Stress

Stress

Tap Into Your Ancestral Resilience

Tap Into Your Ancestral Resilience

Tap into your ancestral resilience

Maintaining a positive mindset during present, uncharted, challenging times of the COVID-19 environment is not easy but definitely doable. Wars, epidemics and natural disasters are ALL part of OUR human history and experience. Keep in mind, we are the most resilient species in the universe. Our ancestors before US, survived and thrived through thick and thin — so will WE.

Meantime, practicing a positive, can-do attitude is essential to see US through these unexpected, scary days. You Can Do It! Keep calm and adapt to the temporary ‘new normal’ of social isolation.

Zoom, Skype, FaceTime with your family and friends, ‘visit’ your drawers and closets, get rid of excessive treasured clutter to be donated to charitable organizations. Thoughts of future acts of kindness, positive memories of past adventures and visions of our life journey still to be is bound to empower, uplift and promote resilience and inner strength as we weather this temporary trauma.

As a Holocaust survivor and Israeli Air Force veteran, I KNOW  ‘This to Shall Pass’.  I will survive and thrive in my ongoing, amazing Life Journey. So will YOU ✌ If I can Do It, so Can You🤘

Life is an amazing, adventurous, uncharted journey: what to do when the unexpected happens

Life is an amazing, adventurous, uncharted journey: what to do when the unexpected happens

When the unexpected happens

Did you know that when the unexpected suddenly happens, our first tendency is to “freak.” It’s just human nature. Fight or flight is part of our ancestral DNA (coping, survival skills) in response to an imminent or imagined danger.

Wars, epidemics and natural disasters are part of our ancestral experience. We’ve survived those from the past. We shall survive and weather the temporary crisis at hand. Remember, we are not dinosaurs. We have evolved for many generations and are the most resilient species ever. This too will also pass. 🖐

As a Holocaust survivor and an Israeli Air Force veteran, I have a ‘can-do’ attitude ✌. I not only plan to survive, I am doing everything I can to stay informed, keep my distance, wash my hands etc. so that I can continue living healthily to 123. If I can do it, so can you. 🎸

Tackling Trauma and Adversity

Tackling Trauma and Adversity

As a Holocaust survivor, I understand what trauma is and how to cherish the moment I’m in and enjoy it, in spite of it and because of it. As a young girl, I spent four years in a Nazi holding camp during WWII. I saw starvation, cruelty, disease and death daily. As a result I learned to be detached, but more importantly, I learned to believe in myself, to see what I had, not what I didn’t have. While everyone experiences loss, sadness, disappointment, it’s how we respond to those events that matters. I made the decision at an early age not to become a victim. I adopted a mindset of gratitude in the face of adversity. I learned to make decisions in the present and live life with no regrets. When we surround ourselves with positive people and focus on what’s good in our lives, we lessen the impact of trauma and adversity. In this way, we learn to take charge of our destiny and live the life we want to live. You can do it!

Don’t Let Feeling Blue Get You Down

Don’t Let Feeling Blue Get You Down

Everyone experiences sadness, grief and disappointment in life. It’s part of the human condition. When we let those feelings overcome us, it impacts the quality of our relationships and our enjoyment of life. Fortunately, there are ways to move past it. Here’s how:

1.    Focus on possibilities. It’s what you can do that matters.

2.    Adopt a positive attitude. Let go of grief, anger, resentment and anxiety.

3.    Get moving and stay fueled. The little difference can have a big impact.

4.    Volunteer and give-back to society. Giving is always more powerful and lasting than receiving.

5.    Become an active member of a community. Whether it’s a spiritual, religious, or special interest group, connections matter and have a positive impact on your state of mind.

6.    Meditate. It can help you find peace of mind, reduce tension and let go of stress.

7.    Stay in the moment. Let go of the past. Don’t worry about the future.

8.    Recognize there is no such thing as failure. One door closes, another opens.

9.    Face the elephant in the room. Address what’s gnawing at you.

10.    Practice gratitude. Not only does it improve your physical and emotional well-being, it increases your energy and makes you feel more connected to others.

The Elephant in the Room

The Elephant in the Room

Not infrequently, everyone, whether in personal or business situations, finds themselves facing potentially uncomfortable and untenable situations with peers, supervisors, subordinates, family, and friends. When the tendency is to avoid dealing with them, it’s commonly referred to as the “elephant in the room.” It means there is an obvious, obstacle, or challenge or that people are uncomfortable addressing. In many situations—personal or professional—the ‘elephant’ characterizes a pesky pachyderm that most of us cannot afford to disregard. Why? Because it:
• Distracts us from productive, creative work
• Delays our ability to move forward
• Drains our energy
• Damages the morale of everyone around us, ourselves included
• Doesn’t clean up after itself.
Avoidance in dealing with the elephant can prevent us from achieving the growth and success we strive to attain. Take a look around. Is there an elephant you need to address? Doing it sooner than later restores peace and tranquility to your life.

