Category Archives: Sharp Sites & Links

Body Image – Keep on Pushing!

We have to listen to our bodies telling us what is & what is not essential for our health. We need to do this so we can stop giving our energy to everything and everybody. This Body Image & Healing Blog was created primarily for friends & family who are in support of women (some 50 and over) who have had or have breast cancer.  “So why, you ask, are women 50 and older concerned with their body image?” “Because we’ve still got a body!”

 

We are concerned about how we look. Now, we are not necessarily swayed so much by what we see on television. We are not trying to fit into what a 20 or 30-year-old would wear. That does not mean we don’t care about how we look or how we carry ourselves. “And carry ourselves, we will.” smh

 

This leads to my second point. We know that we must keep moving. “Sitting is the new smoking.” Ideally, we should stand up every 30 minutes throughout the day. The ideal number of times to do this would be 12-15 times. I created my own standing desk with books and a wastebasket so I can stand and sit from time to time. This type of variety is needed since standing on your feet all day is not the best thing either. The surest way to the beginning of ill health for many of us, is to stop moving!

Try Carol Dweck’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success  
“What else are we concerned about?” Well, let’s try something new? We’re also concerned about how we think as we age. As our pastor said the other day “If you’re old, you’re not going to regress and get young, you’re going to stay old, but that doesn’t mean we have an old mind set.

“So what is an appropriate mindset for us?” “I don’t know.” Fifty or 60-years-old is not what your mother or grandmother thought when they were that same age.”  “I think it’s what you think, what you believe, what you do!” We can do so much more! We can walk, we can keep ourselves active and we can keep our minds active! We can engage with people of ALL ages. Those are the kinds of things that keep us, okay, relatively young. It is not how quickly you come up with the answer that counts, but… (Check out the book.)

The Right Stuff!
We can eat right. We can have the right attitude. Even your attitude about what you eat while you are eating it, affects your body and the processing of that food. That matters! In Dr. Christiane Northrup’s book, Making Life Easy: A Simple Guide to A Divinely Inspired Life, she talks about an experiment with rabbits, who were fed all types of things making them prone to heart disease. They followed the rabbits for several weeks. But the researcher began to notice one group, even though they ate like the other rabbits ate, didn’t have the same issues. This, of course, was after they examined the tissues and arteries. These little rascals were healthier.
 
The critical question was “Why would they be healthier? They were healthier because the researcher talked to Val who said she played with them when she took them out of their little cages and even talked to them. Yes, the more fun you have, the less stress you may have and it may clear out some of the negatives going on in and around you. Now, it’s not going to erase all the bad things you may be doing or eating or stressing out about. But it really could make a difference in your life.
 
What Counts?
So, what are you going to do now? Well, for Lent I decided to eat differently, not too far from what I normally do, but enough for it to cause a little discomfort, like no added sugar. And I am going to stay focused on the positive and reduce some of my negative thoughts about a couple of issues. (That doesn’t mean you should try to tempt me.) Lastly, I am going to increase my  meditation/exercise routines. That should keep me busy for the next few weeks. These are items I want to continue to have in my life. They are not just for this season. So what counts? Whatever you are doing that will last beyond this sacred time.
(P.S. I’ve got to write shorter posts, this one was waaaaay too long.)
(Click Keep On Pushing below to hear it.)

Keep on Pushing

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Manipulated Textures & Melanated Stories

Healing and Body Work take many different forms. Sometimes we do it by pushing and pulling our bodies and hair into all sorts of contortions. Sometimes we do it by pushing down feelings and emotions. Sometimes we do it by playing ‘dumb’, when we know the true answer.

 

What do we sacrifice, when we do any of that? Maybe a lot, maybe a little, either way it’s our choice. However, there are some things we have to take a stand on.

 

Decide today what is important to you and in the words of MJ “make that change”.

 

Today’s Post highlights a 2 Part series designed to offer avenues of change and support.

 

What is a standard of beauty? What is your standard of beauty? Let’s support whatever you think it is, Beautiful! That’s what counts. #Standardsofbeauty #Healingisbeyondskindeep

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Breast Cancer and A Sexy Body Image

Today’s blog is an example of how a change in your perception can affect your attitude. As we move toward talking more about my research on Body Image and Breast Cancer, let’s begin talking about my latest view of clothing.

A few years ago, I started this process of cleaning out my closet. Yep, emptying everything out of it and trying things on to see how the items looked on me, what needed mending, or what was too big (yeah, right). I only kept those items I loved to wear. That alone cut out half of my wardrobe and cut down on what I bought when I shopped.

Now, I do have a few sentimental pieces, like the dress one of my BFF’s mother made and gave me. Her mom made this dress over 20 years ago. I’m not sure I can even fit into it anymore. But, I just cannot part with it. I guess I could just take a picture of it. “Nah, that won’t work, in this case.” Or I could be kind and give it back to Derise, since she said that particular dress was to be hers. (Wow, the things we remember!)

 

Look Good, Feel Better
One of the first steps in healing and improving your body image is to feel like you look good in whatever you put on.  This confidence unconsciously improves your attitude. Have you ever tried on something you didn’t like or were unsure about?  Well, how did that work out for you?

My experiences with breast cancer, subsequent surgeries and research studies uncovered a number of things breast cancer patients were not told. This week’s New York Times Article highlighted one of those issues. Breast numbness often isn’t discussed with Breast Cancer patients. The article further disconcertedly revealed the phrase “it feels natural” was NOT from the perspective of the women who had the mastectomy. “Would you expect anyone to not talk about the patient’s perspective, when it came to knee or hip replacement?”  Breast cancer patients are often NOT advised or informed about a “new” belly button after a tramflap, keloid formation after the scars or PTSD symptoms, such as depression (highlighted here in a previous post).

 

In dealing with all of these and other possible occurrences, how do we move forward? Take a look at this week’s highlighted blogger and author. Barbara Musser elevates this conversation with her book, webinars and blog entitled Sexy After Cancer.

Please check it out her book – Sexy After Cancer – Meeting Your Inner Aphrodite on the Breast Cancer Journey. It couldn’t hurt.

Remember your perception is your reality. Let’s work this out to our advantage. What counts? It’s what you THINK that counts!

 

Dr. Harriette

P.S. I really wanted to have I’m Looking for a Miracle by The Clark Sisters playing in this blog. Check out their Youtube version by clicking the song.

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Sisters Networks are Good Works and GROWING!

Website of the Month: Sisters Network

Greensboro, Houston, Chicago and Central New Jersey are just a few of the locations of Sisters Network. Sisters Network is A National African American Breast Cancer Survivorship Organization.  Check out the website at Sistersnetworkinc.org., you just might be surprised at what each one has to offer.

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Guest Blogger with a lot to say – love it!

As an individual who has experienced body dissatisfaction, I found it helpful to write a letter to my body as if it were a friend that I mistreated. My goal was to repair my relationship with my body by apologizing for my negative actions, thoughts, and feelings. I found this exercise helpful because it assisted […]

via Body Apology Letters: Developing a Strong, Healthy Relationship with your Body — Body To Love: “A Space for Body Image, Identity, and Wellness”

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