Emotional Support Kitties

When Frustration Hits, Cuddle Your Kitties!

The last few days have been rather frustrating (though all’s well that ends well when you have a great team!) and even my emotional support kitties are feeling the pressure. Max spent a good part of the morning walking around the house, howling, while Lazarus hung close, but not too close. Though I never figured out what Max wanted so badly he was howling about it, he seems to have settled back down. He did, however, take issue with me removing the blanket of fur he’d left on the loveseat. I guess it was his way of marking his territory. The one time Ishtar sat on it recently, he acted like someone had stolen his teddy bear! But today, she actually licked his face instead of hissing at him, so we’re making progress!

Speaking of progress, the daily walks are another mood booster, and frustration buster. On my more frustrating days, I tend to walk faster, and today, we got down to 20 minutes, 25 seconds per mile! Had we not stopped to talk to one of the people along our route for a minute, we’d have probably made it to a 20 minute mile! I was definitely more relaxed by the time I got back; ready to jump on yet another Zoom call to share knowledge, and work on some reporting requirements.

As it is, I’ve started making to do lists to keep track of all the tasks I need to complete. Last week, I had about 16, and all but one, non-critical one are complete. This week I’m up to 7 so far, and that’s after already completing payroll today, despite a few setbacks. It’s funny though. As frustrating as things have been lately, I’m also feeling energized. I find I’m completing my evening tasks earlier and earlier lately. Max and Sable aren’t complaining since it means an earlier dinner time for them!

The More You Do, the More You Do

It also means, unless I’m working later to finish a few more tasks on my list, I’m looking for something to do by about 8. It occurs to me starting to add back on-demand ballet classes at 7 or 8PM will fit perfectly into the gap, and give me some much-needed, additional exercise as well. Whether or not I’ll have the energy and drive to add it back the first week of the month remains to be seen. As it is, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are work days for me so I can stay ahead of the monthly billing.

I’m even planning to set my alarm so I can get my provision foraging done early to get a jump on tasks which aren’t dependent on others finishing their day. It’s coming as a complete surprise to me how much frustration; at least when it’s resolved successfully, can actually be inspiring and motivating. The crazier things get, the more I seem to be getting done, both personally and professionally.

Best of all, my cats seem to understand their assignment, and, for the most part, are doing their best to smooth my rough edges. I could call my Christmas movie binge watching a waste of time, but combined with all the kitty cuddles, I know it’s much-needed down time for me, and snuggles for my poor, neglected felines. (their words, not mine) I may jump up and down more often than they’d like, but it isn’t long before someone claims my lap again once I’m sitting, perhaps with a hot mug of turmeric tea laced with honey and fresh lemon juice.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

To some, spending Christmas and New Years alone in the house, working a few hours (or perhaps a lot of them) while others are celebrating with family and friends sounds like an incredibly sad pursuit. For me, it means I can work without interruptions because everyone is busy with family and friends, leaving me to knock out work, or write another blog post. That, alone will clear space in the days to come, allowing me to pivot on a dime if something new gets added to my life, or load.

Circling back to the original theme of this post, emotional support comes in many flavors. It might be pets, or walks, or some other kind of movement. Perhaps it’s a long phone conversation, or getting immersed in a good book. It could be as simple as curling up on the sofa with a cup of tea and a couple of cats to watch a movie which requires no mental involvement, and in fact, minimal attention to follow the story line.

Whatever works for you, it’s important to see it as a necessity rather than a luxury. Your sanity; your mental health and well-being depend on it!

Grateful for Every, Single Minute

My gratitudes today are:

1. I’m grateful for my emotional support kitties.
2. I’m grateful for my daily walks.
3. I’m grateful for the people in the neighborhood who have come to recognize us as we toddle along our regular route day after day.
4. I’m grateful for hot cups of tea, soft, snuggly kitties, and warm, fleece blankets.
5. I’m grateful for movies which don’t require much brain power, and are purely entertaining.

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income.

A Week for Shifting Gears

Throwing Regular Schedules Out the Window

The last week has been so upside down and backwards, I honestly have to stop, think, and look at a calendar to even know what day it is! The last time I danced was Saturday. The last time I took a ballet class was…I’m not even sure. I even missed my weekly training session, but rescheduled it for Monday along with my nail appointment. And Thursday’s walk didn’t happen because I was both exhausted and out of it after being up almost all night with Max at the vet.

To say the week went sideways is an understatement, but with Max ensconced in my guest room and on the mend, things are beginning to level out again. I always knew he was exceptionally smart, even for a cat, but who knew he’d adapt so well to confinement, or become as demanding, if not more so than any of my inside cats? Who knew he’d understand, despite the discomfort and unfamiliar territory I was trying to help him heal?

