33 Ways to Turn Your Greatest Insecurities into Your Greatest Strengths. “Learn how to own our insecurities, instead of letting our insecurities own us.” This article is a brief lesson in standing up to shame by showing your vulnerability.
Research professor Brené Brown also has a lot to say on this topic. I have shared her TEDTalk before. However, it is worth posting again.
4The Pursuit of Happiness: 3 Myths Everyone Should Stop Believing. This article is written by Happiness Psychologist and Bestselling Author Sonja Lyubomirsky. I have been reading her work for years. Sonja has validated and influenced much of my thinking around cultivating Happiness. Her Happiness Myth Number Two, “I’m going to lead a sad, lonely life because I’m single.” I will gladly dispel that one myself. As part of the Single’s Club, life is joyful and full. However, that is because I made this my choice. You create the life you lead. It is one hundred percent up to you to pursue the things that bring you Happiness, purpose, and meaning.
5Get Your Mind and Body Out of Crisis Mode. “Unchecked stress can wreak havoc on your well-being. These are the warning signs that you’re heading toward burnout, plus six steps to manage your stress.” The two stress management steps I use most effectively are 1) do one small thing at a time, and 2) remember that everything changes. Approaching a task in bite-size chunks and putting a timer on it makes anything manageable. If it is clearing the mountain of paper on top of my desktop, I set a 20-minute limit. If it a difficult writing assignment, I go for ninety-minutes. I get a lot done with a lot less stress by doing this, and telling myself “this too shall pass.”
6Do Mindful Apps Work? About four years ago, researchers started looking to see if meditation apps really work. Early findings say, yes. One study showed that after just two weeks of using a mindfulness app, one could experience a biological change in their response to stress. For some time, I have used a meditation app called Insight Timer. I love it, though I was already a dutiful practitioner and meditation teacher before I found it. I like the extensive offerings, including music. It also keeps track of consecutive days meditating. As of this writing, I have five hundred and twenty-nine days in a row recorded. You might try it. I would still suggest a teacher who can answer questions and keep you on track 😉
Jim B.