Endorse me!

Hello there lovely readers!

I currently have 55 endorsements for the WEGO Health Activist Awards 2014.
There are 14 different awards and I have amazingly been nominated for FOUR!

Simply click THIS LINK! or the image above to go to my WEGO profile page.  When you click on the 'Endorse me' button, you can use a drop down menu in the form to endorse me for one, or all of the above nominations.  Once you've entered your details, you don't have to do it again for each one, just select a different award.

It would mean so much to win just one of these awards!  Share with your friends!

You can even endorse me more than once, in fact the limit is once per day!  The winners are notified in March, so there is plenty of time to get involved!

Long summer...

So it's been a while since I've written.. Life stuff, and awesome summer weather took me away from the computer.  I've been painting and studying, completing my PTTLS certificate (for adult and post 16 teaching) and am currently studying to become a meditation teacher.

Real life, positive things, visions of the future... PLUS the meditation really helps... I mean.. REALLY helps.

This year has been challenging as well as productive, and I have just come out of a big breakdown.  I'm sure this is triggered by the change in season...  I'm feeling a bit better, and I might share the drama's of last week at some point, but right now I'm just trying to forget it.  Pick myself up, brush myself off and get on.

Just today, one of my lovely support group members let me know that she has nominated me for a WEGO Health Activist award... Thank you! This is the lovely message I received today...

"I admire Cat Hawkins immensely. She has strength, courage, creativity and the kindness and caring in abundance. That she should to give all of us a safe haven is beyond belief, when we all know that she suffers in the same way we do. In nominating her, I just want to show my gratitude and appreciation. In times of extreme need it is her groups that I turn to first. If you feel the same then please also take some time out of your day to nominate Cat."

I'm honoured... especially as the groups were started to fill a desperate need of my own to meet other sufferers, and my blog was simply a place to offload and share information, and even more so as my participation and blog writing has taken a back seat this year. I'm glad that what is out there is still helping, but the groups couldn't continue without help from admins and the amazing support each member gives to one another... So thank you too! to the women who continue to use the group and help others, and the ladies who help me keep things ticking over! ♥

https://awards.wegohealth.com/?utm_campaign=thank-you-share&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook#howitworks

HAWMC blog challenge

So.. I did ok for a week... then it was time to bleed, and ever since my thoughts have been far from blogging.  So, herein lies the issue with PMDD.  There is no continuity.  I kept looking back over the prompts and every single one seemed like an impossible task.. where as a week before they all seemed challenging and exciting.

I have not been sleeping well, and generally I've been focused on keeping myself balanced and stable.  Every time I got stressed about the blog challenge, I just had to walk away, and forget about it.

I kinda feel like I failed...  but then, I have to think about the fact I DID get a weeks worth of posts out.. and compared to my normal rate of 2-3 blogs a month, that's pretty good going!  I have got some good ideas for blogs in the future and will always have the prompts to fall back on!

As writing seemed impossible, I got on with a new drawing.. which, even if I do say so myself, has come out really well.  Seeing what I have achieved makes me let go of any guilt of disappointment over not continuing with the blog challenge.

That's what it's all about.  Releasing the stress.. weighing it up and really asking yourself if it's worth getting upset about!

Most of the time, that's NO!

Ekphrasis Post

Day 5 of the Health Activist Writers Month Challenge.

Ekphrasis Post. Go to flickr.com/explore and write a post inspired by the image. Can you link it to your health focus? Don’t forget to post the image!

Ekphrasis: a literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art.

 
Art by http://www.flickr.com/photos/morphicx/7034335579/

I love this type of challenge!! mainly because it always amazes me how the 'chance' picture you come across can be so apt.

Wow... and this image couldn't be more perfect for PMDD.  A girl alone on a dirt track.  The sky behind full of storm clouds.  A cage.

PMDD is certainly a cage of symptoms that has a door on time release.  When the turmoil of hormones looses it's grip, the cage door is flung open, allowing the real woman to escape.  Freedom.  Release.  Excitement and energy.  We fly away from the PMDD, even if only for a few days.  Then, as the cycle turns, the door slams shut, and again, we find ourselves trapped in the crazy emotions and anxiety that our sensitivity to hormones brings.  We are walking alone again, along that dirt track, withe the clouds heavy with rain.

Like the girl in the picture, we hold on to this cage, as for some, it is all we know.  The cage can be comfortable in that sense.  Plus there is an element of not being able to get rid of the cage, as that is to some extent, out of out control.  It's like out hands are superglued to the picture.

This picture, encompasses so many elements of PMDD.  Why is she sitting down? is she tired of carrying the cage?  She watches the colourful birds flying away... almost with envy that they are free and she still has a long way to walk through the storm.  It could rain at any moment.  There is uncertainty.  Just like living with PMDD...  The uncertainty of how we will feel from one day to the next.  The fear that we will be forever trapped.

But the birds DO fly free.  In the same way that every month we find that freedom, and can leave the cage, and the storm, behind.

30 Day Blog challenge for April 2012

I will be participating in a new activity this April.

The Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge hosted by WEGO Health.

I will be writing a post a day for all 30 days. If you write a blog, I hope you'll join me in writing every day about health. It's going to be a lot of fun and I'd love to see what you have to say about each of the topics, too.  I've seen the topics and am looking forward to using the prompts to create some interesting posts!

All you have to do to join is sign up here: http://info.wegohealth.com/HAWMC2012 and you'll be able to start posting once April rolls around.

Gotta love a challenge eh!