a jacket, sometimes other papers, sometimes my yoga mat. So I am sure my posture is not very regal looking. And when I think about it, I love the people I see who walk tall and look out at the world.
I often think about my posture while I am sitting at my desk, or watching TV, in a yoga class, or teaching a yoga class, but I don’t usually think of it while I am walking. And I don’t usually think about it as an identifier. As in I saw this stranger’s face from afar and thought it could be my friend, but then her posture and her gait made me realize instantly it was not my friend. Even though I don’t think about it all the time, it is something we do, right? We include body movement in the way we identify people. The way we carry ourselves is part of our identity. Well, duh, huh?
Sigh. I don’t really know where I am going with this. Perhaps I want to be more conscious of my posture. Not just because I believe standing tall and having good posture is good for me, but I guess I would rather have part of my identity be tall, erect, confident, than bent over, slumped, and juggling. Hmmmm.
What do you think? Do you think about your posture at all?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Nia, Nia class, Nia student, posture, SJCITY Fit member, teaching exercise class, YMCA member, Yoga, Yoga class | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 23, 2015
Black onyx is a great stone because, well, it is black so it goes with everything. Also if you are one that believes stones and crystals have properties that can help in supporting well being then you might benefit from black onyx. The indication is that black onyx is good for releasing negative energy and helps with strengthening ones own energy. I was given a pair of onyx earrings by a friend this week in one of my Nia classes. She said she received them as a free gift when she purchased something and admitted that she was passing them on because she couldn’t wear them. I was thrilled, it was kind of her to think of me! I have been wearing them everyday since. Since I received them I have been interested in what properties it might have
The stone is thought to protect, heal, and ground. It is believed to help strengthen ones’ self confidence. With that in mind some information states it is a good stone to keep near when you are going through stressful situations and times when you might feel drained both physically and emotionally . . . times of grief and sorrow. Some believe it helps one make decisions, and if any of you have suffered a death of a loved one you might concede that it is difficult to make decisions during that process. Those properties would be helpful. In addition there are beliefs that it helps one regain emotional balance as well as elevating fears and worries. All things that are needed when a loved one dies. Of course, those things can be helpful when facing just the everyday challenges of life, it doesn’t even have to be a situation of great sorrow and/or loss. Most of us could benefit from strengthening of our energy and self confidence.
Additional information states there is the idea that black onyx helps treat bone disorders and blood disorders. One site Sobrietystones.com claims that this stone is “The Stone of Self Mastery and Self Control”. And “Can be used to deflect or absorb the negativity of others, and in that way is a good stone for protection from negative forces and influences.”
The combined information leads to the idea that this stone helps stabilize emotions. I can see that one feeling more in control would feel as if their emotions are more stable and not so up and down. Basically, to me with the main benefits of the stone all the other stuff seems logical. With the ridding of negative energy one can feel more confident. If one is more confident they have more faith in their decisions and have an easier time at making them. When confident and able to make decision it is almost inevitable that the emotional roller coaster ride would end.
So . . . this sounds like a good stone to have around. Especially if it is jewelery, because as I said, it goes with everything.
What do you think? Could you use a stone that could ward off negative energy? Would you like something to wear that gives you more confidence? Do you have anything that goes with black?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Black onyx, black onyx earrings, healing properties, healing stone, Nia Classes, Nia student, releasing negative energy, sobrietystones.com, support well-being | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on January 6, 2015
So I always thought the Twelve Days of Christmas were the days LEADING up to the 25th. It was about 2009 when I was talking with one of my Nia students about Christmas and taking down the tree and decorations that she mentioned it. She is quite savvy when it comes to etiquette, traditions, and customs so she said something about waiting until the Epiphany. And I didn’t know what she was talking about. She said she didn’t take her tree down until January 6th. I did like the sound of that because it was a date in January. Usually we take our tree down the weekend after New Year’s Day. I need help as there is so much packing to do. That is the worst part to me. I hate putting everything in its own box. But I will not just put all of my ornaments into those ornament holder boxes . . . . OH NO WAY! So, yes, I cause my own misery. Thankfully I have a husband who helps. I take stuff down and hand it to him with the box and he puts it in. He gets to sit and “relax” and watch a movie and I get my ornaments put in their original boxes. Yay. This year on the day we typically would have taken down the tree, I just didn’t want to. I wasn’t ready. We were gone for – what I think of as – a long time so I felt as if I “missed” some days of Christmas decorations. Plus I knew it would take longer than one day and I had a Nia Class at the YMCA on Sunday so I knew we wouldn’t get it all done. We decided that I would start this week and we would finish this weekend. This is when I said that we could abide by the “whatchmacallit?”, ya know the days after Christmas? The . . . I couldn’t remember so I had to look it up. The day my Nia student had referred to was the Epiphany. But when I looked it up there were some other days I don’t ever remember hearing about.