I brought one of his blankets in from the garage, and he was quite happy to make that his nest, at least until he discovered the bed. Any time I go into his room to check on him or feed him, he turns that wonderful, deep purr of his up full blast, and won’t let me leave until I’ve given him a few minutes of skritches, especially around his neck and face where the evil cone-of-shame rests. I know he’s trying to tell me to remove the evil thing, but excessive washing are what caused the wound to get infected so he’ll have to put up with it for a few days until I can see obvious improvement. He’s especially annoyed he can’t wash his tush. Perhaps I’ll have to help him with that area, as he’s doing a bang up job of filling his sandbox!

An Old Cat Learns New Tricks

Meanwhile, he gets to spend these increasingly cold nights in a heated room with all the conveniences close at hand. Not a bad life for a cat, even one used to roaming a 4-house radius hunting for gophers, rats, mice, and the occasional bunny. He’s even spared the clumsy, messy racoon visitations. One day, when he was having trouble settling down, much less, allowing me to leave, I took one of the many naps I’ve been needing on the guest room bed. He settled down on his blanket almost immediately.

For a cat I might often not see between breakfast and dinner, he’s taken a sudden liking to near-constant company! As for Sable, she doesn’t seem any the worse for wear being left alone outside right now. She follows her usual routine; meowing at the door for breakfast, wandering for a bit, then coming back to spend the day either on top of the ladder, or on the stack of cat litter bins. She, too, is up for a few skritches any time they’re offered.

Down Time to Allow Life to Shift Gears

Needless to say, I’m trying to fit work and writing in between going from room to room paying attention to cats (Mulan still occupies the den, and meows pitifully several times a day though she still refuses to emerge from her haven). At night, I now have at least 2 sleeping on top of me (3 if you count Pyewacket on my head), and as I’m watching a lot of Hallmark movies right now, am rarely without a furry blanket.

While this deviates from my normal schedule, I can’t say it’s a bad thing. Perhaps I, too just needed some down time to snuggle with the kitties, focus on keeping a temporary invalid safe, warm, and medicated, and doing nothing more strenuous than taking my daily walks. I’ll return to my regularly scheduled activities, and create one for my on-demand ballet classes in due time.

Perhaps this is just the healing time I needed after a year when the world as I knew it went up in flames. As the fires burn themselves out, I’ll be able to sweep away the ashes, and rebuild on a firmer, more loving, more supportive foundation. Maybe topsy-turvy was exactly what I needed!

Grateful for Building a New Normal

My gratitudes today are:

1. I’m grateful for upheavals which clear my slate.
2. I’m grateful for Max’s unexpected adjustment to confinement while he heals.
3. I’m grateful for an abundance of kitty cuddles. There, at least, I know I’m always supported.
4. I’m grateful for a quiet holiday season with no expectations on my side, or anyone else’s.
5. I’m grateful for another chance to reassess, and rebuild.

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income.

Check Engine Lights Remind You to Find Balance

Check Engine Lights Remind You to Balance

Everyone has ups and downs; highs and lows; days when you’re in high gear all day, knocking out tasks right and left, and those when simply getting out of bed is a major accomplishment. Problems arise when you try forcing yourself to be something you’re not, or ignore the signs until your engine shuts down due to lack of proper maintenance. If you wait until your engine seizes up and refuses to go any further, you risk damaging what would be a well-oiled machine were it given adequate amounts of healthy food, water, exercise, recreation, and rest.

Too many are brainwashed into believing they need to work hard to get ahead. If they’re not making progress at the expected rate, they think working harder is going to solve the problem. The truth is, working harder isn’t necessarily the answer. How many people work themselves into an early grave, and all they get is frustration, and ultimately, failure to achieve what they think they’re supposed to?

Sure, successful people seem to work 90 hours a day, from the outside looking in. Certainly, there are some who do, eschewing family, recreation, and a social life. I see it in the same way many women starve themselves to stay thin, yet never believe they’re thin enough. No amount of material success is ever going to satisfy the people referred to as workaholics because they never allow themselves to reach their milestones before raising the bar. But more importantly, because they don’t allow themselves downtime to enjoy what they’ve built, nor let anyone get close enough to truly share those accomplishments, or the ease they might bring to their lives should they give themselves a minute away from working, or thinking about work.

Real Success Means Work/Life Balance

To me, truly successful people have achieved a work/life balance. They know

Photo by Preston Rhea via Flikr

when to take time off to refresh and recharge. They have friends and family to whom they give their full attention on a regular basis. Above all, they know when to disconnect from electronics.

