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  • Mouse and Umbrella Coloring Page

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  • Thinking influences

    Thinking influences our feelings through the things that we say to ourselves. Unhelpful thoughts can add fuel to the fire and play a large role in keeping anger going after the event has passed. However, using helpful self-statements (or ‘cooling thoughts’) can be a good way to manage our anger and guide our behavior. brainmpExamples of these include:

    • Chill out
    • Calm down
    • Breathe away the anger
    • Don’t yell
    • Don’t give them the satisfaction of seeing you angry
    • It’s not worth it
    • Give them a chance to have a say

     To use this strategy we need to break anger into several stages:

    • Getting ready for provocation: when we know we are going to face something that will make us angry.
    • During the event: early signs of anger are cues to use coping strategies.
    • Coping with stress: early attempts at anger management may not be successful.
    • Reflecting on provocation: time to evaluate the effect of the experience on you, continue coping or give self praise.

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    Preparing for a provoking situations

    • This is going to upset me but I know how to deal with it
    • What is it that I have to do?
    • Stick to the issues and don’t take it personally
    • Try not to take this too seriously
    • Time for a few deep breaths of relaxation
    • Easy does it, remember to keep your sense of humor

    During the event

    • Stay calm, just continue to relax
    • Think of what you want to get out of this
    • There is no point in getting mad
    • It’s really a shame that she has to act like this
    • If I start to get mad I’ll just be banging my head against the wall
    • What he says doesn’t matter. I’m on top of this situation and it’s under control

    Coping with stress

    • My muscles are starting to feel tight, time to relax and slow things down
    • It’s just not worth it to get so angry
    • Time to take a deep breath
    • Try to reason it out. Treat each other with respect
    • He’d probably like me to get really angry. Well I’m going to disappoint him Leaving the anger and looking back
    • Try to shake it off. Don’t let it interfere with your job
    • Remember relaxation, it’s a lot better than anger
    • I handled that pretty well. It worked!
    • It could have been a lot worse
    • My pride can sure get me into trouble, but when I don’t take things too seriously, I’m better off
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  • What the Body Does Not Remember

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  • Potato Beetle Coloring Page

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  • “I Won’t Give Up” – a Dance Performance by Donna Russo

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  • Mindfulness Minds

    I have been practicing meditation since the mid-70’s and started a mindfulness meditation practice in the mid-90’s. Mindfulness has to do with the quality of awareness that we bring to what we are doing and experiencing, to being in the here and now.  It has to do with learning to focus on being in the present, to focusing our attention on what we are doing and what is happening in the present.

    Many of us are distracted by images, thoughts and feelings of the past, perhaps dissociating, worrying about the future, negative moods and anxieties about the present.   It’s hard to put these thing away and concentrate on the task at hand.

    I started teaching mindfulness to patients/clients a few years ago and often used the following as a hand out:

    Mindfulness has to do with states of mind. Reason Mind, Emotion Mind, and Wise Mind. Reason Mind is your rational, thinking, logical mind. It plans and evaluates things logically. It is your “cool” part. Reasonable Mind can be very beneficial. It is easier to be in Reasonable Mind when you feel good. It is much harder to be in Reasonable Mind when you don’t feel good.

    You Would Use Your Reasonable Mind To:

    Build a bridge

    Figure out how to double a recipe

    Balance your checkbook

    Figure out the fastest way from point “A” to point “B”

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    Emotion Mind describes times when emotions are what influence or control your thinking and behavior. Emotional Mind can also be very beneficial. Emotions are what motivate us to action. Emotions are what keep us attached to others and building relationships.

    Emotion Mind can be aggravated by:

    Illness, Lack Of Sleep, Tiredness, Drugs, Alcohol, Hungry, Overeating, Poor nutrition and/or lack of exercise, Environmental stress and threats, not taking your meds.

    Both Emotion and Reasonable Mind Are Equally Important And Valuable

    Reasonable mind gives you a way to solve your problems.

    Emotion mind gives you a reason (motivation) to want to solve them.

    Wise Mind is the integration of emotional and reasonable mind. Wise mind is that part of each person that can know and experience truth. It is where the person knows something to be true or valid. It is where the person knows something in a centered (balanced) way. It is almost always quiet and calm in this part of the mind.

    Everyone Has A Wise Mind!

    Some people have simply never experienced it.

    No one is in Wise Mind all of the time.

    Wise Mind – An Analogy for Wise Mind is like a deep well in the ground. The water is at the bottom of the well. The entire underground is an ocean called Wise Mind. But on the way down, there are often trap doors that stop progress. Sometimes the trap doors are so cleverly built that you actually believe that there is no water at the bottom of the well. The trap door may look like the bottom of the well. Perhaps it is locked and you need a key. Perhaps it is nailed shut and you need a hammer. Perhaps it is glued shut and you need a chisel.

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  • Aphrodite Coloring Page

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  • How Your Body Affects Your Happiness

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  • How meditation can change your life and mind | Sam Harris, Jon Kabat-Zinn & more | Big Think

    There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to what mindfulness is and what meditation can do for those who practice it. In this video, professors, neuroscientists, psychologists, composers, authors, and a former Buddhist monk share their experiences, explain the science behind meditation, and discuss the benefits of learning to be in the moment. “Mindfulness allows us to shift our relationship to our experience,” explains psychologist Daniel Goleman. The science shows that long-term meditators have higher levels of gamma waves in their brains even when they are not meditating. The effect of this altered response is yet unknown, though it shows that there are lasting cognitive effects. “I think we’re looking at meditation as the next big public health revolution,” says ABC News anchor Dan Harris. “Meditation is going to join the pantheon of no-brainers like exercise, brushing your teeth and taking the meds that your doctor prescribes to you.” Closing out the video is a guided meditation experience led by author Damien Echols that can be practiced anywhere and repeated as many times as you’d like.

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  • California poppy Coloring Page

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