This is why being kind to others has brought me more happiness than simply looking out for me. There is great joy in being able to sit in the middle of a group, community or even the world and universe which is experiencing balance. Even if my personal world is seemingly going very well, you can’t help but feel the negative vibrations of everything that’s around you and have that affect you negatively. Your bank account maybe high, your career may be going well, your relationship might be awesome, your health might be stellar and yet if you feel a storm brewing peripherally, there is a good chance that you will be impacted. It is so vital, now more than ever, to extend compassion, kindness and gentleness to everyone and everything that we come into contact with to ensure that the balance around us is not perfected because of us but it is not damaged because of us either.
I hope that on this international day of happiness, that you will reflect on the happiness and the well-being of the people, the animals and our planet so that you may also experience the happiness that comes when things are in balance. I believe this is a certain kind of happiness very few people will attain but it is within all of our grasp.
I believe there is a difference between happiness and joy and very few experience elation. I will save that for another day!
Much love, kindness, compassion and gentleness to you this first day of spring,
Karen
“Stop looking for happiness in the same place that you lost it.” ~Unknown

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I had a brain MRI done. This is the second time that I went in. For three days before, I was experiencing extreme headaches due to the cyst that’s in the back of my brain. I hadn’t been sleeping well and I was having some anxiety about the MRI.
By the time I got into the machine, I felt a panic attack coming on. I want to share with you a few things that I have learned through this process that hopefully will help you if you are also faced with anxiety in this situation.

1. Get FACTS, Not FEAR

The Internet can have a lot of awesome information and can also have a lot of horror stories. Keep in mind that most people who have good experiences do not share these experiences. It’s important to feed your mind with facts instead of buying into the fear that surrounds the MRI machine.
The truth of the matter is that nobody has ever died from getting an MRI and nobody has been trapped in the machine. There has also never been a case of people strapping you down and torturing you while you are in there. There is actually nothing to fear that is real.

2. Be THANKFUL, Not a VICTIM

First of all, I am very fortunate to live in Canada where I do not have to pay a huge fee to have an MRI scan done of my brain. 100 years ago, people would simply die from unknown causes because they simply could not get the kind of testing done that we can in our era. I try to remind myself that I am not going into the MRI machine as a victim but as someone who is enormously fortunate to live where I live and have the technology at my disposal that can monitor my situation. If you must pay for your scan, be at least thankful that you get to have every cell looked at. How cool is that?

3. Be INTERESTED in TECHNOLOGY

I had an opportunity to speak to my MRI technician longer than usual this time because somebody didn’t show up for their MRI. She was understandably upset by a no-show considering how many people wait to get into this machine that runs 24/7.
In this time, I was able to ask her some questions about her computers, the MRI machine itself and her education leading up to this. She was very well-informed and was able to answer my questions and I left feeling really fascinated by her profession and the positive things that they were doing for people like me.

4. Find Your FASCINATION with SOUND and RHYTHM

Most people characterize the MRI machine as something terrifying. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that it is a quiet machine. It’s loud. They gave me earplugs, plus music and headphones to dampen the noise. While music certainly helps, the machine itself is extremely loud. A couple of songs that played in my headphones would come close to syncing with the rhythm of the industrial sounds in the machine and I became mesmerized by wondering if they would eventually sync up. Being a heavy musician, it really gave my mind something to concentrate on and I walked out of there thinking it was pretty cool!

In looking back and reflecting, the anxiety I was feeling and the panic attack that happened at the beginning of my MRI session came from extreme sleep deprivation and so I wasn’t thinking clearly. There was no reason for me to feel anxious because it is one of the safest tests you can have done, and the technicians are extraordinarily professional, helpful and thoughtful.​
Try your best to view your MRI test as a gift from some very talented scientists who want to find out what is wrong. You are very fortunate to have the access!

I call my brain cyst, my spider. Some people have accused me of not taking it seriously enough, but I understand that applying some good old-fashioned child-like fascination isn't just helpful, it is imperative to my well-being.

Much love on you, see you on the playground!
Karen
“The struggle ends when gratitude begins.” ~Neale Donald Walsh