Below are the main places I meandered that are worth sharing. However, I also searched hotels in Florida, tried to read the NYTimes (couldn’t concentrate), vintage paisley prints, 5 biblical quotes everyone should read (yikes), images of the vagus nerve (not a card game in Nevada), commodore rabbits (so cute), and the current path of hurricane Ian.
I wish my mind had a pedometer. How many calories are burned from mind work? Step away from the web Lisa!
First thing today, I looked for this quote:
“When we do not put our primary emotional energy into solving our own problems, we take on other people’s problems as our own.” ― Harriet Lerner, The Dance of Anger
Then, I remembered an image I created about the Mind’s Eye that might fit with this quote.
"Anger is a tricky emotion. It signals that something is wrong but it doesn’t tell us what is wrong or how to approach the problem in a growth-fostering way that leads to lasting change. I wrote The Dance of Anger to help readers identify the true sources of their anger, and then to take new steps in relationships stuck in too much distance, intensity and pain." —Harriet Lerner
I can’t recommend The Dance of Anger enough. Thank you Harriet.
Yesterday, while painting & listening to The Myth of Normal/Trauma Illness, & Healing in a Toxic Culture by Dr. Gabor Mate with Daniel Mate, I heard the term: psychoneuroimmunology. I could deduce that it’s the study of how our experiences, stress, & emotions affect our immune systems,
But, I needed to know more before I kept listening…
A new take on psychoneuroimmunology: Research pointing to a circuit linking the immune system and brain connects illness, stress, mood and thought in a whole new way. —American Psychological Association
This led me to link about cold water swimming and I vowed to plan a cold (at least chilly) swim in the next few days.
...the mood benefits of cold water swimming can be divided into two phases: the initial ‘cold shock’ response, and then adaptation that happens over the longer term. —BBC Science Focus Magazine
Next, I must’ve checked my mail and landed on an article in MEDIUM about 10 Incredibly Underrated Movies and the trailer for Krisha. Holy crap this movie looks great and truly heartbreaking.
Krisha returns for Thanksgiving dinner after ten years away from her family, but past demons threaten to ruin the festivities. Krisha returns for Thanksgiving dinner after ten years away from her family, but past demons threaten to ruin the festivities. Actor: Robyn Fairchild; Alex Dobrenko Directed by: Trey Edward Shults
SOURCES:
The Dance of Anger: A Woman’s Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships
Over four decades of clinical experience, Maté has come to recognize the prevailing understanding of “normal” as false, neglecting the roles that trauma and stress, and the pressures of modern-day living, exert on our bodies and our minds at the expense of good health. For all our expertise and technological sophistication, Western medicine often fails to treat the whole person, ignoring how the toxicity of today’s culture stresses the body, burdens the immune system, and undermines emotional balance.
https://medium.com/illumination/5-incredibly-underrated-movies-you-need-to-watch-dda15d20fedf
https://www.apa.org/monitor/dec01/anewtake
I work as a Family Coach working with families struggling with their loved one’s addiction at the Turning Point Center in Burlington, Vermont. Reading the work of Harriet Lerner and Dr. Gabor Mate is both personal and professional development for me. Anything that helps me settle myself down and respond rather than react to stimuli seems like time well spent. I’m guessing my family would agree.
Happy deliberate(ish) meanderings.