Health & wellbeing
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In the flow
“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” ~Rumi Have you ever felt so absorbed in an activity that you lost track of time and felt completely immersed in the moment? Psychologists call this mental state “flow,” and it happens whenever you’re doing something you love — whether you’re painting a picture, planting a garden, hiking in nature, preparing a meal, playing a sport, or writing an article. When you’re in this state, your creativity pushes your worries to the background. As the poet Rumi suggests in today’s quote, you might even feel a current of joy moving through you. Think about…
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No comparison
“I grew tired of being so plugged into everyone else’s life that I felt disconnected from my own. One day, while scrolling through Instagram, I realized that I don’t need to know what a colleague had for breakfast. I don’t have to read about the accomplishments of people I don’t know well. And I don’t want to keep triggering the part of my brain prone to comparison.” ~Cheryl Richardson It’s wonderful to be in touch with a wide variety of people, but you can lose yourself if you spend too much time minding other people’s business. Today, more people are following the advice of mental health experts and putting down their phones. They’re reconnecting with…
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What do you take for granted?
“We never know the worth of water until the well is dry.” ~Thomas Fuller, English historian, 1608 – 1661 The opposite of feeling grateful is taking someone or something for granted. Anything worth keeping needs our time, care, and attention — because nothing we have is truly guaranteed. You might want to try an exercise I’ve used in my journaling classes: Make a list of everything and everyone you value and would hate to lose. For instance, do you maintain and appreciate the items you own at home and rely on daily? Are you grateful to have a job or are you just putting in your time? Do you assume…
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Taking action
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” ~Dale Carnegie Dale Carnegie often wrote about turning our anxiety into fuel for success. He understood that our problems and worries always loom larger when we’ve got too much idle time on our hands. Productivity moves us out of the shadows of rumination. Once we tackle an issue head on, it becomes less intimidating — even if we start with small steps toward resolution. What plan of action will you start today? ~CL Miss any posts this week? Check out the…
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Three’s a charm
“Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are: Something to do, something to love, and something to hope.” ~Joseph Addison, English poet and essayist There’s something magical about “The Rule of Three” — a time-honored literary device. Just for starters, there are three blind mice, three musketeers, three little pigs, three spirits of Christmas, three wise men, and the three fates. In countless myths and fairy tales, the hero on the journey is typically granted three wishes or given three tasks. I’m also a fan of Dr. Andrew Weil’s “Three Good Things” journaling exercise. At the end of each day, you make a list of three good things that…
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