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wanderlustt-101tn · 10 months ago

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Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is an umbrella term for therapeutic practices involving the use of cold water, ice or air. Cold plunging, a type of cryotherapy, happens when your body emerges in cold water at fluctuating temperatures and durations. Exposure to these bone-chilling temps removes body heat, drops internal temperatures and changes blood flow.

Research suggests ideal temperatures range between 10-15 degrees Celsius 50-60 degrees F.

How far you go into the water is totally up to you, start slow and find out what you like and don’t like about and adjust. Although you’d be surprised at what your body can handle though.

benefits of cold plunges include the following

- [ ] Decrease inflammation and also improve your immunity.

- [ ] Increase circulation

- [ ] Change in mood

- [ ] Burn calories

- [ ] If you plunge before a workout you can exercise less muscle soreness

- [ ] Tightens your skin

- [ ] Reduces tension

- [ ] Mental health benefits as well

- [ ] Accelerates metabolism

- [ ] My favorite helps you sleep

- [ ] Another favorite it’s a great self care/love exercise to do because it shows you how much your body can handle in conditions like cold water emersion.

- [ ] Stimulates nervous system & etc.

Interesting facts

Did you know that cold water can help constrict blood vessels which reduces blood flow to affected areas, so basically since your vessels were narrowed the body’s response is to push blood back into all areas of the body as fast as possible, so getting out is like the best part.

This is something you want to spend time researching, find out what way you’ll start your Cryotherapy journey. Also start slow

5-10 mins in the water and gradually increase the duration.

It’s also important to stay hydrated before, during and after and make sure to warm up afterwards in warm clothes & warm shower. *also remember to not warm up to quickly as that can cause more side effects.

Potential risks

Hypothermia: were you aware that water removes heat from the body 25 times quicker than air. Water that’s lower than 70°F can cause hypothermia. So it’s important to always check temperatures you’ll be doing your plunge at.( not just weather outside but the temperature of the water you’ll be in.)

The body’s function drops with temperatures hypothermia starts to interfere with not only movement but thinking skills as well. signs and symptoms: shivering, bluing of the skin and loss of consciousness.

Cold shock and drowning is another major risk factor in cold water plunge.

Cold shock is the body’s way of responding to a rapid decrease in temperature and might cause an involuntary gasp to occur, hyperventilating which could lead to inhaling water into your lungs. So because of these serious risk factors it’s best to go at your pace, if you are plunging in cold weather outside, and cold water temperatures it’s best to have someone with you.

Tips for plunging

- [ ] It’s suggested not to rely on this type of therapy everyday and to space it out

- [ ] Don’t over think it

- [ ] Have a countdown

- [ ] Breathe!!! It’ll be fast at first work to slow it down

- [ ] Have a mantra!

- [ ] Get out and move your body

- [ ] Don’t let temperatures be too comfortable or painful

- [ ] Once your legs start to shiver get out immediately

- [ ] Don’t rely on cold therapy as your only recovery tool

What to bring with you for a plunge?

Clothes that are lose fitting and easy to remove for after plunging and change into something warm.

No costumes that will weigh you down

Shoes or socks so you don’t slip.

Hat, headbands anything you like to stay warm while watching others jump if you decide to.

Have someone with you in the sideline watching so they can monitor you during and after.

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selene-tempest · 4 years ago

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Our Brains.

Brains is fun to hug, he really is. It makes me laugh every single time you do it. It's like he just never expects spontaneous affection from anyone.

He was in for a rude awakening with me. I hug everyone and everything for absolutely no reason what so ever. OK, maybe I do have reasons sometimes, like if they look particularly cute or they are having a bad day, but there's just something about Brains that makes me want to squish the every loving crap out of him.

I remember the first time I met everyone. I first saw Gordon, even if it was upside down. He was there with this big grin on his face and I said to myself "He's gonna be trouble." but the good kind, you know? He might have been an absolute nightmare as a rescuer but later that night he keep my attention as I went through the second scariest moment when I faced the needle of doom.

And then up lumbered Virgil, giving me this smile that said "Hi, don't worry, I'm here, you can trust me." and gods did I trust him. I'd trust him with anything, my keys, my car, my tools, my bank account, anything, just not to get me out of that tree. A witch has to have some self preservation you know. Virgil gives the best hugs, I know everyone says that but it's true, he's got these strong arms that feel like a bubble around you and you know nothing will touch you in them. He glared at the doctor waving the syringe around and warned him not to hurt me, then buried my head in his chest until it was all over. Honestly I don't remember much of it. I might have lost some air supply smothered against those pectorals of his, but what a way to go, eh?

But much as I liked them, they weren't who I truly needed that night. No, I wanted that silver tongued god I'd been talking to in outer space and no one else would do. Its pretty obvious that the first time I met John was life changing.

Then Scott ambled up, flashed me those dimples in a grin that clearly said "I got this shit" and I wasn't sure if my dignity would ever be intact again with him around. He's got that vibe, that vibe that says he'll get you home safe but you'd probably shit your pants at how fast he does it. High octane is our Scott.

Then Alan, oh that baby, I just wanted to wrap him up in a blanket, snuggle him to death and feed him cupcakes.

But Brains, I had literally no idea what to make of him. He was friendly in an over enthusiastic, babbling at me in Sciencees until my head spun kind of way. But so sweet with it.

Brains has this moment about him, when he's not sure of himself. It's not that he doubts his brain power, not at all, but it's like he doubts himself. He reminds me so much of John in that way.

I walked in to find him sat on the couch, looking confused, squinting at his readouts and his face was just a picture of misery. I know nothing about anything of value, but I know when a hug is needed.

I scared the crap out of him. I didn't think, I just leant over the couch, wrapped my arms around him and gave him a squishy witchy hug (patent pending).

He jumped like he'd been shot and went bright red, getting all flustered and stammery. Then he backed off and ran out of the room like his butt was on fire.

I was so worried that I'd offended him or upset him in some way. So I tracked down the love of my life. It went like this:

"John, I broke your scientist, sorry about that."

"You did what?" Confusion, thy name is John Tracy.

"I broke him."

"And how, pray tell, did you manage that?"

"I hugged him."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh! What do I do? How do I fix him? Is this permanent? He ran away so fast I think I saw smoke."

"That's just Brains." That was the wisdom he gave me.

"I'm gonna need more than that, babe."

And that's when I heard the story.

Brains was orphaned at the age of eleven when a hurricane struck his family home. He had no family that could be traced and after floating in the system for a year his incredible brain power made him known to a Cambridge professor who adopted him.

But although he had a relatively happy childhood after that, where his need to acquire knowledge and to indulge in experimentation and inventing was indulged, he lacked the familiaral affection he'd gotten from his parents. His adoptive father cared for him, but more like a teacher would a favourite student than a father.

He'd met Jeff while he was studying, on the fast track to greatness but his abilities were far outstripping the offers he was getting due to his age. To put it simply, no one dared take a chance on a youngster like him. No one but Jeff.

John told me that Brains had gotten better with them all, he now understood their teasing and no longer took it personally, although he still over analysed or took it literally from time to time.

Brains hardly ever reaches out for affection, he's too analytical for that. He only ever does when he's so excited he forgets to think.

John got in the crossfire of that once and froze, two semi-antisocial hermits who didn't know what had just happened. But it was Brains, someone he was comfortable with, so John had just gone with it, patted him on the shoulder and let him know that there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

And now I'm here, poor Brains. He doesn't know what's hit him. He gets hugged when he least expects it all the time. I call it emersion therapy, the boys call it the Selene effect.

He's gotten used to it. He's gotten used to me. He no longer runs. He doesn't stammer. He doesn't panic. He stiffens, then relaxes and occasionally, very rarely, as beautiful as the sun coming up after a long, dark winters night, he'll hug me back.

