On Being’s Omid Safi offers a reflection on “How to Reach Out to Someone Who Is Struggling.” He writes (excerpt): So if you are that saintly soul, if you want to reach out to someone who is struggling to stay…
Best practices: empathy skills for understanding human beings
CNN Health helps us with our empathy for others. Kristen Rogers writes (excerpt): When you’re talking with someone, try to imagine what her life is like for her. Read his body language and utilize reflective or active listening, of which…
Michigan’s FAQs about Custody and Parenting Time During the COVID-19 Outbreak
Michigan has issued guidance for parents with custody and parenting time orders. Matters addressed include: Do I have to follow my parenting time order during the COVID-19 outbreak?What are some parenting time alternatives that can be used? What if I…
Always begin with a blessing for yourself
On Being presents a 2-minute Lovingkindness Meditation, courtesy of Sylvia Boorstein.
Red Flags: protecting clients against elder abuse
The American Bar Association discussed the warning signs for elder abuse in clients. Amanda Robert writes (excerpt): 1. The elder client is accompanied by someone who joins the conversation and talks more. . . . 2. The elder client seems…
Monitoring your child’s mental health
CNN Health pulls back the curtain on childhood mental health. The report emphasizes keeping the focus on whether behaviors “are excessive, cause distress, are consistent and unrelenting and lead to problems in key life areas,” and offers tips on how…
The Dos and Don’ts of Being
Camille Rainville’s poem “Be a Lady, They Said” popularized in the video narrated by Cynthia Nixon.
Welcoming words for New Year’s 2020
Good Housekeeping highlights 50 motivational quotes about change as we head into our new year! They include: Rainer Maria Rilke: And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been. C.S. Lewis: You are never too…
To be busy or to be productive, that is the question
The Harvard Business Review offers advice on practicing into being your “future self.” Peter Bregman writes (excerpt): If you want to be productive, the first question you need to ask yourself is: Who do I want to be? Another question…
On kids – Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (2003)
Bob: The most terrifying day of your life is the day the first one is born. Charlotte: Nobody ever tells you that. Bob: Your life, as you know it… is gone, never to return. But they learn how to walk,…
3 simple coping tips: how to master your anxiety
The TED Radio Hour shares Olivia Remes’ simple coping strategies for combating anxiety. Remes’ research suggests you can lower your anxiety by using these tips: 1. Do It Badly [i.e., just jump right in; it’s okay]. 2. Forgive Yourself [i.e.,…
A reversible poem, a thrivers-survivors poem: National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and “[t]he goals of DVAM are to raise awareness about the prevalence and cost of domestic violence, the need for prevention, and the services that are available in the community to victims and their…
If you’re working at being happy, you’re trying too hard
MarkManson.net peals away the layer on this secret: happiness is a side effect, “not something you obtain, but rather something you inhabit.” Mark Manson writes (excerpt): It’s the perpetual pursuit of fulfilling our ideal selves that grants us happiness, regardless…
Murphy’s Law: 5 ways great parents make great kids
Inc.com shares simple ideas for raising great kids. Bill Murphy, Jr. writes (excerpt): 1. Stay on top of them. . . . British researchers found that parents who articulate high expectations are more likely to have kids who grow up…
8 tips: How to deal with and overcome anxiety and depression
NPR Morning Edition reports on the Northwestern University study in Health Psychology showing how we can learn to overcome anxiety and depression. Embracing 8 skills move us away from stress and toward a positive attitude. Allison Aubrey’s summary of Judith…
Bringing up bothers: 7 tips for having arguments without yelling, blaming, insulting, hurting
CNN Health reminds couples of better argument strategies with an interview of couples therapist Saul Stern, who highlights the relationship research of the Gottman Institute. Amy Chillag organizes her article around these seven tips (excerpt): Don’t avoid tough conversations Step…
Save your power: say what you mean, without over-apologizing
Career Contessa provides advice for anyone who apologizes excessively and unnecessarily. Saving your verbal power when it’s not your fault enhances your authority and confidence. Donna Moriarty explains the concepts and also identifies examples of being “brief, specific, direct,” such…
One change a week: 10 ways to improve your life
Psychology Today offers up 10 tips for making changes in your life, one week at a time. Barton Goldsmith’s top ten list with brief comments includes these three tips (excerpt): 2. Love is the only thing worth holding on to.…
Small talk, big connections
CNBC offers up advice on what successful people do when making small talk, and it’s not “How are you?”. It’s asking more meaningful follow-up questions. The approach shows how to speak up so others will listen and how, in the…
Being a man starts with being human
Barack Obama addressed stereotypes, reactions and what it means to be a man during a town hall for his foundation MBK Rising.