I enjoy reading, but for too many years I’ve pushed it aside for more “physical” activities. I’ve decided to try to find a better balance between being active and being sedentary. Being active always took my mind “off” the bad things. Being “quiet” allowed them to sneak back in – those sneaky little pesky buggers!
So I’ve decided to take some advice from the professionals and “Face It”! I share with you a quoted statement from a recent sedentary magazine article reading experience I’ve found a new book to read by Steven Southwick, a professor of psychiatry at Yale University and the coauthor of:
Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges
“Coping with unfortunate events and moving on is the definition of resilience. You can train yourself to be resilient by using difficult situations as a toughening experience. Accept what you cannot change, and practice more productive responses. So instead of shouting obscenities and banging on the steering wheel when you’re stuck in traffic, put on soothing music. Realize that the traffic jam is an opportunity to get better control over your emotions. If you do this over and over again, you will actually change the way that your brain functions. No one enjoys stress and adversity, but they can help you grow.”
It’s worth a try at least. Those bad experiences and hurtful things aren’t what you chose, but how you deal with them IS what you choose. As I enter year eight, post divorce, I still struggle but also see most things more clearly now. The further I get from it, the easier it becomes to step more confidently into the unknown of my future.
Join me?
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