I love those moments, those times when he's so excited that he'll grab you and hug you without thinking. That's the real Brains, that's the sweetheart that I adore.

That's the one that everyone should know about. The one that makes bad jokes and shouts out his little random ideas without any context, the one that asked me to make a scarf for MAX because his circuitry was feeling delicate that week.

That's our Brains.

That's the one I wish more people saw.

For @drileyf, thanks for the picture submissions.

#Brains #hiram k hackenbacker #selene tempest #thunderbirds fandom #thunderbirds 2015 #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds fanfiction

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mattkeepsrambling · 4 years ago

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“The Shining” lives up to its legacy

I have been slowly watching more and more horror movies. I think of it as emersion therapy for the moviegoer. Part of this happened naturally, and part of this has been because of a podcast. Alex Goldman and PJ Vogt, hosts of "Reply All," recently did a miniseries called "The Scaredy Cats Horror Show" where Goldman (the horror fan) gives Vogt (the scaredy-cat) a horror movie to watch. The ultimate goal is to prepare Vogt to be able to watch "Get Out." I don't have a film I am trying to watch (though, "Get Out" is pretty tame for a horror movie). I want to expand my film knowledge.

This past week, I got to one I had wanted to see but was also kind of dreading: "The Shining." Years ago, I bought a Stanley Kubrick boxset and made my way through it this past week (hence the post about "2001: A Space Odyssey"). On Thursday, I finally arrived at "The Shining." I was a bit worried. I have gotten pretty comfortable with horror movies in the past year or so, but for some reason, this one gave me pause. I think it was the specter of this movie that worried me. It is up there with the best horror movies of all time and one of the best films. I thought this might be the horror movie that brings me back to that "scaredy-cat" I used to be.

Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson) gets a job as the winter caretaker of The Overlook Hotel. He and his family move in and soon discover that this hotel holds a dark past. I loved "The Shining." It is such a brilliant movie on so many levels. Tone, performances, directing; there is not one thing I did not like about this movie. I am so mad at myself for this staying on my list of shame for so long. I have been depriving myself of this movie and all the lore around it for a long time. This movie is so creepy, and that tone makes this movie what it is. Anytime Danny (Danny Lloyd) is tearing around the hotel's hallways on his big wheel, and that score kicks in, you cannot help but tense up. You don't know what is going to happen, but it can't be good. The emptiness of the hotel lends itself to this off-putting atmosphere. As the viewer, you cannot get settled because you feel like something terrible will happen at any second. Jack

Nicholson is fantastic. At the beginning of "The Shining," he is a confident, loving family man. Then slowly, as the Outlook seeps into Jack's psyche, he goes crazy. The transformation is complete when he walks into The Gold Room, saddles up to the bar and orders a drink. There are so many scenes where Nicholson seems perfectly cast as the unhinged Jack Torrance. He gives the best creepy grimace in the history of cinema.

I am ashamed that it took me this long to see this movie. It is one of my favorite Kubrick movies of the ones I have watched thus far. I am beginning to see how there is an art to a good horror movie. You don't need jump scares and gore to be horror. The movies I have watched and love, don't rely on those typical horror tropes. There is an art to making the viewer uncomfortable and building on that feeling again and again. That is what this movie does so brilliantly.

9/10

Rated R

2hrs 24min.

#the shining #horror movie #movie review

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seriestrash · 6 years ago

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The List - Chapter Three

- 1 - 2 -

Summary: It’s summer vacation and TJ and Cyrus fill their days checking things off Cyrus’ list.

Read on AO3

Chapter Three: +3

Word Count: 2073

It’s late into the second week of summer and TJ and Cyrus have been checking things off the list with hast. Cyrus’ park day with TJ had boosted the younger boys confidence immensely and he was tackling things with a relative amount of ease. TJ works one morning and two afternoons a week but other than that TJ and Cyrus had been consistently spending their days together when their parents would allow.

In the past week Amber had stayed for dinner one night after her therapy session which was awkward to begin with - dining with the lady she has to open up to - but once she and Cyrus broke away to watch a movie together it was natural and full of easy laughs. Cyrus thought it worked out perfectly that Amber’s sessions were on a Tuesday evening because TJ was occupied at the gym.

Today TJ and Cyrus head to the virtual reality arcade together for another task on the list. As per usual, the two end up messing around a lot and playfully get off task. Cyrus found the total emersion of the VR completely terrifying and TJ found that completely amusing but without being facetious.

After completing the task and a bit more mucking around, the two decide to take a break from the games. TJ makes his way to the restroom whilst Cyrus secures a table. Cyrus hadn’t even been seated for a minute when a familiar face approaches him.

“Hey, Marty!” Cyrus greets him warmly.

“Hey, Cyrus, are you here alone?” Marty pricks up a brow and quickly lets his eyes scan the room. Cyrus suspected he was trying to work out if Buffy was present.

“No I’m here with TJ.” Cyrus announces.

Marty scrunches his face in confusion, “As in Kippen? As if the guy that’s a jerk to everyone, Buffy included?”

“TJ is just misunderstood.” Cyrus frowns lightly, “He’s different now to how he was.. You two would probably be really good friends if you gave him a chance.”

Marty gives Cyrus an unconvinced look and then nods his head as if he were motioning towards something. Cyrus turns back and finds TJ approaching.

“Hey, Marty.” TJ nods in the other boys direction as he sits at the table.

An awkward few seconds pass and Cyrus scrambles to quickly fill the silence. “So, Marty, are you here with anyone?”

“Nah, my mom’s across the road at the grocery store. I thought I’d kill time in here.” Marty answers.

“Do you come here much?” TJ tries to contribute but Cyrus could tell his friend felt uneasy.

“Only once before.” Marty laughs awkwardly and Cyrus grimaces.

“Am I missing something?” TJ doesn’t understand the look they exchanged.

“He came here on a fake date with Buffy.” Cyrus explains.

“Jonah and Andi were there too.” Marty adds. “They were on a real date.. I think.. Actually I have no idea.”

Cyrus laughs because he was all too familiar with the awkward beginnings of Andi and Jonah. “Those were dark and confusing times, I’m not sure either of them knew what was going on.” Cyrus jokes and Marty chuckles lightly.

TJ folds his arms and coaxes his head as he looks across at Marty, “So are you still obsessed with Buffy?”

“I’m not obsessed with Buffy!” Marty says defensively.

Cyrus turns to TJ with a disapproving look.

“What?” TJ shrugs his shoulders at Cyrus, “Everybody knows he had a huge crush on her, it was very obvious.”

“Doesn’t mean we need to address it at the table.” Cyrus says in a hushed tone as if Marty couldn’t hear their conversation.

“I had a crush on Buffy, past tense and I was not obsessed.” Marty folds his arms like a huffy child and TJ wears and amused smirk.

“You have a girlfriend now, right?” Cyrus tries to steer the conversation somewhere new.

“Had, past tense.” Marty repeats with an exhale.

“Did you break up because you’re still obsessed with Buffy?” TJ bites down on his smile as he anticipates Cyrus’ disapproving stare. Surely enough, Cyrus whips his wide-eyed and unimpressed look in TJ’s direction.

“Yeah he’s a real angel now, Cyrus.” Marty rolls his eyes.

“I’m just kidding,” TJ says genuinely although his smile contradicted his sincerity.

“What about you, Cyrus?” Marty decides to let the teasing slide. “Do you still talk to that high school girl?”

“Amber?” Cyrus furrows his brows.

“The girl from The Spoon?” TJ questions as he had sat through her overly chatty service whilst there with Cyrus.

“No, her friend, the one you and Jonah double-dated with?” Marty clarifies.

