Smoke and what I remember
Posted on October 28, 2016 2 Comments
Smoke
When I was in nursing school back in 1996, I remember being shown two pair of lungs…one in which the individual was a smoker, and the other pair in which the individual was exposed to second hand smoke. After seeing the black spots and damage to the lungs, I vowed then to not smoke and to stay as far as I could from individuals who did smoke.
We all have the right to choose how we want to live our life, and I know that until the early 60’s, many individuals were not fully informed about the consequences of smoking (cancers, lung disease, heart disease, etc.). Smoking was accepted by many as “the thing to do.” We probably all have something we know we should stop or not even start doing. So no judging here. I do believe that our actions have a direct or indirect effect on others (i.e. second hand smoke).
When I was Student Nurse, at one of the hospitals I worked at, I got to experience firsthand the potential consequences of smoking. Even as a Registered Nurse, I took care of many individuals who were smokers and wish they were not, as well as those who still smoked regardless of what they knew about smoking and its consequences. While I was a Student Nurse, I remember taking care of a lady in her early 60’s, whom I shall call Mrs. X. Mrs. X was so limited on what she could do for herself. She had been diagnosed with severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) which is a progressive lung disease. Smoking is the primary cause of COPD.
It was heartbreaking to see Mrs. X become extremely exhausted after just washing her face. She wanted to do as much as she could for herself. Being present and witnessing how she struggled taking care of herself reinforced that I didn’t want to smoke, try to take care of myself the best way I knew how, and that I should be grateful for the things I could do for myself. I didn’t judge Mrs. X. I helped her that day and many more days after that one until she was discharged from the hospital.
Timika
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Banned
Posted on October 27, 2016 3 Comments
Many educators and psychologist say that age 3-5 is a critical time for learning and helping to structure young children’s mind. I believe many behaviors and skills seen in adults are rooted in childhood. As a Nurse Educator and Certified Diabetes Educator, I have seen a lot of adults suffer from low self-efficacy. The word can’t sound so negative when I hear it and encourages limitations to what a person can or cannot do. I believe the word can’t need to be banned from our household, and I am on a mission to make it obsolete.
I find both my 5-year-old and 2-year-old using the word can’t sometimes. I think they may have picked it up from an episode of their favorite cartoon. Either way, I want our son and daughter to believe in the possibilities, know that there is more than one way to get something done, and experiment with different paths to get the same result while respecting others. I love encouraging our children to be optimistic and using problem-solving skills. I do not feel like I am forcing them to think a certain why….I try to be very careful with what I say and how I say it. I just wonder…. why wait until they are in school to encourage them to think for themselves and outside the box.
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Transformation
Posted on October 26, 2016 1 Comment
When I decided to live a healthier life, I knew I needed a mental transformation first. There had to be a desire to choose healthier foods and to increase my physical activity. When I finally made the decision to “change my ways”, everything else (eating more fruits and vegetables, less fried and fatty foods, increasing my intake of polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats (avocado, canola and olive oil, nuts, and increasing physical activity) became the right thing to do.
We all can change our status, and I have found that no lasting change will occur, unless we have the desire to change. We will make time instead of complain about how we do not have the time to exercise. We will buy and use the equipment we need to use, instead of complaining that the weather is not conducive to our change. We will make our health a priority, instead of complaining that we never have the time or money to change.
We will do what we need to do to accomplish the change we want to take place.
Timika
Timika S Chambers 