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Stop Worrying! How to Break Free and Find Peace in the Face of Life’s Uncertainties
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows. It empties today of its strength.”—Carrie Ten Boom Meet Rosemary: “My sixty-seven-year-old mother had a heart attack last month. Doctors said it was due to her smoking and high blood cholesterol levels. “However, I believe there were other contributing factors to my mother’s heart attack, such as not getting enough rest after Dad died, her poor eating habits—but particularly worry. “So, after my mother’s heart attack, I got a little parakeet and taught him to say, ‘Don’t worry, mommy. Be happy.’ I went on YouTube to watch a tutorial, and the process seemed to be working. “Anyone else who is out there…
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How to Find Purpose in Your Job: 9 Steps
“Your work will fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”—Steve Jobs One day at work, Marian stood up from her desk and screamed! The other workers scrambled from their cubicles to see what was wrong. Marian’s coworkers found her trembling uncontrollably, crying, and sniffing loudly. Almost in unison, her coworkers asked her what was going on?…
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Start Journal Writing: 10 Benefits of a Reliable and Trustworthy Friend
“Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.”—Christina Baldwin Are you a family caregiver? If so, how does caring for an ill loved one make you feel? Do you feel lonely? Do you feel fearful and uncertain? Do you feel grief, which is the opposite of joy? You are on an emotional rollercoaster. Caring for an ailing loved one can be overwhelming, thoroughly exhausting—stressful, and rewarding. Meet Doug: “I do not complain. I am a caregiver to both my wife, Ann, age seventy-three, and my dad, Walter, age ninety-four, and I consider it an honor and privilege to serve them both. “My wife had had a collapsed lung and had…
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You Can Choose How to Feel: 7 Ways to Create Positive Emotions
“The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful.”—Dalai Lama Someone has triggered you—hit your “hot buttons,” and now you feel all riled up that your heart rate speeds up, and your skin perspires. You experience anger, resentment, frustration, or other negative emotions. Before you know it, you find yourself off on an emotional rollercoaster. Ugh! Why can’t you be happy!? Is that so hard?? Good news! You can choose how to feel. Meet Lillian: “I have been taking care of Mom and Dad for nearly twelve years now. Six of the years have been 24/7 living with…
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Perennial Women: Pay Court to an Attractive and Healthy Body from Home
“Yoga is invigoration in relaxation. Freedom in routine. Confidence through self-control. The energy within and energy without.”—Seattle Yoga News Some of the best basketball players in the NBA today are the biggest proponents of using Yoga to improve the game. LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neil, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Love, and Blake Griffin, are a few of the NBA stars that love Yoga. Players in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) also use Yoga’s fluidity to recharge their energy. Imagine—a merger of basketball and Yoga. Who would have thought? Yet, it’s true! Whether you’re 25 or 70, men and women who want to gain mastery over their health and vitality turn to…
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How to Win the War Against Obesity in Three Steps
“We must not constantly talk about tackling obesity and warning people about the negative consequences of obesity. Instead, we must be positive—positive about the fun and benefits to be had from healthy living, trying to get rid of people’s excuses for being obese by tackling the issue in a positive way.”—Andrew Lansley Meet Agnes: “It is not pleasant when you have to listen to snide and unkind remarks about your appearance. People think that you are a lazy person. They do not realize that obesity can have many causes. “I believe in my case, the problem could partially be due to hereditary factors, since most in my family have a…
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Domestic Violence and Abuse: The Dark Side of Family Life
“I am living in hell from one day to the next. But there is nothing I can do to escape. I don’t know where I would go if I did. I feel utterly powerless, and that feeling is my prison. I entered of my own free will, I locked the door, and I threw away the key.” –Haruki Murakami In trying to decide on a new topic of interest to older (boomer) women (born 1946-1964), I found the National Association of Baby Boomer Women (NABBW) website (https://nabbw.com) that listed about 50 forums just for this cohort. I was curious and scrolled down and found “Domestic Violence.” This forum surprised me.…
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Improve the Quality of Your Life: Sleep
“Happiness consists of getting enough sleep. Just that, nothing more.” — Robert A. Heinlein According to the 2020 U.S. census data, the oldest of the estimated 73 million Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) will hit 74 by the end of the year, the youngest 56. By the year 2030, all Boomers will be age 65 or older. With time steamrolling ahead, what is one of the most significant quests for midlife adults today? Better health. This article will focus on one area of health: sleep. Why Sleep? A German philosopher said that “sleep is to a man that winding up is to a clock.” It restores energy to…
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Singlehood: The Angst and the Happiness
“I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude.”—Henry David Thoreau I chatted with a dear friend the other day who had always been single, in her mid-sixties, about being alone. She had this to say: “I’ve led an active life with many friends. I have mentored many young women during my long 30-year career and even shared my experience with several men. “But because of my strong independent streak, I have never been in a long-term relationship with a guy since my late twenties. “Even now, after having had major hip surgery, while I find it difficult to do some stuff myself, I own my own home…
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Caregivers: 7 Practical Yet Simple Steps to Improved Family Communication
“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstandings, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.”—Albert Schweitzer Meet Barbara: “Rant alert! As if caring for your loved ones through terminal illness or behavior issues isn’t bad enough—or even navigating systems that promise to offer help but are broken, at best. But what gets me is when your f*****g siblings can’t find any f*****g compassion or consideration to give you a f*****g chance to get back up on your feet after being knocked down time and time again for years—whether it be emotionally, physically, financially, or mentally. “My mum moved into residential care two weeks ago, and she…