“You dated a high school girl?” TJ seems surprised.

“Iris.” Cyrus confirms and he realises he hadn't thought about her in a while. “No, we’re just friends.”

"Too bad, she was cute.” Marty processes that with a nod.

“So Marty, are you going to try out for the basketball team again next year?” TJ clears his throat.

“I think I might focus on track season first and decide about basketball later.” Marty tosses his head from side to side before settling upright again, “I heard Buffy was starting a girls team for next year though.” Once Marty notices TJ’s smirk return he rolls his eyes, “I know that from a friend who wanted to tryout, not because I’m obsessed with her.”

TJ chuckles quietly and from there all awkward tension was relinquished. Marty and TJ continue to chat basketball and Cyrus loses interest quickly as he didn’t know how to contribute to the conversation.

“You look bored, Underdog.” TJ nudges Cyrus with his arm.

“Me? I love sports, shooting hoops,” Cyrus exaggerates his enthusiasm, “Maybe I’ll try out for the team myself next year.”

“You know since I’m captain I can put in a good word with the coach?” TJ plays along.

“As long as the coach can look past my lack of athleticism and inability to shoot the basketball anywhere near the hoop.” Cyrus jokes along with a laugh.

“I didn’t see make a basket on the list.” TJ pricks up a brow.

“That’s because basketball is boring,” Cyrus fakes a yawn, “Your one on one match with Buffy put me to sleep.”

“Hey you seemed pretty excited when she beat me.” TJ sends him a gentle scold.

“Buffy beat you at one on one?” Marty - whom had been sitting back, confused by TJ and Cyrus’ unlikely friendship as they joked - smirks, “I’d say I’m surprised but I’m not.”

TJ rolls his eyes and shrugs it off.

“You mentioned a list before, what list?” Marty questions.

TJ looks to Cyrus with a hint of panic in his expression like he’s accidentally shared something Cyrus might not have wanted public but Cyrus is surprisingly forthcoming with his explanation.

“So you two are just hanging out going through this bucket list of sorts for the summer?” Marty asks.

“Pretty much.” TJ bops his head with a smile.

“A bucket list with some pretty lame goals.” Cyrus laughs nervously and TJ shakes his head at the shorter boys negativity.

“That actually sounds pretty cool.” Marty looks genuinely impressed by the idea, “If you guys want some extra company...”

Cyrus instinctively looks to TJ for approval and when TJ nods his head Cyrus returns his gaze back towards their friend, “We’ll call Marty from the party.”

“It’s cuter when Buffy says it.” Marty jokes with a crinkled nose.

Cyrus let out a sigh in anticipation and TJ’s smirk returns as he says, “You say you’re not obsessed with her but it kinda sounds like you-”

“I’m not obsessed with Buffy.” Marty waves a finger in TJ’s direction, “But I am leaving.”

“I was just kidding, you don’t have to go.” TJ frowns as he thought he had made Marty want to bail.

“I have to get back to my mom.” Marty smiles to show he’s okay with the teasing.

TJ and Cyrus walk Marty out and watch as he crosses the road towards the grocery store before turning their attention back to one another.

“The twins” - TJ says referring to his younger siblings - “come home from sleep away camp tomorrow so we’re having a family day but the day after, we could meet by the outside basketball court at school, work on your professional basketball career?” TJ shifts his weight between his feet with a bouncy motion.

“It’s not on the list.” Cyrus shakes his head.

“So?” TJ scoffs, “We’ve gone off list before.”

Cyrus crinkles his nose and shakes his head again.

“Too bad.” TJ purses his lips momentarily, “We’re adding ‘make a basket’ to your list so we have to do it.”

“You can’t add things to the list?” Cyrus gives him a quizzical look, “The list is the list.”

“The list is final?” TJ almost challenges, “All 97 things is all you’ll ever do in your life?”

Cyrus frowns because TJ had a point.

“That’s what I thought,” TJ smirks victoriously.

“I’m sure I’ll learn I’m incompetent at plenty more things in my life,” Cyrus folds his arms with a huff.

TJ shakes his head with a silent chuckle, “Since I’m helping with the list I think it’s only fair that I get to add something onto it. Actually, 3 somethings,” TJ smiles, “I get to pick 3 tasks and that'll make it 100 things on the list.”

“Okay.” Cyrus agrees although his expression was dubious, “Make a basket,” Cyrus stresses the singular score, “What else?”

TJ thinks intensely for a moment before shrugging, “Not sure... To be determined.”

Cyrus groans, “The not knowing is physically painful for me, I hope you know that.”

TJ fails at hiding his amused grin. “So we’re on for the day after tomorrow?”

“You’re not sick of me yet?” Cyrus asks without really meaning to.

"I just insisted I get to extend the list by 3 tasks.” TJ laughs but once Cyrus’ blank expression remains TJ affirms, “I’m not sick of you, Cyrus. I’m having so much fun...” TJ’s smiles curls into a worried look, “Are you getting sick of me?”

“No, not at all.” Cyrus shakes his head quickly and he becomes very aware of how awkward he’s made things.

“So, day after tomorrow?” TJ repeats and Cyrus thinks maybe he only made it weird for himself.

“Day after tomorrow.” Cyrus nods.

“Walk me home?” TJ jokingly shimmies his shoulders.

“I got nothing better to do.” Cyrus shrugs.

“Gee you really know how to make a guy feel special.” TJ scoffs and plays up his mock offence.

The two begin walking together. “So what went wrong with Marty and Buffy?” TJ questions. “I was pretty certain she was just at sweet on him as he was her.”

Cyrus thinks about this for a moment. Why had it never occurred to him that her unknown crush could be on Marty?

“Earth to underdog?” TJ grabs Cyrus’ attention as he had zoned out thinking about Buffy.

“Huh?” Cyrus is confused for a moment.

“Marty, Buffy?” TJ summarises.

“I can’t talk about that with you.” Cyrus frowns. “Buffy wouldn't like me discussing her with you.”

“But we’re all friends now.” TJ states.

“Still.” Cyrus shakes his head, the last thing he wanted was to get into trouble with Buffy again over something he’s shared about her with TJ.

“So you and Buffy have never talked about me before?” TJ questions.

“Why would we?” Cyrus laughs nervously and he regretted his jittery reply although TJ didn’t seem to register it as odd, his joking demeanour remains.

“Because I’m the coolest guy you know.” TJ smirks and it was obvious he was playing around.

“Jonah is the coolest guy I know.” Cyrus holds back a laugh.

TJ cups a hand to his chest like Cyrus had just wounded him with his words. “I have a reputation to uphold and you’re saying I’m second best to ultimate frisbee boy?”

Cyrus sends a scold sidewards at him for the little jab at Jonah’s sporting preference but he still decides to play along and take TJ down a peg or two in the process. “Who said anything about you being second best?”

“How low on the list am I?" TJ fakes a gasp and exaggerates an upset expression, “You’re being very mean to me this afternoon.”

Cyrus worries TJ was serious and properly apologises and TJ laughs quietly at the neurotic and sincere reaction. With a smile he says, “You couldn’t be mean if you tried, underdog.”

[Next Chapter]

End Notes: Chapter Three!! I Hope you’re enjoying the story so far. Thanks so much to everyone that left replies and likes and reblogs on the last chapter!

What’s that I hear? Oh it’s just me self serving my muffy heart.. Carry on!

#tyrus #andi mack #tj kippen #cyrus goodman #the list fic #tyrus fic

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juleahswiftie · 6 years ago

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“I’m doing better than I ever was....”

Today is the one day this whole week I will be able to sleep in and I am WIDE awake before the sun is even up....so much is on my mind, but in a good way.

