Green Therapy Inspires Us to Reconnect With Ourselves

Green Therapy Inspires Us to Reconnect With Ourselves

Life & Living
Green therapy is the name of a new therapeutic practice in which one's experiences in nature aid in strengthening and rejuvenating one's mental well-being. Some believe that green therapy is total nonsense and could never provide one's mind-body connection – the link between a person's mental well-being and how those emotions influence our overall health – with any concrete benefits. But others would disagree. While I completely understand being skeptical of green therapy as another self-help fad, I turn to science to argue for its potential benefits and necessity in our lives. According to PsychologyToday.com, our autonomic nervous system – the network of nerves controlling our unconscious processes, such as breathing and heart rate – is comprised of two parts, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. Sound confusing? Let me clarify. The sympathetic…
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Take the Opportunities You Can – Or Maybe It’s Time to Create Your Own

Take the Opportunities You Can – Or Maybe It’s Time to Create Your Own

Life & Living
"Expect change. Analyze the landscape. Take the opportunities. Stop being the chess piece; become the player. It's your move." Tony Robbins, Motivational author and coach Our existence is a series of complex navigations in which the map is often withheld from sight and relies heavily on our personal decisions regarding where the path ultimately leads us. One certainly wouldn't start a cross-country adventure with such limited guidance, but in life, many circumstances are beyond our own control. As children and young adults, we're often encouraged to take the opportunities presented to us with both significant consideration and caution. But, as with so many decisions in life, there are pros and cons that inevitably come along with opportunities, and often we perceive these occasions in the short term rather than their…
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Thankful for Where We Are, Not Where We’ve Been

Thankful for Where We Are, Not Where We’ve Been

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
Many of us rarely think about our lives in the present. That's because we often go about our days with memories of the past or expectations of the future influencing our perceptions of ourselves and the world around us. So being truly thankful for where we are in this moment – grateful for all the blessings right here, right now – is a monumental task. The holiday season between Thanksgiving and the first of the new year can be difficult for many of us. Memories of long-gone holiday traditions, joyous celebrations, and familiar faces, now vacant from our reality, haunt our current existence causing us to struggle to maintain any semblance of positivity. Being thankful for where we are in the present is a challenging concept to adopt. Many often…
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Stochastic Terrorism is Nurtured by Extreme Politicians

Stochastic Terrorism is Nurtured by Extreme Politicians

Information & Education, Life & Living
Malcolm Forbes is best known for the prominent American business magazine which bears his name. He once remarked, "Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one." While I agree entirely with Mr. Forbes, a new expression I learned today called stochastic terrorism reinforces that even those with fully cultivated minds can still be empty. Stochastic terrorism is defined as "The use of mass public communication, usually against a particular individual or group, which incites or inspires acts of terrorism which are statistically probable but happen seemingly at random."  Today's extreme politicians – spearheaded by supporters of the MAGA Republican movement – are taking this country down a dangerous and alarming path. One infested with conspiracy theories, misinformation, and smear campaigns, which continue to fan the flames of hate,…
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How to Know if Someone Truly Values You in Their Life

How to Know if Someone Truly Values You in Their Life

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
As we grow older and wiser, relationships (whether familial, platonic, or romantic) inevitably change – that’s simply a reality of the human experience. Some of those relationships continue to improve and strengthen with time and maturity. In contrast, others seem to wither away from a lack of nurturing. However, it becomes puzzling how to accurately determine if someone still truly values you in their life. Many of us rarely entertain such a question. Understandably, we’re fearful of the answers, which challenge our often skewed perception of reality – of a true, connecting, and binding relationship having taken place. A relationship shouldn’t feel like a chore – a one-sided exercise with little return on your investment. Unfortunately, this often forces you to tolerate a handful of repetitive excuses for one’s inability…
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