Ever since I was a pre-teen, people told me I was so much like my mother. I looked like her. I talked like her. I laughed like her. I was nice like her. I always greeted these comments with a mixture of pride as well as abashment. I was honored to resemble my mother, whom … Continue reading Being Your Own Person AND Your Mother's Daughter
Tag: psychology
Creative Writing Is My Jam
One of the things I like about working in a preschool is being able to use my communication and writings skills. In particular, I enjoy writing a weekly synopsis for the parents of what we did each week. Today, it was suggested that I look over another teacher's weekly summary. I took this very personally. … Continue reading Creative Writing Is My Jam
Positive Psychology is Positively Great
Recently I came across notes that I took at a seminar in 2013 about happiness led by Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, the renowned professor of positive psychology. (I am still convinced that had I known about positive psychology in college I very well may have chosen to study that instead of pursuing nutrition—having been a psychology … Continue reading Positive Psychology is Positively Great
August 23, 2000: My Flashbulb Memory
August 23, 2000 was a very weird day. It was horrible actually. But the way it became horrible was weird. A flashbulb memory is when you remember something so accurately, even years later, because it was so shocking. Kennedy's assassination is an example often used. 9/11 is another. Well this memory isn't national, rather related … Continue reading August 23, 2000: My Flashbulb Memory
Inner World, Outer World: Quieting the Mental Chatter
All that noise, that stuff It's always there, it's just a matter of my awareness But to think that when I don't know it it's not there is naive And to be anxious about it when I do know it is foolish Rather— Just acknowledge that things are always crazy in some ways and choose … Continue reading Inner World, Outer World: Quieting the Mental Chatter
Fear Versus Anxiety: The Outdoors Reminds Us of Our Vulnerability
As I held my toddler daughter to my chest at the sound of thunder, I felt that visceral fear of the elements. We are so guarded in our homes, yet we have other fears in life. That visceral fear was refreshing—it is pure, evolutionarily programmed fear. Unlike the racing thoughts in my mind all the … Continue reading Fear Versus Anxiety: The Outdoors Reminds Us of Our Vulnerability
Music Videos Versus the Songs Themselves
TV is visual, unlike reading which leaves the images up to the reader's imagination—invites them to create their own interpretation. The influence of images is also apparent in music videos—impacting the way one interprets a song. Which is why I often will play a song on YouTube but ignore the music video, since I want … Continue reading Music Videos Versus the Songs Themselves
Music and Nostalgia
The songs are great (or not!) but the deeper reason why we like them is that they bring up memories of our youth. With many osngs I can picture what I was doing at the time, my emotions, my interactions, etc. It's kind of like oflactory memory—it shoots me back right into that moment.
Yoga: Strengthening the Rational Brain
Soon after one of my yoga sessions, I had a difficult conversation at work. Doing the yoga prior helped me feel more centered during this. I was firm, but not reactive. I was assertive and communicated my needs without becoming overly emotional.
Who Are You—On the Inside?
Along with the thrill of moving into a larger home, are the negative thoughts it triggers. Feelings that I don't deserve to live in a large space, and then ironically, feelings of jealousy over other homes which are far bigger. My brain ping pongs between these two unsavory mental states. This past weekend I went … Continue reading Who Are You—On the Inside?
