BrainlineMilitary.org had an excellent guest blog this morning that featured this paragraph which really hit home to me:

"As a community, we do however, also have a responsibility – as individuals who have sustained injuries; as family members, friends and caretakers; or as the support network of those individuals with disabilities, to encourage positive attitudes and promote best practices for rehabilitative outcomes. There still exists a stigma about mental health problems and readjustment after combat – but these conditions are treatable! The work of therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists is amazing and making a real impact on people’s lives. Let’s help build an environment that is supportive and prepares our injured colleagues for success"

As the main source of support for our soldiers and vets struggling with PTS/CS/TBI our attitudes about treatment are critically important. Sometimes you may want things to be normal again so much that you ignore signs that your soldier or vet is struggling. Or you may be overwhelmed by all the additional things you need to do that your soldier/vet can no longer do. I completely understand how hard it is to have to take over all the household duties, work, do the bills, do the shopping, and try to keep track of medical appointments and therapy appointments and treatment plans and other tasks related to your soldier or vet's care. Sometimes it gets so overwhelming you want to give up. Or, you stop taking care of your own needs to focus on the needs of everyone around you. But that doesn't help anyone.

But you can take care of yourself and encourage your soldier or vet to take care of themselves at the same time. Meditate together. Try making healthy dishes and discuss what you both like or don't like. Cultivate a focus on health at home so that your soldier or vet is encouraged to look at new ideas and new methods of treatment. It's been proven that alternative therapies like meditation and art therapy can have profound effects on soldiers and vets healing from PTS/CS/TBI. But as caregivers we need to embrace those ideas and therapies so that our soldiers and vets will embrace them also.

So make time to meditate. Go to a holistic health center this weekend to get information on meditation classes, Reiki and other treatments. Go to a yoga class. Your soldier or vet will follow your lead. You can take better care of yourself and create a healing environment at home to encourage your soldier or vet to take better care of themselves.

Bad days are certainly par for the course when you're dealing with a loved one's PTSD. This blog post from Psychology Today has some good advice on how to get through a bad day and move on.

One of the most important things mentioned in the post is to remember that it won't last forever. Bad days will come and go, but tomorrow is always a chance to start again.

One of the best ways I have found to handle a bad day is to make sure that you are surrounded by things that remind you of good days and good times. Don't stick photos in albums or scrapbooks - post them near your workspace or in a place you can see them often. Hang up the cards that your spouse has given you or that friends have sent you. Those little reminders that you have people who love you and that there are good times as well as bad can be a lifeline when it feels like your whole world has been taken over by your spouse's PTSD.

I promise I will fix the slider at the top in the next couple days. I know it's distracting. I just haven't had a chance to get to it yet. The last few days have been tough to keep a balance. DH has been slipping a little which throws the entire household off kilter. But everyday is a new day and another stop towards that elusive balance.

Here are some life lessons from cats to start your week off right!

But also necessary. It's only been in the last year I took a real interest in the farm to table and slow food movements. Of course I know that what you eat is important but I began to realize how much food affects more than just your body.

Like every other woman with 900 things to do every day and a household and job depending on her sometimes I want to say "forget it" and order a pizza or pick up takeout. And sometimes that is ok. But healthy, nourishing, organic food is necessary for both mind and body.

I know my husband's issues can be impacted by his diet, and I know in order to keep up my own physical strength we need healthy food. So I have really cut back on takeout and now try to pre-cook meals for nights when I just don't want to cook. There is a Trader Joe's opening soon here which will make it a LOT easier to pick up healthy meals on busy night.s How do you find a balance between healthy meals and fast meals?

Have you heard that saying that, "The cure for everything is salt water: the ocean, or tears"? It's really true, as I recently found out.

The last few years have been rough, to put it mildly. My husband is an active duty soldier. He's a medic. He deployed twice in the last 4 years, with a break in between for surgery and treatment of his wounds from the first deployment. On his second deployment nearly two dozen soldiers from his unit were KIA, and many more were injured. Immediately after he got back from the second one we moved to a new base in a new state. There has been a lot of chaos, a lot of loss, a lot of PTSD and TBI related issues, and a lot of stress. So when we got the chance to go away on an Army sponsored marriage retreat at an ocean front hotel we jumped at the chance.

Spending two hours walking on the beach, even though it was freezing cold, was the best therapy I could have gotten. The entire weekend was quiet, and peaceful, and surrounded by the ocean and calm tranquility. I felt years of stress and sadness and other negative things lifting off my shoulders. Of course, as soon as we got back the whole stress cycle started up again but now I have my photos and videos of the ocean to bring me a little of that peace when I need it most. So here's a little of that peace for you too, for when you need the healing power of salt water.

I'm a big sucker for almost everything that Artisan Impact does. I simply love their style, which is a modern style influenced by the craftsmanship of old Yemeni and Middle Eastern jewel crafters. Several of their pieces have been displayed in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and it's not hard to see why. In fact, when DH and I replace our current wedding rings the ring I want is from a collection that was displayed in the museum.

These earrings are $140, which is a bit pricey for earrings, but they're so pretty I want them anyway. I just have to teach the cats that my jewelry items are not their toys before I bring anything expensive into the house....

I've been a fan of Vosges chocolates since I lived in Chicago. Vosges started in Chicago, although you can find it all over the country.  Vosges was started by Katrina Markoff, a Le Cordon Bleu trained pastry chef who became entranced with exotic combinations of flowers, spices, and high end chocolates from around the world.

On the Vosges website you can find a huge selection of truffles, candy bars, candies, baking mixes, cookies and the most decadent hot chocolate mixes you will ever have. There is even Vosges ice cream, which is one of the most sinful things I've ever tasted. The Naga (sweet coconut curry) ice cream will haunt  you.

With Valentine's Day coming up of course there are some beautiful truffle collections from Vosges to surprise your loved ones with. At about $40 a box they're cheaper than roses, and way more special. The Exotic Collection (pictured) features truffles made with ingredients ranging from pink peppercorns to wasabi, curry, and toasted sesame seeds all mixed with rich milk chocolate and some of the darkest, smoothest dark chocolate I've ever had.