How much time and effort should one devote to psychological fitness? Many of us pay attention to physical fitness, especially after the December holidays. January is the time of year when people typically start new exercise programs or go back to the gym after a couple of weeks away. Sadly, most of us give little […]
Disasters in our World and The Weight of a Snowflake
In the short two and weeks since the dawn of 2020, I am shocked by the daily news of disasters in our world. Rising tensions between the US and Iran have involved murder, and missile strikes. The shooting down of a civilian aircraft that killed all 176 people on board shocked Canadians as 138 passengers, […]
Nurture Creativity As You Grow Older
It was surprising to read that creativity studies in adults conducted by psychologists at the University of California Berkley showed that creativity tends to decline with age. Their research found that older adults showed fewer creative thought processes than children. https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/114/30/7892.full.pdf This study supports the idea that older people aren’t creative. Society generally regards elders as […]
Understanding the Science of Happiness
In the past few days, almost everyone who I’ve met wished me a ‘Happy New Year’. These wishes reinforce the truism that people generally seek happiness for themselves and for others. Bookstores, bloggers, and podcasts offer countless self-help ideas to improve happiness. We’re urged to drink more water, get enough sleep, practise mindfulness, exercise regularly, […]
Year-End Assessment
With two days left before 2019 closes and a new decade begins, I’ve been working on my year-end assessment. The year-end assessment helps me to identify areas in my life that need changing. It also helps to point the direction for plans and aspirations in 2020 and beyond. The year-end assessment provides an ideal time […]
Holiday Countdown
With just two days — count them — until Christmas, it’s time for a serious holiday countdown. A quick Google search indicates that I can download an app that will give a second-by-second/minute-by-minute/ hour-by-hour countdown complete with music. I didn’t download this as I’m not feeling as frantic as in previous years when I juggled […]
December Holiday Preparations
If I’m to be ahead of the game in terms of preparations for December holidays, the time to get focused is now! At my granddaughter’s urging, I began thinking about Christmas preparations a week ago. She urged me to believe in the Christmas Elf and to start getting ready for the holidays with some decorating […]
December Holiday Anticipation
Yesterday when I picked up our granddaughter for our weekly ‘date’ after school, she was full of anticipation for Christmas. ‘It’s too early’ I said. She disagreed and then told me that one of Santa’s elves had visited their house the night before and wrapped the living room pictures in Christmas paper with big red […]
Sleep Struggles as we grow older
Do you remember when you ‘slept like a baby’? For me, this meant sleeping for seven or eight hours without waking — without tossing and turning — and, without crazy or frightening dreams. As we grow older, many of us struggle to get a night of restful sleep. Every year, I cheer the end of […]
Nurturing Curiosity in Retirement
Last week, when my six-year-old granddaughter was visiting for her weekly ‘date’ with me, she posed questions about why leaves on trees change colour in autumn, fall off, and re-generate in spring. She asked, “Wouldn’t it be easier for the tree to keep its leaves all the time”? We were admiring the yellow, red and […]