Living with Illness – Page 2 – Pilgrim Pathway/Surviving Strong

Being A Change Agent

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Rev. Greg Katz, MS, PhD

Are we all looking for change? Change seems to be a buzzword, but I’m not sure what it’s a buzzword for. Change leads us to think about improvement, correction of going off course, or ways to become fabulous. We all know people in our history who have changed the world; Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Marie Curie come to mind. Are you up for that type of responsibility?

I was watching the new Fox show Red Band Society (a must watch) and the writers captured the true nature of change in a single line, “You don’t have to change the world, you just have to change your world.” Can you think of a simpler thought? It scales the amount of effort needed and increases the likelihood that you’ll achieve greater results.

When facing any type of life interruption we’re called to make changes. It would be nice to keep the status quo, but often that was a factor that led to the interruption. Change isn’t bad and if done consciously and with commitment we can move further along on our health and healing journey.

I know there have been many times in my life when I wanted or needed to feel responsible for changing the world. I felt weighed down and overwhelmed. I sabotaged myself because the goal was so grandiose and unrealistic that sabotage seemed to rescue me from me. I feel fortunate to have adopted the idea from the Red Band Society prior to the line being spoken on last night’s show. Having responsibility for me allows me to make noticeable changes and in turn that overflows to the people, organizations, and community around me.

Going back to school was one of the most important ways that I changed my own life. I met people, encountered ideas, and engaged in activities that enriched and expanded my consciousness. I submerged myself in a passion of studying art and healing and that brings joy to my life. It was a long journey but the result was a degree and connections to others who are making personal changes and impacting their own communities.

How will you change your world? What is one thing you can do today to begin the change process? Let us know and let’s start a conversation about how we can all change our own world!

Looking to make changes in your life and need education, support, and inspiration? Visit http://www.survivingstrong.com

Want to explore change through creativity? Visit http://www.timetolivecreatively.com

Follow me on Twitter: @GregKatz2

after the diagnosis, coping with chronic illness, coping with life threatening illness, Emotional Health, Illness Narrative, living with chronic illness, Living with Illness, overcoming adversity

Play to Your Strengths

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Rev. Greg Katz, MS, PhD

What happens if everyone including you believed that our life would take a specific direction and then a twist of fate changes that direction? What if everything you worked for crashes and burns and you have to reinvent yourself? Know anyone like this? Well if you follow football then you do know someone in this position, Tim Tebow.

Tebow, the young player with enormous promise had a difficult time in the NFL. As it turned out his professional career as a player was short lived, but he has reinvented himself. During his time in the NFL his fame, constant news coverage, and his faith led him to create a foundation helping children going through tough times. Proof of this “Phoenix rising from the ashes”, Tebow is now part of the team on ABC’s Good Morning America. His segment has been titled Motivate Me Monday!

The first down of Tebow’s segment was a hit. The story showed the resilience of ten-year-old Devon Jackson. Jackson was diagnosed with meningitis at age eight and had both feet amputated six inches below the knee. His passion for football was intercepted but not for long. The young athlete learned to walk on prosthetics, but he was still benched from playing because he couldn’t run until someone donated a pair of blades returning the young football player to the playing field.

Jackson shows amazing resilience. When asked about what he loves about being able to play he shared, “I love the way the wind feels in my face.” When I heard the young athletes experience I thought about what do I take for granted in my daily life. If something as simple as the wind in one’s face is a blessing then what else are we allowing passing us by without noticing the magic of the experience?

The segment showed that both young and a bit older can recreate a life of gratitude. Tebow and Jackson both took adverse situations and utilized their strength and resilience to achieve greater life experiences. Devon Jackson is Tebow’s starter and that makes Tebow a great coach, inspiration, and motivator. I hope I can take the lesson from Tebow’s playbook and utilize my own strengths motivating others to enhanced health and healing!

