Category Archives: well-being
Avoiding Holiday Family Meltdowns
With the holidays just around the corner – Chanukah begins next week, Christmas and Kwanzaa the week after – are you planning to spend some time celebrating with relatives? Now is the time to take a look at your family dynamics and plan ahead to avoid a meltdown during your get together. Often present-day arguments reflect childhood conflicts over power, competition or favoritism. In today’s environment, politics, too, can cause a serious disruption in family harmony. If your family has a history of dwelling on unfinished business or expressions of … Continue reading
Posted in adult children, extended family, stress, well-being, your self
Tagged Chanukah, Christmas, communication, connections, dynamics, family, gratitude, holidays, Kwanzaa, meltdown, pressure, relationships, relatives, stress, tension, troublemaker
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What We Can Learn from Japan about Respect
Looking over my pictures from a recent trip to Japan (click on photos to enlarge) got me thinking about this centuries-old culture. It’s a beautiful country with a certain set of characteristics that make it seem insular, cohesive and unique. There is a tight-knit social fabric, no immigration and the only spoken language is Japanese. With over 34 million people in Tokyo and the surrounding areas, it’s amazingly well organized. Trains and subways run exactly on time, like a Swiss clock. You don’t see any graffiti in common areas or … Continue reading
Posted in extended family, stress, well-being
Tagged gaman, good manners, harmony with nature, hospitality, Japan, Japanese culture, moral standards, omotenashi, photos, rituals, ryokans, strict rules, traditions, travel, Zen Buddhism
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Gratitude List
This time of year, we are all busy making lists – grocery shopping lists, gift lists, to-do lists, invitation lists, holiday card lists, New Year’s Resolution lists. I would like to propose that we take some time to make another kind of list – a Gratitude List. Particularly because we are celebrating Thanksgiving this week, we have the opportunity to consider what we are individually thankful for. Kindergarteners are asked to think about thankfulness, why not grownups? I’ve begun making my own Gratitude List and I’d like to share it … Continue reading
Posted in aging parents, extended family, intimate partner, parenting kids, well-being, your self
Tagged colleagues, country, family, friends, gratitude, parents, spouse, support, thankfulness, thanksgiving
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Full of awe trumps awful any day
Last month I visited the Grand Canyon, probably one of the most “awe-full” places on earth. The sense of grandeur that radiates there during the day is nearly matched by the millions of stars that light up the otherwise black nights. While there I felt lucky to have that respite from the truly awful news in the world – beheadings by terrorists, the spread of Ebola, fears of global unrest. How about you? Amidst the stress and bad news in the world these days, are you looking for ways to … Continue reading
Posted in stress, well-being, your self
Tagged art, awe, awful, creativity, exercise, family, flow, friends, Grand Canyon, music, national park, nature, peace, relationships, resiliency, serenity, stress, wellbeing
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