Surviving Trauma

Surviving Trauma

On December 30, 2005, I was awakened by a deafening noise, explosions, thick smoke and the rattling of fire raging mercilessly and engulfing my home. In an instant, I was back in the Holocaust war zone of my youth. Although half asleep, my thoughts came quickly. “Run, run for your life. Get out.” My breathing was shallow, and my heart was beating fast.

Fortunately, my husband and I got out in the nick of time. As we exited the house, the roof over our bedroom collapsed. From the front yard, I watched the house burn. As it did, the survivor in me kicked in. It was the house that was burning, not me. I was safe.

The Nazis did not get me as a child, and the fire was not going to get me now. The lessons learned about surviving have to do with free will and destiny (Beshert). In addition, surviving is a conscious decision that comes from the ability to stay calm in the face of danger. As a child in the Nazi concentration camp, I learned to carry-on, entertain myself, and avoid panic.

Those traits served me well through the years and have helped me deal with all types of threats, disappointments and vulnerabilities. These are the skills I’ve developed and applied in my personal and professional life. If I can do it, so can you. What traumas have you experienced, and how did you survive them?

10 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Happy

10 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Happy

These scientifically proven ways to be happy are published by Secrets2Success, which is known for its famously popular page: @secrets2success, where the company inspires and motivates many people day-in and day-out.

Exercise (at least seven minutes a day). It really all comes down to moving. In all facets of daily life, do your best to avoid a sedentary lifestyle. The more hours you log sitting down each day, the higher your risk of serious health problems.
Go outside (especially when it’s very cold). The outdoors is a natural, cost-free, easily accessible mood elevator. Also, it provides a dose of vitamin D, which produces important health benefits such as promoting calcium absorption, reducing bone inflammation, and supporting immune function. Not bad for such a simple act.
Help others (at least two hours each week). The scientific benefits of helping others have been proven again and again. It reduces the extreme loneliness some people experience, which has actually been known to increase lifespan.
Meditate (rewrite your brain). Meditating improves concentration. Improving this ability enhances a person’s self-awareness, which increases happiness and acceptance. All of these benefits can come from simply taking a little time to think.
Move closer to work. Are you one of the countless individuals who spend hours of your day commuting? Unless you can find a way to make those hours productive (beyond getting you from one place to another), try to arrange something where the drive time doesn’t weigh so heavily on your day.
Plan a trip (even if you don’t take it). The act of planning is itself beneficial. Visualizing yourself on a family outing or experiencing adventures is intoxicating.
Practice gratitude. Feeling grateful and expressing it put people in good moods. The better your mood, the more resilient you become. It’s all good news!
Practice smiling. Do you know what happens when you smile? Neuronal signals travel from the cortex of your brain to the brain stem. From there, the cranial muscle carries the signal further toward the face’s smiling muscles. Once those muscles contract, a positive feedback loop goes back to the brain and reinforces your feeling of joy. Just hearing that should arouse a smile!
Sleep more. Sleep plays a vital role in your overall health. A lot of important activities occur when you sleep, namely the healing and repairing of your heart and blood vessels.
Spend more time with family (and friends). How else can memorable experiences be created? Family bonding time is an opportune time to model good behavior, as well as to give your children a greater sense of self worth.

Life Takes Courage!

Life Takes Courage!

Are you trying to let go of a familiar and comfortable situation—be it job, relationship, or habit? Have you decided it’s time to change your life’s path and strive for something more? For anyone on the edge of a major life decision, I’m here to remind you, “Life takes courage!”

Don’t ever underestimate the process. It takes courage to decide to change. Then it takes more courage to implement the change. Finally, it requires courage that stems from commitment and determination to maintain the change. For those of you getting ready to muster up all of this courage, keep these tips in mind:

Honesty is the best policy. Being honest with yourself includes taking responsibility for what has held you back from change so far. What’s been keeping you from realizing your potential? Pinpoint the excuses early on that you know have kept you from success in the past.
First things first. Place a value on each of your needs. If you find a good percentage of your day is spent taking care of others’ needs, do your best to reprioritize and put some of your needs closer to the top.
Invite risk in. Think of it like this. If we knew the outcome of everything in advance, how could we enjoy life’s occasional surprises or its great sense of mystery? You’ll never be given a 100 percent guarantee on anything, so put your best effort into making something happen and feel the fear that risk-taking puts on every individual who invites risk in.
Confront your fears. Many wait until they have no choice but to face their fear. As a result, they react adversely. Instead, don’t wait for the crisis. Be the initiator and face your fears before they bring you down. Also, keep in mind that sometimes a fear can itself become a comfort zone. It is a familiar concept, and it’s easy to talk yourself into believing you have control over it.
Worst-case scenario. Break down your fears and figure out how ominous they really appear. What is the worst outcome you could face as a result of making the proposed change? The results may surprise you. In fact, you may find your courage surging once you realize that the worst-case scenario really isn’t so bad.

