by Amanda Gould | April, 2018 | Health, Mental Health
When facing challenges in life, whether it is physical, emotional or mental, we have one of three options: let our response push us backward, stand us still or propel us forward. Only one of these options exemplifies resilience, growth mindset, and optimism, which are key ingredients to living a fulfilling life. At the beginning of February I developed a rare autoimmune disorder called reactive arthritis. It has presented many challenges, yet I have remained mostly positive throughout the process. I believe my gratitude practice that began long before the health challenges arrived has propelled me forward in this season and for that I am very thankful. Whether we have allowed our pain to push us backward, stand us still or propel us forward it is important for us to seek healing outside of the conventional sense of the word. To propel us forward in our challenges, I believe the following four tips will help us heal: Help from others Excitement for life Aligning our beings with our truth Love. Lots and lots of love Help From Others The importance of community seems to be magnified when we face challenges in life, as the support we do or do not receive impacts our ability to propel ourselves forward. If you do not feel supported in your time of need, seek out help. Communicate your needs to your community before falling into the negative self-talk that says no one is there for you. If you do feel supported, ensure you express your gratitude for the support that you are receiving as often as you can. To note, our help may come...
by Lee Newitt | April, 2018 | Education, Mindfulness
Children are amazing because they are mindful. When a child is shy they may express their feelings of shyness without fear, they are just ‘being’. They may be open to and aware of what they are experiencing in that moment without repression. Children start life inherently mindful and through their experiences they learn to cooperate, to collaborate, to consider, to understand and to empathise becoming socially aware and responsible adults. Disconnect However this journey in our modern world of fast pace, distraction, complexity and technology can lead to a person becoming disconnected from himself or herself, their experiencing and from others, a mindlessness. How can a person truly know another and give freely of himself or herself, if they do not know themself first? What if children were encouraged to grow and develop mindful awareness throughout their childhood into adulthood? How would those adults be different? More ‘in tune’? More connected? More giving? Happier? Evidence Base Research describes mindfulness as a moment-by-moment “awareness of present experience with acceptance” (Germer, Seigel and Fulton, 2013, p.7) or an “awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose in the present moment, non-judgementally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment” (Kabat-Zinn, 2003, p.145). Studies Studies have linked mindfulness with reduced; anxiety and depression (Shapiro et al, 1998), mood disturbance (Rozenweig et al, 2003) and increased; wellbeing (Grepmair et al, 2007), nonjudgmental self-insight (Chung, 1990), empathy, compassion and selfcompassion (Neff, 2003; Neff and Germer, 2013; Shapiro et al, 2007), openness and acceptance (Bishop et al, 2004) and attention regulation, emotional regulation and psychological flexibility (Hözel et al, 2011; Hayes et...
by Maggie Bevington | April, 2018 | compassion
So today is April 25th, 2018 – just another day really, no birthdays or occasions in the family- but I found myself wondering if it was a special day of celebration for others, maybe even nationally or internationally, so I decided to find out. Well according to www.daysoftheyear.com it’s a day for the following International / National celebrations: Golf day DNA day Hug a Plumber day Administrative Professionals day Malaria day Guide Dogs day World Stationary day I was intrigued to find out that in theory it is possible for anyone to choose to name a particular day, as one could be forgiven for thinking that ‘Hug a Plumber day’ might indicate, but the site does assure us that these are real events and not a joke! Whilst the other events might be better known and perhaps seem more worthy, it was the ‘Hug a Plumber day’ that attracted me first! I first became interested in hugs after watching this You Tube video of ‘Juan Mann’ (One Man) and learning the story behind it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4 The Origins of Free Hugs The story is of Juan Mann struggling with depression following personal trauma and moving away from family in London to live in Australia, where he felt alone and sad. One day when at a very low point, a complete stranger gave him a hug which made him feel instantly better, so in 2004 he decided to do the same for others. He was stopped by the police who said he needed public liability insurance but a petition of 10,000 signatures asking for him to be allowed to continue changed...
by Aren Henry | April, 2018 | Karen Henry, Noetic Nomad, Uncategorized
R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Find out what it means to me. The master, Aretha Franklin sang it into our hearts. Today, two hard limits come to mind when I think about people living their best lives. Or, teaching others to live their best lives. Dignity Respect They go hand in hand. Without them, we have nothing to discuss. If we don’t show someone respect by acting respectful, we will never receive that person’s full support. Not only to those who can expose us to the popular, pretty version of our world, but to all, then we are not fully engaged in dignity for all persons or respect for the world itself. The field of psychology is relatively new in comparison to the study of humanity. Thousands upon thousands of years of studying the human condition came long before our forefathers. Ancient wisdom that we simply discount as theoretical or folklore because the ideas can’t be measured quantifiably. And yet, qualitative research does a fine job of helping us to realize what matters most in the human condition. Pioneers Are we pioneers or renaissance people? There are people here who say, “yeah, well, I know so-in-so” and, “what an amazing man”, and even, “well, I knew you-know-who before anyone else” as if being up close and personal with original researchers were a competition for popularity. Celebrity researchers. Perhaps it could be a new reality show? At the core, that’s not why we’re here. Is it? This surge of abundance and popularity has also watered down the field. When I hear a car salesman (or a funeral plot sales billboard…, yes, I’ve seen this...
by Loretta Graziano | April, 2018 | Brain chemicals
Everyone looks at the world through a lens built in high school. No one intends to, but neuroplasticity peaks in puberty so our core neural pathways develop at that time. Humans are not born hard-wired like smaller-brained creatures. We’re designed to wire ourselves from lived experience. Whatever triggered your brain chemicals in youth paved neural pathways that turn them on today. Early experience builds our core pathways because a young brain is full of myelin, the fatty substance that coats neurons and makes them efficient. Myelinated neurons convey electricity up to 100 times faster than undeveloped neurons. Whatever you do with your myelinated neurons feels natural and normal, from speaking your native language to getting social support in ways that worked when you were young. Myelin is abundant before age eight and during puberty. Those first seven years lay the foundation of your neural network, and in puberty you get a chance to rework it. Of course we learn throughout life, but we mostly add leaves to existing branches. The deep branches that control your neurochemicals are built from the repeated emotional experiences of your myelin years. Our adolescent pathways are obvious yet elusive. They’re obvious because they’re what you tell yourself all day every day. They’re elusive because they don’t match your conscious explanations of your impulses. You can penetrate that verbal veneer when you know how adolescence works in animals. There is no free love in the state of nature. Animals work hard for any reproductive opportunity that comes their way. They persist because their brain rewards them with happy chemicals when they succeed. Animals leave home at puberty...