HealthBee

On CNN today was an article about the passengers on the Northwest Flight 253 with the Christmas Day Bomber. While many of them were angry about the incident, at the bomber, the airlines and the government, I was interested to hear that one passenger found a positive aspect to the experience.

Roey Rosenblith, 27, who co-founded Village Energy, a company in Uganda that hopes to help bring solar electricity to the 80 percent of Africans who have no electrical power said of his experience:

Roey_Rosenblith - survivor of the attempted Christmas Day bombing NW flight 253.

"Though this might sound strange, for me personally almost getting killed 30,000 feet above the earth by an al Qaeda terrorist has been one of the best things that's ever happened to me," he said. "Now being alive, seeing the blue sky, hearing the rain fall, eating a delicious meal, drinking a beer with a friend -- everyday stuff just feels like an amazing gift. ... I feel as though I've somehow cheated death and against all odds been given this gift of continuing my life."

He even framed his ticket on his wall so he can look at every day to be grateful for each moment.

The article he wrote for the Huffington Post reads like a good novel. In it, he describes everything that happened on the plane from his point of view. It wasn't until he was safely on the ground and saw the CNN reports about the attempted bombing that he realized how close to death he really was.

I can't even imagine being in a situation like this. Even if I were in a near death experience -- and really, that's what this was -- I think I'd be in so much denial that it happened, I'd probably try to put it out of my mind forever. What in the human mind causes some people to see a traumatic event as a gift and others to be angry or bitter about it or just put it out of their mind?

A friend of a friend of mine told me that she was in a small airplane flying in Alaska and the pilot told them that if they didn't throw all of their luggage out of the hold, they were going to crash. After that, she re-evaluated her life and decided that she was going to do one of the things she always thought about doing: going to law school. She said "Honestly, that made me realize that life is happening now and it can end at any moment."

I look at some points in my life, the times when I was physically and mentally abused by a spouse and I honestly can't remember them. I have friends tell me about "Oh don't you remember back in college..." and it is just not there. There are points in my life when I was severally depressed and it is like I lost several years.

Why do I do this? Is this how I deal with severe stress in general? Is it some kind of weird survival technique so I can "keep going" even if times are bad? Is this something that I do, or do others experience this weird "time loss" as well?

Is there a way to re-program myself to see the good in some traumatic experiences? I have to wonder. Because as strange as it sounds, I want to "get" what my friend and the guy on flight 253 are talking about. I want to feel absolutely grateful each and every day for all that I have.

If you were on flight 253, how would you would feel about it?

• CNN article "Passengers who flew with accused Christmas Day bomber speak out".
• Huffington Post Article Over Detroit Skies
• Village Energy Uganda

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Fascinating story on CNN.com today about a company called NeuroSky who claims to be the first company to allow people to control objects with their mind. I've listened to BrainWave music for years now, which is music that will change the waves of the brain to help you relax, sleep or concentrate.

What is sad is that the company is wasting their technology on reality TV. (Although I will say it is a great way to get publicity for your company.) I can see many uses for this brain wave technology for those who are disabled. Imagine being able to move your wheelchair even though you are a quadraplegic. Or, even more basic: allow those unable to communicate an easier way to do so.

I see a tremendous value of this in the health field, particularly for people with mental illnesses. Neurofeedback has been used to treat ADHD in kids whose medications has too many side effects with some success, but the treatments have usually had to be done at a doctors office, or with an expensive machine. According to the NeuroSky store, you can have your own machine for $200, a bargain when you look at how much it costs to go back and forth to the therapy office. I've personally used The Wild Divine biofeedback game to help me learn what it feels like to relax and to concentrate with success, so this new game is something I'm interested in trying.

Will this technology perhaps be able to help people with depression understand more what it feels like to be happy? Who knows?

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I'm doing this post mostly to remind myself to do a real post when I can. I've got some things I need to finish up and then I can really put some attention into this site. If you're reading here, thank you. I really appreciate it. It makes me feel good to know that maybe I've helped others.

Again, Thanks.
-Heather

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An article from CNN and a study by the American Psychological Association states that women more often stress over money than men do often times because they are in charge of the family checkbook.

One of the best pieces of advice I've ever received is this: "Your sanity is like your money: both are finite. Spend both wisely." In other words, don't stress over your 401K when you won't need it for 20 years. Focus instead on the family budget now, and take action. By taking action, you'll stress less because you'll be doing something about it.

Here are some ways to deal with your money issues in a way that makes you proactive:

1. Call your creditors before the payment is late. If you cannot make the mortgage payment, tell the bank before the mortgage payment is due. With so many people having money issues these days, banks are desperate to try to keep people from foreclosure and bankruptacy. Tell them what the issues are and work something out with them. At the very least ask them to waive any late payment fees for you. In this way, you can avoid the credit people calling you at all hours of the day and night.

2. Turn off the television and stop watching the news. Sure you need to be informed, but you don't need to be inundated. Watching how wall street is in toilet just makes you stress about things that are out of your control. Take the dog for a walk instead.

3. Look over the budget and set goals. Be upfront with your kids and spouse. Tell them you need to cut corners, and you'll be surprised by how they want to help out.

4. Carpool to work, take the bus, or trade in that gas guzzler for a smaller car. The smaller gas and insurance cost of a small car will many times make up for its own car payment over the gas guzzling SUV. It costs upwards of $80 to fill up an SUV, and you can fill up a small car for only $30. Or, take the bus and read a good book every day. Use that time to relax.

5. "Me" time gives you more energy for "we-time". Understand you cannot take care of others unless you take care of yourself first and take time for yourself.

6. Find something to laugh at. Laughter really is the best cure for many things. Rent a movie that makes you laugh, and take a break for a while.

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