An inspirational video clip "Counting Your Blessings"
"No matter how hard it seems at first - grit your teeth and persevere." - Prof Ashton
"Benzo withdrawal symptoms do diminish in time, but only get worse if you stay on the drugs." - Prof Ashton
"It is important to realise that no permanent damage has been done." - Prof Ashton
"All sorts of neurological tests in cases like yours have shown that the muscles are normal." - Prof Ashton
"Symptoms are worsened by anxiety and fear." - Prof Ashton
"You can return to normal health." - Prof Ashton
"You must keep a positive attitude, be courageous." - Prof Ashton
"Allow time for your nervous system to recover. It will."- Prof Ashton
"The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it."
"The secret of patience is doing something else in the meanwhile"
"Every path has its puddle"
"If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere."
"One may not reach the dawn save by the path of the night."
"Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength."
"Don't be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams."
"No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path." ... Buddha
"Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total
obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through
me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where
the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. ' - Frank Herbert
"The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the
next." Mignon McLaughlin
"Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use." - Ruth
Gordon
"You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you.' - Mary
Tyler Moore
'If I had a formula for bypassing trouble, I would not pass it round. Trouble creates a capacity to handle it. I don't embrace trouble; that's as bad as treating it as an enemy. But I do say meet it as a friend, for you'll see a lot of it and had better be on speaking terms with it." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes
"The important thing is to take that first step. Bravely overcoming one small fear gives you the courage to take on the next."
"No matter how wonderful our dreams, how noble our ideals, or how high our hopes, ultimately we need courage to make them a reality. Without action, it's as if they never existed."
"If you summon your courage to challenge something, you'll never be left with regret. How sad it is to spend your life wishing, "If only I'd had a little more courage." Whatever the outcome may be, the important thing is to step forward on the path that you believe is right."
"The only way out is through" - The Benzo Group
"Come to the edge," he said. They said, "We are afraid." "Come to the edge," he said. They came. He pushed them . . . and they flew. ~ Guillaume Apollinaire Comment "Reminds me so much of what I needed to learn...and as much as I hate what I am going through and have gone through, somehow I know I am thankful for it. If I can get through this...I can get through anything. This is how I have learned courage...how I have learned to keep moving even when I feel like lying down and surrendering. "
"Suffering, once accepted, loses its edge, for the terror of it lessens, and what remains is generally far more manageable than we had imagined." - Lesley Hazelton. Comment "For me this is so true. Seven months ago, before I stopped Klonopin, if someone were to tell me that I would be able to not only live through, but gain knowledge from the myriad of symptoms I have had over the past six months, I would have thought them insane. I was DEFINETELY NOT that strong. I used to think of myself as strong willed, but unfortunately weak in spirit I now know that nothing could be farther from the truth. This experience, although given the choice I would obviously choose not to have had, has opened my eyes to so many things about myself. Now when presented with a challenge, and some days that just means getting out of bed, I try to never think "I can't". I know that I had thought that in the past, and the reality is "I CAN"God Speed "
- Fall seven times, stand up eight. Japanese Proverb
- "Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." - T.S. Eliot
- "There are no gains without pains." - Adlai Stevenson
- "There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative." W. Clement Stone
- "You've done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination." Ralph Marston
- "For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else" Winston Churchill
- "A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes." Mahatma Gandhi
- "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." - Aristotle
- "The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible."
- Trust in yourself. Your perceptions are often more accurate than you are willing to believe. Black, Claudia
- Do not fear mistakes- there are none. Davis, Miles
- Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself. Cicero
- One learns by doing a thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try. Sophocles
- Do the thing you are afraid to do and the death of fear is certain. Emerson, Ralph Waldo
- The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time. Lincoln, Abraham
- Many of us spend our whole lives running from feeling with the mistaken belief that you can not bear the pain. But you have already borne the pain. What you have not done is feel all you are beyond that pain. Kahlil Gibran
- Every exit is an entry somewhere else. Stoppard, Tom
- The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely. Jung, Carl
- To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive. Stevenson, Robert Louis
- Stop thinking and talking about it and there is nothing you will not be able to know. Zen Paradigm
- It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult. Seneca
- There is the risk you cannot afford to take, and there is the risk you cannot afford not to take. Drucker, Peter
- Trust that still, small voice that says, "This might work and I'll try it." Mariechild, Diane
- Saying no can be the ultimate self-care. Black, Claudia
- I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy. Curie, Marie
- You've got to find the force inside you. Campbell, Joseph
- I need to take an emotional breath, step back and remind myself who's actually in charge of my life. Knowlton, Judith
-"Swallow a toad in the morning and you will encounter nothing more disgusting the rest of the day." ~Nicholas Chamfort
- "Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts. It's what you do with what you have left." ~Hubert Humphrey
- "Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious." ~Bill Meyer
- "If you have the will to win, you have achieved half your success; if you don't, you have achieved half your failure." ~David Ambrose
- "If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it." ~Mary Engelbreit
- "So often time it happens, we all live our life in chains, and we never even know we have the key". ~The Eagles, "Already Gone"
A Blessing
"Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars, pour their healing light on you!"