In my opinion, Bill and Melinda Gates set amazing examples. Articles in Inc., and Style demonstrate not only their co-parenting style, but also how family time is encouraged, while discouraging what’s become a rampant dependence on electronic devices in many households.

The time you spend with others, be they friends, family, or pets, giving them your full attention rather than letting work, or other responsibilities distract you from giving them your all will always be time well spent, if you ask me. Not only are you setting an example, but you’re putting more kindness and compassion into the world, even if it seems like you’re only affection a microcosm of the whole. Every act of kindness, every moment you give to yourself and others raises the overall vibration of all Humanity.

Sure, you might see no tangible results from taking time to be with others to feed your own soul, but it means you’re spending less time feeling frantic, overworked, buried in deadlines, and stressed out. How can that not affect the overall energy of the world?

Bring Joy, Not Gloom

Imagine this. You’re in a room full of people, talking, laughing, sharing hugs and friendship. Someone walks in who’s had a particularly hard day, and wasn’t able to leave their troubles at the door before joining the party. You can almost see the tension they’re exuding; a dark, heavy cloud that stifles any gaiety or sense of ease it touches. You can almost see the path as a swathe is cut through the joy that previously filled the room to overflowing. Perhaps a gap grows between this person and everyone else. Then someone walks over, wraps the person in a warm, heartfelt hug, and you see the dark pall shrink and soften, allowing harmony to once again reign.

Every one of us is part of that happy throng enjoying each other’s company, casting aside worries and troubles, if only for a heartbeat of time. But for that heartbeat, you’re affecting the entire world because it’s one less spot where worry and strife create a dark pall that drags everything it touches away from a sense of joy, peace, and well-being. It colors the attitude of everyone in its path, making it harder to see past the troubles and worries to a place where love and joy await.

Maintaining your own energy at a higher level means you’re not adding to the dark pall. You’re not touching others with a sense of gloom and doom, but instead, you’re giving them hope. It might be a smile you give a stranger, a moment you take to stop and watch a butterfly flit by, or listen to a child’s laughter. Whether you notice or not, you affect others. Someone stops to see what you’re watching that’s made you smile, or listens for the sound that’s made you cock your head to listen. They get to share your joy.

Recognize the Warning Signs

Photo – Alexander Svensson via Flikr

I’ve cut my grocery shopping trips down to once a month lately. I also try to limit my stops. I’ve learned if I go too long without eating, it causes me to be cranky, and my patience dwindles until I’m ready to snarl at anything or anyone causing me delays. It makes what might otherwise be a pleasant trip out into the world a dreaded chore, and I’m not doing anyone who has the misfortune of coming in contact with my crabby self any favors.

Once I honed in on the problem, I learned to either start my trip shortly after a meal, or take something with me to snack on to take the edge off. Admittedly, it was easier before COVID when I could snack on a sample from Costco or Trader Joe’s, but it’s really not their responsibility to maintain my blood sugar levels. Taking care of me is my job, whether the need is food, water, or giving and receiving attention.

Just as I would do my best to leave trouble and worries at the door when I made my twice-weekly visits to my beloved Borderline, I’m learning to do the same whenever I go out into the world. When I’m feeling like I can’t let things go, I either keep to myself, or avail myself of a recently discovered option; close girlfriends who can share both the good times and bad, and best of all, be honest with each other. I don’t always see the forest for the trees, so opening up to them gives me another perspective, and most of the time, pulls me out of the pit I’ve dug myself into a calmer, happier place.

To make a long story short, you are going to find yourself in dark places it’s hard to see past, much less find a way out. Not only do you affect those around you, you have people who can shine a light and show you the way out if you let them. Wallowing in a pit of despair is a choice. Though it was one I made for years, it’s never the best one for you or anyone else. Learning to relax; learning to vent when you need to get a new perspective, or simply blow off steam; learning to balance your own life will bring balance to the world around you. Isn’t it worth the effort?

Use Gratitude to Stay in Balance

My gratitudes today are:

1. I’m grateful for friends who help me keep my life on a more even keel, and in fact, give me more joy than sadness.
2. I’m grateful for the kindness I’ve learned to bring to the world, and for those who’ve set me better, healthier examples.
3. I’m grateful for each day, whether it’s lazy, productive, or a combination of both.
4. I’m grateful for the healthy habits I’ve formed, and the space I’m making to form even more.
5. I’m grateful for abundance; love, joy, kindness, compassion, happiness, friendship, sharing, caring, opportunities, motivation, inspiration, dedication, peace, harmony, balance, health, philanthropy, and prosperity.

Namaste

 

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income.

If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook as Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author