Printed in the Republican in 2018

Carrie Writes
Making Our Dreams Come True
Carrie Barrepski

Many people think of disabilities as an obstacle that cannot be overcome. The stereotype is that they are defined by their disability rather than their abilities. I always believed that my disability is a part of me that does not stop me from living my life.
One teenager who was born deaf does not let her hearing loss stop her. Autumn Greenlee is 18 years old. As a child, she received a cochlear implant, which helped her gain a sense of music. As a third grader, she began playing the violin and eventually switched to the viola. Autumn has learned and played music from feeling vibrations and muscle memory.
She mainly plays classical music and most recently she has been offered a music scholarship to the University of Colorado. Autumn feels that “what makes music meaningful isn’t how it sounds but it feels.” Autumn has also said that “I’m sure when I play my instrument it sounds very different to me than it sounds to somebody else.”
I can relate to Autumn because just like her, I use writing as my voice to fulfill my passion of helping others through my words, while Autumn uses music as her voice to express her feelings through the expression of music. Neither of us have let our disability define who we are or what we cannot do.

Carrie Writes
Published in the republican 2018

Buddhism
Carrie Barrepski

One way to deal with the holiday rush is to remember what is important. One way to accomplish this is to have a mindful practice in your life. As a student of spirituality and Buddhism, I am always looking for ways to increase serenity and peace, while connecting with Buddha.
There are five simple daily tasks that can be completed every day. The first step is to create a daily meditation practice, creating an altar to meditate in front of every morning. Secondly, one thing that reflects Buddha’s teachings is to make kindness and compassion a top priority in your everyday life. The third step is to be mindful of everything around you. Next, it is important to recite the metta prayer. The main point of this prayer is “May all things be happy, well, peaceful and free.” With this prayer, positive energy and good wishes are being sent to all beings. Fifth, just like yoga, Buddhism sees everyone as interconnected as one. It should be a practice to treat everyone equally with love.
As a yogi and unofficial Buddhist, I use the five above principles in my daily life to cultivate a sense of peace, love and happiness in all areas of my life.

Published in Springfield republican 2018

Carrie Writes
Chain of Kindness
Carrie Barrepski

One of my favorite quotes is from the Dalai Lama is, “When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.” Research has proven that kindness can increase happiness and peace. More importantly, it improves interpersonal relationships and building strong support systems.
One amazing situation is a story that started on social media about how a 15-year-old girl, Clara Daly, helped a deaf and blind individual, Tim Cook, on a plane flight. It was observed that the flight attendants were having difficulty communicating with him, despite their best efforts.
Eventually they asked if any passengers knew American Sign Language. Clara responded since she had taken sign language classes for approximately a year. She had chosen ASL because it is an easier language for dyslexic individuals to learn. She immediately volunteered to communicate with him by signing into his hand to ensure that his needs were met. A fellow passenger gave up his seat to assist Tim and Clara.
Later on, Tim asked for Clara merely to keep him company, and they talked for half an hour to an hour. Clara said she blushed when the passenger asked if she was beautiful, and another passenger answered the question yes. Clara felt she was meant to there to help because her original flight had been cancelled, while Tim said it was the best flight he had ever had.
Kindness really does have an addictive effect. It doesn’t matter in what shape or form it comes in, but it is rather the thought that counts. The Dalai Lama has also said that “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

Published in the Springfield republican 2018

Carrie Writes

Psychology and Disabilities

Carrie Barrepski

In October, I was asked to speak to psychology classes at Springfield College about living with disabilities.  I have always enjoyed speaking in front of groups, sharing my life experiences.

I spoke to a group of students majoring in health sciences, occupational therapy and physical therapy.  I started off by talking about the history of disabilities, using the medical model where a disability was viewed as something to be fixed or hidden away in an institution in the 1960s and 1970s.  After I was born, my parents were told by a doctor that my disabilities were severe enough that I should be institutionalizedbecause I would ruin their lives.

I also touched on the stigma of living with a disability, where people treat you differently and only judge you by your disability instead of focusing on the person rather than their disability.  I also talked about the importance of being your own person being in charge of your own life and being independent.