I accepted a great promotion at my job last week and I’m BEYOND excited to move up and challenge myself with a more difficult title.

I am going up to my favorite city later this week to see some of my absolute favorite people get married. AND I get to experience a little slice of “real fall” while I’m there.

My husband is also excelling at work right now and putting in overtime hours and applying for new positions for growth at his company.

We are in the middle of planning a trip with my mom to Amsterdam the first week of May, to show her a different side of the world for the first time in her life. A whole new beautiful place I get to experience with my two favorite people?? Sounds fake. Lol.

I am rambling on and writing all of this because I am living proof that IT DOES GET BETTER.

I cannot stress that enough.

For the last ten years I have struggled with MDD (Major Depressive Disorder) and it’s been a true emotional roller coaster trying to deal with it and figure out my place in the world at the same time.

It’s not easy growing up and trying to plan on what steps to take next in your life. In fact, it is very, very overwhelming...I had some seriously weak moments when I just decided that I had had enough. Two separate times I actually acted on it, tried taking my own life, and ended up not succeeding in that, and then getting hospitalized.

It’s hard for me to talk about...but it’s important to be honest. Hospitals are there to try and help, and at the time, I didn’t feel like that. I felt like it was more of a prison. I was forced there like a prison so how could it actually help me??

But please do it what it takes. You have NO idea what lies ahead of you, and you shouldn’t take the chance away from yourself to see what the future brings.

A huge part of therapy for me, was music. I emersed myself in it constantly. It took me to different places. It connected my feelings to choruses and hooks that helped me feel not so alone. The song writer that truly was there for me through music, was @taylorswift .

I got to literally grow up and go through milestones and heartbreaks and battles all with her and her songs and I cannot stress enough how important it was for me to have that.

I look back on it all and it hurts. It really does. I wish I could tell myself that IT. WILL. BE. OKAY.

I hope the right person sees this and thinks the same, and gives themselves a chance like I did.

“I’m doing better than I ever was”

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nanonaturalist · 6 years ago

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When I were a lad I had the unfortunate luck to sit on on a yellow jacket nest, step on another a week later and then a hornet nest a week later. I developed a phobia and now my heart races even if a fly buzzes past my ear. I have done some emersion therapy by walking in a lavender field while honey bees were working.. but I still fear bee-ish creatures. I love them and I plant them flowers, but I want to be less afraid. What can I do?

Hello, @keepcalmandcarrieunderwood, I’ve been thinking about your question a lot, and this is a really hard one to answer. The obvious first step in getting over a fear of anything is wanting to get over that fear. When you have so many traumatic experiences so close together, especially when you’re young, it will take a lot of work to train your mind to be more comfortable around black and yellow striped things. So first off, congratulations on wanting to be more comfortable about our stripey friends! The good news is, you can do it!

Warning: wall of text precedes bug photos! Also this got Looooooong sorry (not sorry)

Fun fact about me: I have a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology (from way back in 2005). And one of my favorite things about studying psychology was learning about classical and operant conditioning. You are probably already familiar with both of these.

In classical conditioning, two stimuli are paired (they may or may not be at all related), and your reflexive, unconscious response to one gets associated to the other. This phenomenon was popularized with Pavlov and his digestive experiments with dogs (dogs salivate when a bell rings in the absence of food, because the bell has been paired with food many times previously). In your case, the two stimuli are actually very closely related (seeing/hearing things that might be stinging insects, and being stung by stinging insects). Because many organisms rely on learning quickly about danger for survival, it can only take one such pairing to develop a very long-lasting response to something.

In operant conditioning, behaviors are punished or rewarded, which can result in an individual’s behavior changing given the right circumstances. The behavior change is not necessarily conscious. A lot of interesting stuff in our brains happens outside of view from us. Say you look into a cactus flower once and you see a really cool beetle. Neat! You’re going to start looking into cactus flowers a lot more often. And if you keep seeing neat beetles, oh boy those cactus flowers better look out. Even if those flowers start turning up empty, you’ll still keep peeking in them for a while, even if you are in a situation where it’s really not appropriate to keep peeking into cactus flowers (apologies to people on my last guided hike…). I’ll get back to operant conditioning in a minute.

You may have heard about a common treatment for anxiety disorders called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I’m a big fan of this method, because it asks you to re-evaluate your thoughts, as you are having them, to restructure your gut reaction to a situation into a less emotionally-charged one. In other words, you have a fear resulting from classical conditioning–it’s totally reflexive and unconscious, and you had no control over the creation of your phobia. The problem is, phobias can become self-sustaining with the help of operant conditioning. Basically: Bee > PANIC! > flee > relief! The act of removing yourself from bee-like insects will give you relief from the fear, and makes you more likely to avoid bee-like insects in the future. But, you don’t want to be afraid anymore!

The trick is: turn your reflexive, unconscious responses into thoughts. This can be really hard–I have a lot of generalized anxiety issues, and I don’t always know what (if any) actual thoughts are making me uneasy. But I think it is easier to translate reflexes into thoughts for phobias, even if they aren’t always logical.

In the case of a fear of stings from bees/wasps, there are several angles you can take:

Learn more about stinging insects and their behaviors, and understand why they sting. Take fear and reshape it into curiosity, use what you learn to avoid getting stung.

Not all that buzzes is a bee. Similarly for yellow/black striped insects. There are lots of mimics out there, who look like a dangerous stinging insect to protect themselves, when they are totally harmless. Learn how to tell them apart, so know which ones couldn’t hurt you even if they wanted to.

Not all bees/wasps can sting! Males cannot sting, and some species are completely stingless.

Desensitization through Education

First off, you need to know a little about stingers. What are they, exactly? Well, they weren’t originally stingers. Before there were stingers, there were ovipositors.

Ovipositors in katydids. Left two: common conehead katydids; Right: lesser meadow katydid

Ovipositors are tubes that some insects use to lay their eggs inside something. Insects who lay their eggs in the ground (but who aren’t burrowing insects, like katydids) will use the ovipositor to make sure the eggs are safely tucked away from predators. Some insects go a step further, and lay their eggs inside another organism (these are called parasites or parasitoids depending on whether or not they kill the host). These insects will lay their eggs either in plant tissues (gall wasps and midges do this, and I wrote a post about galls a little while back [link]), or in animal tissues.

Various parasitic wasps, Superfamily Ichneumonoidea. I have no idea who these are at the moment. iNat links: [Photo 1 Link] [Photo 2 Link] [Photo 3 Link]

These parasitoid insects tend to be wasps, and they tend to have some pretty fancy ovipositors. The larger ones tend to parasitize caterpillars, and before you gasp and lament the plight of the poor helpless babies, remember that every living creature in nature serves a very important purpose. Caterpillars can absolutely destroy a vegetable garden. These wasps make sure there’s still something left for us.

These wasps do not sting. The painful sting is a result of venom, and these wasps with long ovipositors do not have a venom gland.

But, as insects are wont to do, if there is a niche, they will fill it. The inside of the caterpillar is claimed? Well, you can just lay your egg on the caterpillar instead. This is a lot harder to do. With a long ovipositor, you can just hold on, stick it in, and go. But if you need to lovingly affix your eggs to the outside of a wiggling caterpillar, you’re gonna have a hard time. If only there was a way to temporarily paralyze it!

Meet Netelia. This is a genus of Ichneumon wasp. Notice her ovipositor? Kinda short, huh? That’s because it’s a stinger [link]. She stings the caterpillar, which is paralyzed long enough for her to beadazzle it with eggs, and off she goes. I don’t know much about the evolutionary history of ovipositors and stingers, but somehow, some species started living in large colonies full of sterile female workers and a stingless queen who laid all the eggs (think ants and bees). If you didn’t reproduce, you could make some pretty scary and painful stingers to protect your colony! Also: this means that only females can sting.

