More Than Conquerors: Wellness Activities

Showing posts with label Wellness Activities. Show all posts

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Therapeutic Walks at the Beach - Another Wellness Activity

I am thankful to God that this week I am able to take a break from work. This is a much needed break and I really cherish it.

At the moment, I can't take a holiday to go out of Singapore, as I am caring for my mother. She has many medical conditions and I need to watch over her daily.

But I am thankful to God for more opportunities to go for walks this week. Walking is very therapeutic to me. Walking has become one of my most important Wellness Activity now.

I love to walk at the parks near my home or go to the beach. Walking really helps me to unwind and relax. As I walk and enjoy nature, fresh air and sunshine, I feel so much better.

As I walk, I will talk to the Lord. I am thankful that God is with me and I can enjoy this quiet walking time with Him. Walking in the parks and beach always remind me that God is all powerful and He is caring for me. I can cast all my cares and difficulties upon Him.

I am thankful to God that on Tuesday I was able to go to East Coast Beach with my good friend, BH. BH is a very sweet and gentle lady. BH knows that walks are good for me in managing my condition and she kindly offered to take me out on Tuesday. Although she has never experienced depression or bipolar before, she is very sympathetic to listen to me. She has other friends who have other form of mental illness, and I can see that BH is not judgemental. She does not condemn me for my experiences with bipolar or depression. She accepts that it is a medical condition, an illness that I need to live with and I can learn to cope by God's grace. BH prays for me whenever I am not well. I am thankful for such a friend.

Here's a video of what I saw at the Beach on Tuesday. Oh, how I love the sea! Watching the waves somehow has such a calming effect on me.

Luther said "The sea of God's mercies ought to swallow up our particular afflictions."

No matter what difficulties I am going through, it is only one drop of water in the ocean. God's mercies will swallow them up! How thankful I am that I can rest in God's love and faithfulness through all the changing scenes in life.

Thanks for stopping by!

Do you enjoy walks? Do you go for walks regularly? Have you found it therapeutic or helpful in some ways?

Hope you have a blessed day!

Monday, May 19, 2008

Encounter with a cute Cat and Animal Assisted Therapy

I have been learning to slow down significantly since last week. And I thank God that I am feeling better. Thanks for your prayers and encouragements!

I am learning to take breaks, relax and rest more. Not easy for me, but I am learning :-)

I have been going out for more walks recently and really felt a lot more healthier physically and mentally. I love outdoor and the sun. Fresh air and sunshine seems to lift up my moods too.

I am enjoying nature and God's creations in many wonderful ways again. And as usual, I enjoy taking my digital camera along to snap some photos.

This morning, I went for a walk. And guess who I met? This lovely cat!

I think it is a she-cat. She is a sweetie, isn't she? And she is so friendly :-) She wasn't afraid of me at all.

Obviously she is playful too :-) Look at the way she kindly posed for me ;-)

Personally, I love cats. My family used to own several cats when we were back in our hometown. My mum used to go to the market to buy fish, not for us, but for our cats :-)

Cats are very cute. They like to curl up besides you or climb on your lap or your bed, etc. The little ones are cuter. They jump all over!

I read on the internet that having or keeping animals can be therapeutic to some patients. There is a therapy called "Animal-Assisted Therapy" (AAT).

Wikipedia said:

Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves an animal with specific characteristics becoming a fundamental part of a person's treatment. Animal-assisted therapy is designed to improve the physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning of the patient, as well as provide educational and motivational effectiveness for participants. AAT can be provided on an individual or group basis. During AAT, therapists document records and evaluate the participant's progress. Many kinds of animals are used in therapy, including dogs, cats, elephants, birds, dolphins, rabbits, lizards, and other small animals.

Here is a website that provides some simple information on The Layman's Guide to Animal Assisted Therapy with a Free copy of Pet Therapy in .pdf format that can be downloaded.

So it seems animal can be used in therapy to help some people. Having a pet can in some way be therapeutic to us.

What about you? Do you like animals? Do you have any pets? Have you found having a pet to be beneficial to you or helpful in some ways in your particular condition?

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a wonderful day!

Friday, May 16, 2008

Homemade Calendar : Another Hobby

Dear Friends,

How time flies! It's already mid May.

As you know, I love to do handicrafts and make homemade gifts. You probably have seen my homemade bookmarks blog with Free Bookmark Templates.

