Emotionally, Physically, Spiritually and Mentally. So tell me, How ya doing?

Featured Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

Hey, Friends. It’s been a cool minute since my last post.

Is this quarantine life crazy or WHAT! I guess I really didn’t know how or what to expect from the now “social-distancing” mantra that’s hit the WHOLE WORLD by storm. As I stated in my “Rona Post” – I’m one that really doesn’t take things too seriously? But in this case, things are VERY much serious indeed.

I believe more serious than any of us can or would have imagined. It has me asking questions like, “How did something like this get SO out of control?” and/or “Can this virus really be killed by heat?” it’s so many conflicting information going on in regards to this virus, it’s hard to believe anything. I literally quit looking at the news – it’s just wasn’t good for me mentally. Feel me?

I’m about DONE with this whole virus talk and who got it and who died from it. It’s just so sad, my heart literally breaks. I heard a case recently of a child that had it and was turned away by the hospital because he didn’t have insurance, that child later died. See, that’s the reason why I stopped looking at the news and it’s not only that but my heart breaks for all the doctors, nurses, staff and essential workers who are still grinding during this pandemic – putting themselves at risk.

My prayers are with them and the families that have lost beautiful souls and the ones who have tested positive for COVID-19. I’m sure by now we ALL must know someone who either tested positive or died from the virus. My heart and prayers are with you as we all move forward with the hope that this will end soon and uncertainty as to what’s next.

In the midst of going through things like this, it can have a major impact on your Emotional, Mental, Spiritual and Physical health in which is what I want to talk about. So how are you doing?

I thought this would be a great post to check-in and give an update on my status as well as give tips or even listen to yours. Because with all this social-distancing going on as we push further and further away from even “touching” each other, it can feel socially-lonely.

Emotionally:

Well, I’ve already stated how this virus is making me feel emotional and that hasn’t changed. As stated, I had to quit watching the news. However; I get these rapid news breaks on my phone which doesn’t help BUT I decide what I “choose” to click on and what I “choose” to read. There’s a lot of conflicting information going on from stimulus checks, to who died of the virus and etc. Does the word DOOMSCROLLING ring a bell?

You have a choice in what you choose to hear and what you choose to read, we all do. Instead of putting your emotions towards the loss, we’ve had; try focusing on the stories of individuals going out of their way to help others and/or the survivors including some elderly people who have conquered the virus. Where there’s bad news? There’s also good news – choose wisely.

Mentally:

Mental and emotional can sometimes go hand in hand with one another but one deals with the heart while the other deals with the mind. Your mental state during a “pandemic” can be very daunting. For instance, before things really “tightened” up concerning COVID-19. I went into the grocery store to purchase a couple of things AND while turning to go down the beverage aisle, I saw a purse on the shelf, like yes – someone literally left their purse on the shelf. I’ve been there before, I’ve put my keys and wallet on the shelf before and “out of sight, out of mind” just left – thank God every time I’ve gone back my items were still there (angels watching!) Without even thinking, I quickly grabbed the purse and took it to customer service. They had sanitizer up there, so I squeezed some in my hand after handing the clerk the purse and went on by my business. It wasn’t until I got in the car that I thought, “What if that person had COVID?” – My mind immediately went crazy! I was thinking about all types of weird, negative things. What if I had it? I thought.

And we ALL know that when we “think” things – next thing you know you feel like you have symptoms and etc. Well, that was well over a month ago and while a little tickle, sneeze or cough makes my mental psyche go coo-coo. I have to believe that God has me and I have to put my trust in him. Which brings me to my next emotion.

Spritually:

I will start this off segment off with this scripture – Isaiah 26:3 NIV “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! that scripture is fitting mentally as well. In this time of crisis, it’s good to have an anchor. For me that anchor is God, for you, it may be something else such as meditation or listening to mindful podcasts. I’ve heard quite a few people say that this pandemic is God’s way of getting our attention. His way of making sure that we spend more one-on-one time with him and I agree. Before this pandemic, I’m sure you like myself have maybe mentioned about there not being enough time in a day to do anything including spending time with the big man upstairs.

Well, this is the time. The time that you need and I need to do that. Prayer in times like these is very essential, needed and important. Prayer, time with God and meditation keeps you centered and “in perfect peace” as the scripture states. And we all need a “peace” of mind right about now. I’ve been doing the FIRST15 app. It’s an app that has a devotion, prayer, scripture, and song all in one day. It even allows you to journal your thoughts. It’s been really good, outside of the bible app to spend time with God for the first 15 minutes of your day. We all need something to keep us sane, so why not vamp up your spiritual mood.

