How to Flip Holiday Madness into Mindfulness
The magic of the holidays is upon us and behold, it can speed toward madness or mindfulness. Some call it the holiday bustle. Others call it pandemonium. Try these 7 tips. ...
stress management Tag
Holiday Magic: Mindful strategies
‘Tis the season to be jolly, right? Well, sometimes. If you take a mindful look at the way you approach the holidays, you'll find that you actually have a mixture of feelings - like joy and sorrow, pleasure and stress, boredom and excitement, for instance. The holidays can be bittersweet, especially for those who have lost someone they love. They are stressful for those forced to mingle with family members they don’t admire. And they are lonely for those who are alone. It’s a time ripe with celebration, gratitude, and giving. And it’s a time of wishing and grieving. So whatever your circumstances, how do you surf the waves of emotion that arise during the holidays? Mindful practices can keep you rooted in your truth, feeling ground, and present,...
8 Tips for Combatting SAD – Preserve your energy and spirit
Welcome to daylight savings time! It’s that time of year when days get shorter, darkness grows longer, and your energy and spirit can be eclipsed. SAD abounds. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, “About 4 to 6 percent of people may have winter depression. Another 10 to 20 percent may have mild SAD. SAD is four times more common in women than in men. Although some children and teenagers get SAD, it usually doesn't start in people younger than age 20.” That equals a whopping up to 63,780,000 people in the U.S.A. with SAD and/or mild depression in the winter! In case you’re wondering if you have S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) here are a few symptoms: decreased energy increased appetite (for sweets & starches) weight gain reduced socialization increased sleep lower productivity less...
3 Ways YOU are Like Your SMARTPHONE
Unfinished business. Open loops. Running Apps. Depleted energy. Less productivity. Divided attention. Ugh. It’s downright overwhelming when you take a moment to realize how many tasks are competing for your time and focus every minute of every day. Ironically, ignoring them only creates more stress, and tackling them all at once creates overwhelm. So how are you like your smartphone? You’re Multi-Talented - After all, we are the creators of phones and apps. You can manage your homefront, a job and freelance work, your own business, self care, social commitments, romantic curiosities, attend that class at the gym, and learn an instrument in one fell swoop. You’re Uber Productive - You can do laundry while listening to a podcast and writing a blog, calling your mother, emailing your...
Fear Sucks. Doubt Debilitates. Stress Kills.
Fear sucks, doubt debilitates and stress kills. Loneliness isolates and worry permeates. Anger enrages and sorrow depletes. Yearning drives and hope transcends. Joy eases - all or most of the pain, at least for a moment. Darkness and light. Greatness and shame. Brilliance and defeat. Ecstasy and despair. Two sides of the same coin, right? They're separated only by a the velocity of a spin or gravitational pull from our Mother Earth. Unavoidable. Unmanageable. Unimaginable. Or not? These are the feelings you will inevitably experience as a living, loving, breathing, growing, evolving human being. They're scary. They're jarring. They're life changing. They're normal. At times, they force you to look them in the eye and realize the limits of your comfort zone. They reveal the distinction between being passenger...
Psychology Today: 4 Ways to Clear Your Mind
[caption id="attachment_2349" align="alignleft" width="320"] Source: Photo: iStock[/caption] Clean Your Mind of Harmful Toxins - And Feel Good Again Post published by Mark Banschick M.D. on Aug 04, 2015 in Psychology Today. By Heather Edwards - Guest Blogger As I sit down to write this blog, I'm struck by three common themes in conversations with clients, family, and friends. Most of us have clarity about how we want to feel - happy, free, grounded. But instead, we end up frustrated, overwhelmed, and burdened. We get stuck and confused about how to internalize fleeting positivity in an enduring way. In the quest for the seemingly elusive states of calm and life satisfaction, several common toxins manifest. But you can change them! Or better, clear them out. Take stock of your life and notice which...
10 Tips for Gaining Clarity on ANYTHING
If you’re anything like me you struggle with staying on task. In this immediate-gratification-digital-world it’s a challenge to sustain focus on anything for any uninterrupted amount of time. The average attention span is estimated to be about five minutes long for a two year old child, and up to 20 minutes in older children and adults. Just guessing - but it will probably take you longer than 20 minutes of focused attention to achieve your dreams. Try out these 10 tips for clearing and clarifying your mind.. Establish a Morning Ritual: What you do in the morning sets the tone for the day. Begin each day with 10 minutes of nurturing self care. Stretch, breathe, meditate, or read a few pages of a self improvement book. See how...
The Ripple Effect: Your Power Source
Among the hundreds of people I’ve coached and counseled, there’s a striking and honorable theme. It’s one that prompts people to seek support in becoming their best self. It's one that guides behavior, values, and wants. It motivates their reflection, desire for improvement, and a genuine regard for having a positive impact on the greater good. So let’s give credit where credit is due. After all, that’s what keeps us going. The theme I’m referring to is the ripple effect. Regardless of the particulars that bring people to coaching or counseling, clients share a common concern about the imprint they leave on society - their family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, clients. This collective consciousness about their personal effect on what extends beyond their immediate reach impresses me. So much...
4 Steps to Bump Up Your Life
Why is it so difficult, and so important, to know the difference between thoughts and feelings? Sometimes thoughts happen so fast that they go unnoticed. Instead, what we experience is a pit in the stomach, a racing heart and mind, or a sense of hopelessness that things will get better. It’s true that negative emotions seem instantaneous. They're automatic and natural consequences of events, right? Wrong! That’s just not the case! Although they can wash over us like a tidal wave, leaving us helplessly drowning in sorrow, fear, or numbness - there is a choice you can make between stressful events and negative feelings. Except for those real life fight or flight situations, where your safety or life is in actual danger, or in some post traumatic stress...
Kung Fu Your Energy – Get Healthy with Open Awareness
As a kid, my sleeping imagination had no limits. My dreams were vibrant, colorful, moving, exciting, emotional, and physical. There were monsters, heroes, allies, and adventures. I could see, taste, touch, smell, and feel the twists and turns of events. My unconscious mind was free to wander, explore, create, and fantasize. The governor, censor, parental control, and filter of any sort was non-existent as far as I could tell. In the morning, the sensations from the intensity of my dreams lingered for a moment, leaving me wondering about the truth of their reality. Sometimes they scared me. Sometimes they filled me with joy. Regardless of the theme, their dynamic, flowing, saturated richness left a lasting impression. And then, KAPOW! Hello, reality. Time for school. That wild imagination was...
