Archive for November, 2010

“The 7 Secrets of Stress Reduction.” – Doc Meek

Monday, November 15, 2010. Today I am grateful for knowledge that helps us keep calm in times of severe stress.

You already have all the resouces you need

Image/text above from:  http://www.new-oceans.co.uk/new/business/stresstraining1.htm

“You don’t have to go there to get there.” – Doc Meek

THE 7 SECRETS of  STRESS REDUCTION:

(1) Stop Creating Your Very Own Stress Bucket in the First Place
 
In our culture (western industrialized), over-pushing income and its twin brother debt creates our own private hell, no matter how successful you are financially.  Obviously if you take a more “conservative” (read “sensible”) approach, you can be reasonably well off and content and satisfied as well.
 
As the old farmer said in the Farmer’s Almanac:
 
“If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.” 😮
 
(2) Use Body Movement
 
A daily workout is vital to our mental, physical and emotional health, as most of us know. “The best pill,” as my son says.
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Even if we are not “officially” doing a daily workout, we need to get lots of physical  movement: walking stairs instead of taking the elevator, walking from the far end of the parking lot, walking in nature if we can, as it restores our heart and soul as well as our body.
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Swimming is a geat boon to body and mind.
 
(3) Find a Good Source for Bodywork (Therapeutic Massage)
 
Therapeutic massages of various types are heavensent in times of stress, and also at other times. If we are short of funds, there may be friends who can exchange talents with us, or a massage school nearby that has student rates.
 
(4) Seek Active musical involvement
 
Not just listening to music, although that works great for some who have practiced that; taking voice lessons has bailed out many a panic, even if the person is not a great singer. 😮
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Some have learned to play a new simple musical instrument, even if just percussion. Or maybe especially if it is percussion. Beating on drums can be a great relaese! Especially if you can fnd a way to do it without driving anyone else crazy. 😮
 
(5) Use Low-Dose Lithium
 
What!? Lithium!?
This is almost unknown (as a background gentleness generator) because lithium is almost always associated with manic-depressive disorder and the associated medically-prescribed high dosages and needed watchcare over toxicity issues.
 
However, a comparable-county study showed that natural trace lithium in the water of county “X” resulted in lower crime rates, less domestic violence, and better medical and psychological health, compared with county “Y” with no natural trace lithium in the drinking water.
 
Johathan V. Wright, MD,  recommends 10 -20 mg natural lithium daily and at this level, toxicity is not even a remote concern. Dr. Wright tracked patients at this level for 10 years and finally stopped testing for toxicity as it is not an issue at natural low dose levels (compared with, say, 800 mg being prescribed for a patient with manic-depressive disorder). 
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A little flaxseed oil can be taken as insurance against toxicity if the patient atill feels concerns. Flaxseed is helpful for high doses too, obviously, where toxicity is a real concern.
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Natural lithium is available across the counter in health food stores in the US (not in Canada). It is usually available in 5 mg caplets and 20 mg caplets.
 
This is not a buzz pill or a downer; or a conventional “tranquilizer” drug.
Natural lithiuim is a very quiet background natural aid to the body and mind and heart, which does a world of good without being intrusive in any way.
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(6) Try Screaming into a Pillow
 
This can be very effective for reducing acute stress. The purpose of the pillow is to avoid attracting outside attentiion to your heathy exercise. 😮
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(7) Simply Stare at the Stars
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Not the Hollywood type. Go out on a clear night and look up. Stare at the stars. Contemplate the cosmos. Stay put and let it sink into your mind, heart and soul. For most people, regardless of belief, they can get a larger perspective on their “earthbound” problems and carry away a light load even though its weight is just the same. 😮
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Here’s to daily self-mandatory walking and clear-night staring at stars to keep stress at bay!
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Doc Meek, Monday, November 15, 2010, at Strathcona Public Library, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

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“I am grateful for an ethical son.” – Doc Meek

Friday, November 12, 2010. Today I am grateful for an ethical son, who knows how to do the right thing, no matter what. Not only that, he does it, no matter what. Sometimes there is a high price to pay for personal integrity.

Here’s a tribute to my ethical son, and others like him the world over. It’s the 45 life lessons Regina Brett wrote.

File:Reginabrett.jpg

Regina Brett; image from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Reginabrett.jpg

This was written by Regina Brett, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Some unknown person on the internet circuit took the liberty of aging Regina to 90 years old, presumably in a misguided attempt to enhance the credibility of her “life lessons.” Regina is actually age 54 (in 2010). In my opinion, she has the wisdom of a person much older.

I think the core of this wisdom came out of her terrible bout with cancer at age 41:

“To celebrate growing older, the day before I turned 45, I wrote the 45 lessons life had taught me to that point.
It is the most requested column I’ve ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 54 in 2010, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and
parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey
is all about..

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God
never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

18.. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is
up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for
an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t
save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will
this matter?’