Physically:

There’s a reason why I put this one LAST! It’s seriously HARD for me to get on a schedule. And what I mean by that is EXERCISE! I’ve downloaded a couple of workouts to my YTube playlist including one by Massy Arias – who is a personal trainer, she makes her workouts look so easy but the way her body is set up? I can tell, it’s definitely NOT! AND of course, it’s not just all about the workout but you have to EAT right as well and you would think since we’re all “quarantining” that I would have this figured out, but sad to say, I don’t! I guess it’s because exercise is not something I have been heavily involved in even prior to this pandemic. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a stranger to exercise and when I’m in, I’M TOTALLY ALL THE WAY INNNN!!! However, the saying is true – the first time you stop exercising, it’s pretty much downhill from there, so let’s just say – I’ve been trotting downhill for months now! I’ve been trying to get on the bandwagon, although “quarantine” has me seemingly thinking about food ALL the time. I mean, it’s literally right in my lap now. LOL

BUT, I’m going to get it done. I feel like I need to get on track as we all could be out of quarantine in a couple months and I wouldn’t want this time to be wasted; that would be a REAL bummer. So pray for me that I stop being lazy and get back on the exercise track!

Well, outside of my kids being out of school and the online learning they now are subjected too and me making sure they stay on track with that. This has been my COVID-19, social-distancing, and quarantine LIFE! So, what’s been going on with you?

How are you doing emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically? Let’s talk! You can email me at rblackmon58@gmail.com or tell me how you’re doing in the comments. I’d love to hear from you! Because in times like these, we all NEED each other.

In the meantime, Stay Well, Stay Safe, Follow the Directions given & Stay INDOORS as much as possible, this is also a great time to stay connected to loved ones & friends!

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The Pain Of Closing EVERY Door

Featured Image: Courtesy of Bing

Hey, What’s Up! I know, I know – Long time no hear from, right? I miss you too!!…but hey, I’m all over the place everywhere else such as FB & Here >> my new business website! The only blog post that’ll be posted there are posts in regards to business for the “business parent” in which is my new name and tag for anyone who has a business or just starting a business. Your business is your BIG or little baby and you have to nurture, take care and even “defend” it just as you would a natural child.

Bing-Business Baby

So there’ll be tips for the Business Parents in which the subscribers will get as well as discounts, specials or news about any services offered. I might even do some webinar stuff down the road, so that’ll be a treat as well. Anywho, this post is NOT about the business, but an FYI, just in case I go M.I.A again – you’ll know where to find me (wink 😉

Sooooooo, how have you been? What’s been going on in your life since we last chatted. I’d love to hear about it, so please leave it in the comment section (I promise to bring the coffee and the tea 🙂 Well, it’s been a minute since I posted, outside of the book reviews in which I’ll be doing more of those, so be on the lookout. I’m grateful for Amy’s post, hopefully, you’ve been enjoying those while the cat’s been away. You know LIFE and yes, it’s capital for a reason. Is so CRAZYYYYY, that’s capital for a reason too. Just when you think everything and EVERYONE (another capital for good reason) is in the right place and everything’s a go and just when you’re about to switch that gear shift from “P” to “D”. You have to abort the mission and let someone out or put something back. They or it have to be axed from your good trip of up and onwards – FOR GOOD!

Let’s get right to the nitty-gritty, life has many open and closed doors. Some you’ll walk in and others you’ll walk out. Some you’ll open to new faces and others you’ll have to close on old faces. That’s been my summer. I’ve had to CLOSE some doors that pained me to close, doors that I thought was open for my good, but realized – it wasn’t for my good at all. Not to say that people or things were bad. It’s just that in life when God gets ready to move you to another level (and it’s very cliché what I’m about to say) he has to shut some doors in order to open some new ones, but what if the doors he’s trying to shut is being held open by a doorstop, that you put there… There are some doors that God will not close, you’ll have to close them on your own.

Closed Door – Gif

I didn’t realize that God was trying to tell ME to close those doors. As a matter of fact, he specifically said: “Close Every Door” that means that no door was to be opened, but every door had to be completely SHUT with no #doorstops to keep them slightly open. It’s almost like going down a dark hallway and feeling your way through. At least a cracked door offers a glimmer of light, so while the hallway may be dark – that glimmer helps you to see somewhat of where you’re going until you can get where you’re going. But God said close every door, so, therefore – NO LIGHT, NO SIGHT!

You see, God had been dealing with me and telling me to close these doors for quite some time, but instead of truly shutting them. I was placing doorstops in the doors so they wouldn’t shut completely. Most of it was out of comfortability with the person or thing. The other reason of hesitancy was because, for some reason, I always feel a need to explain why I’m doing a particular thing or acting a certain way, mainly because I don’t like people feeling ill about me and I despise hurting people’s feelings. I knew God had a reason but I felt if I didn’t talk to them or indulge that much, then that would be like the door being closed because I’m not giving them or it my full undivided attention.

