The Holiday Season reminds us to be compassionate toward others. But what about someone who has offended you in some way? How can you be compassionate toward someone you feel has hurt you? Forgiving someone who has offended you is the best way to let go of negative energy and hurt feelings.
Forgiveness isn't about condoning the offending behavior, nor is it about forgetting that it ever happened. Forgiveness is a choice to no longer allow the offender's previous behavior to control your emotions. It is about letting go of your anger, and choosing to step out of the victim role.
What is forgiveness?
There's no single definition of forgiveness. But in general, forgiveness is a decision to let go of resentments and thoughts of revenge. Forgiveness is the act of releasing yourself from thoughts and feelings that keep you tied to the offense committed against you. Doing so can reduce the power these feelings have had over you. When you forgive, you can live a freer and happier life in the present instead of focusing on your negative past experience. Forgiveness can even lead to feelings of understanding, empathy and compassion for the one who hurt you.
Forgiving isn't the same as forgetting what happened to you. The act that hurt or offended you may always remain a part of your life. But forgiveness can lessen its grip on you and help you focus on other, positive parts of your life. And forgiveness doesn't mean that you deny the other person's responsibility for hurting you, and it doesn't minimize or justify the wrong. You can forgive the person without excusing the act.
There are also tangible benefits to forgiving?
Researchers have recently become interested in studying the effects of being unforgiving and being forgiving. Evidence shows that holding onto grudges and bitterness results in long-term health problems. Forgiveness, on the other hand, offers numerous benefits, including:
* Lower blood pressure
* Stress reduction
* Less hostility
* Better anger management skills
* Lower heart rate
* Lower risk of alcohol or substance abuse
* Fewer depression symptoms
* Fewer anxiety symptoms
* Reduction in chronic pain
* More friendships
* Healthier relationships
* Greater religious or spiritual well-being
* Improved psychological well-being
Help yourself - forgive your offender and live a happier, less stress-filled life.
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Can Mormons be Vegans?
I remember years ago learning in some class or meeting that being a vegetarian was not living the gospel. The thought was that by following and understanding the Word of Wisdom we would eat meat when other fresh foods were not available. But when grains, fruits and vegetables were in season we should focus on them instead of on meat.
Well, for those of us who live in the United Stated and other countries where produce is available all year round, how do we reconcile eating meat at all? On the other hand, even those of us who profess to follow the Word of Wisdom, most of us don't truly follow it to the letter of the law. In our "1st world" of plenty we have all varieties of foods available to us nearly all year long. We can eat a meal with meat & grain & veggies & fruits any time we wish. I've yet to meet anyone who only eats meat during the coldest winter months. So how, in this modern era of food production, do we figure out how to best follow the Word of Wisdom so that when we are at our next temple recommend interview we can feel honest about the answer we give?
Because of the constant availability of legumes, lentils, whole grain products and soy products along with the regular fruits and fresh/frozen veggies, eating meat may not be necessary anymore in our culture. Hmmm...
About 20 years ago a friend of mine became a vegetarian and soon the whole family followed suit. At first I was terrified. Afraid that they would be scolded by the leaders of the church or that they were on the verge of apostasy. I was wrong on both counts. My friend's family members were all very obese, she had diabetes and other health problems and her new son-in-law talked them into trying the new lifestyle for just a few weeks to see how they felt about it. So they did.
They didn't become vegetarians because they were protesting the killing of animals to satisfy our gluttonous desires. They were doing it to see if their health would improve. Within just three months it became obvious to all who knew them that whatever they were doing was really helping them. They all lost weight slowly and healthfully. Their diabetes became so easy to control with the diet that they were able to go off their meds. It was like a miracle.
Now two decades later, I have diabetes and I've become obese (60 lbs overweight) and I am looking for help to get my health back, my stamina back and my figure back. So I started listening to lectures by medical doctors who were right on the forefront of learning exactly how to cure diabetes (even in the most ill patients) by healing their bodies from the inside out - strengthening their cell membranes, sloughing the fat off the cells that were preventing the body from utilizing insulin in the best way, and by healing the whole body rather than just treating a symptom.