Facing adversity? Looking for education, support, and inspiration? Visit http://www.survivingstrong.com

Want to play to your strengths creatively? Visit http://www.timetolivecreatively.com

Follow me on Twitter: @GregKatz2

after the diagnosis, coping with chronic illness, coping with life threatening illness, living with chronic illness, Living with Illness, overcoming adversity

Why Learning is so Important to Healing

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Rev. Greg Katz, MS, PhD

I facilitate a dissertation support group call for those embarking on this exciting journey of academic exploration. I love the group experience because I get as much as I receive, and it keeps me in the loop with emerging thought leaders. I love hearing the topics the students are taking on for their monumental projects, and as each topic is revealed I become entranced by the concept of possibility.

Learning to me is all about possibility. It’s the one aspect of our lives that requires dedication and attention. Learning is a conscious process that serves not only our brains, but influences our lives in so many ways. The experience of learning provides solutions for the challenges that stand in our way. They are the clues we seek out when curiosity keeps tickling our brain. More importantly, learning helps us heal. It allows us to shake bad habits, establish new habits, and expands our thinking and our worldly experiences.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” The idea of “live as if you were to die tomorrow” has been prominent in our age of spiritual awakening. Tim McGraw’s song Live Like You Were Dying epitomized that notion. There have been books about “living in the now” and a host of movies emphasizing the same point. But what about “learning like we are going to live forever”?

Learning is what keeps us engaged. Researchers show that one of the ways to ward off Alzheimer’s disease is to keep learning new things. Learning a new language, learning to knit, learning to play an instrument creates new neural pathways. It allows us think different. It expands our repertoire of experience providing us with new stories to tell.

The “practice” of learning refreshes our soul. It challenges us and provides us with new opportunities for mastery. Learning is the rich soil of possibility. It allows us to take on the role of student. A place where we are nurtured encouraged, and anything is possible. It calls us to participate fully, expend some energy, and make space for something new.

We can’t fix or fight every challenge presented to us, but we can learn how to cope. We can learn new ways of approaching these challenges lessening the burdens. We must learn to enrich the lives we’ve been given. Making the most we’ve been given is part of the rent we pay for living on this planet. Keep learning and tell me what you find!

Diagnosed with a chronic or life-threatening illness? Looking for education, support, and inspiration? Visit http://www.survivingstrong.com

Want to learn something new? Expand your healing horizons through art? Visit http://www.timetolivecreatively.com

after the diagnosis, coping with chronic illness, coping with life threatening illness, living with chronic illness, Living with Illness, overcoming adversity

Time to Crash The Party

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Rev. Greg Katz, MS, PhD

Everyone loves a party because they’re fun! Parties give us a chance to spend time with friends, eat good food, and most of all laugh. Parties are often about celebrations. Celebrations are the markers for important moments in life, birthdays, graduations, and weddings. When you’re at a party you’re present. You’re living in the moment and that heightens the experience.

If life were a party what would it look like? Many of us sit around waiting for life to offer us an invitation to participate, but what if that invitation doesn’t come? First of all don’t sit at the proverbial mailbox waiting for the invitation to come; crash the party.

I think back to an episode of Friends that punctuates this point. The character Monica (played by Courtney Cox) was wound very tight. She had some real OCD type qualities making her feel a bit boxed in with limited amounts of possibility and fun. Then she gets her credit card statement and she realizes that someone had stolen her credit card. The amazing thing is that the criminal was using the card to live life to its fullest. The criminal was taking dance classes, going on horseback rides, and a host of other life engaging activities. Monica says, “she’s living the life I want to live.”

What would it look like if you crashed the party we call life? Are there things you want to do but something is holding you back? It’s sad because many of us wait until we face a challenge such an illness to awaken our body, mind, and spirit to the possibilities life has to offer. Do you want to sit back and wait for something bad to happen to activate your inner party crasher? Isn’t it better to engage in a life that fills your soul? I’m not only talking about having fun, but working in a job that feeds you instead of robbing your body, mind, and spirit of precious nutrients.