Ever Been There, Done That? But those weren’t his instructions…

I’m a firm believer that MOST of us are truly in the same place we’ve been in for SOOOOO LONG because we have those door stops sitting in between doors that should actually be CLOSED! The bible says it’s the “small” foxes that destroy the vine. So, it’s not those huge things that we’re surely aware of, but those little itsy bitsy spider things that we don’t pay attention to, such as a doorstop.

There’s a great pain that comes with closing doors – I mean, it’s not meant to be easy. However, when God tells you or you get the feeling that you need to close a door on something or someone. I don’t know what unnecessary doors you have open in your life today but we have three more months until the end of the year. This year, right now – determine to close that door for once and for good.

It’s true, we all don’t know where that dark hall is going to take us and that’s the scary part, but we have to walk by FAITH and not by SIGHT. Sometimes, that’s what God is waiting for you to do, to walk by FAITH! – Faith opens the right doors and opportunities, sight keeps the wrong ones open. As much as it pained me, I closed ALL those doors – some closings pained me more than others. I was scared and yes, I cried but nothing is to be compared to the many doors, I’m walking in expectancy for God to OPEN!

What Doors Do You Need to Completely “CLOSE” today?

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#NODOORSTOPS!

P.S. I know I have A LOT of catching up to do with blog post reads from my fellow bloggers, I’m definitely going to be doing that, so please don’t think it strange if you get a lot of likes on something you wrote a month ago. I’m trying to play catch up! See ya Around 😉

Thoughts: Is Halloween Reallyyyyyy, The Devil’s Birthday?

I recently glanced over a post (linked below) that asked a similar question, it got me to thinking – so I decided to write my thoughts about it…

So, I just have to say before I start this post that if you have a different opinion, while it’s appreciated because we all have one, right? But if yours is STRONGLY opinionated to the point of arguing (because I’m a lover, not a fighter = ) then please – STOP HERE and don’t go any further…

But, for everyone else who just want to read something today – let’s forge ahead….shall we? Okay, so I’m just going to put it out there – I’ve been told ALLLLLLLLL my little life that Halloween was the devils night and we should all stay in the house on that day. I was told that the devil uses that day to disguise himself as well as his counterparts because everyone’s in costumes so you’ll never know if it’s really a child or something else lurking behind it.

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This made me scared and if I can be honest, put a bad complex over me and the holiday altogether. Does the devil really have a birthday??? Like Jesus does??? I guess because Halloween has been linked to everything “evil” that was the most common day that seemed like it would be well-fitting for such an evil person.

Related Post: 3 Reasons Why Halloween Is Not Satan’s Birthday and Never Will Be

However; I don’t think that Halloween is the devil’s birthday – just as I don’t think Christmas is Jesus’ birthday (I know I just got nailed to every cross imaginable, for that statement) but I don’t. I know the bible makes references to the night he was born and the many things that happened but there’s no real (or at least I haven’t seen it) conclusion as to when Jesus was born and if I can be honest, I really don’t care to know – the only thing I know is that I LOVE HIM and appreciate him. We honor him every day when we give thanks for the things he has done, the things he has brought us thru and the things that we know, that we know, that we know should have happened to us but by his mercy and grace – we’re still here (can I get an amen for that?!)

If Halloween was really the devil’s birthday, then why do Christians still celebrate the day by doing trunk or treat or little parties and etc. I mean, that’s still a celebration for the day, right? I say, people believe what they want to believe and if you have kids then let them enjoy the day, trust me as they get older – they’ll form their own opinion about what they really think and not because of something, someone forced them to believe.

As a Christian, I’m not much into any holidays really – especially my birthday but that’s another post discussion. But I do have kids and they desire to hang with friends and do fun things on that night just as anyone else and I let them. In the past, we’ve watched scary movies, ate cupcakes and had pizza on that night.

Related Post: 5 Spooky/Thriller Movies You Must See Before Halloween Ends

Do I believe spirits are real? yes, I do…

Do I believe they only come out on Halloween? No, I don’t…

We live in a world full of spirits – Good as well as Bad ones

The question we should ask ourselves is “WHICH ones we’re entertaining the most”

So, this was just my two cents – which probably doesn’t matter much but anywho, I hope you have a GREAT Halloween, whether you believe in it or not. Whatever you decide to do on this day, just make it fun and not “intentionally” scary or bad on purpose. Holidays are what you make them out to be….whether you’re a Christian or not.

