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Meditation to Relieve Anxiety
(Updated: Originally published on 04/03/2019) “Meditation can wipe away the day’s stress, bringing with it inner peace.”—Mayo Clinic Staff Pick out your most comfortable chair. Sit down, loosen your skirt or trousers, slip out of your shoes, and close your eyes. Now imagine your feet dangling in a mountain lake’s cold, clear, blue water. Smell the aroma of nearby flowers. Can you hear the happy songs of carefree birds? You feel stimulated by the fresh mountain air. For a few minutes, eliminate, as far as possible, all other thoughts. With this peaceful scene in mind, meditate; focus your mind in silence. Feel better? More relaxed? What Is Meditation? Meditation is…
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Midlife Women: The Most Effective Ways to Dominate Co-Occurring Stressors Today
“God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.”—Voltaire For a violinist to make music, the strings on his instrument must be taut—but only to a degree. If they are too tight, they will snap. But if the strings are too loose, they will produce no sound. The proper amount of tension lies somewhere between the two extremes. It is like stress. Too much can be harmful. But what about no stress at all? While the prospect of no stress might sound appealing, you need pressure—at least to a degree. For instance, imagine crossing a street and suddenly noticing…
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Grow Old: Feel Good Doing It
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”—Henry Ford Despite her 74 years, Eleanor looked surprisingly young and fresh. What was Eleanor’s secret to staying “young?” Eleanor explained: “First of all, I think, to stay young, you need a goal in life. I already had mine in my teens. But I didn’t realize then that my aims would change, that I wouldn’t find my real passion for over 40 years. “But in my teens, I was fascinated with fashion. My goal, I decided then, was to design beautiful clothes for…
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Techniques to Reduce Stress & Anxiety: 7 Tips to Implement Self-Care
“If you don’t think your anxiety, depression, sadness, and stress impact your physical health, think again. All these emotions trigger chemical reactions in your body which can lead to inflammation and a weakened immune system. Learn how to cope, sweet friend. There will always be dark days.”—Kris Carr Meet Tammy, a stressed-out family caregiver: “My husband had three strokes within three months. I had to drive him from the hospital to a nursing home for rehab each time it happened. “I wanted to cry because the nursing homes were awful. “I felt such rage because I had spent eighteen years dealing with my husband, and not one relative offered to…
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7 Harms to You of an Unforgiving Spirit
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”—Martin Luther King, Jr. Did you know that forgiveness is much like the money? You can choose to spend forgiveness freely and mercifully on others, or stow away forgiveness and only use it for yourself. We should work to foster generous spending habits when it comes to forgiveness. Why? A vengeful or unforgiving spirit may only worsen matters and can harm your health. Take the example of Betty. Betty refused to talk to her sister-in-law for over eight years because, as Betty says, “she did me an unbelievable and unforgivable hurt…
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The Golden Mean: How Irrational Are You? How to Manage Difficult Emotions
“The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.”—Albert Ellis Cathy, a full-time caregiver to her husband of 44 years, felt like a victim. Cathy’s husband, a sixty-seven-year-old brittle diabetic, had suffered a mild stroke but had recovered and doing well. Lately, however, Cathy experienced stubborn resistance from her husband to everything she tried to do to manage his health regimen, the household chores, and money. Cathy felt frustrated and resentful and said: “I am waiting for things to get…
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Eight Myths and Truths About Family Caregivers
Indeed, you have heard this quote: “There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.”—Rosalyn Carter How true. Jenny, who nursed her 29-year-old husband for 18 months before he died of a brain tumor, said: “At times I wished I could escape from the situation. But he needed me more than ever. At times I felt very alone.” Loneliness, sadness, fear, grief, anger, guilt, and worry are some emotions that often bubble up when caring for an ill loved one. One cannot overstate the challenge of caregiving.…
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How to Find Pure Joy in Your Family Caregiving Duties
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”—Rabindranath Tagore The above quote summarizes how I felt when caring for my dear loved one during his illness. Joy. So, imagine how I felt when reading the following comments posted to my Caregivers Hub Support Group: “Will we EVER get to spend time with anyone besides this old man? I’m thinking I will die before my 94-year-old father does. I need out of this! I have nothing left.” Priscilla “I’m in the same situation. I’m 74 and mother if 98. That generation is tough, and was not…
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Your Illustrious Gray Hair: A Crown of Beauty
“I love to see old women. I love wrinkles. I love gray hair.”—Alber Elbaz (Israeli fashion designer) Seven-year-old Erica jumped, skipped, twirled, and laughed as she stormed into her grandmother’s house. She had just returned from Disneyland with her mom, dad, and other grandparents, grandad Bill, and grandma Alice. “Did you have a good time?” her grandmother asked. “Yes!” exclaimed Erica. “What did you ride?” her grandmother wanted to know. “We rode Space Mountain, Mad Tea Party, California Screamin’, and a bunch of other things! But grandma Alice didn’t ride anything,” said Erica. “Well, why not?” asked her grandmother. “Because grandma Alice has gray hair!” squealed Erica. Yes, Erica thought…
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22 Ways You Can Use Mindfulness to Have Better Health Today, Tomorrow, and Into Your Future
Not long ago, I met a woman named Bea. Bea felt so negatively about her home situation and caring for her ill husband of 44 years that she admitted to despising her husband and being tempted to leave him to fend for himself. Thankfully, she never went through with it and decided to stay. But what was happening to Bea’s health and well-being in the meantime? Bea felt shattered and hopeless. Because Bea had prolonged feelings of helplessness, she was losing her self-confidence and feeling stressed. Bea also experienced headaches, stomachaches, and anxiousness. Bea felt sure she was approaching burnout as she had little energy and difficulty completing simple, everyday…