Could be that I didn’t know about these dates because they look as if they are related to the catholic faith. At least the website that I found is. My family was once catholic, but we stopped going to a catholic church before I had to go through all of my catechism classes and take my first communion.
The website states the below:
“What are the other feast days and holy days during the Christmas season?
In addition to Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Christmas and Mary, Mother of God, Catholics celebrate:
The Feast of the Holy Family, honoring Jesus, Mary and Joseph as a family. It is celebrated on the Sunday after Christmas or on December 30. When Christmas falls on Sunday, it is celebrated December 31.
The Epiphany, the oldest of the Christmas feasts, is also known as Three Kings Day for the three magi who found the Christ Child after following a star to Bethlehem. It is celebrated on Jan. 6 and is the major holiday of the Christmas period in the Eastern Church.
The Baptism of Our Lord brings the Christmas season to a close. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Epiphany.”
So basically what this timeline is telling me is that the Christmas season comes to a close on January 11 this year. Which is pretty perfect because that is when I hope to have all of our Christmas decorations taken down and stored away.
I really thought the Twelve Days of Christmas were the days LEADING up to the 25th. So that is why I am not familiar with the Epiphany. If I knew the Twelve Days STARTED on Christmas, then I would have “got” the whole Epiphany thing.
Am I the only one? Did you know what the Twelve Days of Christmas were?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Catholics, Christmas, Christmas decorations, Christmas feasts, Christmas season, Christmas Tree, Epiphany, Immaculate Conception, Mary and Joseph, New Year's Day, Nia class, Nia student, Twelve Days of Christmas, YMCA | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 15, 2014
Once a month or so . . . I think my last check was September . . . I like to check in on your Good Things Jar project. Are you putting things in your Goodie Jar? If you are not participating the actual container do you take time out of your busy day, your busy week, your busy month to thing about the good things? Do you have a moment when you are grateful? I always have good things, but I will admit, last month for some reason I was really “busy” and I didn’t put much if anything in the goodie jar. This month -so far- I did stop and put a few things in. I was able to make note of a few things at once. One of my latest documentations for my good jar is a Nia Class I just did on Friday.
I have a student who really likes Nia and
she wanted a class closer to her home. So she approached a gym or actually a club near her home and asked them if they would consider having Nia classes. Well, we met with the club and we agreed to have a “demo” class. A regular Nia class but one that would I would do free of charge and they would allow anyone that is not a member of the club to attend and they would invite their members. Well, first of all, I am thankful that I was allowed this opportunity. At this point we don’t know that we will have another demonstration there. Along that line we don’t know if Nia will ever be a class that is offered there, but it was nice to have the opportunity. It is always nice to introduce people to Nia. This was probably the first time many people had heard of Nia or even seen the name.
But I am especially grateful to and for the five students of mine that showed up. Actually there were five regular students, one who is a Nia teacher herself and another Nia teacher in addition. So six showed up from what I am thinking of as “Camp Nia”. I am so honored to have such wonderful students that they came to support me and Nia. They came to help show the members of the club how great Nia is. So that list of people is going in my Goodie Jar.
I have another thing associated with this class that I will make a note of and put in this jar. This is something I have never put in the jar . . . but I am grateful for EVERY DAY! That is the bodies amazing ability to heal. While I was leading the class I scratch the back of my left hand. I didn’t really make contact with my right thumb very hard, but it was hard enough to draw blood and it was at just the right angle and spot that my left hand went numb and tingly at the same time. One of the next moves was a fast small chop that we do from the wrist, somewhat as if you are giving someone a “karate chop massage”. Well, I could not do that with my left had without a lot of pain. So I didn’t.
I finished the routine and was only slightly aware of the odd pain-numb sensation until I went to get up on the floor and push up with my left hand. OOOOO! That didn’t work.
The rest of the day I was VERY aware of my hand. It started to feel better than I would do something and realize it was not better. But as the night wore on it got better and better. I am convinced I hit my hand in such a way that I temporarily injury a nerve. I am soooo grateful that it is almost 100% back to normal. So THAT is going in my goodie jar. WHEW!
What about you? Thanks for listening to my good things. I would love to hear about yours? What have you got? C’mon, if you are not doing the Goodie Jar project perhaps you would like to make note of the good things here?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: Bay Club, club, good things jar, Goodie Jar, gym, nerve damage, Nia, Nia class, Nia demo, Nia student | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 11, 2014
In Nia there is something called “the beginner’s mind”. Since learning about it associated with Nia, I have heard about it in association with other things. It might not always be called “beginner’s mind”, but it is the same concept, the same idea. It is the idea of stepping into something – anything, even if is something you are well familiar with – with a mind as if you are a beginner. Step into it as if you are hearing it, doing it, seeing it, or learning it for the first time. Step in as if you are a beginner.