The research has recently shown that by eating a completely vegan diet (no meat, dairy or eggs), one can see marked improvements in just two weeks and within a year they can be cured of type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Then the researchers started treating severely ill people with heart disease who were not expected to live long, and out of 100 people put on a strict Vegan diet, over 80 of them grew new, stronger veins to their hearts and their cholesterol levels went down so fast that they had to stop taking their pills. The other 20 people improved enough to be able to avoid surgery and all are still alive as of this writing. Surprisingly, their arthritis also went away and everyone lost weight even those who did not exercise. And one woman in the study who had cancerous polyps had a miraculous recovery as the cancer and the polyps disappeared.
So I am now a Mormon and a Vegan. It has nearly been a week now. I told my Bishop about it and he supported me 100%. The reason is because I'm not taking the stand that killing animals for food is a horrible thing. I am doing it because I want to do whatever I can, in a natural, God given way, to nourish my body the way it deserves to be nourished. I want to do my part to treat it like the temple that it is.
So far after less than a week, my blood sugar has gotten down to normal range for the first time in over 2 years, the arthritis in my fingers is nearly gone and I have lost 4 pounds without letting myself get the least bit hungry. Without exercise I should loose about a pound a week, but with exercise I will loose about 2 pounds a week. What a great perk!
If you want information or the books that I have read leave a comment and I'll get back to you.
Well, for those of us who live in the United Stated and other countries where produce is available all year round, how do we reconcile eating meat at all? On the other hand, even those of us who profess to follow the Word of Wisdom, most of us don't truly follow it to the letter of the law. In our "1st world" of plenty we have all varieties of foods available to us nearly all year long. We can eat a meal with meat & grain & veggies & fruits any time we wish. I've yet to meet anyone who only eats meat during the coldest winter months. So how, in this modern era of food production, do we figure out how to best follow the Word of Wisdom so that when we are at our next temple recommend interview we can feel honest about the answer we give?
Because of the constant availability of legumes, lentils, whole grain products and soy products along with the regular fruits and fresh/frozen veggies, eating meat may not be necessary anymore in our culture. Hmmm...
About 20 years ago a friend of mine became a vegetarian and soon the whole family followed suit. At first I was terrified. Afraid that they would be scolded by the leaders of the church or that they were on the verge of apostasy. I was wrong on both counts. My friend's family members were all very obese, she had diabetes and other health problems and her new son-in-law talked them into trying the new lifestyle for just a few weeks to see how they felt about it. So they did.
They didn't become vegetarians because they were protesting the killing of animals to satisfy our gluttonous desires. They were doing it to see if their health would improve. Within just three months it became obvious to all who knew them that whatever they were doing was really helping them. They all lost weight slowly and healthfully. Their diabetes became so easy to control with the diet that they were able to go off their meds. It was like a miracle.
Now two decades later, I have diabetes and I've become obese (60 lbs overweight) and I am looking for help to get my health back, my stamina back and my figure back. So I started listening to lectures by medical doctors who were right on the forefront of learning exactly how to cure diabetes (even in the most ill patients) by healing their bodies from the inside out - strengthening their cell membranes, sloughing the fat off the cells that were preventing the body from utilizing insulin in the best way, and by healing the whole body rather than just treating a symptom.
The research has recently shown that by eating a completely vegan diet (no meat, dairy or eggs), one can see marked improvements in just two weeks and within a year they can be cured of type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Then the researchers started treating severely ill people with heart disease who were not expected to live long, and out of 100 people put on a strict Vegan diet, over 80 of them grew new, stronger veins to their hearts and their cholesterol levels went down so fast that they had to stop taking their pills. The other 20 people improved enough to be able to avoid surgery and all are still alive as of this writing. Surprisingly, their arthritis also went away and everyone lost weight even those who did not exercise. And one woman in the study who had cancerous polyps had a miraculous recovery as the cancer and the polyps disappeared.
So I am now a Mormon and a Vegan. It has nearly been a week now. I told my Bishop about it and he supported me 100%. The reason is because I'm not taking the stand that killing animals for food is a horrible thing. I am doing it because I want to do whatever I can, in a natural, God given way, to nourish my body the way it deserves to be nourished. I want to do my part to treat it like the temple that it is.
So far after less than a week, my blood sugar has gotten down to normal range for the first time in over 2 years, the arthritis in my fingers is nearly gone and I have lost 4 pounds without letting myself get the least bit hungry. Without exercise I should loose about a pound a week, but with exercise I will loose about 2 pounds a week. What a great perk!
If you want information or the books that I have read leave a comment and I'll get back to you.
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