And this brings us to the issue: some of them DO sting humans and it is not pleasant!

Bees and wasps are similar in that the notorious species tend to live in large colonies, but they sting for very different reasons. Bees are defensive (their stingers are embedded into flesh and detach from their bodies–a nice way of saying they rip their guts out and die), while wasps are offensive (they can sting many, many times, and will do it when they feel threatened even if they are not under attack).

Left: Western Honey Bee; Right: Apache Wasp

Why are they so different? Bees are vegetarians, so they have no need to kill for food. Their stingers are the last line of defense for their colonies, because every bee who stings will die. A colony can’t survive if all the workers die, but it also needs to protect the young and the queen. But these bees tend to make fairly elaborate hives which serve as a good line of defense in addition to the army of stinging workers. Bees will sting if you are actively harming them or the hive, even if you don’t realize it. Remember those ridiculous wide leg raver pants (hey, I said I graduated from college in 2005, stop looking at me like that)? I knew a guy who wore those all the time, and one day his pant leg managed to fall over a single lady bee, and she… uh… Well, she felt threatened. Let’s just say I laughed. Yes, as it happened. I regret nothing. Bees do not want to sting you.

Wasps are also vegetarians (wait, WHAT??)–at least, they are in adulthood. Wasp larvae? Carnivores. Those evil wasps killing other bugs and carrying them off are taking them to their nest. They will lay an egg alongside their prey, which is paralyzed to keep it alive until the egg hatches (terrifying, huh?). What a good mother! Some wasp species are solitary, and their nests can be safe underground. But paper wasps, which you are likely more familiar with, have their babies literally hanging out in the open. Their delicious, nutritious babies. They are so vulnerable! They must be protected!

Paper wasps. Left: Apache wasp nest; Right: Common paper wasp nest

The only thing between a hungry predator and the life of those babies are the valiant wasps sworn to protect the nest. If they sense something which triggers the “hungry predator” switch in their brain, they will attack. Is their nest pretty low to the ground? Are you TOO CLOSE? Look out! Is their nest HIDDEN IN YOUR BALCONY WALL and you bump the side while enjoying a beautiful spring day? Are you throwing rocks at the nest? Do you smell like a bear? I don’t know what triggers wasps, but the only time I’ve been stung was when they secretly lived in my balcony wall. Thing with wasps is, when they’ve had enough, they will come after you. They can sting you to teach you to STAY AWAY and fly back to their nest.

But, if you don’t set off “hungry predator” alarms, and instead exist in their world as “irrelevant scavenger,” you can actually get pretty close to them. I was lucky to find this Common Paper Wasp lady making her nest on the underside of a pokeweed leaf in my backyard two years ago. I took these photos with my phone. I was inches away from her. Sometimes I had a headlamp shining in her face. She never once came after me. I started to recognize her foraging around my yard for paper fiber (ever see a wasp hanging out on your wooden fence, or landing on grass or dried dead plants? they are collecting building materials!), so I could get a really close look at her nest and the eggs inside. Look in the cells in the nest in the top left and bottom right photos. Those little white things are her eggs!

So there’s a bit of a Catch-22 here. If you’re not afraid of wasps, come up to them curiously, SHOVE A CELL PHONE IN THEIR FACE WHILE BLINDING THEM WITH A HEADLAMP, eh, they don’t care. But if you are afraid of getting stung… what are you going to do? Calmly walk away? NO! You’re going to swat at it, flail around, run, scream, etc. All things a predator would do. Same thing with bees. Sometimes, they will land on you for whatever reason. Maybe you’re wearing a fluorescent yellow shirt and you look delicious.

All this baby wanted was some nectar, and from her perspective, I was *clearly* advertising that I had bountiful nectar reserves. If I was not aware that they see UV light, and that this is how they find flowers so quickly, and if I instead thought that bees hate the color yellow and will sting you if you’re wearing it (this is what I was taught growing up… *sigh*), I would have thought I was getting attacked, and would have started with the flailing. This lady, who thought she was coming for lunch, instead now has to start fighting? She’s gonna be mad.

There is a lot to know about bees and wasps. I do not know that much about them, but I think they are very interesting and I love learning more about them.

Mimics Can’t Fool You!

Wow that first section was long. How about some pictures of things that aren’t bees or wasps?

Hover flies! Top: Left - Eupeodes sp.; Right - Copestylum sp. Bottom: Left - Palpada agrorum; Right - Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly

Longhorn beetles! Top: Neoclytus mucronatus (both photos) Bottom: Left - Zebra Longhorn Beetle; Right - Painted Hickory Borer

Robber flies! Left: MacQuart’s Bee-mimic Robber Fly; Right: Beelzebub Bee-Killer

Moths! Left: Sphinx moths; Right: Clear-wing mothsI know, I’m cheating a little here. These are specimens in the Texas A&M University Entomology Collections. They have an open house every January and it’s AMAZING!

Bee flies! (really!) Left: Poecilanthrax sp.; Middle: Exoprosopa fascipennis; Right: Villa sp.

Some clear take-aways here: (1) Flies are very into bees(2) Looking like a bee/wasp is a very successful survival strategy!(3) If it looks like a bee… it’s probably a fly (unless it’s actually a bee)

Stingless Fakers

There are two major groups of bees that don’t sting–Tribe Meliponini (Stingless Bees) and Family Andrenidae (Mining Bees).

Admittedly, I have not seen many of these. The two Meliponini species I saw were in Malawi (Africa), and those are the two photos on the left. Far left is a group going to their hive (they can make honey, too!), and center is a different species in their nest (a wax tube on the side of my cottage). These bees are so tiny you’d think they were fruit flies! Right photo is from West Texas, Mining Bees in the Macrotera genus (I love them! Little Valentine butts!)

BUT! There is another fairly common group of stingless bees: MALES. No male insect can sting (they can bite if equipped, but remember, stingers are modified ovipositors!). You may never see a male honey bee, but here’s what they look like:

Not the best photo, but you can see he’s shaped… kinda weird? His eyes are HUGE, which is probably the easiest way to tell him apart from the females.

You are more likely to meet a male Carpenter bee, however. How will you know a male carpenter bee?

Male Eastern Carpenter Bee above. I read the males have a white patch on their face (look! his nose!), and there were some other features, but really, WHITE! NOSE!

Another Carpenter Bee I see at home (and NOTICE because … well you’ll see in a minute):

Xylocopa tabaniformis Carpenter Bee. Many apologies for the TERRIBLE PHOTOS. These were from my phone before I had a Real Camera and they only *just came back* this year and I am way behind on photos sorrryyyyyyyy

Anyway, I don’t know how to tell the females/males apart visually (or if you even can). And this photo may very well be of a female, who knows. But the way you know the males: They will get in your business. That’s why I call this section “Stingless Fakers.” It’s because of these. I love them. This pink bush is right outside my front door. I walk around it to get to my car in the morning. And in the summers, there are always a few of these buzzing around. And the males are interested in protecting their (small underground) colonies, so they will COME UP TO YOU to see if you’re a threat. Or maybe to intimidate you because THEY ARE A BEE THEY COULD STING LOOK OUT!

Carpenter bees are distinguished from bumble bees by not being as furry. Carpenter bees will have shiny abdomens. Bumble Bees should be bumbly furry.

ANYWAY IN CONCLUSION Bees/Wasps are interesting, not everything is a bee/wasp even if it looks like one, and they don’t all sting. I wish you the best of luck in facing your fears and buzzing back at bees and hornets in triumph.

Posted (finally–sorry!) May 31, 2018As always, all photos are mine and most were taken in Texas. Exceptions are Netelia and Meliponini from Malawi.