I always like to share the story of how I learned to be my own self-advocate.  In high school, I had teachers and paraprofessionals making decisions and making accommodations for me, leaving me very sheltered.  When I went to college, I had to quickly learn how to arrange for my own note takers, talkingto teachers about accommodations and speaking up for myself.

One of the most valuable lessons is I have learned is the importance of being a self-advocate, while living my passion and purpose.

It is time to start fresh with new goals and to empower ourselves to grow in the New Year. As always, I set resolutions for myself. On the personal front, I plan on living each day with love, happiness and peace. I will carry a positive attitude that will get me through life. I am also making health a top priority, from eating healthy to doing yoga and Pilates every morning. 

I am also hoping to find a place to teach chair yoga, where I can share my love of the practice by showing that anybody can do yoga. As always, I will be dedicated to bring disability issues to light through my column, and I will also include columns about living your best life through my own personal experiences. I am also committed to my relationship with Sunshine Village, where I will continue to empower people with disabilities to be independent and find their own way in life.

In the past several months, we have witnessed some horrific events in the world, such as the terrorist attack in Paris, France where many innocent people were injured or lost their lives. More recently in California, there was a mass shooting with possible links to terrorism. It doesn’t make sense how someone can walk into places of love and hope and commit such violence on innocent people. As a pacifist, I have been opposed to violence and believe in finding peaceful resolutions. Sadly, there is so much anger and hate in this world. We need more love, understanding and forgiveness. As individuals we need to think, feel and see with our hearts, the key to our true power.

We are all equal and united through spirit. The father of yoga is referred to as Patanjali, who wrote his thoughts and ideas on how a yogi should live in his book, The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. This book is considered a sacred text for the yoga practice. There are eight parts to the way of living the yoga lifestyle. The first one is yama, which refers to how you socially interact with others around you, such as practicing non-violence against any living creature.

 I pray for love and peace in our world. My heart is always with those affected by these tragedies.

Ten years ago from this month I started my journey with writing my column. I still remember meeting my editor, Cynthia Simison for the first time. I was excited to begin my new journey in my writing career. Over the years, Cynthia has always given me support and guidance in my work, which I am eternally grateful for.

Through the years, I have learned many new things and become familiar with the disability issues facing Western Massachusetts. Through my column, I have gained experiences, met many people and hopefully made a difference. I have also gained experience in motivational speaking, where I talk about self-advocacy, disability issues and my life experiences. I have also made many contacts with organizations such as Stavros Center for Independent Living and Sunshine Village.

My number one goal with my column has always been to bring awareness to disability issues while empowering people to live their best life. Writing has fulfilled my purpose as an activist to bring positive change to people with disabilities. It has always been my intention to share my own personal experiences to inspire and teach others.

My column has also given me the opportunity to share my other passion, my yoga practice. Yoga has always been such a big part of my life, from creating my purpose and intent in my work. It helps keep me focused and empowers me every day to live my best life. For me, there is a connection between my three passions, yoga, activism and writing. I am proud of the work I do and look forward to continuing it.

Last fall, I was given the opportunity to contribute an essay to an anthology on yoga and body image. I am very excited to share with you all that this book, Yoga and Body Image: 25 Personal Stories About Beauty, Bravery & Loving Your Body, is now available for purchase. With these inspiring personal stories, you can learn how yoga not only affects your body but also the way you feel about your body. A list of contributors to the anthology is: Anna Guest-Jelley, Melanie Klein, Alanis Morrisette, Seane Corn, Bryan Kest, Melody Moore, Nita Rubio, Claire Mysko, Shana Meyerson, Audrey Bilger, Teo Drake, Kerrie Kauer, Rosie Molinary, Dianne Bondy, Linda Sparrowe, Sara Gottfried, Chelsea Jackson, Vytas Baskauskas, Kate Clere McIntyre, Joni Yung, Marianne Elliott, Dawn Dalili, Rolf Gates, Ryan McGraw.

