Wellness Wednesday - What Your Desk Says about You

Conventional wisdom is that a messy desk means a messy mind. New studies from the University of Minnesota tell us things are not that simple.

If your desk is clean, these researchers determined that you are more likely to eat healthy, be generous, and conventional. This is because a neat work area encourages good behavior in other life aspects, including obeying the law, refraining from littering, and more generous actions. In other words, society's expectations were met.

Those with a messier work area think more creatively and formulate new ideas. When given a choice between new and established products, they choose novelty. This environment seems to encourage "outside of the box" thinking and originality.

Which environment do you prefer? Which would you encourage your children to have?

Wellness Wednesday - Consider the Source!

When I prepare to do an evaluation on a student, I gather lots of information. I look at records, visit with teachers, and interview parents. I also make observations and may collect data from doctors.

Then I look at everything I've collected, and consider the source.

Medical diagnoses don't mean anything unless I have information from the doctor. Opinions from your relatives and friends carry no weight with me.

When the teachers report the student is sleeping in class, the student appears drowsy during observations, and the child states she never naps at school, what do you think I put in my evaluation?

Parents need to exercise the same cautions. Everyone has an opinion, and they will feel free to share them with you. There seems to be an epidemic of well-meaning acquaintances making diagnoses based on media information.

What can you do?

• Tell them you appreciate their concern, but you prefer to consult with your pediatrician. If you still have concerns, contact the local school district for a free evaluation. 
• Don't listen to any "treatments" they may recommend if they aren't certified experts in the field. At best, you waste time and money; at worst, you may physically harm or even endanger the life of your child. 
• If they persist, tell them the subject is closed. 
• Above all, seek advice from an expert. Even the parent of a child with special needs only knows their youngster, and isn't qualified to legally tell you what to do. 
• Remember that celebrities aren't medical or educational experts. Their opinions aren't worth much. 
• Send me an email at ldparsons60@gmail.com if you still need help.

How do you respond to those who try to diagnose you or your child?

Wellness Wednesday - Getting Unstuck from Negative Thoughts

Latest in a series of blog posts based on "Train Your Brain to Get Happy" by Aubele, Wenck, & Reynolds.

Did you know that your brain can get stuck in negative thought patterns? When this happens, your amygdala (emotion) underreacts and the frontal areas (control) overreact, and you tend to have even more negative thoughts.

How can you change this pattern?

• Recognize your patterns. Most people have some of the following three types:
• Guilt
• Negative interpretation of others' thoughts
• Self-fulfilling prophecies of bad events/actions
• Force yourself to think happy thoughts. You can use objects, pictures, or journal entries to recall happy times. This will change your brain by creating new synapses and lifting your mood.
• When you fall into bad patterns, give yourself reason to disbelieve them. For example, if you felt bad about doing something over which you had no control, or couldn't foresee the outcome, give yourself a break. 
• Write a new ending--a positive interpretation of the thoughts of others, or see yourself being successful. 
• Distract yourself with a enjoyable activity. 

How do you change your negative thought patterns?

Wellness Wednesday - Making Happiness Real

The power of imagination is very strong. It inspires the written work, causes the creation of great works of art, and provides a welcome escape from current problems.

It can also make you happier.

A study at Bowling Green State University in Ohio revealed that the act of imagining happiness or sadness caused participants to feel those emotions and demonstrate corresponding brain activity. This explains why we laugh and cry along with characters in movies.

How can this impact your happiness? You can make choices to imagine happy situations. Listen to music that makes you feel happy rather than dwelling on those selections that invoke anger or depression. These efforts can actually make you feel happier.

***This is one of a series of blog posts based on "Train Your Brain to be Happy" by Teresa Aubele, Stan Wenck, and Susan Reynolds.

Wellness Wednesday - Training Your Brain to be Happy

This is the first in a series of blog posts about how you can change your brain to increase your happiness. This information comes from "Train Your Brain to Get Happy" by Teresa Aubele, Stan Wenck, and Susan Reynolds.

The first thing we need to know is that we can do many things to literally change our brains. We experience neuroplasticity, or brain changes, on a regular basis when we learn and do other thinking processes. These activities allow our brains to awaken dormant areas, make new circuits and rewire old ones, and change problem connections.

What does this have to do with happiness? When we practice good habits for thinking or attitudes, that area of the brain expands. The same is true when we dwell on anxious or unhappy thoughts. We can also use our imaginations to reduce the impact of bad experiences and reprogram our self-images.

For this week, let's work on empathy and compassion. Spend at least 5 minutes each day recalling a time when someone was empathetic and compassionate towards you. Then spend another 5 minutes planning how you can act in a similar manner with those you encounter. Track what happens in a journal.

I'll be reporting on my results next week. Post yours in a comment!

Wellness Wednesday: A Winner and Preventing Procrastination

And the winner of the lovely scarf is (drum roll, please!) Aleck Featherston! I'm sure his lovely wife will enjoy wearing the scarf!

How did everyone do making your beds last week? I had one extremely busy day, so I was very tempted to skip it. I just told myself that it was only three minutes, and immediately felt more in control afterwards.

This month we're going to focus on continuing to improve our surroundings in ways that will set our minds at rest, help us feel more organized, and bring more peace into our lives.

While we continue making our beds, we're going to attempt one project this week (of course, you're welcome to do more!).

Think about your house. What is the one thing you've avoided doing for months, or possibly years? This doesn't have to be something major, like a remodeling project. It could be a drawer that hasn't been cleaned out in a while. Or an overlooked closet. Maybe it's patching nail holes, or going through your closet to throw away clothing you haven't worn in a while. It could be a phone call to take care of a challenging personal situation.This task doesn't have to be something that takes a week, or even an entire day. It just needs to be a project you've procrastinated.

Why do we procrastinate? I know I tend to put off things that make a big mess or are difficult or unpleasant. When I'm stalling, I tell myself I don't have time now, but will be able to tackle it later. Then the chore becomes bigger and bigger in my mind until I start to think it will take too much mental and/or physical energy to get it done. So, I put it off more.

What's the big deal? Not only do you have things left undone, but every time you see the results of letting them go, you feel badly about yourself. It's a failure reminder. It reinforces all your negative self-talk.

I cleaned out a cluttered cabinet at work. It cleared my head, made me feel much less stressed, and gave me back some control. Doing the actual organizing wasn't nearly as unpleasant as I thought it would be, and it took much less time than I had predicted. I bet it will be the same for you!

So, get after that job this week. If it's huge, like a messy closet, just do one shelf. Then, look at your completed task every day. Pat yourself on the back and remember how amazing you are. It will encourage you to do more, and your self-esteem will shoot up!

Leave a comment to share how the bed making went and what your project is for this week for a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card.