Hi everyone! Hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend! After two straight weeks of cold drizzle and snow flurries, it seems spring has finally arrived here in southeastern Wisconsin. I was fortunate to spend much of this afternoon outdoors, a welcome respite after a busy week.
Last night I completed a new page in my “Choose Life” journal. This one’s called, “Choose Balance.”
Balance is a critical component in my new devotion to wellness. I know I definitely need to strike a better balance between my work, which is often highly stressful, and recreation, which includes reading, exercise, and of course, my art. All too often, I find myself too exhausted after a long day on the job to even think about doing any of these enjoyable things, and I feel that my quality of life suffers as a result. I’m still trying to figure out the best way to handle this perennial conflict. It’s been an oft-discussed topic of conversation with my therapist over the last several months.
Another area in which I’ve been striving to achieve better balance is in regards to my health care choices. Prior to this year, I always sought the advice of an MD, requested a prescription for medication, or bought over-the-counter drugs to address my health concerns. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to try alternative medicine–and have witnessed firsthand the ways in which it actually works–I’m starting to mix and match various options. While I still rely mostly upon my specialists and tried-and-true prescription medications in the treatment of my asthma and interstitial cystitis, I’ve found that essential oils, acupuncture, and massage are much more effective in the prevention and treatment of my chronic headaches and anxiety. While it’s true that sometimes we need to put chemicals into our bodies in order to help them to heal, this isn’t always the best course of action. Sometimes they can do more harm than good, as I’ve learned in the last few months.
The collage on this page was created with old book pages, vintage medical scrips, handmade and patterned papers, a piece of crocheted lace, canvas, linen, mica, corrugated cardboard, text typed on a vintage typewriter, a sewn button, bits of green yarn, and a Taoist Taijitu chart clipped from a 1970s alternative medicine guide.
Here’s to a weekend that’s a wonderful balance of work and play!
Starting Over Studio 
Beautiful collage, I love the vintage look 🙂 To me, finding a balanced lifestyle has always been hard and is something I am always working towards. Sometimes I have it, sometimes I don’t but I feel like meditation helps me stay focused. I haven’t been meditating for long but now that I do, I don’t know how I lived without it 🙂 I am glad to hear that you are finding your balance. It is just a case of trial and error isn’t it 🙂 great post 🙂
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Thanks so much, Rachel! Much appreciated! I have been interested in learning more about meditation, as I think it’s something that could also help me! Thanks for sharing with me! 🙂
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I love all the elements in your journal page. Balance is a good word. I’m getting back to basics myself, in my never-ending balancing act. I thought I would send you white ephemera for your pages but it looks like you have a plethora of options in your own stash. I’ll have to look harder for things you might not have.
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Thanks Cheryl! That would be wonderful! 🙂
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Fabulous piece Jenny!
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Thanks so much, Nancy! 🙂
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Love your work!! The old book pages are mouth watering. I love how you combine very individual items into one amazing collage. Thanks for sharing!!
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I missed some of your posts in the heat of busy season, but I’m glad to see the alternative treatments are working for you. Great news, and continued good health to you, my friend. Balance … is probably something we all hope to achieve. I’ve never got there for more than a few days in a row, myself, lol. But there’s always hope. We are prisoners of hope!
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I can totally relate to you about this being the “busy season”…I’m just writing my first post about that very thing right now! Looking forward to the summer, when I will have more time to create art and blog! 😉
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