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belldroplets · 6 years ago

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15 ?s For 15 Friends

Thanks to @firehair12000 for the tag! Aways a hoot

Are you named after anyone?

Nope.

Last time you cried?

Before my vacation? Pure exhaustion muddled with confusion most likely.

Do you have/want kids?

No and no. I like kids just not for my own.

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Hells yea.

What's the first thing you notice about people?

Mannerisms. If they say their please and thank yous.

What's your eye color?

Brown.

Scary movie or happy ending?

Happy ending. Bittersweet. Angst. Anything that doesn't leave you with complete dread.

Any special talent?

I can bend my thumb down to my forearm?? Which I was told while going to school for physical therapy that's not normal?? Any significant special talents probably not.

Where were you born?

New England.

What are your hobbies?

Video games, reading, drawing, writing, cycling.

Do you have any pets?

Always kitty.

What sports do you play?

Meeeh.

How tall are you?

Don't make me say it.

Favorite subject in school?

History/English

Dream job?

When I was a kid an astronaut. Now something that allows me to travel and be culturally emersed. Learn languages, maybe teach, hopefully help the world in whatever way I can. Up in the air at this point.

I tag: @erictheandal @nerdissimopc @triggerman-gray @osinda @romythe @puppypopcornpizza @ancientchildofthestars @sh1mada @weekendteeth @eternalsailorserena

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sallynilsson51-blog · 6 years ago

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“Tis the season to be Jolly…” Or is it?

Brief, solution focused therapy....Sally Nilsson, Hypnotherapist in Surrey

Imagine the scene…

The perfect Christmas dinner has just been demolished and all the family are sitting round the roaring fire. Granny’s supping a sherry, the kids are playing Buckaroo and the adults are enjoying a game of Charades, laughing their heads off. Perfect. Will your Christmas be like this?

Here’s a few ideas on how you can enjoy or maybe even just get through Christmas this year but first I’ll share with you why ‘the season to be jolly’ can be far from this for many people. Please visit my website for how I can help further with more detailed information on mental health issues at horleytherapy.co.uk

Illness and bereavement this Christmas

Why does it seem that so many people fall ill or even pass away over the festive period? Last year my beloved father in law died and our family were in Sweden for his funeral the week before Christmas Day. Now my Dad is ill. Are you going through bereavement or caring for poorly loved ones or are you suffering with an illness whether physical or emotional?

Caring for yourself and others can be very stressful and left untreated may lead to depression. Often the situation is not in your control. Having control is an important emotional need for all of us. Think about what you do have control of right now. Making sure you have sufficient medication in the holiday season is very important. Visit poorly loved ones as often as you can and if you do have a concern, give yourself ample time to make a GP appointment. GPs are stretched to unbelievable limits, especially in the Christmas week and New Year, same for A & E departments. With the flu season upon as make sure those who are vulnerable have had their flu jab.

As a carer you may well be thinking constantly of others and not yourself. It is not selfish to think about your needs so give yourself a break. You are no good to anyone if you burn yourself out. If you can, try to normalise the end of an elderly loved one’s life. We are born and we will die. Us humans do have a lifespan. The best we can do is to be kind, forgive (if there have been broken relationships) and spend time with those we love at the end of their lives. If a loved one has passed away, however difficult the end may have been try to remember a time when you were together and happy. Sit quietly and bring the memory into your mind for a few minutes. Breathe slowly and really emerse yourself in the memory, where you both were, what they were wearing, even the smell of their perfume or aftershave. This can be a great comfort.

Stress this Christmas…

The list is endless of what can make you feel stressed at Christmas and the section on

stress

at my website horleytherapy.co.uk goes into more detail about the symptoms both physical and emotional. Stress and anxiety are closely related and the best advice I can give when your heart starts racing, you feel angry, jealous, worried, you breathe too quickly and you can’t think straight is this. Calm yourself down with your breath.

This has worked for my clients and myself so many times and it is amazing to believe that such an easy exercise can reverse a panic attack, prevent an argument and help you to think clearly, quickly and safely.

When you can feel the stress symptoms just beginning or you know there is a stressful situation coming up take yourself to somewhere quiet. If you are in the car, pull over where it is safe and get out and move away. Better to be sitting but standing is fine too. Close your eyes and breathe in slowly for the count of seven then out for the count of eleven. If this is too much you can try five and eight or whatever feels comfortable. The idea is that you need to breathe out for a longer count than you breathe in. Feel the breath coming in and out in the stomach, not your chest. Keep this up for 2 minutes. Put all your focus on your breath and not your stressful thoughts. Any unwanted thoughts you can notice but then imagine moving them away and return to thinking about your breath.

This exercise works for many reasons but two are: it helps to rebalance the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your body and also it enables you to step back and observe the situation more calmly and with logic.

Anxiety this Christmas…

Whereas stress is something that is real and actually happening, anxiety is what you think will happen or what you thought happened in the past in a negative way. One of the main reasons that anxiety can take hold is a misuse of your imagination. Your imagination can be used so successfully to solve problems and find solutions. This is what we were born to do. When your imagination backfires and becomes damaging is when you begin to think of all different scenarios that could happen. Thoughts go round and round in your head and it becomes impossible to think clearly. Catastrophic thoughts or black and white thinking come into play. This will not help anyone. Examples of these are “My friend didn’t call me back, she hates me” or “My homework is rubbish, I never get it right”

To calm down begin the breathing exercise for stress as above. Step back from yourself and mentally observe the situation from a distance. Do you have evidence that the bad thing will happen? What is the very worst thing that can happen? Is this likely? Think back to a time when you thought something really bad was going to happen and either it didn’t or it wasn’t nearly as bad as you thought it would be. Reframe the issue and see if you can think of an alternative scenario. An example of this is when a checkout assistant in the supermarket seems sullen and unhelpful, making you feel angry. What if they have just found out they are going to be made redundant and this is their last shift? Try this with other scenarios during your day and reframe them. It will keep you calmer and p erhaps help you to be a bit more understanding.

Depression this Christmas

Depression is normally brought on by a period of stress or anxiety when you have not been able to see a way out of a problem and the future looks bleak. Separation, the loss of a job or loved one can all lead to depression. Please see the section on depression at the website horleytherapy.co.uk for a more detailed account and how I can help. Christmas can be a particularly difficult time. There may be something that happened to you at Christmas time so when the season is coming up you can pattern match to the bad memory. What if you prepare yourself this time and stop repeating the same experience?

If the memory is about a place, a group of people. a particular date or an event you are expected to attend which all have reminders say to yourself beforehand that you will break the pattern and do something else. You don’t have to put yourself through the bad stuff. Make a plan to do something completely different at the ‘trigger’ time and please, make it a pleasant experience. If a loved one passed away at Christmas, think about them the week before, visit their burial place then. They will understand. If a partner finished with you or you with them it may not be a good idea to get out all the photos, put on the records you loved together and drink a bottle of vodka.

You have choices!

Money worries cause anxiety which can lead to depression. Peer pressure and the need to ‘keep up with the Jones’s’ can be avoided. Be honest with your family early on. Explain that there just isn’t enough money in the pot this year for the Samsung Galaxy S8 or Pandora charm bracelet. If your children are lucky enough to get pocket money then ask them to make a contribution to their presents. A secret Santa gift for little cash means you have remembered loved ones. Don’t feel guilty. It’s just stuff.

Christmas Day with people you don’t get on with. Don’t put yourself through it – again! Arrange to see them before or after Christmas instead. Here’s some handy phrases to get out of it.

We’re not doing Christmas Day at ours this year. Our local pub are doing a festive meal and we’ve just managed to bag the last 4 places! We really want to see you though so how does (insert date) sound?

