Self-Care Practices

Hi Folks, The March edition of the Surviving Spirit Newsletter is posted at the website - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/index.php To sign up for an e-mail copy, please write to me @ mikeskinner@comcast.net or sign up @ Website via Contact Us. PDF - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/pdfs/2020-03The_Surviving_Spirit_Newsletter_March_2020.pdf Thanks! Michael. Healing the Heart Through the Creative Arts, Education & Advocacy Hope, Healing & Help for Trauma, Abuse &...

How many times have you noticed that your mood improves when you’re outdoors, surrounded by nature? How often have you wrestled with a difficult issue, only to find that the pieces seem to fall into place while you’re taking a walk or sitting on a beach? Many of us instinctively know, and can back up from experience, that being out in nature is good for our mental health. As awareness grows of the need for holistic health solutions, it seems that the medical and scientific establishments are...

At Mindful, we aim to connect you with the resources you need to develop and strengthen your meditation practice. We know that meditation isn’t always easy—that’s why we’ve created step-by-step instructions to guide you through each practice. Whether you’re new to meditation or have been practicing for years, our resources give you the space to slow down, connect, and refresh. This year, we provided meditations on how to tame the inner critic, tune into the body, sleep better, sit with...

Laura's Note: Though most of author Peg Streep's work focuses on mother-daughter relationships, the ideas in the following article could work well for anyone. How to bolster and support recovery with simple steps. For the last two decades, I’ve turned my attention to the mother-daughter relationships in all of its iterations but with a specific focus on the damage done to a daughter when a mother is unloving, emotionally distant, self-involved, controlling. hypercritical, or dismissive. At a...

Hi Folks, The latest edition of the Surviving Spirit Newsletter is posted at the website - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/index.php http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/pdfs/2019-12-The_Surviving_Spirit_Newsletter_December_2019.pdf To sign up for an e-mail copy, please write to me @ mikeskinner@comcast.net or sign up @ Website via Contact Us, Thanks! Michael. Contents List: 1] A neuroscientist's advice for combating stress this holiday season by Dr. Patrick K. Porter 2] Peer...

From the blog manager [of the Attachment & Trauma Network blog] Many of us raising children affected by early trauma and attachment disorders know holiday stress all too well. Even the most well-meaning relatives can inflict additional pain, sometimes because they simply do not understand, other times because they cannot help but judge. Our decisions, our families, our lives, may look very different from what they dreamed, hoped, or expected. Old hurts get triggered and we find ourselves...

Open yourself up to the benefits of gratitude with these guided meditations. A Loving-Kindness Practice to Foster Acceptance (3-minutes) Open the heart. A Guided Meditation for Resting in the Flow (19-minutes) Appreciate the moment. Gratitude Practice: Savor The Moment Savor the good. To access Nicole Bayes-Fleming's post with the three guided meditations, please click here.

Life throws chaos at us on a regular basis—whether it’s our finances, our relationships, or our health. In the work world, around 50 percent of people are burned out in industries like health care , banking , and nonprofits , and employers spend $300 billion per year on workplace-related stress. When we’re stressed, we’re less likely to notice if a colleague looks burned out or sad and more likely to get irritated if they don’t perform as we expect. However, when you’re in a calmer and...

Yoga teacher Tatiana Forero Puerta, author of Yoga for the Wounded Heart, shares what she’s learned about trauma, clearing emotional patterns, and finding a vision for the future. If at the age of 20 you would’ve asked me to imagine my life 15 years in the future, I wouldn’t have been able to give you an answer. I couldn’t see my life in those terms. When I looked into my future then, I simply saw a field of blackness; my potential was not just obfuscated—it was inaccessible. This is what...

Laura's Note: Self-care basics, because self-care is basic :). Why Self-Care Matters It’s so important to make sure you take good care of your body, mind, and soul every day, not just when you get sick. Learning how to eat right, reduce stress, exercise regularly, and take a time-out when you need it are touchstones of self-care and can keep you healthy, fit, and resilient . Why Do We Often Fail at Self-Care? Practicing self-care isn’t always easy. Most of us are crazy busy, have stressful...

Self-compassion is not the same as self-esteem . Self-esteem involves thinking good things about yourself, valuing your skills and qualities and abilities, and knowing your intrinsic worth. Self-compassion, on the other hand, is about recognizing that you have faults, but also recognizing that these faults are normal and part of a common human experience. People who are self-compassionate avoid self-criticism and instead accept that their imperfections will sometimes lead to mistakes. It is...

Research has proven many significant benefits in cultivating gratitude for mental and physical health. Studies show that the practice of gratitude can increase happiness levels by an average of 25 percent and overall health by, for example, increasing the quantity and quality of sleep. Beneficial outcomes can be achieved by such simple practices as praying, writing in a gratitude journal, placing a thankful phone call, making a mental gratitude list, or writing a thank-you letter to someone.