Getting rid of the baggage.

I believe that many time in life we go through more than we truly have too.  You know, the Bible tells us that God will put no more on us than we can bare. We ask then, why does everything seems so hard? That answer is because we have a tendency to hold within ourselves things we didn't even know was there. I know this because I am one of those people. I believe also that God puts people in our lives to help us to learn to cope with things that is wrong.

Cope - to handle something successful: to deal successfully with a difficult problem or situation.

Friends, men, especially have a tendency to think we can overcome things on our own, because most of us growing up was told grown men do cry and we have to be strong. Friends, take it from someone who is there and going through the same as you. Living in the past, (the baggage) will eventually catch up with you. Unless you or someone you know are aware of the signs, it will be  every hard to detect what is happening.
Many of the things we try thinking that we will get over it, doesn't work. We think that being able to talk to a love one or spouse about our problems will do the trick and fix us but there is more to it than that. We are talking about many many years of carrying past baggage. Getting help or treatment is no different than an Alcoholic seeking helping through AA, or a smoker having help to quit smoking. To many  times why we hold onto the past is because we go into what is called preservation mode.

Preservation - Is to protect from harm, danger; to protect.

Many people who have psychological problems are unaware because things happen to us in our youth or growing to where we build up a wall, saying, "I will never let this happen again".

Psychological  - Human mind: relating to the mind or mental processes affecting humans:  affecting or intended to affect the mind and mental processes.

 When I was young there had been a lot of bad things in my life and I say (had been) because it is in the past, now I have a future. People who live in the past have no future. As I was saying there had been things that took place so that one day I told myself, "NO ONE will ever hurt me again". I had built up such a wall I could not break it down on my own. Past baggage hurts everyone around you. I myself believe that 85% of divorces take place because of hurt from things we have no control over or we can't fix ourselves (past baggage).

As much as I hate to bring up these two subjects, they are two examples of why getting help will help you to cope and overcome the baggage of your past.

      1. Is battered wife/husband syndrome, yes it can go both ways
      2. abuse, (mentally,verbally, or physically), even child molesting/rape which could had happened only once or continue on into their teen and adult years. These are just two of the many things people try to cope with on their own. These are things that causes broken marriages and homes. When things begin to arise in our relationships with others we do have a tendency to get angry or upset to the point that there is no point of repair.
I believe that those things we have heard or experienced in our past stays within us until we can get help. And we bring them into our relationships. Being abusive isn't a way of life, we must face it!  Being abusive is a (SICKNESS). We said earlier in this blog that God puts on us no more than we can bare. Many will ask, if He, (God), doesn't, why doesn't or why won't he heal me. To be honest I have no answer to why He won't. The Apostle Paul had a thorn in his side, (not a literal thorn) it could have been a sickness, disease. We really don't know because there isn't much mentioned about it except that He asked God to remove it three times and God said NO, My grace is sufficient. Meaning I guess it is there to keep you (Paul) humble.
Many people suffer from depression and being Bi-polar. Many don't even know that they carry that around everyday. We feel down in the dumps all the times, don't care about things, especially those we love. When we suffer everyone suffers.
Some say that depression can be hereditary.

In which hereditary means - of or relating to,or denoting factor that can be transmitted from one generation to the next.

What cause depression and anxiety -

• Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods. True clinical depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for weeks or longer.

There are a number of factors that may increase the chance of depression, including the following:

• Abuse. Past physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can cause depression later in life.
• Certain medications. For example, some drugs used to treat high blood pressure, such as beta-blockers or reserpine, can increase your risk of depression.
• Conflict. Depression may result from personal conflicts or disputes with family members or friends.
• Death or a loss. Sadness or grief from the death or loss of a loved one, though natural, can also increase the risk of depression.
• Genetics. A family history of depression may increase the risk. It's thought that depression is passed genetically from one generation to the next. The exact way this happens, though, is not known.
• Major events. Even good events such as starting a new job, graduating, or getting married can lead to depression. So can moving, losing a job or income, getting divorced, or retiring.
• Other personal problems. Problems such as social isolation due to other mental illnesses or being cast out of a family or social group can lead to depression.
• Serious illnesses. Sometimes depression co-exists with a major illness or is a reaction to the illness.
• Substance abuse. Nearly 30% of people with substance abuse problems also have major or clinical depression.

How Is Biology Related to Depression?

