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Take a break
Feeding the fire within
Every spiritual tradition teaches stopping. It’s a way to break habits, a way to let space into your otherwise overcrowded life, a way to restore balance.
So this is my break.
I am at a remarkable retreat called vaidyagrama, a healing village, in the south of India. Until January 10, I will be away from computers and emails and telephones.
During times of retreat we can reflect on what has happened and what is to come. But mostly, we can consider the great gifts we have, right now. 2011 was an extraordinary year. 2012 holds many promises.
I wish you all a happy, healthy New Year. I hope it is off to a good start in the direction that will most bring balance and fulfillment into your life.
Bring in a new year with every breath
Take a moment to breathe
New Year’s greetings to everyone, far and wide! May it be a year of peace, health and prosperity for all.
Since the beginning of a new year is usually filed with resolutions– which are really thinly disguised attempts to change habits — I’m going to begin the year with a series of posts on habits.
Habits determine the quality of our lives. And they are fundamental if you want to reduce your stress around taking tests.
Life is made up of habits. Think about it. As you are reading this you are breathing (whether you are aware of your breath or not). As Continue reading
Balance: Untying the knots of anxiety
Are you all tied up?
As I write this I am in south India at an Ayurvedic retreat. Ayurveda is the oldest system of healing arts known to man. It dates back thousands of years to the writing of the Vedas, or ancient texts.
One of the pillars of this remarkably comprehensive and far-reaching system is to establish and maintain balance of body, mind and spirit. Since this corresponds so directly with the work I do as a stress psychologist I want to take a moment, at year’s end, review this foundational aspect of good health. Let’s start out with Continue reading
Guiding Light for Test Prep
After the days have gotten shorter and the nights longer we move through the winter solstice. The days begin to lengthen. More and more light comes in, slowly, little by little.
Christmas and Hanukah celebrate light: Jesus, the light of the world, and the Hanukah, the eternal light in the holy temple.
What does this light mean to us? It is the light of our spirit, the sustaining force that gives us each the illumination and power to clear Continue reading
When the stress level rises: pay attention to your body
Stop pulling your hair out!
Here’s a quick and vital tip: when you are feeling stressed pay attention to your body.
Much of what we think of as stress is exactly that, thinking. We start worrying about something that hasn’t yet happened (like an upcoming test) or fretting over something that has already passed (like the answers we put on the test this morning– Did I circle a or b?!). As soon as this kind of thinking kicks in we start amping up. We begin feeling anxious.
So here’s the tip: the feeling is just that, a feeling, something that’s going on in our bodies. Yes, it might be
Veering towards the negative: what’s that all about?
Why are we stuck listening to the negative voice?
A student I am working with has a problem. Here’s what she says about it: “Every time on a test when I’m not sure if my answer is right, I immediately have negative thoughts, ‘You’re not going to get this right,’ ‘You don’t know the material,” ‘You can’t figure this out.’ Why do I always think these negative thoughts?”
This is a great question and something I’ve wondered about for a long time. It’s a very common situation: in a difficult or doubtful situation most of us usually veer towards the negative. What’s going on? In a series of posts I’m going to address this issue. Today we’ll look at one cause and one method of dealing with it.
Test prep tip: keep your mind positive
I came across an article about a successful program designed for at-risk students and dropouts working toward their GED. It’s an 18 month program in which students learn academic, personal, leadership and vocational skills through hands-on-activities.
Karen Bryant, who mentors students even after graduation, said she credits the success of the program to a relationship built on trust and respect with her students. Many of the students have remained friends of Bryant over the years.
In the ‘confidence’ leg of my 3-legged stool performance model I explore into the relationship between ‘trust’ and ‘confidence.’
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