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did
or didn’t do.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d
grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come…

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”

Thank you, Regina Brett!

Doc Meek, Friday, November 12, 2010, at Bistro 112, Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

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“Life’s Little Instruction Book.” – H. Jackson Brown

Wednesday, November 10, 2010. Today I am grateful for people who do the jobs many of us do not want to do.  A reminder of this comes from H. Jackson Brown’s book entitled Life’s Little Instruction Book, Volume II: A few more suggestions, observations, and reminders on how to live a happy and rewarding life:

“727. Show extra respect for people whose jobs put dirt under their fingernails.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Here’s a great article by Steve Waters on that subject, from:  http://www.boundlessline.org/2009/05/praise-for-work-that-gets-dirt-under-your-fingernails.html

Praise for Work That Gets Dirt Under Your Fingernails
by Steve Watters on 05/27/2009 at 8:37 AM

As more “information worker” jobs get the axe in a recessionary economy, jobs that tend to put dirt under your fingernails are getting a second look from young workers. Last week, the New York Times Magazine ran a lengthy article on this topic by Matthew Crawford called “The Case for Working With Your Hands.” I read quite a bit over the course of a week and I haven’t read anything this engaging or provocative in a long time. Here are some appetizers:

Many of us do work that feels more surreal than real. Working in an office, you often find it difficult to see any tangible result from your efforts. What exactly have you accomplished at the end of any given day?

…The imperative of the last 20 years to round up every warm body and send it to college, then to the cubicle, was tied to a vision of the future in which we somehow take leave of material reality and glide about in a pure information economy. This has not come to pass. To begin with, such work often feels more enervating than gliding. More fundamentally, now as ever, somebody has to actually do things: fix our cars, unclog our toilets, build our houses.

…One shop teacher suggested to me that “in schools, we create artificial learning environments for our children that they know to be contrived and undeserving of their full attention and engagement. Without the opportunity to learn through the hands, the world remains abstract and distant, and the passions for learning will not be engaged.”

…The trades suffer from low prestige, and I believe this is based on a simple mistake. Because the work is dirty, many people assume it is also stupid. This is not my experience.

…So managers learn the art of provisional thinking and feeling, expressed in corporate doublespeak, and cultivate a lack of commitment to their own actions. Nothing is set in concrete the way it is when you are, for example, pouring concrete.

…Why not encourage gifted students to learn a trade, if only in the summers, so that their fingers will be crushed once or twice before they go on to run the country?

…For anyone who feels ill suited by disposition to spend his days sitting in an office, the question of what a good job looks like is now wide open.

I suspect this article will hit home with anyone who has looked for purpose among cubicle walls and failed to find anything quite as rewarding as their hands-on projects of days gone by.

………………….

Thank you Steve Waters!

Here’s to those who help to make the real world work better for the rest of us, eh?

Doc Meek, Wednesday, November 10, 2010, at Strathcona Public Library, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

P.S. Tomorrow (in Canada) we celebrate Remembrance Day (November 11), in honor of those who do the ultimate “dirty jobs” and sometimes pay with their very lives: the armed services personnel.

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

=======================================

“Undersea wonder world.” – Doc Meek

Monday, November 8, 2010. Today I am grateful for new ideas. Especially for ideas and wonders about which I have not yet heard!

 
A diver swims near British artist Jason de Caires Taylor's sculpture "The Flower of Hope" in this undated handout in the Mexican resort of Cancun. At the bottom of its turquoise waters and playing with the reflections of the sun at sea, a series of sculptures were immersed in the Mexican resort of Cancun in what aspires to be a huge underwater museum that harmonizes with the beauty of its coral reefs.
A diver swims near British artist Jason de Caires Taylor’s sculpture “The Flower of Hope” in this undated handout in the Mexican resort of Cancun.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Photo Gallery>>>

 

Image and text above from: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/16/content_12819531.htm

Here’s to my definition of a good education:

“A good education connects the head, the heart, the hands, and hope.”

Doc Meek, Monday, November 8, 2010, at Strathcona County Public Library, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

=======================================

“Big change of attitude.” – Rod Campbell

Friday, November 5, 2010. Today I am grateful we can change our attitude, or learn to change our attitude, and thus shift our outlook from dismal and dismay to hope and happiness.