Researchers have noted differences in the brains of people who are depressed as compared to people who are not. For instance, the hippocampus, a small part of the brain that is vital to the storage of memories, appears to be smaller in people with a history of depression than in those who've never been depressed. A smaller hippocampus has fewer serotonin receptors. Serotonin is a calming brain chemical known as a neurotransmitter that allows communication between nerves in the brain and the body. It's also thought that the neurotransmitter norepinephrine may be involved in depression.

Scientists do not know why the hippocampus is smaller in those with depression. Some researchers have found that the stress hormone cortisol is produced in excess in depressed people. These investigators believe that cortisol has a toxic or poisonous effect on the hippocampus. Some experts theorize that depressed people are simply born with a smaller hippocampus and are therefore inclined to suffer from depression.

One thing is certain -- depression is a complex illness with many contributing factors. The latest scans and studies of brain chemistry that show the effects of antidepressants help broaden our understanding of the biochemical processes involved in depression. As scientists gain a better understanding of the cause(s) of depression, health professionals will be able to make better "tailored" diagnoses and, in turn, prescribe more effective treatment plans.

What causes being bi-polar or uni-polar - The cause of bipolar disorder is not entirely known. Genetic, neurochemical and environmental factors probably interact at many levels to play a role in the onset and progression of bipolar disorder. The current thinking is that this is a predominantly biological disorder that occurs in a specific part of the brain and is due to a malfunction of the neurotransmitters (chemical messengers in the brain). As a biological disorder, it may lie dormant and be activated spontaneously or it may be triggered by stressors in life.

Although, no one is quite sure about the exact causes of bipolar disorder, researchers have found these important clues:

Genetic factors in Bipolar Disorder

• Bipolar disorder tends to be familial, meaning that it “runs in families.” About half the people with bipolar disorder have a family member with a mood disorder, such as depression.
• A person who has one parent with bipolar disorder has a 15 to 25 percent chance of having the condition.
• A person who has a non-identical twin with the illness has a 25 percent chance of illness, the same risk as if both parents have bipolar disorder.
• A person who has an identical twin (having exactly the same genetic material) with bipolar disorder has an even greater risk of developing the illness about an eightfold greater risk than a nonidentical twin.
• Studies of adopted twins (where a child whose biological parent had the illness is raised in an adoptive family untouched by the illness) has helped researchers learn more about the genetic causes vs. environmental and life events causes.

Neurochemical Factors in Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is primarily a biological disorder that occurs in a specific area of the brain and is due to the dysfunction of certain neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers, in the brain. These chemicals may involve neurotransmitters like norepinephrine,serotonin and probably many others. As a biological disorder, it may lie dormant and be activated on its own or it may be triggered by external factors such as psychological stress and social circumstances.

Environmental Factors in Bipolar Disorder

• A life event may trigger a mood episode in a person with a genetic disposition for bipolar disorder.
• Even without clear genetic factors, altered health habits, alcohol or drug abuse, or hormonal problems can trigger an episode.
• Among those at risk for the illness, bipolar disorder is appearing at increasingly early ages. This apparent increase in earlier occurrences may be due to under diagnosis of the disorder in the past. This change in the age of onset may be a result of social and environmental factors that are not yet understood.
• Although substance abuse is not considered a cause of bipolar disorder, it can worsen the illness by interfering with recovery. Use of alcohol or tranquilizers may induce a more  severe depressive phase.

Now the answer is: there are ways of getting fixed and leaving behind the unwanted emotional baggage we have carried around for years. 

First you must have or receive a diagnosis . 

Then with the help of the right medications, (different people usually are described different medications). What helps one may not be helpful to another but given a chance there is a right combination that will help with you depression/bi-polar disorders. 

And lastly finding the right counselor or therapist that you can feel comfortable with. Some men can relate to women better than men or vice versa.

Don't be ashamed or afraid to ask for help, the only shame is NOT seeking help.  If you don't care enough about yourself to seek help, do it for those you love and don't want to hurt.

 

Yes there are ways to reverse the baggage.
In airports there are baggage claim areas to pick up your luggage? Get off the plane forget the luggage and leave it there. It won't be easy but it can be done.

I hope this will help someone.








