Category: Conscious Living

  Chronic fear impacts our physical health, memory, brain processing, and our mental health. This article will explain what happens in our brains and bodies when we experience fear and ways that we can move from fear to resilience. We feel the emotion fear when we are threatened. The perceived threat can be either physical, psychological, or emotional and can also be real or imagined. We often think of emotions like fear or anger as bad, but every emotion serves a purpose. Fear can help to keep us safe by motivating us to take action that will prevent us from […]

  If I had to pick one word to describe what we need during this time, that word would be compassion. Compassion for self and compassion for others. Why compassion? When we are under duress or experiencing stress we are more likely to make mistakes, communicate less effectively and present with emotions and behaviors that vary from our norm. For many, the changes and the challenges that we are currently facing trigger unresolved grief or trauma. We feel rocked to our core. Trauma lives in cellular memory, not just the brain. When we experience a traumatic event such as what […]

Resolving to communicate more effectively should be added to our list of New Year’s resolutions, with emphasis on face-to-face communication. A study by the Joint Commission for Transforming Healthcare revealed that up to 80 percent of serious medical errors can be attributed to miscommunication among medical staff. The good news is that we can easily learn skills to help us communicate more effectively and improve our business and personal relationships. Making effective requests of others is an integral part of good communication in the workplace and at home. But many of us haven’t learned how to deliver a concise request […]

  Many years ago, I learned the value of identifying things that were bothersome and quickly taking action to remedy as much as possible. For example, that favorite sweater that you reach for repeatedly and once in your hands, you remember that a button has fallen off – gift yourself a moment to sew the button back on and enjoy that sweater. In today’s world, our concerns often consume more energy than sewing on a button, but when we identify concerns, we can become empowered to improve situations. Like you, I have many concerns. Taking the time to identify concerns […]

I intended to write an article to inform others that the World Health Organization (WHO) now lists burnout as an official ailment in the International Classification of Diseases — a handbook for doctors and health insurers. This information is important because so many of us experience the symptoms but minimize the effect of burnout in our lives, including our relationships and health. Every time I would think about writing the article, I quickly busied myself with other projects. Then I thought perhaps I was hesitating because I needed to learn more about the subject. I ordered a DVD for a […]

This summer I addressed little things in my life that either annoyed me or added stress. Once identified, it was easy to take action. Below are a few examples. I hope you will be inspired to identify and remove some of your own stressors. 1. Every morning I felt frustrated with having dirt and dog hair on the kitchen floor. Action: Bought a robot vacuum. Result: A smile each morning as I see the floors and empty the vacuum. Love it so much we now have one for the carpeted rooms and will be getting one for the upstairs. 2. […]

Recently I was asked following question: What issue for today’s working women is of most concern to you? When I started writing my response, I noticed that I had more concerns than I realized. These concerns weren’t for working women but for everyone. Taking the time to identify these concerns has brought them to my consciousness. I am motivated to do what I can to lessen some of the concerns. As we start this New Year, I hope that we work together to lessen our concerns. Best wishes for a year filled with all that brings you joy and peace! Read response […]