Each author offers their own unique perspective on how yoga has shaped his or her life and provides tips for using yoga to find self-empowerment and a renewed body image. By bringing together a diverse collection of voices that span the spectrum of human experience, this anthology showcases the power that comes from embodiment.

It was such an honor to be included among these amazing people sharing their personal experiences through the gift of yoga. I know for me yoga is a way of life affecting the way I live, breathe, think and feel. It has influenced my work as an activist, writer and a teacher of chair yoga. The practice has helped me develop my self-awareness, mindfulness and to be positive. Peek inside the pages and grab your copy of the book here:

http://yogaandbodyimage.com/

Today we suffered a great loss actor Robin Williams has passed away. He
spent years making us laugh and cry with his tv shows and movies. Even though
Robin loved entertaining he also suffered from depression. To honor him I am sharing
my story.

In today’s world we have a lot to deal with, ranging from stress, violence, substance abuse and peer pressure. Our life can be filled with as good times, as well as frustration and stress. During these times life stresses can bring about depression caused by unrealistic expectations and overreaction to rejection. My young adult years were filled with confusion, embarrassment and discontent with myself. I had trouble accepting my disabilities and tried to hide them from others. I felt very alone and unable to accomplish anything because of my disabilities. I also suffered from low self-esteem and lack of confidence. These feelings caused me to go through crying spells, withdrawing from others and self- doubt.

There are many signs of depression but if two or more signs persist professional help needs to be sought. The symptoms are as follows:
1. Poor performance in school
2. Withdrawal from friends and activities
3. Sadness and hopelessness
4. Anger and rage
5. Overreaction to criticism
6. Feelings of being unable to satisfy ideals
7. Poor self-esteem and feelings of guilt
8. Indecisiveness, lack of concentration and forgetfulness
9. Restfulness and agitation
10. Changes in eating and sleeping patterns
11. Substance abuse
12. Problems with authority
13. Suicidal thoughts

There are several techniques that can be used to combat depression before the symptoms become too severe. Firstly, making new friends and contacts can be enriching and broaden your social horizons. Joining sports, organizations and doing volunteer work can give self-confidence and raise self-esteem. Learning new skills and taking up new hobbies can be rewarding to the soul.

The key to surviving anything is positive thinking. There are three important parts to positive thinking. I call them the three c’s commitment, control and challenges. The first is to make a positive commitment to your life and dreams. After many different experiences I found a way to make my dream come true through my writing career. The second one is controlling your destiny focusing on your goals. The last part is not to be afraid of taking on new challenges since they keep life interesting and exciting. Every day can be a new beginning and yesterdays can be a stepping-stone to tomorrow.
One of the methods I have used to combat depression is writing regularly in a journal. I would write down my feelings as a way of bringing closure and expressing myself. In every situation I always weigh the positives against the negatives, making the best of what I have. I always keep a list of my positive characteristics and accomplishments to review daily.

More importantly, a strong support system of family and friends is essential. I am very grateful to have my family there to remind me of my strengths, give me support and never let me slip too far into depression.
Now I wake up each day with a renewed positive attitude ready to take on new challenges.
Resources
National Suicide Hotline
1-800-suicide

begins with learning to love and respect yourself. Body image refers to a person’s perception of their physical appearance. They are influenced by their experiences, society, the media, the fashion industry and finding the ideal weight. It has a direct impact on our self-image and self worth. Having a poor body image can lead to serious problems like depression and eating disorders.

I have always struggled with body image issues in my life. Some examples are that I was very self-conscious of how cerebral palsy has affected my body from having a hump back, hunched shoulders, crooked arm and surgical scars. For years I have also always been battling with weight issues.

The practice of yoga can help you discover your true self while becoming aware of your needs and wants. The first step is to slow down and look within yourself to find what makes you tick. Meditation and deep breathing exercises help you see how you want your life to play out live in the present. Yoga poses teach us to accept our flaws because everyone does each pose in their own way in their own time with no judgment. Through yoga we can learn to remove negative emotions by focusing on the positives in life. The practice in many ways can open our hearts to love and happiness by teaching us to show gratitude and express ourselves to those around us. The yoga belief system teaches us to practice non-violence, honesty and selflessly helping others.