Valentine’s Day is, of course, intended for romantic love but our love of others is more the type for which my closest landmark city is named, Philadelphia, or “The City of Brotherly Love.” This type of love is just as valuable as romantic love, if not more, since brotherly (and sisterly) love is what can hold a street, block, town or nation together. Like little covalent bonds, the love of others makes up the matter of our society.
2021 required much adaptation. Here's to a 2022 where that adaptation becomes acceptance, and that acceptance moves from the individual and echoes throughout a new and improved culture.
The Holiday Radio Show is far from the only holiday tradition that has been adapted for a second year running. Based on data gathered for this piece 75% of survey participants modified their traditions due to COVID-19 precautions last year—and interestingly, an equal percentage are doing so again this year. Their reasons are as personal as the traditions themselves, but they all align with one of the key reasons that the WPRB Holiday Marathon has weathered COVID-19 and lasted over three decades.
Well, it’s like that turkey we ate yesterday and the drowsy, content feeling we had afterward. The turkey is the delivery mechanism for the chemical tryptophan which makes us feel that way. Gratitude is the vehicle for dopamine and serotonin—it’s like turkey for our brain!
There’s nothing wrong with feeling anxiety, in fact it’s a good thing. Anxiety can drive adaptation. The difficulty comes when we let that anxiety stop us from enjoying life. Even Halloween.
This practice as a form of journaling has been shown to promote feelings of closure, reduce anxiety and prepare us for the next phase of our lives.
I offer a framework, something to picture. It’s as easy as 3-2-1. Three days of in-person work, two days of virtual work and one main focus…sustainable, profitable work-life balance. The 3-2-1 Week*.
We lost lives, and that grieves me. We lost lifestyles, which hurts as well. But what remained and what grew in light of what science says we could have lost makes me grateful now and keeps my hope stoked for the future.
he world is re-opening and with that comes a wealth of opportunities. Also, if my clients and social media are any indication, comes an increasing amount of stress and anxiety. Many of us have become comfortable over the last fifteen months. While life is not lived in the comfort zone, it is also not to be lived in constant stress. As we re-emerge, to do so with the most health and joy, we need to keep one thing in mind: We are still in charge.
I know it's in some ways heart wrenching to look at the 'percieved benefit' of the pandemic though some did exist. Let's focus on the idea of a psychological immune system. That's what I was thinking about as I was knocked for a loop with two days of harsh side effects from the vaccine.
