Did you know that at any given moment, there’s a 50% chance you (and I) are not really “here”. That is, we may have drifted off mentally, our attention getting hijacked by thoughts that are tied to stress, perceptions of threat or our lousy mood, “the kryptonite” for our attention, according to neuroscientist and assoc. professor Amishi Jha.
As a white counselor, I have long considered myself an ally of those historically marginalized in our culture – especially Black, Latino, Gay, etc., but this excerpt from author DeRay Mckesson, made me stop and consider the difference between an ally and an accomplice. As I strive to do and be better, I hope you […]
Growing up, I dreamed of being a ballerina, a marine biologist, a globe-trotting anthropologist, but never about being a middle-school teacher. But we all awoke last week, and presto, we are teachers (as well as therapists, bankers, architects, nurses, artists, caregivers…). With or without school-aged kids, these are incredibly stressful times for Americans, many of […]
How prophetic is this Italian proverb as COVID 19 wreaks havoc in Italy, across the globe and in our community too? The house most certainly is on fire, so we may as well warm ourselves. I saw people doing just that on my four-mile run/walk through Winter Park. Kids were roller skating, playing hopscotch, riding […]
Are you among the 88% of Americans who find the holidays stressful instead of blissful? If you’re female, the answer is more likely to be yes. After all, women do most of the shopping, decorating, cooking, baking, party-planning and memory-making for our families. And honestly, wasn’t your schedule already jam-packed before the holidays? The answer […]
Do you notice that you just feel better on days like this? The weather started in the low 60’s, with low humidity and a brilliant, cloudless blue sky. Ahhh. Well there is actually science behind that. We’re all drawn to nature and feel happier, according to many studies, when we see trees, water, birds and […]
In honor of International Happiness Day, I’m sharing this story about one of the happiest moments of my life. I was running in my neighborhood on a summer morning years ago and the temperature was already in the high 80’s and super humid. I was icky, sticky and sweaty (stay with me, this detail matters). […]
As a mental health professional and the former executive director of a healthy community initiative, I’ve long recognized the nexus between mental and physical well-being. It’s extremely difficult to have one without the other. I am absolutely not saying that depression, trauma or the loss of a loved one can magically be healed with a […]
I had the unique good fortune of being adopted and raised by maternal grandparents who got me as a baby when they were both in their early 50s. Despite their advanced age, they were awesome parents and my friends loved hanging out at our house all throughout my school years. In elementary school, my mom, who […]
Do you want to cry – or scream right about now? I sure do. Pittsburgh. Package bombs. Hate, blaming, mind games and hateful political ads 24/7. The news was already too much – and then, another mass shooting. In a place of worship. What has happened to our country? I’ve been around a lot of […]
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