Author Toni
Bernhard had the life she always wanted with a good career and family life,
until 12 years ago she was struck with illness and had to give up a great
deal. Toni learned to adapt to her new
lifestyle, however, finds herself from time to time suffering from what she
calls "The Good Old Days
Syndrome" which often brings on sadness and depression. Good Old Days syndrome can strike when
reminiscing of the past or feeling nostalgic.
Bernhard states that "romanticizing the past can make us feel bad
about the present." Although it is
good to take trips down memory lane from time to time, it is good to remember
that you live in the present, not the past or future, and it is so important to
make the most of each day we have.
September 10, 2013
September 9, 2013
Do You Value Your Health?
Cinderella (the band, not the princess) is right…”you don’t
know what you got til’ it’s gone”.
Perhaps you have to work in health care, or experience ill health, or
watch a friend or family member go through a medical problem to appreciate how
important wellness is.
Several months ago I attended a seminar. Towards the end we were asked to rate our
five most important values from a list of 35 words. Most people rated things like “success,
honesty, trust, happiness, family, integrity”.
These are all things I also value, but what amazed me was that I was the
only one in the seminar to put “health” on my list. What?
These people don’t value their health?
Not really, it is just that when you are well, the concept of “health”
is off your radar.
Now there is a difference between valuing your health on
paper and actually living that way. I
know, despite having a health problem that can at times level me for days, I still
take my health for granted. Just like I
take it for granted that my car will start each morning, hydro will stay on,
water will be clean, and that my community is a safe place for my family. Perhaps knowing what you take for granted is
the first step to not.
But the question remains, if you value health, then do you
live that way? Or, if wellness is not on
your radar, should it be? The secrets of
wellness are well known. Exercise your
mind and body by engaging in daily physical and cognitive challenges. Consider meditation. Analyse your diet and pick out the weaknesses
so you can slowly improve your eating to reduce your risks. Look at your stress. What causes this? Can you safely sustain the demands you are
facing? What are your coping mechanisms?
There is now so much information available online and in the media about
health, and while this can be good (depending on how much time you have to sort
through it), it is also overwhelming.
But I truly believe that we all know when we are making bad health
decisions. We don’t need the internet,
magazines or television to tell us what we intuitively know we are doing
wrong.
I am going to assume that everyone values “health” but I know
not everyone lives that way. Maybe it is
time that we all visualize a life without our health to appreciate this and to
make positive behavioral changes. After
all, integrity, honesty, success, family and happiness are difficult to value,
if one is too ill to enjoy them.
Daily Dose of Inspiration
"When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us."
Helen Keller
September 6, 2013
Weekly Mind Bender
Mom and Dad have four daughters, and each daughter has one brother. How many people are in the family?
Daily Dose of Inspiration
"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly."
Lanston Hughes
September 5, 2013
Men Are From Earth... So are Women!
It has been well discussed over time that men and women are
different. The classic "Women are
from Venus, Men are from Mars" approach has pointed out the many
differences between men and women, boys and girls alike. However, the following article from psychology
today points out the many similarities or "overlaps" of men and women
and suggests that focusing on the similarities, and not just the differences,
can help to overcome the behavioral differences we often observe.
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