J’s Digest

  Sunday Sep 22, 2024 Discovering Lately, I’ve discovered a fresh outlook that has subtly changed how I approach my day-to-day activities. It revolves around the notion that we can accomplish anything–whatever we aim for–with greater intention and significance by incorporating a sense of ritual. This straightforward yet impactful idea has the potential to reshape how we engage with our daily routines and objectives, bringing a deeper sense of mindfulness to everything we undertake. What is a Sense of Ceremony? So, what exactly is a sense of ceremony? IT’s not about grand gestures or elaborate rituals that might seem daunting or out of reach. Rather, it’s about creating a mental and emotional space for stillness and reflection before we dive into any task, no matter how big or small. Before beginning, we can take a moment to calm ourselves, to quiet the rush and noise that so often fill both our mouths and our minds. It’s about finding that internal silence, allowing ourselves to pa...

  A Reminder to Pause Lately, my upper right eyelid has been twitching, and thought it seems like a small thing, I can’t help but think my body’s way of telling me something is off. It’s probably a sign of inner stress that’s been building up, even if I haven’t been consciously aware of it. It feels like a nudge to slow down, to take a moment to reflect, and ask myself, “What’s really bothering me?” At first, I thought there might be something deeper at play–unresolved emotions, concerns I’ve been pushing aside,or maybe even the pressure of all the things I’ve been juggling lately. I started to wonder if I had been neglecting my mental health or ignoring some underlying issues. But as the day went on and I found a little more time to sit with my thoughts, I realized the answer wasn’t quite so complicated. By the end of the workday, it hit me–I was simply exhausted. That’s all it was. Not some deep emotional issue, just plain old tiredness from days of pushing myself too hard. My bo...

September 15, 2024 Adapted from Darby Saxbe Dr.Saxbe is a clinical psychologist and a professor of psychology at hte University of Southern California. Her research focuses on the neurobiological adaptaions to parenting. Recently, I interviewed Barry Hewlett, an anthropologist who studies child-rearing in hunter-gatherer societies of Central Africa. He explained that in these communities, children spend a lot of time with their parents--following them throughout the day and helping with tasks like foraging--but they are rarely the main focus of their parents' attention. These children, sometimes bored, sometimes busy, spend much of their time observing adults doing adult things. In contrast, parents in contemporary industrialized societies often do the opposite. During our precious non-working hours, we palce our children at the center of attention, consciously engaging and entertaining them. We drive them t o sports practices and music lessons, where adults supervies and monitor t...