This isn’t about turning your life upside down, but engaging in the precious life you’ve been given. Party crashing life means that you take an active role instead of simply floating along and allowing life to determine the path you’ll take. Party crashing life puts you in the driver’s seat, so party on!

Diagnosed with an illness and want to learn to be a party crasher? Looking for education, support, and inspiration? Visit http://www.survivingstrong.com

Want to expand your party crashing by engaging in art to aid healing? Visit http://www.timetolifecreatively.com

after the diagnosis, coping with chronic illness, coping with life threatening illness, living with chronic illness, Living with Illness

Feel The Burn

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Rev. Greg Katz, MS, PhD

I just returned from a trip to the Dominican Republic. My parents brought the family together to spend time together and celebrate us as a family. The trip was fantastic! It’s great when you can spend time with people you love, know, and have your back. Being with people who are a lifeline reinforces our connection beyond our bodies. It provides us with a context for our lives and allows us to practice the art of giving and receiving.

I’m a water baby. I’m a cancer so I love the water. I lived on the east coast the first twenty-five years of my life, and the west coast the next fourteen years. Access to the water is life affirming. Currently I live in the Rocky Mountains at six thousand feet so any time I can see the ocean I’m ecstatic.

Ecstasy has its price. Upon getting to the beach I submerged myself in the ocean. I was in the water for quite a while. My family joked that if they wanted to visit with me they’d have to go to my office in the water. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

I knew I was sunburned even though I had on sunscreen. I didn’t reapply often enough and wasn’t wearing a shirt so my shoulders and upper back became sunburned. Actually, they became more than sunburned because after leaving the water the blisters began to appear. My back and shoulders were covered with blisters waiting to burst. I did this to myself and that pissed me off, but I couldn’t turn back the clock.

I wore multiple shirts keeping the blisters clean and dry. The big surprise when it was time for bed. As I tried to sleep the pain was excruciating. I changed positions trying to relieve the pressure on the blisters but my body was in full revolt. I was no longer in control, my body was at the reins and it wasn’t pretty. I needed a plan, a solution, a resolution to the pain.

I realized that the only way to get out of the pain was to go into the pain. I had to immerse myself in the pain. I had to be one with the pain. I dove in! As I was sitting up in bed I befriended the pain. I was focusing on my breath and settled down living in the journey. Trust me it wasn’t easy, but it did quiet my mind and my body. My body understood that although I had accosted it; I was trying to make amends. I wasn’t ignoring my body (not that I could even if I tried), but I was in the trenches experiencing the pain from the pain’s point-of-view.

This journey lasted for three nights. Unlike many of you experiencing chronic pain, mine was time limited. I did learn valuable lessons. I learned that my body, mind, and spirit working together create amazing results. I gave myself the gift of diving deep and emerging with a new understanding of pain and it’s relation to my body. I have come to appreciate the unity of merging with the what’s going on in my body.

Fortunately the experience didn’t damper my trip at all. I got back in the water after a few days very protected and for a very short period of time, but I also know that salt water heals the skin. In my case it heals the body, the mind, and the spirit. I not only had a fabulous trip with my family, but I learned new things about my own capacity for renewal and resiliency. I learned new ways of coping when facing adversity. I have a new appreciation for what the body can handle!

Diagnosed with a chronic or life-threatening illness? Looking for education, support, and inspiration? Visit http://www.survivingstrong.com

See how Art impacts Healing, visit http://www.timetolivecreatively.com

after the diagnosis, coping with chronic illness, coping with life threatening illness, Emotional Health, living with chronic illness, Living with Illness, Medications, overcoming adversity

Mindfulness Demonstrated…It’s Amazing

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Rev. Greg Katz, MS, PhD

We hear a lot about mindfulness and engaging in the practice of mindfulness, but have you seen the impact for yourself? We’re told over and over that mindfulness is the key to inner peace, allowing us to focus on what’s important. If you’re one of the skeptics allow me to share my most recent finding.

