Showing posts with label Therapeutic Walks and Photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Therapeutic Walks and Photography. Show all posts

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Enjoying nature and photography once again

Thank God for strengthening me day by day as I wait upon Him.

Yesterday, a kind friend and sister-in-Christ, Grace, took me for a walk at Hort Park. It is a beautiful park with flowers and plant. We had a good time of fellowship together.

I am thankful to God that I can enjoy nature and photography once again!

Whenever I go through clinical depression, I seemed to lose all ability to enjoy anything. Due to chemical imbalance in my brain, I was not able to think or feel aright.

Thank God for restoring me. Now that I am better, I am so thankful to be able to enjoy nature once again.

I love nature. The beautiful flowers and plants remind me of the wonderful creation of God. God creates these beautiful flowers and plants for us to enjoy. I am thankful that I can enjoy photography once again. It helps me to capture some of the loveliness of God's creations.

God also creates us so that we can enjoy Him and His creations. I am reminded that He will take care of me and all of His beloved people no matter what we may have to go through in this world.

Thank God that He is with us through all the changing scenes in life, and He never leaves us nor forsake us. He give us grace and strength to live for Him each day. We are weak but He is strong. We can look forward to the day when we are with Him forever, no more to be burden by a weak and frail body or mind.

Recovering from depression always give me a sense of a new life in Christ. It's like being born-again or being raised from the dead.

Thank God for His presence and His Words which encourage and strengthen me daily. I pray that God may enable me to live for Him each day as He strengthens me.

Thanks for stopping by, dear friends! Thanks for all your prayers and encouragements.

Your friendship, prayers, encouragements and concerns have been used by God to be a great encouragement to me!

The thought of God and you encourages my heart daily. May God bless each of you in His special ways.

Hope you have a blessed weekends! Take care.

Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Psalm 73:25-26












Thursday, May 22, 2008

Therapeutic Walks at the Beach - Another Wellness Activity

I am thankful to God that this week I am able to take a break from work. This is a much needed break and I really cherish it.

At the moment, I can't take a holiday to go out of Singapore, as I am caring for my mother. She has many medical conditions and I need to watch over her daily.

But I am thankful to God for more opportunities to go for walks this week. Walking is very therapeutic to me. Walking has become one of my most important Wellness Activity now.

I love to walk at the parks near my home or go to the beach. Walking really helps me to unwind and relax. As I walk and enjoy nature, fresh air and sunshine, I feel so much better.

As I walk, I will talk to the Lord. I am thankful that God is with me and I can enjoy this quiet walking time with Him. Walking in the parks and beach always remind me that God is all powerful and He is caring for me. I can cast all my cares and difficulties upon Him.

I am thankful to God that on Tuesday I was able to go to East Coast Beach with my good friend, BH. BH is a very sweet and gentle lady. BH knows that walks are good for me in managing my condition and she kindly offered to take me out on Tuesday. Although she has never experienced depression or bipolar before, she is very sympathetic to listen to me. She has other friends who have other form of mental illness, and I can see that BH is not judgemental. She does not condemn me for my experiences with bipolar or depression. She accepts that it is a medical condition, an illness that I need to live with and I can learn to cope by God's grace. BH prays for me whenever I am not well. I am thankful for such a friend.

Here's a video of what I saw at the Beach on Tuesday. Oh, how I love the sea! Watching the waves somehow has such a calming effect on me.

Luther said "The sea of God's mercies ought to swallow up our particular afflictions."

No matter what difficulties I am going through, it is only one drop of water in the ocean. God's mercies will swallow them up! How thankful I am that I can rest in God's love and faithfulness through all the changing scenes in life.

Thanks for stopping by!

Do you enjoy walks? Do you go for walks regularly? Have you found it therapeutic or helpful in some ways?

Hope you have a blessed day!

Monday, May 19, 2008

Encounter with a cute Cat and Animal Assisted Therapy

I have been learning to slow down significantly since last week. And I thank God that I am feeling better. Thanks for your prayers and encouragements!

I am learning to take breaks, relax and rest more. Not easy for me, but I am learning :-)

I have been going out for more walks recently and really felt a lot more healthier physically and mentally. I love outdoor and the sun. Fresh air and sunshine seems to lift up my moods too.