Around December of almost every year, I will make a simple homemade gift for my friends and it is a Homemade Calendar.

I first started making this Calendar for myself because I found it very difficult to find a Christian Calendar with Bible verses that I like. So I decided to design my own simple Calendar :-)

Subsequently, I began to make this Calender for some of my friends whenever possible.

Over the last few years, I began to make the Calendar for more and more of my friends.

It is good to know that some of my friends have found this Calendar useful.

Thank God that for the last 8 years, I managed to make between 80 to 100 Calendars for my church friends, whenever I am well.

Sometimes when I am too ill, I will not be able to make these Calendars. Otherwise, I will try my best to make them. I enjoy making them and I am thankful that they are useful to my friends.

This is how the simple Calendar looks like:

Although it's already May now, if you are interested, you can still make this simple Calendar for yourself or your friends.

Here are some simple instructions on how I make this Calendar :

You can download the following files and make it too. You can personalised this simple Calendar by putting your name or your friend's name on the top right hand corner. You can also change the picture and the text according to your liking.

1) Download these Microsoft Word documents (.doc) and make changes accordingly:

a) Use this Picture file if you are printing for a friend : Picture 1person

b) Use this Picture file if you are printing for a couple: Picture 2persons

c) Use this Date file if you are in Singapore as it has all the public holidays : Singapore Dates

d) Use this Date file if the Calendar is to be used outside of Singapore: Dates Others

2. Open the file "Picture 1person.doc" and change the name on the top right hand corner to reflect your name, your friend's name, etc. Then print on color cards/papers.

You can print 2 calendars on 1 paper.

3. Open the file "Dates Singapore.doc" or "Dates Others.doc" and print all the 3 pages.

4. Fold the pages into half.

5. Use a pen knife to cut and then fold the pages into half again.

6. Use the pen knife to cut again and arrange all the months accordingly.

7. Staple on top of the dates at a few places to keep them together.

8. Put double-sided scotch tape behind the dates and then stick it to the bottom of the Picture.

9. For hanging purposes, I usually punch a hole using a single-hole puncher and put a reinforcement ring on it.

Do you like this Calendar? Do you have Hobbies? Or do you like to make gifts for your family and friends.

I hope you enjoy making this simple Calendar :-)

If you interested to make bookmarks, do visit my homemade bookmarks blog. I have many Free Bookmark Templates there.

Thank you for stopping by. Hope you have a blessed weekends!

Free Calendars 2010 and Free Planners 2010 Resources:

Free Bookmarks Resources:

Free Cards Resources:

Free Handicrafts Resources : Free Cross-stitch

Free Sewing Resources : Knitting

Free Origami Resources:

Free Arts and Crafts for Kids Resources:

Nice Piano Instrumental Music Resources:

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Blogging - Another therapeutic activity for me to cope with depression and bipolar mood swings

Dear Reader,

Do you enjoy blogging? What makes you start your blog? Or if you are a visitor without a blog, what makes you return to read someone's blog? What makes you come back to read my blog?

I thankful to God for enabling me to start this blog around February this year ie. February 2008. I have found blogging to be very therapeutic to me in my coping with my depression and my bipolar mood swings. And thank God this blog also benefits other readers as well.

I write quite regularly, as you can see. Partly because I love writing and it helps me to cope with my depression or manic due to bipolar disorder. Partly also because I desire to share with others my life experiences and God's goodness to me, as well as resources that I have found useful to manage depression and bipolar disorder or Bible verses/sermons/books/other articles I have read and found useful.

Blogging enables me to share my thoughts and feelings and to kind of release them. Sometimes by doing so, I can see things from a different perspective. When others visit my blog and left their comments, they also helped me in many ways. Comments usually bring cheers. Sometimes a short comment left by someone can really make my day :-)

I used to write long emails or letters to friends before I started blogging. Yes, I write letters :-) I am one of those old-fashioned, rare specifies. I know few people in the modern world today write letters. But I do. And I love doing so.