A couple of weeks ago I spoke about the importance of meditation as outlined by Dan Harris in 10% Happier. Harris had a panic attack while reporting on Good Morning America. After much soul searching, psychiatrist visits, and retreats he concluded that meditation is the one thing that brings him to center and has improved his life.

I’m a seeker. I love learning new things, exploring the things that capture my attention, and expand what I think is possible. I look for reporters that are covering topics we would like to breeze by because they make us uncomfortable. Lisa Ling is one of those reporters. Ling’s show Our America with Lisa Ling, airs on OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network), tackles tough issues that we grapple with every day. Her latest show was about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

There are fifteen million people in the United States diagnosed with ADHD, most of them children. It’s disruptive to the lives of the children and their families. It leaves school systems feeling helpless and at odds with how to provide an education to these kids without interfering with their regular school programs. The episode followed those who are taking medication, as many do, and a case where an alternative to medication was used.

Wilson, a child with ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder was struggling through school. Things got so bad that in the second grade he told his mother that if he had to go back to school he was going to commit suicide. Fortunately his mother, an educator, hired an education advocate and they found salvation at The Hunter School.

The Hunter School is a unique boarding and therapeutic school helping young children with ADHD, Anxiety, Sensory and related conditions(taken from their website, www.hunterschool.org). The first shift in perspective came from the administrator. She reframed ADHD as a diagnosis to calling these children Energetically Sensitive. It shifted the cloud hanging over these kids to blue skies of hope.

The school is truly unique. The student teacher ratio is 1:3, unheard of in the American education system. The school takes a holistic approach, no medication. In its place the children are taught to meditate. They are guided in techniques to center themselves. If a child is disruptive in the classroom he or she is taken out of the class and brought to the mindful room where the student and the teacher work on refocusing, centering, and strategizing about ways to regain control.

Wilson, the student I spoke about earlier is thriving. He lives at the school during the week. His life has totally changed. He feels re-invented. He’s learned to structure his life so it’s manageable. He is renewed body, mind, and spirit. He eloquently discusses his new lease on life.

I understand that not every child has access to an educational institution like The Hunter School, but the school model is one we need to explore. The next question is if it works for kids, what could the impact be for adults. Dan Harris talks about the impact of going on a ten-day silent retreat and other meditation revelations.

I’m not saying that mindfulness is a cure for everything, but explore it. If you’re feeling anxious, depressed, angry or simply out-of-sorts, explore the impact of mindfulness. As always I’m not saying this is the definitive answer. You should always consult with a therapist, coach, or spiritual director to explore your options so your choices are made with informed consent.

Facing Adversity? Diagnosed with a chronic or life-threatening illness? Looking for education, support, and inspiration? Visit http://www.survivingstrong.com

Exploring how Art impacts healing the body, mind, and spirit? Visit http://www.timetolivecreatively.com

after the diagnosis, coping with chronic illness, coping with life threatening illness, living with chronic illness, Living with Illness

Hanging On For Hope

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Rev. Greg Katz, MS, PhD

The diagnosis of a chronic or life-threatening illness brings anxiety. It throws the individual and their family into a world of the unknown. It pokes and prods us to become vigilant in our search for hope. The hope is that there will be a treatment protocol that will cure or at least alleviate suffering. As I’ve discussed in the past, there is a difference between getting better and getting well. Cure is the hope, but it’s not always possible. So what is possible?

I’m always on the lookout for news about new treatments. I feel like an information and referral resource for friends and family. It’s a role I enjoy. I’m honored that people in my life trust me enough to share their experiences. My ears and eyes are always open for some information that I can pass on to ease the illness experience.

How vigilant am I in my search for hope and healing? I was watching Jeopardy last night and across the bottom of the screen there was message that said, “FDA approves new medication for MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). That sent me directly to the computer to see what the news flash was about. If you’ve been reading my posts you know my dog has been living with MRSA for the past 6+ years. I need hope.

