Thanks to a friend’s wisdom, I’m more comfortable connecting with others. I used to feel like I was imposing on them, or interrupting their lives, by asking if they wanted to get together when I was in their neighbourhood. What if they didn’t want to see me, and were just agreeing to our meeting because… Continue reading A Simple Tip To See Your Friends More Often
Category: Mental Health
Creating Healthy Habits
Our brains love to create habits. It allows our brains to relax and not use much energy. How many times do we bring conscious thought to our daily habits? We don’t need to! We brush our teeth; get into bed and turn out the lights. No thought needed. Habits Can be Beneficial, Neutral Or Unwanted… Continue reading Creating Healthy Habits
A Work/Life Balance Doesn’t Make Sense
I’m determined not to get sucked into that whirlwind of work again. Before I retired from teaching, I was a chronic over-worker. I enjoyed my job (for the most part), and filling my out-of-school hours and weekends with work felt necessary and purposeful. Perhaps it was just easier to do more work than to figure… Continue reading A Work/Life Balance Doesn’t Make Sense
Lose That Winning Streak Mentality
Celebrating someone’s ability to continue a winning streak is harmful to them and to us. We celebrate the retiree who never missed a day of work by featuring them in news articles.* But showing up every day and doing the thing, without missing a day, ever … under any circumstance, is problematic. It’s time we… Continue reading Lose That Winning Streak Mentality
Got Junk? Grow Some Space.
Somehow the older we get the more junk we accumulate. I’m not sure how it happens. It grows in cupboards, and closets and it’s especially fertile in basements and garages. It seems to grow without thought or nurture on my part. Soon, like a garden over-grown with weeds, it becomes a problem. Ignoring it or… Continue reading Got Junk? Grow Some Space.
Benefit From Blue Spaces
I’ve intuitively been drawn to spending time near bodies of water. I love the sounds, the sparkle and the feeling of calm that I get from an expansive lake or a quiet stream. These “blue spaces” seem to give back and recharge me. I always thought that it was a nostalgia thing: I grew up… Continue reading Benefit From Blue Spaces
Delay Replacing Your Phone
Getting a new phone, even a hand-me-down one, should be exciting: new technology, greater capabilities, more battery power. But, I’ve found that it sends me into a tailspin of scrambling to recall passwords long-forgotten, and the struggle to transfer data and set up emails. The set-up eats up most of one day and then trickles… Continue reading Delay Replacing Your Phone
The Benefits Of Mistakes
As a teacher, I often made mistakes. I realized when I started teaching the older grades that there were going to be times when the students would know more than me, or recognize that a word had been spelled incorrectly, or a math question had an error in it. It was inevitable. But, it was… Continue reading The Benefits Of Mistakes
Barriers To Asking For Help
Part 2 in Rethinking Help (click here to read part 1) I see the value of accepting help for the giver, who shares their support, and the receiver, who is supported. It builds connection between friends and family and is mutually beneficial. Accepting help is like accepting a gift, it strengthens bonds. But my independent… Continue reading Barriers To Asking For Help
Affirming the Positive
Recently, I heard someone say that positive self-talk was “food for the brain.” I have some affirmation cards that a good friend gave me and I review them from time to time, and choose a new one to put next to my desk. I thought I was doing well to have them visible. However, if… Continue reading Affirming the Positive
Retired, And Now What? 