Don't Quit.
"When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging
seems all up hill.
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow-
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out-
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things seem worst that
you must not quit."
It's gonna take some time this time
The Carpenters
It's gonna take some time this time
To get myself in shape.
I really fell out of line this time,
I really missed the gate.
The birds on the telephone like, (next time)
Are cryin' out to me, (next time)
And I won't be so blind next time,
And I'll find some harmony.
But it's going to take some time this time,
And I can't make demands.
But, like the young trees in the winter time,
I'll learn how to bend.
After all the tears we've spent,
How could we make amends?
So, it's one more round for experience
And I'm on the road again,
And it's going to take some time this time!
But it's going to take some time this time,
No matter what I've planned.
And, like the young trees in the winter time,
I'll learn how to bend.
After all the tears we've spent,
How could we make amends?
So, it's one more round for experience
And I'm on the road again,
And it's going to take some time this time!
Heavy Load
By Karyn Milos 1999
If I had given up,
I would not have had
that sunset.
See? That? That
is something.
Light between
the cracks of pain,
pain that cracks the
numbing
flesh
beneath the stone.
This tree,
these leaves
are testimony:
Winter does not last
forever.
And neither does
summer.
And neither
does winter.
One example is "Faith of The Heart".
"t's been a long night
"It's been a long night
Trying to find my way
And through the darkness
Now I finally had my day
And I will see my dream come alive at last
I will touch the sky
And they're not gonna hold me down no more
No there not gonna change my mind
Cause I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got faith to believe
I can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
And no one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith
Faith of the heart"
A Message by George Carlin:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings
but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We
spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have
bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less
judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less
wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too
little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too
tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk
too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years
to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and
back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We
conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things,
but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the
atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan
more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We
build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies
than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and
small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are
the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken
homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway
morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do
everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is
much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when
technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can
choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not
going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe,
because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is
the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a
cent.
Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones,
but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it
comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person
will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the
precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the
moments that take our breath away.
The Race
By Sharon Conway
When I heard the news, my hands began to shake
No, this could not be true; there must be some mistake.
I guess I've always known, life has no guarantee
But, I could not admit that this was happening to me.
When I went to bed, I cried myself to sleep
Then tossed and turned all night, and prayed my soul to keep
Yet, when the morning came, and things were still the same
Well, I knew then and there that it was up to me to change.
Now, you can hear me sing; my hat is in the ring
I'm gonna run the race until it's over.
All bets are off tonight; I'm gonna fight the fight
Make no mistake; I'm gonna run the race.
Now, I live each day, as though it were my last
I cherish all your love, each moment lying past
So, when I greet the dawn; a smile is on my face
As long as I've a breath to take I'm gonna run the race.
Now, you can hear me sing; my hat is in the ring
I'm gonna run the race until it's over.
All bets are off tonight I'm gona fight the fight
Make no mistake; I'm gonna run the race!
_______________________________________________________________________________
"Healing is an energy phenomenon. Hope is another word for Healing."
"Cracks in the concrete are just reminders that you fall apart no matter how strong you are"
"Sometimes it is best to forget what you feel and remember what you deserve"
"I'm going to smile like nothing is wrong, talk like everything is perfect, act like its all a dream, and pretend its not hurting me."
_________________________________________________________________________________
Three passions have governed my life:
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of [humankind].
Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of [people].
I have wished to know why the stars shine.
Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.
This has been my life; I found it worth living.
adapted - Bertrand Russell
__________________________________________________________________________________