Genius Hour was a popular concept a few years ago and I used it with my class. Every week the students would have time to pursue projects that they had designed. This was student-initiated learning: their curiosity leading to a project that they would share with the class at the end of term. It was… Continue reading Keep Curiosity Alive
Category: Mental Health
Can You Remember What You Just Read?
Just a quick scroll through the news cycle or a social media app exposes me to an overload of ideas. Many of these ideas are interesting and important. They act as a distraction from what I’m in the middle of doing, or not doing. But having too much information leaves me vulnerable to poor decision… Continue reading Can You Remember What You Just Read?
Mind The Happiness Gap
*Free Happiness Gap resource included* It has long been established that what people say and what they actually do, are two completely different categories. This applies to when we’re talking to ourselves as well. We tell ourselves a different story than our actions reflect. There’s a gap. Mind The Gap It’s common for us to… Continue reading Mind The Happiness Gap
A Simple Tip To See Your Friends More Often
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
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
Retired, And Now What? 