But one complain I often get when I write letters or emails to people and I suspect even when I post on my blog ;-) is that I write too long. I am too long-winded, they said :-) Hmm... I don't quite know how to handle this. I always feel I have so much to say and writing short messages can't quite express how I feel. There was one incident in the past, when I got scolded by a friend for writing long emails to her. She said she is too busy and have no time to read my emails :-( Now I hardly write to my friends as most of them do not reply. I am not sure whether they got the mails, whether they read them or they find them burdensome. Just waiting for a reply from them can sometimes almost drive me crazy! Now I am corresponding only with a handful of friends who haven't got tired of my writings yet :-)

Most of the time, I am sharing my thoughts and feelings and resources on this blog almost daily. And I also visit my blogging friends as often as I can. In the blogging world, I feel accepted and appreciated. Besides this blog which is my personal online diary, I have another blog which is dedicated solely to Resources I have found useful on the internet on managing depression, bipolar plus some personal growth articles. I also have some other hobbies blogs where I share my passion on making bookmarks, homemade crafts and gifts, photography, Christian articles/books and my freelance work. I am active mainly on this blog as I use it as an online journal or diary and almost daily I record my thoughts and feelings here.

Actually, I didn't know what is a blog or what is blogging until quite recently. You might laugh. But when I first started this blog, I still didn't know much about blogging. I just wanted to share my story and useful resources with others. A brother-in-Christ suggested this idea to me. I have a website but hardly anyone seems to be visiting and so I decided to try blogging instead as it is free.

When I first started this blog, I wasn't quite sure what I can or cannot put on my blog. I also wasn't sure what I can or cannot write on others' blog comment. I was a little fearful of "breaking the rules" of blogging.

One of my brothers, Daniel, has been blogging since a few years back and I visited his blog on and off. He is in Malaysia and he shares his life and activities on his blog. He is quite a funny person and so he posts all kinds of things on his blog and I always laughed when I visited his blog. So I read his blog on and off but I have no idea what blogging is really all about.

Recently, when Daniel visited me, he finally gave me the definition for a blog! He said a short and sweet definition for a blog is "An Online Diary". Daniel said my blog is my online diary and I can blog about anything I want. I can write anything that I want to write and share with the public. He reminded me that what I write on my blog is on a public domain. So he said, don't post anything that you don't want others to know ;-)

Daniel also said there is no hard and fast rule on posting comments on others' blogs. The owner of the blogs have every right not to publish any comments if they prefer not to. Same thing for me. I can choose not to publish any comments that I don't wish to.

I thank God for the wonderful experience I have had since I started blogging in February. I have enjoyed sharing my life experiences, God's goodness to me, and the resources I found helpful to me or the Bible verses/books I read with others.

One the greatest blessing I derived from blogging is that I have been able to "meet" many friends through the world of blogging. I have never expected this at all! I am learning new things daily from my blogging friends. I love to read and write. And in some sense, I have found "like-minded" people. My blogging friends are from different parts of the world and they blog about any topics under the sun :-)

I am thankful too for a few Penpals I have "met" through blogging! This is wonderful. I used to have penpals when I was a teenager. And now having penpals again when I am forty++ is really nice :-) Thanks for writing to me, dear Penpals :-)

Here's a big "THANK YOU" to you, dear Reader, who are reading my blog. Thank you for stopping by. I hope what you are reading here on this blog are helping you in some ways.

And a big "THANK YOU" too to all of you, my dear Blogging Friends, for visiting me whenever you can and leaving me kind comments to share your thoughts and feelings with me after you read my posts, or just to let me know you have visited. Thanks to all of you!

And a big "THANK YOU" also to all of you, my dear Penpals, for writing to me and choosing me as you Penpal :-)

One thing I found that is helpful in blogging is to try and remember to leave a comment whenever possible. It seems to bring some encouragement to fellow bloggers to know that what they have posted has helped others or to hear opinions others have. Or maybe just to know someone cares and have visited them. So I hope you don't mind me leaving my comments all over your blogs when I visit your blogs :-)

Oops, here I go again. I think I am getting too long-winded again :-)

Today, I thank God for all of you and for the way He is making my life more colourful through blogging.

Thanks for stopping by. Do leave me a comment, if you can, to share your thoughts and feelings with me! It makes my day :-)

This is meant to make you laugh :P

Hope you have a blessed day!

Take care.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Therapeutic Walks and Photography to cope with Depression or Bipolar Mood Swings

Recently, I was feeling rather tired and stressed up after several weeks of manic plus stress at work, etc etc. I could feel that my moods were swinging. When I am too tired or stressed up, my moods tend to drop. Having a mood disorder like Bipolar Disorder, I realized that I need to take steps to slow down and prevent these mood swings to either escalate into manic or plunged me into depression. I realized that in the past because I failed to notice my mood swings or indicators that I am overly stressed or strained, over a period of time I eventually plunged into severe clinical depression that can last for 3 to 6 months or longer.