This is a wonderful tool. When you walk into a situation with an empty cup, when it is not full of knowledge on the subject, it is able to be filled with all the information, new stuff is easy to learn, stuff you already “know” can be learned in a new way, and your cup gets filled again.
There are many reasons why you might want to practice the “beginner’s mind”. It could be because you are required – perhaps through your company, your certifying board, or any number of things – to take a particular class. It could be because – even though you know you don’t know everything there is to know . . . the timing of the class has you thinking it will be a waste of time. It could be — as just mentioned — you know you don’t know everything, but the length of the class has you thinking you will only get two hours worth of information out of the twelve hours you are being required to attend.
When I take a Nia class I always step in with a beginner’s mind. I know that no matter what routine is going to be taught it is going to be different. Which is not to say that the teacher will not do it correctly or will not do it the way it was taught on the DVD, but it does allow me to easily accept. I accept the way the teacher is teaching it. It flows so much better if I am just receiving as opposed to trying to inject my knowledge and the way the routine is supposed to be done. I accept that the teacher might not teach it exactly as I teach it. The teacher might use different pearls. The teacher use different cues. She might have found that a slight change in the choreography works better for her students or even something for her. And . . . with the idea that I am doing it as a beginner . . . instead of an expert who knows the routine . . . I can learn something. If I just do as I am being instructed I might sense that the move she does is actually good for a particular audience. Or the pearls that the teacher uses really matches well with the movements. Instead of my inner dialog being the moves or worse something like, “Well, here I say, ‘XXX'” or here we move like XXX, with my beginner’s mind I am listening instead of “talking” over what is happening. All of this could lead to discover of a new movement pattern.
In regards to a training where you are required to be, it could just make it be less dreadful than you thought it would. If you accept the fact that it is a requirement and decide to walk in with a beginner’s mind being told stuff you already know is not such a waster of time. Keeping the beginner’s mind and not telling your entire story to prove what you know gives you time to listen to what others know and learn about them. And — as stated before — possibly hear the same information but in a new way. Allowing yourself to let go and not be the expert is freeing and lets you relax into the learning process.
I was grumpy this past week because I knew I had to spend my Friday night (FRIDAY NIGHT) and all day Saturday in a training. I was afraid that my grumpiness would keep me from learning and be recognized by others. So I asked for help and was reminded of the beginner’s mind. I was able to step into the class not as grumpy. Of course, I did mention the fact to the trainer that it was a long training and the trainer – being an EXPERT trainer and pretty awesome – agreed, gave me the sympathy I wanted and boom! I got over it. 🙂 With my “cup” empty . . . I learned some cool things!
Do you every have the opportunity to practice the “beginner’s mind”? Have you every practice the “beginner’s mind”? How did practicing the “beginner’s mind” work for you?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: begiiner's mind, Expert trainer, movement pattern, Nia, Nia choreography, Nia class, Nia DVD, Nia pearls, Nia routine, Nia student, Nia Teacher, required training, training | 14 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 31, 2014
One of Nia’s 52 Moves is Head and Eye Movement. Yes, we intentionally and specifically move our head and our eyes in Nia. A long time ago when I first started teaching I had a student who had come to about three classes and after the third class she said something to affect of since starting Nia she actually moves her head to look around while driving. So my first thought was, “Yay! Nia helps make people better drivers.” If people are not moving their heads and then start doing so after Nia – YAY! – especially while driving. Nia really is about full body health and movement. So we don’t do just a cardio workout that works your heart. We don’t do just a dance exercise that moves your legs. We don’t do just some choreography that involves our hands. We involve the whole body. As you may have surmised from the post on Creepy Crawlers. It is very important for people to move their heads.
I see a lot of people with very stiff necks who in fact do not move their heads. There are a lot of reasons. I know some reasons include stiff muscles. They can’t move their head without pain because their muscles are not used to moving or are holding too much stress. I know some people who can’t move their head because it causes them dizziness. I also know some people who rid themselves of stiff necks and dizziness by moving their head. Moving one’s head will not solve everyone’s issues of stiff necks or dizziness, but I do know some people who were helped by it.
In Nia we move our head a lot. We engage our eyes a lot. But as with all of the 52 Moves of Nia there is a specific way to do it. In just practicing Head and Eye Movements you look all around and move your head to match your gaze. Letting the action of your head follow the intent of your eyes.
Just like with Catching Flies, this move requires looking BEFORE moving. So LOOK and then move the head so you are facing the direction you are looking. As I said look in all directions. Look up, then move your head so you are facing up. Look down, then move your head so your chin is at your chest. Look left, then turn your head left. Look right, then turn your head to the right. Look in a different direction then move your head so you are facing that direction. After looking around nod your head “yes”, shake it “no”, roll the head around both directions. Vary the speed at which you do all of this. Be aware of any sensations that come up. Also, if you are not accustomed to moving your head be careful that you don’t get dizzy or too dizzy.
