Tag Archives: mental health
When I moved to Chicago, I noticed that I gravitated to the color orange, using it for furnishings, throw pillows and linens throughout my apartment. Orange symbolizes energy, vitality, cheer, excitement, adventure, warmth, and good health. In retrospect, I find it interesting that these are the feelings needed to start over in a new town. Perhaps my subconscious was my interior decorator? Color theory, in general, fascinates me. Have you ever considered the subliminal effects of color on mood? What…..
Just in case you needed to hear this today, it’s okay to be selfish. Women, in particular, are conditioned to be givers, peacemakers, feather-smoothers, and people pleasers. Most, if not all of these expectations are based on the sentiment that it’s not good for women to be selfish, or that being selfish is bad. The messaging is so relentless and pervasive that it’s easy for the distinction between selfish and self care can be difficult to ascertain. Some random thoughts…..
At the turn of the year, I ask you to take stock of everything that is going WELL in your life right now. If you’re having a difficult time thinking of anything, here’s one thing to consider: if you can read this, you have access to the internet and the ability to read. This isn’t my attempt to “doom shame” you, and it isn’t meant to minimize the extreme suffering experienced by millions of people this year. However, it is…..
Do you ever wonder why some people seem to bounce back after misfortune and crises while others don’t? There are a myriad of reasons, some of which are 100% beyond their control (genetic luck, geographic random location), but some things are not only controllable, but can be cultivated. Your happiness set point can be determined by many things, but these four things represent major areas: • Financial cushion • Health — mental, spiritual, physical • Community • Family These are…..
For a few years now, I have watched in horror as my country implodes through a self-inflicted massacre. Doomscrolling on Twitter hasn’t helped. If you’re really interested in watching my brain unspool in real time, it’s all still there. Twitter is a way that I process things. As a way to stave off the negativity, positive-thinking clichés cascade through my head. I use them as mental pitons to stabilize my thoughts as they spiral downward. Stabilize they must, because at…..
How many of you are good at giving compliments? How many of you are good at graciously accepting them? If you’re like most people, it’s easier for you to give a compliment than it is to receive one. Know this: when you minimize or refuse to accept a compliment, you are insulting the giver and telling yourself that you are not worthy. Am I being harsh? Nope. As a writer, I love words. I love how words convey meaning, mood…..
As someone who works in media and publishing, I literally get paid to be online. Immersed in the sea of toots, updates and hashtags, I marinate in bits, bytes and bon mots (and mal mots?) each day. It can be difficult for me to disengage my brain from the firehose of data that streams past me every day. However, I have found that it’s bad for my mental health to spend too much time in the digital realm. Since social…..
If you’ve been staying in and self-isolating during the pandemic, first of all: thank you. When we are asked to do something to help, most of us look to the grand or sweeping gestures, the BIG sacrifices to make a difference. During this extremely stressful time, we are asked to be still. Being still is difficult for me. My grandmother used to call me the Dutch Cleanser Girl (it’s an advertising reference to a powdered cleanser that had a similar…..
For most of us, we’ve experienced over two years of some version of lockdown. It has been a period of trauma and uncertainty. Even with the vaccine rollouts, there will be months, if not years of recalibration ahead of us. Early on during Quarantine Life, I sent out a message in response to a “hustle porn” tweet that essentially said if you don’t emerge from lockdown without having mastered a second language, launching your next company etc., you were a…..
Take a look at the people you’ve chosen to surround yourself with—are there people from your childhood who no longer align with your goals or beliefs? Do you spend time with work colleagues who stifle your spirit? Is your circle of friends supportive and encouraging? There’s an extremely effective sorting statement you can apply to your relationships that will begin to shift the energy of the individuals in your orbit: “If someone is not nourishing you, they are draining you.”…..