Author Archives: phyllis
Travel Abroad: New Complications
Summertime and vacations go together. And it’s great to get away, have a change of pace and leave all worries behind – at least for a little while. Yet transition always involves stress – wrapping up work and pulling back from technology, the rigors of travel itself. With increased terrorism in today’s world, we experience even more pressure. Now there are many emotional layers, like fear and worry, that make you wonder if it wouldn’t be better to stay home. But that would be giving in. We’re just back from … Continue reading
Posted in stress, well-being, your self
Tagged Bastille Day, Belgium, complimentary eBooks, France, free newsletter, Germany, major terror attack, terrorism and stress, travel abroad, UNESCO world heritage site
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Friendships Decrease Inevitable Stress
On the way to Machu Picchu, outside of the marketplace, I talked with this engaging group. Women gathering with children and connecting is a given when traveling in other countries. And here at home, friendships become even more critical at times of family transition – when children grow up, leave for college, then often boomerang back. Findings from a MacArthur Foundation survey show that the emotional security and social support these relationships provide have been a survival strategy in adversity. And a landmark UCLA study, developed by Drs. Shelley Taylor and … Continue reading
Posted in stress, well-being, your self
Tagged decrease stress, Dr. Shelley Taylor, Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, lower expectations, MacArthur Foundation survey, Machu Picchu, nurture friendships, release of oxytocin, tend and befriend, UCLA study, value friendship
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Orlando Massacre: Feeling Vulnerable
One deranged man, filled with hate and armed with weapons of war, killed 50 innocents and seriously injured as many within a few hours. Family and friends, anxious and worried, waited to hear about their loved ones. They were desperately trying to understand what was going on, but what they really needed was reassurance. And for many, what they got was heartbreak. How can we continue to face these tragedies time and again when nothing changes? Some are too young to remember 9/11, others can’t forget. While in New York I … Continue reading
Posted in stress, well-being, your self
Tagged 2011 killings at a political rally in Arizona, 2012 Sandy Hook School massacre in Connecticut, 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, 2015 Charleston parishioners and clergy killings, 2015 terrorist attacks at the Paris newspaper Charlie Hebdo, bomb attacks in Brussels, donate time or money to the gun control debate, join a march against prejudice, murders of the Isla Vista students in 2014, National September 11 Memorial & Museum, One World Trade Center, Orlando Mass Shooting, Orlando Pulse nightclub, volunteer in a mental health program, weapons of war
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