Our lives have revolved around a cycle of diagnosis and treatment. After a while you feel like a hamster on a hamster wheel. The cycle is repetitive and each time a culture gets sent to the lab we hope and pray that there will be some medication that will tame the infection. As you know if you’ve been diagnosed with a chronic or life-threatening illness, there’s no guarantee that treatments will work forever. We hope that someone in research and development will bring forth a new strategy while we still have time.

Hope also requires that we invite others into our lives. We can’t be everywhere and know all. Inviting others into your life, like others have invited me, giving you a personal research team always on the lookout for an interview, news article, or like yesterday, a message crossing the television screen.

Hope isn’t only about faith. There’s a practical side to hope based on technology, research, and organizations that lobby for money to bring forth new treatments. Whether the future holds a space for you where you get well or get better, remember that hope is a strategy. It needs to be part of your treatment regimen!

Diagnosed with a chronic or life-threatening illness and looking for support, education, and inspiration? Visit http://www.survivingstrong.com

Looking for Hope? Explore how Art Heals! Visit http://www.timetolivecreatively.com

after the diagnosis, coping with chronic illness, coping with life threatening illness, Illness Narrative, living with chronic illness, Living with Illness, overcoming adversity

Gotta Get Out of Here

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Rev. Greg Katz, MS, PhD

So many times we find ourselves in places that make us uncomfortable or unhappy. There are those who grow up in small towns who find they need a way to get out. Others, who may live in neighborhoods with violence and drugs, look for a way to get out. If you watch the commercials for the Boys and Girls Clubs you see prominent people who got out. They found a supportive environment with mentors who encouraged them, nurtured them, and providing opportunities for them to make their move.

We look for ways to use our talents to give us a leg up and change our circumstances. Adversity can be a prison or a path to freedom. There are some who simply choose to succumb to the pressure of adversity and start to sink slowly as if they’re in quick sand. On the other hand, that pressure can be a catalyst for change. Think of some of our most prominent athletes. Many grew up in troubled areas and knew that sports were their ticket out. It was their lifeline to a better life.

How can adversity be a path to freedom? It’s when you take what’s challenging you and use it as the motivation you need to change your situation. This may be different when faced with a chronic or life-threatening illness. The reason is that you can’t escape illness. You can obtain treatment with the hope of getting better or well. Escaping isn’t about the physical illness once diagnosed; it’s about escaping the ties that bind on the emotional and spiritual planes.

Pain is a great motivator. Limited options are another motivator because we don’t like to feel closed in or surrounded. But motivated for what? Motivated to find freedom from the things that prior to your adverse situation kept you stuck. Motivated to stop fueling the oppressive thoughts and energy that prevent you from being the best you possible.

Illness is difficult enough without us working against ourselves. What will stop you from fueling the negative thoughts? How will you create a new pathway that promotes health and healing? Who are the people that inspire you? (Read the post “Who are the Legends in Your Life”).

I encourage you to read autobiographies, memoirs, and pathographies. Autobiographies/biographies are not written about people who fail. They are written about/by those who have overcome some type of challenge. They share their struggles and discuss the emotional and spiritual land mines they stepped on along the way. The reason these books are so important is they provide hope. They show that emergence is possible. These are opportunities to create a personal menu for health and healing.

Diagnosed with a chronic or life-threatening illness? Looking for education, support, and inspiration? Visit http://www.survivingstrong.com

Looking for a way out? How will Art help you Heal? Visit http://www.timetolivecreatively.com

after the diagnosis, coping with chronic illness, coping with life threatening illness, living with chronic illness, Living with Illness

Helplessness…Uncomfortable to the Core

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Rev. Greg Katz, MS, PhD

If you’ve read some of my past posts you know that I have a black lab mix named Tashi. She’s thirteen plus and has been fighting MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) for seven years. The past ten months have been one infection after another. The bacteria are sneaky, mutating every six to eight weeks requiring a new culture and new meds. She’s been so patient! In addition to medication, she gets a laser treatment on her foot every other day. It’s a great experience for her because the treatment is painless and she gets lots of treats from the entire staff at the vet.

