"Letter of Learning"
from Shelly W. in Virginia

I appreciate the MBSR course and enjoyed learning more about myself, my emotions and a new way of thinking and living. This course was recommended to me at a time when I was in my last year of Graduate school and had just been diagnosed with Lupus. I was dealing with severe joint pain, anxiety attacks, self-doubt around whether I’d make it to graduation, and struggling with an uninspiring 40 hour per week job. I was also in the midst of a 20 hour per week internship. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed, which my doctors believe is what triggered the Lupus. My physician actually asked me what I could take off of my plate. I laughed, thinking this was a rhetorical question. She looked at me and said, “Seriously, what can you take off of your plate?”

This course gave me the stress relief I needed to help manage my pain and anxiety. Along with medication, I have learned to better appreciate my life, to take advantage of the healing power within myself, to control how I respond to life and to appreciate the precious gift of time and space. I have been introduced to a number of mindfulness expert videos that I have listened to over and over again and have them bookmarked on my laptop. I am less stressed, less agitated, and more aware and present during conversations….even in every day interactions with my daughter, I am more present.

I plan to continue practicing the tools that I’ve learned from this course. I have also learned that setting aside time for myself is just as important as giving time to others. I have to be a priority for myself. Showing my daughter that self-care is important is also something that I am proud of.

Thank you so much.

- Shelly W.