Health & wellbeing
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Can we be alone without social media?
“Changing social media is not enough. We need to change ourselves. Facebook knows how to keep us glued to our phones; now we need to learn how to be comfortable with solitude. If we can’t find meaning within ourselves, we are more likely to turn to Facebook’s siloed worlds to bolster our fragile sense of self.” ~Sherry Turkle, Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT Last week’s horrific shootings — including several that didn’t get much news coverage — finally prompted national conversation and debate about the real dangers of social media. This conversation is long overdue. Over the past several years, I’ve watched social media change…
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Back in the flow
“It can be tempting to prolong certain agonies. There’s the sympathy vote to start with, and if you haven’t felt well or you’ve been through a difficult period, you certainly can’t be expected to work full days or do your own laundry. But bouncing back as soon as you’re able means getting back into the stream of life. This is where the opportunity is.” ~Victoria Moran We all have different ways of coping. During periods of grief or illness, I tend to nurse my deepest wounds by myself. When I’m really down, I decline activities or events that usually spark joy for me — because I hate to dump my…
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Dry January
“Like a garden, you can choose to either let yourself wither and struggle to find your own light, or you can learn how to give yourself the light you need so that all your colors shine brightly, beautifully, and more boldly.” ~Jennifer Ashton, M.D., M.S., The Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier & Fitter — One Month at a Time As Chief Medical Correspondent for ABC News, Dr. Jennifer Ashton knows a thing or two about health and wellbeing. So, when I saw her Self-Care Solution at the bookstore late last year, I didn’t hesitate to purchase it. I’d already promised to make some serious changes in 2023…
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Time management
“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time’ is like saying ‘I don’t want to do it.'” ~Cheryl Richardson There are many things I don’t do because I don’t have time for them. For instance, I’ve put off scheduling certain medical tests and reading all those epic novels that appear on lists of great books that I “should” read. But when I slow down and get honest with myself, I often realize that it’s not a matter of lacking time. I’m usually avoiding something (or putting it off) out of fear, laziness, or sheer disinterest. Truth is, most of us find the time for what we truly…
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One day at a time
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” ~Mary Anne Radmacher Did you make any resolutions (or set new intentions) for the year? Now that we’re nearly halfway through January, the novelty of a healthy diet or exercise program might be wearing off. It’s not always easy to keep the momentum that fueled us from the start. Sticking with any goal takes courage and optimism. Along these lines, a reader of this blog recently wrote to tell me that she likes the “one day at a time” approach to living well. She asked if I had…
