Monthly Archives: August 2015

4 mindfulness skills that can help you manage your anxiety

teen stress

SALT LAKE CITY — Feelings of panic, restlessness, excessive worry, difficulties concentrating and irritability are all common symptoms of anxiety. Some may experience a couple of these symptoms as others may experience all at once. Anxiety is emotionally draining and can cause many problems to an individual’s everyday life. It takes a lot of work to deal with anxiety and be a fully functioning individual. Little accomplishments are big successes and completing short or long term goals can feel overwhelming.

Excerpt from Jennifer Sorenson’s article on KSL.com- Read more

 

Water and climate: Recognize anthropogenic drought

Since 2012, California has been experiencing its worst drought in more than a century. Temperatures are breaking records and the region is down a year’s worth of rainfall1. Forests, fish and wildlife as well as the regional economy are struggling.

California is known as the United States’s salad bowl because of its prolific fruit, vegetable and nut production. But fields have had to be left fallow, contributing to statewide losses of US$2.2 billion in 2014 (ref. 2). More than 12 million trees have died, with cascading impacts on amphibians, birds and mammals3. Streams and wetlands are drying up, including the American River hatcheries of steelhead and Chinook salmon. More than 17,000 jobs have been lost, mainly in poor rural communities.

Excerpt from AghaKouchak and others’ article in Nature- Read more.

Two paths to peace: the secular and the sacred

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In late July, while John Kerry sat across a table in Paris from Mohammed Zarif, chief Iranian negotiator for the Iranian-US nuclear treaty, I and six other Americans from the Global Peace Initiative of Women sat across tables from some of the major religious figures in Iran. We were in Qom, the Vatican of Shia Islam.

One thing struck me: We were all working on behalf of peace, Kerry on one level, we on the another. He and his team were trying to control the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Our team — two Hindus, an Evangelical, a mainline Protestant, a Zen master, a Sufi and a Catholic nun — were hoping to find the common ground that makes having weapons of mass destruction unnecessary.

Excerpt from Joan Chittister’s article in National Catholic Reporter- Read more.

Shaping your wellbeing

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Mindfulness can provide benefits for our daily lives, writes life coach Jan Aitken.

Mindfulness. What comes to mind when you read that word?

It’s a concept that has become very popular over the past few years, and practising mindfulness is showing many benefits for our daily lives. It’s a simple technique to learn, you don’t need any expensive equipment. In this column we’ll look at what we mean by ”mindfulness” and take a look at what being mindful can do for us. In the next column we’ll take a look at how we can be more mindful and how to practise it on a daily basis.

Excerpt from Jan Atkins’ article in the Otago Daily Times, New Zealand- Read more

Living Life in a Delicate Balance

 

sunset

It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

~Alfred Lord Tenneyson~

Carol and I recently made dinner plans with our dear friends Harvey and Sharon. When it came time for the dinner we found ourselves at a funeral home for our friends’ calling hours. They had been killed in a plane crash a week before. We hadn’t seen them for a while but always treasured our time with them and looked forward to their company.

The whole week between their deaths and the calling hours, I woke up at night with visions of the fiery plan crash, trying to imagine what it must have been like for them. Did they have time to reflect on their lives? Did they say they loved each other one last time? Did they hold hands for their last few seconds?

Most of the people I lost over the past few years knew they were approaching death and so did I. Fortunately I had time to reminisce with them and ultimately say goodbye. While our parting was sorrowful, I had time to be with them one last time and share a few moments of joy.

With Harvey and Sharon it was different. One moment they were part of our lives and the next moment they were gone. I have learned that people I cherish don’t need to be part of my daily life to be important to me. Just knowing they are on earth brightens my outlook and gives me a sense of belonging and being loved. They have become part of me and  the fabric of my life.

Losing people like them leaves me feeling that part of me has been ripped away. I am still the same person but something is missing. I mourn the part of me they took with them when they left the earth. As the reality of their loss starts to set in, I feel less sorry for myself in their loss. I remember all the great times we had, the joy they brought to my life and the ability to be fully myself in their company.

Yet tears still come to my eyes as I write this, knowing that I will never again delight with them over Harvey’s koi pond or Sharon’s feast table. I find it hard to savor their memory without feeling the sting of their loss. I have also discovered that the older I get, the more I rely on memories of those I have loved and who have loved me than on the experience of their company. It remains sad, but my memories of dear friends and relatives help me manage hard times and comfort me when I face difficult challenges.

Life Lab Lessons 

  • Set aside some time to bask in good memories of those you have lost.
  • Treasure what you have learned from them.
  • Recall what their best qualities were.
  • Try to show those qualities in your life.
  • Care for others as those who loved you cared for you.

 

 

Why We Need Isolation To Make Us Human Again

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Its 9 a.m. on a Monday, and I wake up with sun shining through an open window as a palm tree sways just outside. The smell of salt water, combined with the sounds of people milling about on the sidewalk below reminds me that I am not in Silicon Valley. Instead, I walk up to the window to see Waikiki Beach just a block away. In short order, I’m off to the beach.

Excerpt from Gil Laroya’s article in the Huffington Post- Read more.

Discovering what the term ‘Mindfulness’ is all about

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Likely you’ve heard the term mindfulness being bandied about as if it’s the latest “fad”.
Thousands of studies from around the globe have shown mindfulness to be beneficial for everything from Anxiety to Alzheimer’s; for helping schoolchildren improve their concentration; prisoners with reducing aggression; partners with enhancing communication and empathy; workplaces for reducing burnout; leaders for developing greater responsiveness and creativity. A truly impressive list for something as simple as paying attention in the present moment!

Excerpt from Anie Chapman’s article in the Wanganui Chronicle- Read more.

Healthy Seniors Get More Out of Living Longer

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During the 20th century, life expectancy rose dramatically among the world’s wealthiest populations from around 50 to over 75 years. This increase can be attributed to a number of factors, including improvements in public health, nutrition and medicine. Vaccinations and antibiotics greatly reduced deaths in childhood.

Excerpt from Karen Wiggins article in the Daily Jeffersonian. Read More

When Bad Things Happen: How to Survive, Thrive and Never Look Back

When Bad Things Happen How to Survive, Thrive and Not Look Back

Knockbacks, knockdowns and knockouts are an unavoidable part of full living. The number of times I’ve wished they weren’t – so desperately at times that it’s hard to believe it’s not enough to make those bad things disappear. When bad things happen, it’s up to us – and only us – to decide what happens next. It’s cliché (oh I know how cliché this is, but stay with me) – but by changing the way we experience the bad, we can emerge from the chaos and thrive, strengthened by an experience that could have just as easily floored us.

Excerpt from Hey Sigmund– Read more