Home & Life
Declutter Your Life to Reduce Depression
I started to clean house and didn’t expect to achieve a therapeutic result, but I did. The reality TV shows Hoarders made collecting clutter a serious situation, bringing awareness that hoarding and disorganized chaos piling in the home is often a reflection of mental wellness or lack thereof. [1] Read the rest of this entry »
Lack of Community + Selfishly Independent = Depression
Until 12,000 years ago, approximately 90 percent of human history functioned off of food foraging. Our communities were simple with simple tasks and roles. It seemed the simpler our society, the easier it was to live comfortably in supportive communities where people truly helped each other. Perhaps in communities, relationships are naturally cultivated and nurtured. The more advanced our civilization has evolved, the more competitive and autonomous we’ve all become.
We triple lock our doors, scoff as we wiz by the neighbor with the morning coffee in hand and hope that no one else interrupts our perfectly sculpted routine. Today, especially if you live in big cities, it almost seems impossible to say you live in a real community. Back in the day, we used to be able to knock on our neighbor’s doors to borrow a cup of sugar. We used to wave to familiar friends as we jogged down the street. While some people can genuinely say that they’ve managed to find the best and most friendly community to live in, I’m going to say most people have naturally become more shut off. It’s like the more you crave community, the more it shows that you are weak, needy, and even insecure?! Read the rest of this entry »
But, That Wasn’t The Plan?!?! – Dealing With Life’s Curve Balls
I haven’t gotten a chance to breathe, at least that is what it feels like since May 12th when my daughter was born. I’ve managed to check my email here and there via my cellphone (starting to really pat myself on the back for choosing the iPhone 6 Plus for its large screen) and to virally poke in from time to time on Facebook. But that’s the extent of it. This is my very first time turning on my computer and attempting to write a post before I am back up to my eyeballs in poop and pee-pee diapers.
As a late bloomer, motherhood didn’t seem to sink in for me during my pregnancy. Perhaps I should blame it on my body’s amazing ability to absorb most, if not, all of the negative side effects and instead leave me feeling mostly symptom-free. Compared to the ordinary woman and most stories I’ve read and heard, my pregnancy was by far the easiest. I never felt sick and did not experience any swelling whatsoever. Occasionally I’d need a nap after I ate, but that wasn’t until I was nearly 8 months prego. So, honestly, my pregnancy itself was DRAMA-FREE! Read the rest of this entry »
Finding Treasures in the Moment
Sunday morning, I woke up with the worst stomachache and nausea. When your body isn’t well, it’s hard to do anything much less well. That’s why they say you have to take care of your physical body so that your spiritual, emotional and mental state can function properly.
Needless to say, I felt sick all yesterday and was grateful I felt better today. When you slow things down and take one moment at a time, you discover the little details of life. These details become newly discovered treasures that teach new lessons that cannot be quantified by the triviality of anything tied to human monetary means, labels or definitions. This morning I walked without my brain plugged into my iPhone, no listening to my favorite podcasts. I decided to be in the moment and what a gift an hour walk with the doggies would bring. Read the rest of this entry »
How Much is Your Time Worth?
Are you a “Trekkie?” You know, a Star Trek fan? Then you are well aware that people for centuries have been theorizing ways to travel back through time or forward. You’re probably among them. From theories of bending gravitational fields to scrutinizing over black holes, everyone at one point has wished we could have changed one thing in the past.
And this is precisely why some of us value the one resource in our lives that we can never replace and get back— time. A tabloid recently posted an article claiming that Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt were both “racing against time” to try and look younger for their roles in “Go Like Hell,” their new movie that is in development. Though, it seems that time isn’t valuable simply because we want to grow old gracefully. Time is precious for all of us, especially being that most of us who live in the U.S. work longer hours than our counterparts in other countries. According to a recent ABC article, Americans work more than anyone. The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracked this trending through the 1990s and reported that a whopping “25 million Americans (20.5 percent of the total work force) worked at least 49 hours a week in 1999. Eleven million of those said they worked more than 59 hours a week.” Read the rest of this entry »
Writing With Hope 