As I mentioned some people get dizzy from lack of moving their head. It is not because of any condition, it is just lack of practice. So, be cautious when you first practice Nia’s Head and Eye Movement. Now, go, look around, move your head.
How do you feel when you move your head? Do you move your head around? Do you have a stiff neck? Do you get dizzy when you move your head?
Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: action follows intent, cardio dance, cardio workout, dance exercise, ease neck pain, ease neck tension, Head and Eye Movement, health and movement, Nia, Nia choreography, Nia class, Nia student, Nia Teacher, Nia's 52 Moves, San Jose Group Ex class, teaching Nia, whole body workout Creepy Crawlers | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 12, 2014
Ahhhh . . . recently I have been feeling . . . I don’t know . . . if I had to label it, I would say “depleted”. I think the time has come when I am starting to miss my mom. Ya know at first, I was busy and the last couple of years she was too tired to talk much so we didn’t talk that much . . . it could be a couple of weeks between phone calls. She had also had limits on us visiting her. Since she was not someone I see or talk to everyday it just seemed like a long time “in between” conversations. Now, two months later . . . it is starting to affect me. And I realized I felt a little depleted. I hadn’t talked to my mom or seen my friends in a bit so I figured I needed a visit with a friend. It just so happened I lucked out this week. One of my friends/students has been away for a month and yesterday she showed up at Nia. She came to class and it happened that she didn’t have an appointment or another class to rush off to. So we sat and visited. Then as we were visiting another friend showed up . . . which was really out of the norm. It was obvious to me that this was all meant to be. So I was able to get a little refilled. Ya know the kind of replenishing that you get from visit with friends? Then today after my Nia class I met with a friend for a quick visit, but we hadn’t seen each other in so long it turned out longer than we had thought. It was a good visit. A replenishment. I want to post some information about how good relationships help us in life.
I was going through some papers and I found a little blurb that was printed many years ago that said having a deep conversation with a good friend might reduce anxiety in woman. The theory was because it increased levels of progesterone. So I went looking for the information on the internet and what I found actually distracted me from my original search (NO! That NEVER happens to ANYONE EVER!!!!!). Well, first let me quote from the article I found online at Michigan News
“Why does dishing with a girlfriend do wonders for a woman’s mood?
A University of Michigan study has identified a likely reason: feeling emotionally close to a friend increases levels of the hormone progesterone, helping to boost well-being and reduce anxiety and stress.”
So while we might not have known the biological reason why having close friends is good or makes us feel good we have heard enough information that we know research has shown friendships add to our lives. But what I found took it a little further reminded me of how not only do GOOD friendships help make you feel better and give you health benefits they have been show to improve your health when you are ill.
Again, looking at information from years ago . . . WebMD’s article “Good Friends Are Good for You” states:
“One such study, reported in the journal Cancer, followed 61 women with advanced ovarian cancer. Those with ample social support had much lower levels of a protein linked to more aggressive types of cancer. Lower levels of the protein, known as interleukin 6, or IL-6, also boosted the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Women with weak social support had levels of IL-6 that were 70% higher in general, and two-and-a-half times higher in the area around the tumor.”
Also according to the article women with breast cancer in a support group had less pain and that “strong social support helps people cope with stress.” Well, I know, for a fact that this is true for me. I don’t need a study to tell me that I am less stressed after a visit with a close friend.
The article mentions that having a lot of friends may even reduce your chances of getting a cold. Well, I don’t believe that quantity of friends is what supplies the benefit, I think it is the quality. If you are able to vent to your friends and receive support and hear their stories and give them support back . . . that is what supplies us with stress relief. We are getting things off our chest and getting support in return. We are connecting with real people that have real problems and getting a sense of not being the only one whose life it not TV perfect. And I believe relieving stress and making that connection supports our immune system which in turn helps protect us from catching colds.
So, my advice . . . if you are feeling blue or overwhelmed or perhaps not really certain what you are feeling, a little out of sorts, visit with a friend. See if that helps cheer you up. Might not take away all of the blue, but perhaps it will help ground you a bit so that you can do the rest.
Do you know what I am talking about? Have you ever felt that wonderful fullness after a visit with friends? Do you believe that a good social network can help support medical treatment? What else have you got on your mind?
If this post sounds familiar . . . .you could have read Friends For Life, which is pretty similar. 🙂
Posted in Misc | Tagged: breast cancer, cancer, chemotherapy, death of mom, Diane Bacho, Friends With Benefits, girlfriends, good friends, medical treatment, Michigan News, Nia class, Nia friends, Nia student, online article, progeterone, reduce anxiety and stress, reduce your chances, social support, University of Michigan, WebMD | 6 Comments »
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