I am enjoying nature and God's creations in many wonderful ways again. And as usual, I enjoy taking my digital camera along to snap some photos.

This morning, I went for a walk. And guess who I met? This lovely cat!

I think it is a she-cat. She is a sweetie, isn't she? And she is so friendly :-) She wasn't afraid of me at all.

Obviously she is playful too :-) Look at the way she kindly posed for me ;-)

Personally, I love cats. My family used to own several cats when we were back in our hometown. My mum used to go to the market to buy fish, not for us, but for our cats :-)

Cats are very cute. They like to curl up besides you or climb on your lap or your bed, etc. The little ones are cuter. They jump all over!

I read on the internet that having or keeping animals can be therapeutic to some patients. There is a therapy called "Animal-Assisted Therapy" (AAT).

Wikipedia
said:

Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves an animal with specific characteristics becoming a fundamental part of a person's treatment. Animal-assisted therapy is designed to improve the physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning of the patient, as well as provide educational and motivational effectiveness for participants. AAT can be provided on an individual or group basis. During AAT, therapists document records and evaluate the participant's progress. Many kinds of animals are used in therapy, including dogs, cats, elephants, birds, dolphins, rabbits, lizards, and other small animals.

Here is a website that provides some simple information on The Layman's Guide to Animal Assisted Therapy with a Free copy of Pet Therapy in .pdf format that can be downloaded.

So it seems animal can be used in therapy to help some people. Having a pet can in some way be therapeutic to us.

What about you? Do you like animals? Do you have any pets? Have you found having a pet to be beneficial to you or helpful in some ways in your particular condition?

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a wonderful day!











Saturday, May 3, 2008

Therapeutic Walks and Photography to cope with Depression or Bipolar Mood Swings

Recently, I was feeling rather tired and stressed up after several weeks of manic plus stress at work, etc etc. I could feel that my moods were swinging. When I am too tired or stressed up, my moods tend to drop. Having a mood disorder like Bipolar Disorder, I realized that I need to take steps to slow down and prevent these mood swings to either escalate into manic or plunged me into depression. I realized that in the past because I failed to notice my mood swings or indicators that I am overly stressed or strained, over a period of time I eventually plunged into severe clinical depression that can last for 3 to 6 months or longer.

I am learning now to recognize early signs and symptoms of possible relapses or trigger factors to depression or mood swings. I am learning to manage stress better and if necessary to cut down on stress level by eliminating the things that are stressing me up. So I have cut down on some activities and scheduled more down time. I also turned down freelance assignments which I don't time I can manage or complete on time.

I cut down a little on blogging. But I found that as blogging is therapeutic to me, it's hard to really take a complete break. I love to write and writing is therapeutic to me. So I am still blogging and sharing my thoughts, feelings, experiences and what I read or find useful. Visiting my blogging friends and having them visit me is a means of support to me. This is a crucial part of my recovery and maintenance of mental well-being.

I also need to do things that will help me to relax and cheer me up. Besides praying and reading God's Words, and rest, I have been able to spend some time with some hobbies. Some activities that I have found to be therapeutic are taking walks to enjoy nature and develop my interest in photography.

So recently, I took a walk past Woodlands Town Garden which is adjacent to Bukit Timah Expressway. I didn't really go into the Garden because I was alone and I didn't want to walk alone there. Although Singapore is a safe place, it is still not wise to go to quiet places alone. So I admired the Garden from the exterior surroundings :-)

If you go to Woodlands Town Garden, you can enjoy the greenery and the unique design of the park amenities which has both Malay and Chinese elements. Sungei Mandai Kecil, a river that flows through the park, was also integrated in the design of the park. Part of this river that flows into the park was enlarged into a lake, irregularly-shaped for a natural look.

I enjoy photography a lot and so I took that opportunity to catch a few shots :-)

I really enjoy nature a lot and I love to walk or go briskwalkings. I hope I can schedule more such time as it is always refreshing to me.

How about you? Do you go for walks? What do find to be therapeutic when you are feeling down or stressed up?



