I am learning now to recognize early signs and symptoms of possible relapses or trigger factors to depression or mood swings. I am learning to manage stress better and if necessary to cut down on stress level by eliminating the things that are stressing me up. So I have cut down on some activities and scheduled more down time. I also turned down freelance assignments which I don't time I can manage or complete on time.

I cut down a little on blogging. But I found that as blogging is therapeutic to me, it's hard to really take a complete break. I love to write and writing is therapeutic to me. So I am still blogging and sharing my thoughts, feelings, experiences and what I read or find useful. Visiting my blogging friends and having them visit me is a means of support to me. This is a crucial part of my recovery and maintenance of mental well-being.

I also need to do things that will help me to relax and cheer me up. Besides praying and reading God's Words, and rest, I have been able to spend some time with some hobbies. Some activities that I have found to be therapeutic are taking walks to enjoy nature and develop my interest in photography.

So recently, I took a walk past Woodlands Town Garden which is adjacent to Bukit Timah Expressway. I didn't really go into the Garden because I was alone and I didn't want to walk alone there. Although Singapore is a safe place, it is still not wise to go to quiet places alone. So I admired the Garden from the exterior surroundings :-)

If you go to Woodlands Town Garden, you can enjoy the greenery and the unique design of the park amenities which has both Malay and Chinese elements. Sungei Mandai Kecil, a river that flows through the park, was also integrated in the design of the park. Part of this river that flows into the park was enlarged into a lake, irregularly-shaped for a natural look.

I enjoy photography a lot and so I took that opportunity to catch a few shots :-)

I really enjoy nature a lot and I love to walk or go briskwalkings. I hope I can schedule more such time as it is always refreshing to me.

How about you? Do you go for walks? What do find to be therapeutic when you are feeling down or stressed up?

Friday, April 18, 2008

Cross-stitch - Another of my Therapeutic Hobby

I am in the midst of doing a cross-stitch for a dear friend. This little bear with a heart cross-stitch is one of my favourite. It is very sweet and quite easy to do.

I will sew some Bible verses besides the bear and frame it up.

I have done this cross-stitch for several of my friends and they like it very much.

I find it therapeutic to do things for others. It makes me very happy to see others happy.

Having some form of hobbies can be very enjoyable and relaxing too. It helps to slow me down at times as my thoughts will be racing otherwise :-)

My dear friend, Michelle and her husband, also love to do cross-stitch. Their cross-stitch are very beautiful. Do visit Michelle's blog at Ozarks sew n' sews to see their lovely handiworks.

So far I have benefited from the following hobbies besides cross-stitch:

1) Photography. I enjoy photography very very much. I am thrilled to be able to capture some of the beauties in God's creations. It is helping me to enjoy God's creations in many wonderful ways. In the past, I have been too busy to enjoy walks, flowers, beach, etc etc. Now I am discovering these through the lenses of my camera :-)

2) Making Bookmarks. I enjoy making Bookmarks for my friends. I used my photos and photos taken by my brother and friends, to make these bookmarks. If you are interested in making bookmarks, you can check out my Homemade Bookmarks Blog to download Free Bookmarks Templates and instructions on how to make simple bookmarks.

3) Making Crafts and Gifts. Besides making bookmarks, I also enjoyed cross-stitch, making simple calendars and origami. Check out my Homemade Crafts and Gifts if you are also interested in making these crafts and gifts.

Making these crafts and gifts give me great joy and satisfaction. Thank God for the joy of sharing these gifts with my friends, and the joy of serving Him in this way.

What about you? Do you have any hobbies that you really enjoy?

Free Calendars 2010 and Free Planners 2010 Resources:

Free Bookmarks Resources:

Free Cards Resources:

Free Handicrafts Resources : Free Cross-stitch

Free Sewing Resources : Knitting

Free Origami Resources:

Free Arts and Crafts for Kids Resources:

Nice Piano Instrumental Music Resources:

Friday, March 21, 2008

Photography - Another therapeutic Hobby

Thank God that with medical helps, counselling and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, regular exercise, Omega 3 fish oil, managing stress level, etc etc my bipolar disorder is under control now and I am able to live a more stable and productive life. I also pray and read the Bible daily to find comfort and strength from God.