So as you proceed in taking your risk, remember to credit yourself along the way for your accomplishments. Acknowledge your decisions and the courage it takes to make them. When you do, you’ll feel stronger and more capable of growth. Before you know it, you’ll have conquered the task. You Can Do It!

Worrying—A Waste of Time!

Worrying—A Waste of Time!

I’ll begin by emphasizing the importance of this blog topic. Far too many of us spend far too much time investing in the act of worry—with no payoff. Imagine what most of us could have done with the time we’ve spent fretting. Better yet, imagine what you could accomplish when you decide to send your worries packing.

Why worry?

Typical worriers somehow believe that worrying plays a role in keeping them safe. They suffer from endless agonizing and, therefore, thwart the possibility of bad outcomes. If this were so, believe me I’d join in on the worry party. But, it’s not.

Worry comes from learned brain activity. In other words, you taught yourself what to worry about, when to worry, and how to worry. Perhaps—for whatever reason— you worry that something bad might happen. Whether it does or not, you’ve taught yourself to kick in the worry response. Now it’s time to un-learn it—if you will. Learn how to trust that you’ve done all you can to preclude a crisis. In the event that it still occurs, understand that you have the resilience to bounce back.

Before I offer you suggestions for eliminating worry from your daily “to-do” list, think about what a person actually gets out of worrying. How does it give back to the person who has selected it as their preferred activity? For one, worry allows people to avoid change. The act impedes on the person’s ability to take action because of being caught up in feelings of uneasiness and preoccupation. Also, worry makes people give away their power. Once worriers opt to wallow in the indecisive pool of anxiety, this is what controls them. This is what they have chosen—over living in the moment. Finally, choosing to worry gives people a false sense of purpose. Have you ever heard someone say, “I’ve been worried for hours!” They mean it! They’ve invested hours into a senseless, useless activity that has given them a false sense of purpose.

Two-step solution

            I’ll say it again: if I could find the benefit or the payoff for time spent worrying, I’d give the activity more consideration. But, I found a better way—and it’s only a two-step process:

Separate and list all of your concerns into two categories:
Things I can control
Things I cannot control
Control what you can and surrender the rest to destiny.

It’s that simple!

Find a Point of Attraction

Find a Point of Attraction

I’ve said it thousands of times: Your past doesn’t own you. What you were taught to believe at one point need not remain part of who you are today. Think of your past as a toolbox of beliefs and memories—some worthy of recall, others not. Each of these beliefs and memories simply represents a chronic pattern of thought that is yours either to dwell on, or yours to replace by creating new patterns of thought.

Every time you invite something new into your life, you begin the creation of a new pattern of thought. This life is yours! Choose to tell a new story, simply by changing your point of attraction. If the new focal point is positive, you will quickly discover how negative thoughts begin to shift, soon to be replaced by the affirmative energy that comes from your new point of attraction.

Points of attraction are different for everybody. A point of attraction can be a fixer-upper car to an auto enthusiast. It can be getting a job for the summer to a teenager. It can be learning a new language, preparing for a vacation, writing a story, the possibilities are endless. What’s important is that it’s YOUR point of attraction. It’s all yours to make whatever you want out of it. Now go find one! You Can Do It!

Fight for Your New Year’s Resolutions!

Fight for Your New Year’s Resolutions!

While only eight percent of those who set New Year’s resolutions keep them, I believe the tradition is an important one. It is the beginning of a New Year, and it provides a perfect starting point for committing yourself to positive changes. Plus, there’s even more motivation when you share your resolutions with others.

Breaking down a habit

            In order to create a new behavior, you have to form new habits. Here are the three components of a habit:

Cue: Could be time of day, hearing a baby cry, becoming frustrated, etc.
Routine: Performing the habit
Reward: All habits have rewards-they are the reason for the habit in the first place.

Now, apply these three components to your resolution. If your resolution is to complete paperwork on time, then set yourself up to do this. Pick a day of the week, a time of day, and duration of time. For instance, you will devote one hour every Wednesday evening to paperwork. Your cue becomes Wednesday evening, the routine is to do the paperwork, and the reward is that it gets done on time.

            Believe it or not, New Year’s resolutions are powerful. To ensure your success, here are a few tips for making them happen:

Be specific about what you want to accomplish.
With more complex goals, think incrementally.
If a setback occurs, shrug it off and move on.

The Law of Attraction teaches that “we create pictures of our intended life and then make choices and take actions that will realize what we envisaged.” In other words, your life is a blank canvas. If a New Year’s resolution will get you to the next phase of your painting masterpiece, respect your resolve and do it. You Can Do It!

           

[/db_pb_signup][/db_pb_signup]