Friday, March 21, 2008

Photography - Another therapeutic Hobby

Thank God that with medical helps, counselling and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, regular exercise, Omega 3 fish oil, managing stress level, etc etc my bipolar disorder is under control now and I am able to live a more stable and productive life. I also pray and read the Bible daily to find comfort and strength from God.

When I started to do brisk walking regularly end of last year, I began to discover the beauties in God's creations in many wonderful ways. I am always comforted to remember that God Who creates all these lovely creations, has also created me. He loves me and is taking care of me daily. Through brisk walkings, I also began to enjoy photography as I will try to take photos when I go brisk walkings.

I have never expected myself to be able to take pictures. But with the help of advanced technology that the digital camera provides, I am so delighted to be able to capture some of these beautiful creations of God and precious moments with my family and friends. It gives me a lot of joy when I can take good photos.

I find that it is very helpful and therapeutic for me if I can find activities that I enjoy and which can enhance my life so that I can relax, enjoy it and have a sense of achievement. It helps me to de-stress. I can forget about all my stress and problems and just enjoy this hobby or recreation or activity. Photography is one of these activities. I look forward to snap some photos whenever I can and I am eager to go new places or try taking new objects or places.

In particular, I love to go to the beach and watch the waves. Somehow they have a soothing effect on me and I feel very relax. I loved to take photos of the beach and the waves. I also love to take photos of flowers, plants and animals.

I am also finding much joy in using these photos to make bookmarks and other crafts. This is another therapeutic hobbies for me! For some Free Bookmarks Templates, visit my Homemade Bookmarks Blog :)

Visit my "Around Singapore" blog to see more of the photos I have taken and that of my friends.

1) I took the first 4 photos at East Coast Beach, Singapore.
2) I took the next 2 photos at Changi Beach, Singapore.
3) I took the last 4 photos at Sentosa Flower exhibition at Sentosa Island, Singapore.
































Thursday, February 21, 2008

Enjoying God's creations in many wonderful ways

Thank God that while recovering from my last relapse of depression end of last year, I was able to do a lot of brisk walkings around the neighbourhood of my home as well as at some beach.

Through regular brisk walkings, it has helped to strengthen my body and mind. Providentially, I also picked up photography. I saw many beautiful flowers and plants while walking in the neighbourhood of my home. Photography allows me to express the creative side of me just as writing allows me to express my thoughts, feelings and emotions.

I also love to go to the beach and watch the sea and waves. Somehow the waves has a soothing effect on me. It reminded me of the majesty of God and His power in creating all things, and His sovereignty in ordering all His creations for His glory. I am reminded of God's unchangeable and unfailing love to His beloved people who are saved by grace through the cleansing of the precious blood of His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

What a comfort it is to remember that God who created all things, Who has redeemed me from sins and eternal condemnation, continues to watch over me through all the changing scenes of life. And nothing will ever separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. How blessed it is to belong to Him!



Taken at Sentosa Flower exhibition at Sentosa Island, Singapore






I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14







Taken at Changi Beach, Singapore





When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? Psalm 8:3-4





Taken at East Coast Beach, Singapore





The sea of God's mercy should swallow up our particular afflictions. - Luther




Taken at East Coast Beach, Singapore






I have been young and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. Psalm 37:25



To see more of the photos I have taken, visit my "Around Singapore" blog where I share some photos and some places of interest in Singapore :-)

Free Calendars 2010 and Free Planners 2010 Resources:


Free Bookmarks Resources:



Free Cards Resources:



Free Handicrafts Resources : Free Cross-stitch


Free Sewing Resources : Knitting

Free Origami Resources:

Free Arts and Crafts for Kids Resources:

Nice Piano Instrumental Music Resources:

Saturday, February 16, 2008

A day at Sentosa with my mother

Thank God that I was able to spend a wonderful day with my mother. My mother loves plants and flowers. She suggested that we go to the Sentosa Flower exhibition at Sentosa Island, Singapore. The Flower exhibition is from 7 to 17 Feb, and it is part of the Chinese New Year celebration of our nation.

Here are some lovely flowers :

























































The Singapore orchid :-)

To see more pictures, visit my Around Singapore blog :-)