 

A town with a future, yet lost in the past

Living in the future,yet lost in the past, may sound like some thing out of a lost in space movie. But its not, its about people who just cant let go of the past, so they can move on to the future.Take for instance the young as well as the middle age, say beginning around the age 18 to 45. that sounds like a good enough age to start.Because their young and fresh out of High School.The only thoughts they really have are they've just completed 12 of the most grueling years of their life.Some will head off to college,others will just hang around the little po-dunk town in which they were raised.Taking on some dead end job, that won't ever lead to anything other than heartache and despair.Then you have those who did as they planned, they went off to college.Some with business degrees,others with a masters. And then those who will hook up with large corporations, and will never ever have to lift a finger again. Because they followed their dream of not wanting to be stuck in that small town in which they were born only to visit, if then. Dont get me wrong small town America isn't so bad if the right people are in place, that would help the growth of our smaller cities and towns. . Most leadership in smaller cities and town are afraid that if they incorporate, the larger companies will swallow up the Moms and Pops of America. And it is sad to say, that it does happen. Let's take for instance my town which has a population of about 33,000 people, if that, I have lived here now going on 8 years. Population verses work growth doesn't match, in that 8 years, I have to say growth has been moderate. At the industrial park here, (if you even wanna call it that), there was a chicken prosessing plant here that closed down and moved it's operations back to Missouri and Arkansas, leaving the park with 3 companies. A boat company, that has since close down, a oil field parts cleaning and restoration plant, that in the last 6 years has expanded. (that's one pro). Then the building where the prosessing plant originally was, was bought by an Herb and Spice company which brought back jobs to the community, only to have it not last even a full year. During one of our famous Southeastern Oklahoma ice storms some of the wiring shorted out due to heavy build up of ice on the top of the building. We lost the business because one of the maintenance workers turned off the water valve to the sprinkler system. Now that's suspicious. The building burned down due to several factors, the Fire dept. wasn't able to reach it in time because of the icy roads, the contents of the building and the distance of the park. Then we have Simonton windows and doors that is still here. They have jobs, and from what I hear, they have strict policies. I hear that if you are in charge of a line or in charge of loading trucks that 1 or 2 mess ups and they fire you. We also have a once called General Dynamics here but it laid off a few years ago and is just a shell of what it one was. National oil well business is booming but never has a opening to hire. Then there's the Army ammo plant which is a great job, it pays good. Some may laugh at this. But it's true, it's a great job, however, I didn't say it was a great place to work. The environment stinks. And if you have ever, and I mean ever heard that to be a true Government worker you need to be worthless and lazy, it is true. The ones who never turn into a true Government worker have it bad because,theyre the ones who are stuck carrying the load, and when brought to the attention of a supervisor get laughed at, told to suck it up or, oh well deal with. You will never find a work place worse than a Government job where the buddy system is in full play. And the part about those who choose not to be "true" Government employees, and left to carry the load, doesn't last long. And whether anyone chooses to believe this or not, there are more people than anyone will ever know, because of the way the Goverment is set up and the privacy policy, that have taken their lives or lost their lives at this very plant because of the leadership and the stress they place upon those who are the workers. But let's get back to a town with a future yet lost in the past. A couple of years ago they did "let" a Lowes building materials come to town, yahoo, big deal, cost them millions of dollars though. We have more hotels than we have people who stop in the city. One they just built and opened 6 months ago and hasn't had a customer yet, 6 months. The only thing big that ever happens here is when the Defense Ammunition Center (DAC) a part of the base starts Quasis classes and most of them stay in camping trailers on base. We did have 2 good eating places, I said did have until one changed ownership, now we have one and and I'm afraid to eat there because you always get sick after you eat there and not from over eating! There are a lot of fast food places. So what do we have to offer here in this po-dunk town, that would lead an 18 year old to prosper? Not a thing. Rent is to high on a rent house that has holes in the walls, unlevel floors, the roof looks like its about to fall in, and half painted. As i think about it now as I've been writing, the more I think about it, we haven't even had moderate growth. The only way to prosper in this small town is to have the name STIPE, COVINGTON, PHIPPS or Cuzalina and a few others I can't think of at this time. Where we live, if ya like drugs esp meth come on down, but don't get caught, they'll arrest ya and take your stuff and sell it on the side. Their known to be a little shady around these parts, OH and one other thing, dont go sticking your noise around anyone's property here you may not ever be seen again.
This town and others like it would lose its tag as a po-dunk town if it would get rid of the old leadership and vote in New and younger ones. How about an up and coming 18 year old, couldn't hurt it any more than it is. When we can get rid of those who are stuck in the past, this town can move into the future. The reason I mentioned the age 45 up top is they'll spend their life here and at 45 still have nothing to show for it.
I've only pointed out the problems in this town to illustrate the lack of opportunity for our young people and how a town that lives in the past cannot offer a future.