Bird of Happiness; image from:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_of_Happiness_(toy)

Rod Campbell, in his book entitled Healing from Love: Healing through Love, Kindness and Respect for All Living Things, tells of his own experience with a huge change of attitude when  he was sick:
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“This day I was feeling terrible and was down milking the cows before going to hospital. It had been raining for weeks and everything was wet, coats and boots never dried properly and there was mud everywhere. The cow bail was leaking and there was a cold wind blowing. I was thinking to myself, what a terrible place this was for an old man of my age to be living.”
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Rod became so sick he almost did not make it to the hospital. He might have died if he hadn’t made it there. He did make it and then returned home.
“The next morning it was still raining when I went out to milk the cows. I first breathed in some beautiful fresh air and thought how wonderful it was, then saw all the beautiful lights sparkling on every drop of water dripping off every leaf, flower and blade of grass.
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“Then there were the lights and shadows shining in the mist and clouds rolling down over the hills. On walking through wet grass with sparkling little streams running everywhere, there were two fantails keeping me company as I was driving the cows to be milked.
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The air was so fresh and everything so bright and clean I thought this must be the cleanest and healthiest place for an old man to have the privilege to live, enjoy and appreciate nature and be part of it all.”
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Thank you Rod!
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Here’s to all of us who can shift, or learn to shift, our attitude!
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Doc Meek, Friday, November 5, 2010, at Nose Hill Public Library, Calgary, Alberta, CANADA

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

=======================================

“Summer in November.” – Doc Meek

Thursday, November 4, 2010. Today I am grateful for “summer in November” here in Calgary, Alberta, CANADA. It’s 21 degrees Celsius (that’s Canadian for US 70 degrees Fahrenheit)! We had “winter in August” so I guess this is a nice “makeup.” 😮

See full size image

See full size image; image may be subject to copyright; image from:  www.wallpaperbase.com/landscape-autumnscene-2…

Here’s to soul-warming autumn colors!

Doc Meek, Thursday, November 4, 2020, at Nose Hill Public Library, Calgary, Alberta, CANADA

P.S. I went outside in my bare feet, just to make a point:

“Barefoot in November.” 😮

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

=======================================

“Healing from Love.” – Rod Campbell

Wednesday, November 3, 2010. Today I am grateful for Rod Campbell, of Warkworth, New Zealand, an old horseman from whom we all can learn much. Even little birds love Rod Campbell!

Image from:  commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_little_bird… 

In his book entitled Healing from Love: Healing through Love, Kindness and Respect for all Living Things, we see a man clearly who “talks his walk” and “walks his talk.”

Rod says, “I wish to help others to see the benefit of living with love and respect for all living things and to see that this is not just a matter of words–it is a way of life.”

And so it is for Rod. We can learn much from this humble man.

Rod goes on to say, “Although this book provides guidance and help for people who want to help others it must also be realized people can help others even if they themselves are very sick, not educated or cannot read or see very well.” [Emphasis added.]

Again, Rod walks his talk. He has several times been very sick, he did not receive much formal education and now cannot see very well. Still he has continued to help others through it all.

And he is aware that not all help comes from talk:

Love, kindness and respect can be given freely without speaking one word. This is greatly appreciated and can change the lives of all living things.”

Here’s to a man that lives his values and beliefs completely! Just to be in his presence is to know kindness.

Doc Meek, Wednesday, November 3, 2010, at Nose Hill Public Library, Calgary, Alberta, CANADA

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

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“Stuck in Doubt? 10 steps out.” – Jeff Bell

Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Today I am grateful for people such as Jeff Bell who choose to share their private embarrassing agony and show the way out.

 

Image from:  http://www.definitions.net/definition/agony

In Jeff Bell’s book entitled When in Doubt, Make Belief: An OCD-Inspired Approach to Living with Uncertainty [not a religious book; field-tested and re-tested and re-re-tested strategies for confronting fear and worry], he gives us 10 certain steps out of our personal quagmires.

Everyone can learn these steps; they just take time and stick-to-it-iveness:

Step 1: Choose to see the universe as friendly

Step 2: Embrace the possibility in every moment

Step 3: Affirm your universal potential

Step 4: Put your commitments ahead of your comfort

Step 5: Keep sight of the big picture and the greater good

Step 6: Claim and exercise your freedom to choose

Step 7: Picture possibility and “direct” your attention

Step 8: Act from abundance in ways that empower

Step 9: Accept and let go of what you cannot control

Step 10: Allow for bigger plans than your own to unfold

Here’s to 10 steps out!

Doc Meek, Tuesday, November 2, 2010, at Nose Hill Public Library, Calgary, Alberta, CANADA

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

=======================================

“Working on, despite sickness.” – Doc Meek

Monday, November 1, 2010. Today I am grateful to the Lord, who helped me last Saturday to go on working, doing house renovations, even though I was so sick I thought I  could not go on. Everything seemed to take “forever.” Not enough time in the day!

 

Image from:  http://www.simpleanddelicious.com/meal-ideas/simple-quick/good-food-fast-dinner-10-minutes.jsp

Reminded me of over-scheduled Moms who often have to press on, with inadequate rest, etc., because they often have no choice. Gave me great mepathy for over-worked Moms everywhere!

I felt I had to get the outside painting done while the good weather lasted and that this was my “last chance.” Had to lie down and rest frequently. I thought I would never get finished! So exhausted I could hardly lift the paint brush. Thank God I finished. Literally, thank God. 😮

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

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