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Sunday’s Thought: Sometimes, You Only Get One SHOT!

the photo above courtesy of bing/spiritosamente.com

I totally cringe when I look at shows such as ‘The Voice’, ‘World of Dance’ and ‘America’s Got Talent.’ No, No – it’s not because I dislike shows like that because, in actuality, I’m a huge fan of them. But what gets me is when you have a person that’s so FULL of talent – bomb on a song or don’t bring their very best to the stage.

Continue reading “Sunday’s Thought: Sometimes, You Only Get One SHOT!”

From the Sea Floor to the Surface: When God brings up Matters we don’t want to Face.

Has God ever dealt with you about the little kinks in your life. The Kinks that you kick under the rug and chalk up as it just being who you are? Well, you’ve heard the song Search Me Lord – the lyrics go something like this:

Oh, search me, Lord/ Search me, Lord/ Shine the light from heaven on my soul, if you find anything that shouldn’t be/Take it out and strengthen me/Cause I wanna be right/I wanna be saved/And I wanna be whole.

A song like that sounds so good when you hear it and I really do believe at the time that is exactly what we really want God to do. But if I can be honest – when God really does search us and bring it to the surface for us to either repent and/or handle or ask for forgiveness of; it’s not so easy. As a matter of fact it’s quite painful and nerving because that truth is now an open box that you have to deal with face-to-face. Sometimes we chalk things up as “Oh, that’s just who I am – I can’t help it,” we know its a problem, but it’s a small problem that we tend to sweep under the rug to not remember any more.

I just had this experience on several occasions within the past week and because I’m big on being transparent, I wanted to share that with you today. As long as I could remember, I’ve always been known to be a very sweet, outgoing, loving and catering person – notice the last word – Catering. Yes, I tend to cater to peoples needs. However, I had a serious issue that the Lord had to really dig up and bring to the surface. By the time he brought it up out of the water, what started out as something as small as a grain of sand; ended up turning into a ship – Yes! I had kept the problem buried for so long until it had grown bigger over time. Not ReadyThe problem I had was being totally honest with people. I’ve always been a caterer and when you cater to people, you tend to cater to their needs and wants, forgetting all about what you really need and want.

I had a good friend to ask me to be in a wedding this year, she wanted me to be the Maid of Honor, talk about excited – I was ecstatic about it, especially with helping her to plan her special day to trying on the dress and the whole nine. But, things took a major turn when I realized I didn’t have the funds to be in the wedding. On another note, I had a friend to give me some materials to write out for her; she wanted to turn a couple of videos into blog post and had asked, if I didn’t mind – could I do it. Of course I said Yes, very quickly. While I did do the first set of videos, Life happened and I wasn’t able to do the other set. Another Instance, lately I’ve been looking at moving and was looking into different places; I seen one I liked and contacted the property owner to setup a time to go and look at it, but on the day that I went to look – it was raining very badly and I ended up not going.

So, you may be wondering – Okay, so what’s the problem? Well, the thing is when life happened for me or if I couldn’t do something that I promised; I always came up with a lie as to why I couldn’t do it or just didn’t respond to the issue at hand – I always found it easier to just not respond to things of that nature, I literally would go M.I.A and when I was confronted – I would make something up that sounded really good and move on. Well God dealt with me about that and the instances I told you above went like this:

I was honest with my good friend and told her that as much as I would like to be in the wedding, I really couldn’t afford to do it. Money is tight and I had other pressing issues that needed to be handled. (In the past, I would have pressed on with being in the wedding and would have forsook all other responsibilities) And while they were off on wedded bliss, I would have been home crying my eyes out about how I was going to pay my next light bill. I ended up telling my friend that I apologize about the videos and not getting them to her in the time-frame that she wanted me too, I told her that life for me had gotten busy and that I would not be able to do anymore at this time but would finish the one’s she gave to me. (In times past, I would have just made something up about my reasoning’s). And last but not least the apartment showing – I ended up calling the lady and told her that I wouldn’t be able to make it to the showing and that I wanted to call her ahead of time and let her know. (In times past, I would have let the time come and go and she would not have saw me,  I would have let her go out to the showing without calling or giving a reason as to why I couldn’t make it).

The bible says, “The small foxes, destroy the vine” Song of Solomon 2:15 – It’s not the big things in the end that will get us, it’s the small things that we don’t really think of or take notice too that will ultimately be our demise – even with getting into heaven. While I didn’t want God to reveal those things to me about myself – I appreciated the fact that he did and that he loved me enough to bring that big ship out of the ocean for me to confront. We’re all a work in progress, It’s better to be at peace with yourself than to displease God just to please people. If we are truly adamant about being like Christ and/or going back to be with him, then we have to allow him to bring all of our oceans bottom, to the TOP!

What about you
Has God been tugging at you to bring something from your sea floor to the surface?

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