We’ve been invited for Christmas Day by our friends (insert) and we’ve put them off for years so we’re going to theirs. Will definitely meet up (insert date).

Do you know, we’ve never told you this but actually we don’t really like turkey, mince pies, Christmas cake etc so we’re going for sushi just for a change.

We’ve been a bit stupid and accidently invited the partner’s boss for Christmas Day! Can’t get out of it now. Will definitely see you before or after.

Overspending at Christmas

At this time of year you cannot avoid the huge, beautiful real Christmas trees that COST A FORTUNE. As for the baubles, tinsel, decorations, lights etc, etc. Give it a rest. Does your house and garden really need to look like a scene from ‘Deck the Halls’?

When I was a kid a wonderful memory was making paper chains. All you need is a pack of coloured paper cut into 2.5cm strips and some pritt stick. If you can drag your offspring away from their consoles/phones for an hour you’ll be giving you and them some real family time.

You may be able to cut a small tree from a local farm or choose a garden centre that doesn’t have Titchmarsh blaring out from the speakers and go for the cheapest option. Alternatively, go to the town outdoor market or get a small artificial one from Wilco’s.

Go to Church We live in a more secular society and you don’t have to be a born again Christian to go to a carol or Christingle service. I am not religious but there’s nothing I like more than belting out ‘O Come All Ye Faithfull’ and watching the kiddies all wanting to be angels – such innocence. Tell you who might like this – your elderly relatives!

Turkey Many of the traditions are so out of date. I am not a vegan or indeed vegetarian but do you really need to spend up to £100 on a goose or turkey? There they were, minding there own business, scratching around and being sooo looked after then CHOP! Surely you can have the food YOU like to eat at a price YOU want to pay.

Lonliness at Christmas Are you likely to be alone this Christmas? If you want to be alone and are happy about that then you have every right to be. You can get up when you want, eat and drink what you want and listen to your music or watch your TV.

What if the idea of being on your own makes you sad? Do you know someone who is going to be on their own this Christmas, a neighbour, someone recently bereaved, or someone who has no family or has separated? Can you lay one extra place at your table for that person? If they feel it will be too much of an imposition, can you pop round with a goody bag and an hour of your time for a chat?

Get out of the house If you are going to be on your own be good to yourself. Set your alarm and get yourself ready for the day. If you are able bodied make yourself breakfast and go for a walk. Walking in nature is uplifting, even in the rain, or just getting some fresh air and walking around where you live will fill some of the day.

Helping others Often when we feel sad or anxious we spend long periods of time on thinking negative thoughts of what could have been or what might be in the future. Focusing outwards can prevent this. Is there a local food bank or soup kitchen or somewhere you can help others less fortunate than yourself? An hour spent doing something for someone else will give meaning and purpose to your day. Perhaps there is an animal shelter that could do with some help?

Keep yourself busy Just because it is Christmas Day doesn’t mean you have to do Christmassy things. What about that cupboard you have put off clearing or the shed that needs sorting out? You can go to any charity shop and pick up a jigsaw puzzle. Any type of arts and crafts activity will give you something to concentrate on.

Listening to your favourite music relating to good times or watching comedy can help. So can picking up that book which you have been meaning to read but haven’t had time. Rather than spending long periods of time at home alone are their some shifts you can swap at work? Your colleague will be grateful for the time off giving you the opportunity of holiday time later in the year.

Pefection Very often at Christmas there is an expectation that everything has to be perfect. Do you know what? It doesn’t. If you expect that this will be the best Christmas ever, Uncle John will behave, your kids will love their presents, your partner will get that special gift for you, the meal will arrive on time and be delicious, you could be setting yourself up for disappointment. There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of pessimism. What will be will be.

Alcohol Have you been in a situation where alcohol has spoiled your Christmas? Bringing together groups of people who don’t normally get on or simmering arguments with partners become inflamed when alcohol is in the mix. So often the day starts early with Champagne or Prosecco, and continues with glasses continually being filled. It’s like no-one has ever had a drink before so they need to consume as much as humanly possible over a ten hour period. Danger!

Enjoying a drink is great when you can handle it. How about going out a few days before for a celebration knowing that just for Christmas Day you will cut right down or not even drink any alcohol. It is only one day and chances are you will wake up on Boxing Day with a clear conscience (and head), guilt free and feeling very pleased with yourself for a successful and happy Christmas.

There may be one family member or friend who you know will over do it. I appreciate this is not the easiest conversation to have yet you have the right to a happy day so speak to them beforehand and make it clear that although they are very welcome at your house you will not accept any bad behavior or repeat of a previous alcohol induced bad event. If they do play up they will be asked to leave. After all the day is for everyone to enjoy, especially where children are involved.

Remember what is important this Christmas

1. Tell the people close to you that you love them and mean it

2. Make time for others who need you

3. If you can’t say something nice then zip the lip

4. Make a conscious effort to include the children

5. Be realistic about expectations. You don’t need perfection

6. Think about what you are spending. Keep to a budget

7. Plan ahead for the meal. So much can be prepared beforehand

8. Watch the booze

9. Think about who you really want to spend Christmas with

10. Have fun!

I hope you have a fantastic Christmas. I will be here if you need me and invite you to send me an e.mail at [email protected]

With any worries now or in the New Year.

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mundaneboomerang · 8 years ago

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Passion Fashion

I never knew how wonderful the world of costuming was until I somehow ended up in it years later as an adult. I was never in high school musicals or plays unless I was forced to in grade school. I always watched the older kids at ren faires and conventions dress up and always wanted to join. I did small costumes here and there a few times but it was never at a caliber I really wanted. I’m a perfectionist when it comes to such things.

Fast forward a decade and meeting quite a few amazing people later, I dress up about four times a year and I turn into this different person. An actress. I portray bad ass women. Strong Women. Sensitive women. Several kinds of women that I don’t necessarily embody on a daily basis, but I tend to have a lot of fun being them for a few hours.

My therapist once said that it was extraordinary how I could put aside my feelings for a little while and somehow go through emersion therapy in the process while having fun. No joke. The first two years I attended Dragon*Con in Atlanta, I would weave in and out of the cosplayers on the second floor of the Marriott. Just to see the costumes and to see how long I could last. Now it is not a normal thing for people to do, but it is something I would do. I don’t recommend it.

One of my friends does commissions as her job, so I go to her when I want costumes. Many people ask why I don’t just make the costumes myself, but I work a full time job and have a lot of stress from anxiety. Also as I stated before, I’m a perfectionist. I like all the details to be nearly perfect. Lake Fairy Creations does such amazing work and she allows me to be as involved as possible. I watch her work and she describes to me what she is doing. I’ve learned a lot and am even trying to make things on my own.

I normally don’t favor a convention, but the one I attended last weekend is my favorite. It’s a local gathering where people in the nerd and costuming communities hang out after the holidays. It’s a Scifi writers convention to be specific but it is widely known for cosplaying and the panel participation. I like to refer to it as Super Friends Con because if you aren’t friends at the start, you are by the end.

I have always questioned where I am in the community. I have always wondered how I can help others. Am I actually a part of it? I never felt that way. Not until last weekend when I was sitting in a room at this small, local con with four people I greatly admire. Amongst many conversations we had that night, I found myself speaking about how I wanted to see more children involved in conventions and cosplay. I found myself passionately speaking up for the children, wanting to get parents involved to since most parents don’t understand or think ill of the art of cosplay, and would willingly volunteer to run children’s programming if asked. My parents have always been supportive of me dressing up and going to conventions. Some parents don’t understand and I personally feel that parent-child relationships can be fostered if you help your children out with what they like to do. Why would making or participating in cosplay be any different? I hope I can help out soon.

