Category Archives: Optimizing Stress
Training Our Inner Nut
That red almond-shaped spot in the diagram is our amygdala…from the Greek word for almond…the part of the brain that can send us into the fight-or-flight reaction. When it believes we’re in danger it shuts down the thinking part of … Continue reading
Posted in Lifelong Learning, Optimizing Stress
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Mindful Eating
And when you chew, chew only the carrot, not your projects or your ideas. You are capable of living in the present moment, in the here and the now. It is simple, but you need some training to just enjoy … Continue reading
Posted in Optimizing Stress, Patience
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Do We Always Have to Be Happy?
We hear a lot these days about how happy people not only have more fun in life, they also live longer. Does that mean we should worry about our health when we’re unhappy? A recent WebMD article indicates it’s best … Continue reading
Posted in Optimizing Stress, Stress Hardiness
9 Comments
Having the Sense That God Gave the Goose
I’ve been browsing the photos at Flickr the past few days, looking for some bright, cheerful images to counteract the dark and somber ones of the future that have been haunting my mind lately. birdyboo’s pictures of geese were more … Continue reading
Posted in Lifelong Learning, Optimizing Stress
11 Comments
What I Learned From Being Downsized
I’ve been studying/practicing personal development most of my life, and got into stress management about 16 years ago, when my husband and I were both threatened with downsizing. It was scary, but also one of the happiest times of my … Continue reading
Help Is Not a Four-Letter Word
My time-management system is easy. I mentally have a list of things I want to do, and I keep it in my head unless/until my mind starts feeling cluttered. Then I write the list down. Each item in the list … Continue reading
Posted in Lifelong Learning, Optimizing Stress, Stress Hardiness
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The Dark Side of Inspiration
We’re often encouraged to push ourselves, to do more with our lives…to stop cheating ourselves by setting our sights too low. That’s probably true for a lot of people. But it’s also true that some people are ruining their lives … Continue reading
Posted in Optimizing Stress
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Waking Up to Life
You only live once. And sometimes not even then. — P. J. O’Rourke. There’s a story about a monk meditating every day in the village square. A businessman would hurry by, going about his business and sometimes frowning and … Continue reading
Posted in Optimizing Stress, Stress Hardiness
3 Comments
Hogwarts LA
It’s been a fun week. For the third year in a row I was “assistant headmistress” at the local Hogwarts (Harry Potter) one-week vacation school. The school was 1-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, plus an overnight Friday night and Saturday … Continue reading
Posted in Lifelong Learning, Optimizing Stress
1 Comment
Something To Look Forward To
In the past, fads and commercial hype have turned me off. But I’m changing my mind about that. The picture on the left, courtesy of Wikipedia, was taken outside a Borders store in Delaware for the midnight release of Harry … Continue reading
Posted in Optimizing Stress
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