It has been about 6 months since the shelter in place order in Illinois was announced. Most therapists I know went remote in March. Therapy offices around the city sit unused and many therapists are working from home. The spring challenged all of us to adjust to new precautions and COVID-driven changes to our lives. […] Read more “Resting into this time of self-care”
Resting into this time of self-care
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Estimated: 4 minutes to read
Managing Fear After the Election
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
Managing fear has been difficult for many people in the days following the 2016 US Presidential Election. No matter which candidate you supported, you may find yourself overwhelmed by distressing news reports, tense conversations with loved ones, and your own complicated feelings. LifeWorks is an explicitly inclusive therapy practice that welcomes all people. We know how […] Read more “Managing Fear After the Election”
Five Steps to Mindfulness Meditation
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Estimated: 4 minutes to read
Basic meditation is the practice of doing nothing and being tuned in to your own mind at the same time. At first, it can be frustrating, but research shows meditation reduces stress and increases focus. Mindfulness is an exercise in training the mind to notice thoughts, sensations and emotions, and not get too attached to them […] Read more “Five Steps to Mindfulness Meditation”
Meditation Is Not What You Think: Meditation Practice Tips
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
Often, when we take up meditation, yoga, or other mindfulness practices, we inadvertently create obstacles for ourselves. We fall into assumptions, believing there is a “right way” to meditate. If you are struggling with meditation in any form, here are a few practice tips gathered over time that may help you. 1. Relax When you are working […] Read more “Meditation Is Not What You Think: Meditation Practice Tips”
The Colorful Wisdom of Autumn
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
This post comes from Sarah Evenson of Bridge Between Retreat Center, in Denmark, Wisconsin, just south of Green Bay. It spoke to me of the power of nature to connect us to the earth and move us to recognize something greater than ourselves. The picture above was taken this fall in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area […] Read more “The Colorful Wisdom of Autumn”
Discovering Optimism
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Estimated: 3 minutes to read
For some scientists, happiness is best defined as “subjective well-being”. In other words, it’s relative to the individual and their experience. From this perspective, happiness is different for each of us. In the Happiness Advantage, author, Shawn Achor, notes that, “happiness implies a positive mood in the present and a positive outlook on the future.” […] Read more “Discovering Optimism”
Meditation on Weathering
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Estimated: 2 minutes to read
Weathering My face catches the wind from the snow line and flushes with a flush that will never wholly settle. Well, that was a metropolitan vanity, wanting to look young forever, to pass. I was never a pre-Raphaelite beauty and only pretty enough to be seen with a man who wanted to be seen with […] Read more “Meditation on Weathering”
Thanksgiving Meditation
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Estimated: 3 minutes to read
The holiday season is a time to reflect on the people, experiences, privileges and events for which we can be thankful. I discovered this mindfulness meditation in Mark Nepo’s The Book of Awakening. It reminds me that the whole of existence is a miracle. May it bring you a sense of connection, gratitude and appreciation. […] Read more “Thanksgiving Meditation”
Experimenting, Fluidity & Growth
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“My aim is to bring about a psychic state in which my patient begins to experiment with his [or her] own nature, as a state of fluidity, change or growth where nothing is eternally fixed, or hopelessly petrified.” C.G. Jung What an interesting approach: experimenting with one’s own nature! Most of us would consider our […] Read more “Experimenting, Fluidity & Growth”