Surprisingly, costuming and cosplay have helped my disorders tremendously. I feel so confident sometimes when I walk around in long coats or jedi robes. I also get to pretend to be a witch or a crazy person. I connect deeply with my characters and it helps me relax a little. I also have a lot of friends through the community and have fun just being me. Finding a hobby that helps with my anxiety and depression has changed my life. I encourage others to find something they enjoy and try to see if it helps your disorders too. Some days, I can’t believe that I am the person and the picture below, but it is me. And I felt so incredible being me!

Me as Elphaba from Wicked in Altanta, GA.

Photographer: photosNXS

Makeup Artist: Mint to Be Makeup Artistry

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wildernesstherapyguide-blog · 7 years ago

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A Brief Overview of the Benefits of Wilderness Therapy

In wilderness therapy emersion is a natural, wilderness setting leads leads to the promotion of personal growth and improved self esteem. You will find as many different ways to approaching wilderness therapy as there are therapists trying this ground breaking therapy. In wilderness therapy, no matter how it is implemented, meeting the challenges of an outdoor environment is used to represent the ability that the client has to make changes in their own lives. When you take part in a wilderness therapy program, you will acquire the life skills necessary to overcome the challenges in your life. To understand more about wilderness therapy just view the link.

In the implementation of a wilderness therapy program, the setting and activities that the clients participate in will depend on the specific needs of the people who are participating. Wilderness therapy can involve anything from gardening and horseback riding, to camping and hiking. In traditional therapy, clients discuss their problems and difficulties with qualified therapists. In a wilderness therapy program, you get out of the stressful setting that contributed to your problems and into one that is peaceful and promotes feelings of mindful self-reflection. When young people are removed from the stress and pressure of their regular environment, they can find the personal resources that will help them conquer their problems. Acquire more knowledge of this information about wilderness therapy utah.

While there are those who believe that wilderness therapy is basically the same thing as a behavioral boot camp, the truth is that they are not really the same. Whereas wilderness boot camps are generally one-size-fits-all, wilderness therapy is usually much more individualized to the needs of particular patients. Most outdoor therapy programs are meant to serve teens who are in trouble and young adults who are dealing with serious problems coping with life.

Due to things like family issues, peer pressure, performance expectations in school and other teen and young adult problems, young people end up dealing with difficult symptoms like anxiety and depression, usually accompanied by a loss of self esteem. This can lead teens and young adults to take refuge in drug abuse and alcohol abuse. This is why outdoor therapy is often recommended as part of a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. Explore more wisdom about wilderness therapy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilderness_therapy.

Those who are interested in finding out more about the benefits of wilderness therapy should begin by looking up wilderness therapy programs in their local area. Wilderness therapies can take a variety of forms which means that it is important to find out which approaches are available in your state. The best way to get started is to perform a search using your preferred search engine for outdoor therapies or wilderness therapies in your city. If you are located in the state of Utah, you should look refine your search for wilderness programs in Utah.

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yesilovehorses-blog1 · 8 years ago

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Small Strongyle Arrested Development Not Found in Foals

New Post has been published on http://lovehorses.net/small-strongyle-arrested-development-not-found-in-foals/

Small Strongyle Arrested Development Not Found in Foals

A recent study suggests thatsmallstrongyles might not behave in the same way in foalsAsadult horses, potentially necessitating alternative treatmentandmanagement strategies.

Photo: iStock

ResearchersHavingrigorously studiedfrivolousstrongyles, or cyathostomins,andtheir impact on horses over the years. After all, these ubiquitous parasites affect virtually every grazing horse throughout the world. Scientists focused the bulk of that research, however, on adult horses rather than foals,withanrecently published study suggests thatsuperficialstrongyles might not behave the same way in foals, potentially necessitating alternative treatmentandmanagement strategies.

“Data collected from 2014 to 2016 indicates that cyathostomin infection in foals progresses inonesubstantiallyVarymanner than adult horses,” said Martin Nielsen, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVM, associate professorandSchlaikjer Professor of Equine Infectious Disease at the University of Kentucky’s Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, in Lexington. He co-authored the study on the topic with Eugene T. Lyons, PhD,anprofessor at the Gluck Center.

ResearchersHavingonegood understanding ofslightstrongyles’ lifecycle in horses, regardless of age:

Adult parasites found in the lumen (middle) of the intestine lay eggs that pass in the fecesandcontaminate the environment;

Larvae hatch from these eggswithdevelop through first-, second-,subsequentlythird- stage larvae (L3s);

Grazing horses ingest L3s, which travel through the gastrointestinal tract to the large intestine;

The L3s penetrate the large intestine wallandbecome encysted; and

Encysted L3s molt into fourth-stage larvae (L4s)andre-emerge from the intestine’s wall before developing into adultswithlaying more eggs.

Despite potentially being infected with tens of thousands of larvae, foalsandhorses rarely develop clinical disease associated with infection. Theleadingexception is aopportunityreferred toAt the timelarval cyathostominosis, which is reported toradiatemost frequently in horses 1 to 4 years of age. It occurs when large numbers of L4s emerge en masse causing damage to the wall of the intestine. Signs of disease include profuse watery,periodicallybloody, diarrhea; dehydration;andventral edema (fluid swelling under the abdomen). While larval cyathostominosis is rare, its mortality ratecanreach 50%.

Insomecases, encysted L3scansuffer arrested development, or “hypobiosis,”andremain encysted in the intestine wall up to two years beforeafterwardmolting into L4sandemerging from the wall. Encysted L3s appear to prefer taking up residence in the cecumandventral colon rather than the dorsal colon.

“Little is knownaboutencysted L3s, factors that promote their arrested development, whatlatertriggers the subsequent emersion of L4s,andwhich horses are at-risk of developing larval cyathostominosis,” Nielsen said. “This isespeciallytrue for foals because the bulk of our information was derived from studies using adultandjuvenile horses.”

Researchers believe the strongyles’ arrested development could be impacted by season,experiencedanthelmintic (dewormer) treatment,andthe animal’s immune status. It’s possible that horses previously exposed tosuperficialstrongyles andcompetentof mountingaimmune response against them could contribute to hypobiosis.

Based on their recent study on the topic, NielsenandLyons found that no difference in normal encysted L3 counts in foals among seasons. In contrast, adult horses/ponies, eL3 counts had significantly higher during seasons that were unfavorable for parasite transmission (e.g., winter season in northern climates).

They also found fewer encysted L3s in the wall of the foals’ dorsal colon, justappreciatein adult horses.

“The results from this study suggest that although the lifetermof the parasite remains unchanged, the progression cyathostomin infection in foals occurs differently than in fullywornhorses,” Nielsen said. “This information helps usknowthat foals only rarely develop larval cyathostominosis, because they don’tHavingalarge enough population of encysted L3s. This data also makes us questions the need for larvicidal therapy in foals.”

This latter point isvery importantbecause unnecessary deworming contributes to the ever-increasing resistance to available chemical dewormers,andnocurrentchemical deworming products effective against these internal parasites will be available in the foreseeable future, Nielsen said.

He also reminded owners that theleadingparasite infecting foals is roundworms (Parascaris),andfoals should be testedwithtreated appropriately,trulyconsidering resistance to chemical dewormers against roundworms also exists.

The study, “Encysted cyathostomin larvae in foals—progression of stageswiththe effect of seasonality,” will appear inaupcoming edition of Veterinary Parasitology.

About the Author

Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc

Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, isthepracticing veterinarianandfreelance medical writerwitheditor. She is interested in both largeandslenderanimals,OncewellWhencomplementaryandalternative medicine. Since 2005, she’s workedWhenanresearch consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicianswithveterinarians in publishing research articleswithtextbooks,withwritten forthenumber of educational magazinesandwebsites.

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