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Coloring for Adults: Benefits for Mental Health and Mindfulness

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We can all add to our repertoire of approaches to maintaining and improving our mental health. I wrote earlier about using creative activities for relaxation and stress relief. One of the art activities included is coloring. I wanted to learn more about the values of coloring for adults and found research and medical coverage that has given me greater appreciation for its benefits for mental health. First, a little background. Adult coloring books have been… Continue reading

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Managing Your Perfectionist Tendencies

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Are you a perfectionist? There’s nothing wrong with wanting things in your life just so, wanting things beautiful, wanting everything done right, and wanting to work hard to achieve great goals. Each of us has our own view of what is perfect, but there is no overall standard for it. Holding ourselves to perfectionism as we see it can be detrimental to our own health and insisting on our own standard can be detrimental to… Continue reading

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Are You Forgetting Things More?

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If you find yourself forgetting things more than you used to, it may be yet another result of our unprecedented experiences and great uncertainty during the past couple of years. You may also find it hard to distinguish between details of memories you do have. Having experienced both of those things, I found a recent article on the topic to bring some clarity. The title caught my attention: “Why We’re All Forgetting Things Right Now.”… Continue reading

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Using a Variety of Creative Activities for Relaxation

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Just relax… take some deep breaths, chill out… These are often our advice to those around us who are stressed and overwhelmed – and what others say to us. There are more options to explore, including many creative activities for relaxation. Some of us are driven to keep busy and productive all the time and don’t realize the importance of taking real breaks, of unwinding, really relaxing. Physically, it lowers the heart rate, blood pressure,… Continue reading

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Becoming More Adaptable in Challenging Times

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We are living in uncertain times. It’s not the first time, of course. There has never been a time when people could be certain exactly how their lives would play out. That’s life. We can’t possibly plan for every outcome, so we must adapt when we are faced with new realities. Becoming more adaptable has become extremely important as we have  experienced uncertainty in so many parts of our lives since the beginning of the… Continue reading

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Being in a State of Flow – High Energy and Focused Productivity

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FLOW is used in two ways in our psychological lexicon. As go with the flow – relax, allow life/the universe to flow through you and as in the zone, a state of flow – a mental state of high energy and focused productivity and enjoyment in the process. As I think of flow, I think of rivers, which illustrate both usages. My experience is of these rivers – the Yahara that flows lazily through my… Continue reading

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TRY SPRING CLEANING YOUR LIFE!

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I remember the extensive spring cleaning that my mother always did. It included washing all the windows inside and out, washing curtains and drapes, special attention to the floors, airing out blankets, coats and other heavy winter things before storing them for the summer. Walls and baseboards were washed and any spiderwebs in corners of the ceiling that hadn’t been removed met their demise. And about the curtains – there was a time when there… Continue reading

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Managing Your Energy is a Game Changer!

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Might managing our energy be even more important than managing our time? There’s a common belief that we can do as much as we want to as long as we can fit it into our days. Often this is without considering the energy we have to do all those things. And if we run out of steam and don’t accomplish all we had managed to fit into our plans, we think we are lazy or… Continue reading

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HABITS, ROUTINES AND RITUALS – CLAIMING THEIR POWER IN TIMES OF CHANGE

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Many of our habits, routines and rituals have changed over the past two years as we adapted to the reality of the pandemic. They may have changed repeatedly. As we move forward again, it is an ideal time to look at how we can adapt or create these practices for our current situations. Habits, routines and rituals are related but distinct practices that can be formed and nurtured to simplify and enhance our lives. The… Continue reading

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Stereograms: A Simple, Enjoyable Way to Enhance Your Vision and Relieve Stress

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Did you enjoy the Magic Eye books during the 1990s? Officially they are called 3-D stereograms – see the example above. They are rising in popularity again. But it’s more than just entertainment. Over the years, studies have shown that there are multiple health benefits and are used for eye therapy. Using them can be called a type of aerobics for your eyes. Use Stereograms to enhance your vision and relieve stress! I am passionate… Continue reading