So why am I feeling helpless in this moment? This past weekend she developed conjunctivitis. She had a discharge that was making her continually rub her eyes. We took her to the vet and he prescribed medication. Yesterday I woke up and noticed that instead of progress, her eyes looked worse. They were so bad that she could hardly keep her eyes open.

Her regular doctor was off yesterday so she got to meet a new vet (new for her). The doctor was kind and considerate. She knew about Tashi’s history because she’s been teaching the entire staff about MRSA and all the troubles that come with this diagnosis. New meds, eye drops to soothe the itch, and lots of love will hopefully make the difference.

Helpless because I can’t make her feel any better. She can’t rub her eyes so she has to wear a cone (the famous radar dish) so she won’t irritate her eyes. I’m putting ointments and drops in her eyes every couple of hours. I feel helpless because in trying to make her feel better I have to do everything in my power to prevent her from irritating her eyes even further. I feel helpless because being so vigilant with the MRSA that a different infection leaves me feeling defeated.

I feel helpless because I can’t explain what’s going on to her, and all she can do is trust that I’m going to help. Helplessness is very uncomfortable. A different kind of uncomfortable than the itch and pain she’s experiencing because it’s my soul is uncomfortable. This type of experience teaches me that I can only do what’s humanly possible. I can only be compassionate and proactive about her medical condition, but I don’t have the power to heal her. Uncomfortable because it shows that I have limitations and surrender is my only option.

Our story continues. She’s a happy girl, although uncomfortable in this moment. She’s full of love. She holds spaces of trust and love in her heart (so maybe I’m projecting a bit). We’re a team! There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to ease her pain and discomfort. There isn’t anything I would do that would jeopardize her quality of life. There is only one thing I do have power over, ensuring that she leaves it all on the table, living a life that’s full of love, fun, and connection.

Diagnosed with a chronic or life-threatening illness? Looking for education, support, and inspiration? Visit http://www.survivingstrong.com

Exploring how Art impacts Healing? Visit http://www.timetolivecreatively.com

after the diagnosis, coping with chronic illness, coping with life threatening illness, Emotional Health, living with chronic illness, Living with Illness

Behind Closed Doors

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Rev. Greg Katz, MS, PhD

We have two lives, the one we show to the world and the one behind closed doors. If we’re lucky the two really mirror each other. Unfortunately, there are plenty who have one persona in the world and another behind closed doors. We project qualities and characteristics based on what we see from the outside, but how do we get in? What allows us to see behind the front doors we pass?

I remember an episode of Oprah where she interviewed women who were socio-economically well off, lived in big homes with expensive cars, designer clothes and plenty of credit cards, but behind closed doors were the victims of domestic violence. Their stories were chilling because they described the amount of energy it took to keep up their public face. It’s a balancing act between fear, saving face, and desperation. The secrets and the pain that accompany a life with uncertainty and limited possibility is small.

There are too many people who walk this world with stories of loneliness that go untold. This sense of isolation impacts them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Support groups give the individual a place to feel in community. A place where the loneliness is minimized and a common language is spoken. It’s not a language that can be learned; it’s a language that needs to be experienced.

We have been conditioned to keep our spirits up and limit the amount of hardship we show the world. We may hide our challenge for fear that those around us won’t be able to hold the pain. Having a safe container for the pain frees us and allows us to live our lives in alignment. How will you create a unified life? Who will you invite into your world diminishing your isolation? How truthful will you be about what you’re experiencing?

Isolation and loneliness are not diagnostic categories. The health communities lump these circumstances as part of other diagnoses such as depression. I believe that they are just as detrimental as recognized diagnoses because the hidden nature of loneliness and isolation is difficult to uncover.

Have you been diagnosed with a chronic or life-threatening illness? Looking for education, support, and inspiration? Visit http://www.survivingstrong.com

Want to explore how Art impacts Healing? Visit http://www.timetolivecreatively.com