Finally took a pause. You would think starting my day off with a self-love guided meditation, that it was going to go swimmingly. Well, not exactly. Seems like having a day off, my mind is on, on, on. Addressing things, some more important than others, stressing over details, bathing myself in negative forecasting, when what … Continue reading When Anxiety Gets the Best of Me
Tag: stress management
Daddy’s Rock Star: My Dad, My Rock
At my bat mitzvah party, before I gave my speech, my dad introduced me and ended by telling me to ‘speak into the microphone like a rock star.” His demeanor was humble and kind always. And the fact that he referenced rock was, to be honest, kinda a surprise. He was after all, a huge … Continue reading Daddy’s Rock Star: My Dad, My Rock
Power of Now
Eckhart Tolle wrote a great book by this name. Thinking about the importance of staying in the moment. Often I anticipate the future and get anxious. But the truth is, when we arrive at that moment, things will be different than our projection of it. Because we bring our whole selves into it and that … Continue reading Power of Now
“Limited Choices is Better than Endless Choices”
To help my aforementioned anxiety, I started to break down my large goals into smaller ones. For example, instead of “reformat all 25 handouts for 5 sessions.” I wrote, “make an outline of handout titles; then reformat handouts from one session per day.” I felt much better after committing to this since it was much … Continue reading “Limited Choices is Better than Endless Choices”
Birds Chirping
One morning this weekend, I listened to the chirping of the birds outside my house for 30 minutes as the sun rose. I recalled the trip my mom took my brother and me on to South America where we watched birds flying in their natural habitat in the outskirts of the Amazon rainforest and even … Continue reading Birds Chirping
A Mommy’s Tummy Ache is Different
This morning I had a stomach ache. My body tends to express stress in this way. And the past few weeks have been full of emotions—conscious and repressed ones—so my hurting tummy is no surprise. I had a tummy ache, but not only did I still have to go to work—as I'm used to as … Continue reading A Mommy’s Tummy Ache is Different
The Secret to Peace of Mind: The Breath
Do you control your breath or does it control you? The answer is: both. Breath is a unique biological function in that it occurs involuntarily, but can be manipulated through conscious effort. As part of my decade-long pursuit of greater peace of mind, I have engaged in mindfulness meditation exercises focusing on the breath. This … Continue reading The Secret to Peace of Mind: The Breath
Taking Accountability for Your Stress
You know how they say people can't drive us crazy if we don't give them the keys? Or how the only thing we can control in life is our response? Well, I've been thinking about this for a long time—more than a decade in fact—and while I understand this on a rational level, it hasn't … Continue reading Taking Accountability for Your Stress
Stress Management Tips
Stress needs to be managed moment to moment, as well as daily, so it doesn't build up to the point of lashing out. Practicing healthy coping mechanisms for stress throughout the day (e.g. breathing, light stretching, positive affirmations) helps diffuse the stress so it doesn't build up. Doing a mindfulness practice for a few minutes … Continue reading Stress Management Tips
Family Portrait: Taking Time Out to Pause
My mom and brother visited from out of town so my mom wanted to take a family portrait with all of us (mom, brother, husband, daughter and me). The only time we were all together was Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon I was off to a teacher training to kick off the new school year and … Continue reading Family Portrait: Taking Time Out to Pause
Mindful Nuggets 