When I started to do brisk walking regularly end of last year, I began to discover the beauties in God's creations in many wonderful ways. I am always comforted to remember that God Who creates all these lovely creations, has also created me. He loves me and is taking care of me daily. Through brisk walkings, I also began to enjoy photography as I will try to take photos when I go brisk walkings.

I have never expected myself to be able to take pictures. But with the help of advanced technology that the digital camera provides, I am so delighted to be able to capture some of these beautiful creations of God and precious moments with my family and friends. It gives me a lot of joy when I can take good photos.

I find that it is very helpful and therapeutic for me if I can find activities that I enjoy and which can enhance my life so that I can relax, enjoy it and have a sense of achievement. It helps me to de-stress. I can forget about all my stress and problems and just enjoy this hobby or recreation or activity. Photography is one of these activities. I look forward to snap some photos whenever I can and I am eager to go new places or try taking new objects or places.

In particular, I love to go to the beach and watch the waves. Somehow they have a soothing effect on me and I feel very relax. I loved to take photos of the beach and the waves. I also love to take photos of flowers, plants and animals.

I am also finding much joy in using these photos to make bookmarks and other crafts. This is another therapeutic hobbies for me! For some Free Bookmarks Templates, visit my Homemade Bookmarks Blog :)

Visit my "Around Singapore" blog to see more of the photos I have taken and that of my friends.

1) I took the first 4 photos at East Coast Beach, Singapore.
2) I took the next 2 photos at Changi Beach, Singapore.
3) I took the last 4 photos at Sentosa Flower exhibition at Sentosa Island, Singapore.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

My Therapeutic Hobby - Making Bookmarks

Thank God for the joy of photography. I started to discover the beauties of God's creations in many wonderful ways recently when I started brisk walking. I enjoy my walks as I get to see many beautiful flowers, plants, birds and children :-)

When I started photography, I was thrilled at the advance technology of digital cameras that enables me to capture some of these beauties in God's creations and also precious moments with loved ones and friends. Thank God for this new hobby that is very therapeutic.

As I enjoyed making crafts and gifts for my friends, I used my photos and photos taken by my brother and friends, to make some bookmarks. Check out my Homemade Bookmarks Blog to download Free Bookmarks Templates and instructions on how to make simple bookmarks. Besides making bookmarks, I also enjoyed cross-stitch, making simple calendars and origami. Check out my Homemade Crafts and Gifts if you are also interested in making these crafts and gifts.

Making these crafts and gifts give me great joy and satisfaction. Thank God for the joy of sharing these gifts with my friends, and the joy of serving Him in this way.

I took these photo of the Orchid flower at Sentosa Flower exhibition at Sentosa Island, Singapore.

This flower’s actual name is Vanda Miss Joaquim. It was said to be first discovered in the garden of Miss Agnes Joaquim in Singapore in 1893. On 15 April 1981, this flower was chosen as the national flower of Singapore. Singapore has the distinction of being the only nation to have a hybrid as its national flower and whose distribution was confined to Singapore’s boundaries. This beautiful and enduring flower continues to show forth Singapore’s continual strive for progress and excellence in all aspects of life.

The official Chinese name for this flower is 卓锦万黛兰 (pinyin: zhuójǐn wàndàilán) meaning Orchid of Long-Lasting Excellence.

This Chinese verse is taken from Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever."

耶稣基督，昨日、今日、一直到永远是一样的。希伯来书 13:8

If you are interested to make these Orchid Flower Chinese Bookmark for yourself or your friends, you can download these MicroSoft Word templates and make the necessary changes. I have 4 bookmarks in the template with different Bible verses.

Download Free Template : free-chinese-bookmarks-template-orchid.doc

You may wish to also check out my post on some simple instructions on how to make bookmarks.

These bookmarks are with English wordings and Bible verses. I have 4 bookmarks in the template and you can customized it to put your name or your friend’s name, if you wish to.

Download Free Template : bookmark-template-for-orchid.doc

You may wish to also check out my post on some simple instructions on how to make bookmarks.

Happy making your own bookmarks :-)

Free Calendars 2010 and Free Planners 2010 Resources:

Free Bookmarks Resources:

Free Cards Resources:

Free Handicrafts Resources : Free Cross-stitch

Free Sewing Resources : Knitting

Free Origami Resources:

Free Arts and Crafts for Kids Resources:

Nice Piano Instrumental Music Resources:

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Monday, May 19, 2008

Friday, May 16, 2008

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Friday, April 18, 2008

Friday, March 21, 2008

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

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