Thursday, October 19, 2017

Guest Blog - Building Down - An Inward Journey by Jennifer Lohr




Let’s say you’re riding a bicycle and your leg keeps kicking itself out, disrupting your balance; or your arm keeps flailing overhead and you have trouble not falling off of the bicycle. You wouldn’t be able to go very far, would you? Now, apply the same illustration to your mind. How often are we held captive to our thoughts, fears, anxieties, or depression to where we really cannot go very far?  It happens quite often and to a great many of us. 

Looking beyond the stigma, realistically speaking: it happens to everyone at least one point in their life. For some people it’s very easily managed, but for others it can be quite debilitating – perhaps even dangerous… or possibly fatal, as in someone choosing to theirs, the life of another (or both).    

Throughout history there has never been a time when war wasn’t taking place somewhere, or all of humanity was getting along peachy like in some sort of Utopian Society. 

Most of us would love for that, but the reality is that it’s not happening right now. 

Regardless of our background, our ethnicity, religious or sexual preferences we are all faced with challenges at some point in our lives. Some challenges can be very insignificant, small in retrospect (even though they seemed difficult at the time), or a real calamity! 

Nevertheless, none of us are immune to it, have too much or not enough money for it to happen, are too old / young… it knows no prejudice. We all experience these times in our lives.  

I had reached many lows in my life, too. Some experiences had me spiraling into a very sad, fearful, and dark hole of anxiety or depression. I was even diagnosed “clinically depressed” when I was 12. I was told it was due to a chemical imbalance, it was most likely genetic, and there was probably nothing I could do about it.  After various medications and therapy failed to work (I’m talking at least 8 different therapists, and even a 3-month stay in a children’s mental treatment center – yeah, it got that bad); disturbances like bi-polar and personality disorder were all ruled out after multiple brain scans, MRI’s, IQ tests… and I grew into a young adult with little or no coping skills to help me navigate the troubled waters of life. And I failed miserably. By the time I hit my late thirties, so much ‘life’ had filed itself away in my mind that my head and heart felt heavy. I often explain that I was like a top-heavy tower that swayed dangerously with each passing storm. Finally, my structure collapsed and I was left with the ‘rock bottom’ that most people are familiar with. 

I unplugged from the world and step by step rebuilt myself. I examined my inner workings, discarded what wasn’t working; and over time, I was able to re-construct myself. My stripping away of what no longer served me was what I coined “building down” (rather than building up) because it was who I was at my core, at my foundation, at my very ‘bottom’ that I was able to find. It changed my life. There wasn’t more money in the bank, I didn’t get a new job, and my wardrobe remained the same…but who I was on the inside was completely new. It was as if I was gifted a life into the same one I had already began, but now: I knew how to live it.  The days seemed longer, brighter, and full of hope. I drank in every new experience, and whether it rested safely in my comfort zone of beckoned me to take that risk I needed to in order to grow. Then, I felt the need to share my new understanding and wrote my book, “Building Down – An Inward Journey.”

After writing the book, I have decided that I’m not finished here.  Following a review of my piece by a friend, she not only recommended it but also suggested to use it like a workbook; so now I’m completing an accompanying workbook to the original piece and hope to have it released within the coming two months. 

In addition to that, I’ve embarked on an endeavor to help bring resources to people in my community centered on mindfulness, learning coping skills, and mental health management. I’m in the process of teaming up with professionals who share my common goal to help as many people as I can who struggle just to live, just as I once did. My initiative, “The Balanced Being Project,” is underway, and although I remain unattached to the outcome, I’m still going to do what I can to make it happen because I believe it’s important. We all affect one another, and whether we like it or not: we’re all this together.

Thank you for the opportunity to be a guest blogger!






Building Down - An Inward Journey
Jennifer Lohr

Genre: Personal Development / Self Improvement / Self Growth

Date of Publication: September 28, 2017

ISBN-10: 1977501508
ISBN-13: 978-1977501509
ASIN:1977501508

Number of pages: 206
Word Count: 11,810

Cover Artist: Jennifer Lohr

Tagline: We all have the power to heal ourselves.

Book Description: 

“Recently I changed my life and I'd like to share my story with you.

This project is as personal as it is unconventional. I share my inner-most self with readers through my challenges and triumphs, leading up to and following an emotional breakdown. For anyone who has ever fallen into a dark abyss of anxiety or depression, I hope this book can be used as a support to help you climb up out of that hole and away from self-defeating patterns.”


Excerpt:

My goal in writing this and sharing such private experiences is that it just might help someone who sits on the edge, swaying as I once did. It’s a comfort to know that I may be of help to anyone in need of the same understandings I am growing to accept and realize each new day. I’d love for the very basic yet essential message to reach as many people as possible - please know that you are not alone in the struggle to move beyond your fear, anger, resentment, sadness, or anxiety.  I’m no therapist, nor do I hold any special psych degrees, or claim to have all of the answers. This is just life as it happened for me, and as real as it happened for me.
            I am re-hashing a lot of my own pain but not with the intention to perseverate upon it. It’s an awful lot like a mirror or movie play-back. ‘What did I miss? How can I grow from this?’ Where’s the lesson?’ My experiences are not in vain because I have chosen to release myself from the binds of regret.  I’m taking the lessons and moving forward.
            I should emphasize: none of this piece in any way serves to minimize or over-simplify the struggle many have with attaining contentment or happiness (or even getting out of bed some days). I know it’s a challenge. So please: if you need help, seek it. It can be very difficult to accept ourselves and our struggles or suffering, but we are the only ones responsible for getting help when we feel like giving up is an option.



About the Author:

Jennifer has been writing short stories since she was a child and was first published at age 15 for a Poe inspired piece.  Later that same year Jennifer was featured in Who's Who Among American High School Students for creative writing. After adding the roles of wife and mother of four young children to her list of achievements, Jennifer decided it was time to bring her dream of writing a novel to fruition and debuted her first piece in 2014, titled Baltic Mist - A Timeless Saga.

This time, inspired by the Icelandic skald Egil Skallagrimsson, Jennifer latched on to one of his characters from the epic Egil's Saga. Book One of the three-part trilogy was self-published by her own publishing entity: An Ancient Approach. Since then she has released two children's books and is finishing Books Two and Three of the Baltic Mist saga series.

While the her top priority is family first, Jennifer spends her days indulging in creating a quality of life enriched with homemaking, child-rearing, writing, painting, gardening, cooking, or simply making memories with her children. Making a point to remain mindful, Jennifer holds steadfast that everything holds opportunity for growth if she pays close enough attention.



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1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hi,
Thanks very much for having me as as a guest blogger. I really appreciate it and am happy to be here!
Best,
Jennifer Lohr, author