Tag Archive for mindfulness

Susan Anderson Talks Abandonment on CHI FOR YOURSELF: Then and Now

picture of john kobikI’m sure you found last week’s interview with Susan Anderson helpful. She’s dedicated a lot of her working life on the subject of abandonment, and she’s felt so much of that pain herself! There are two interviews with Susan Anderson on this page:

 

picture of Susan AndersonThis interview was recorded this past Thursday (Aug. 25th) when we discussed THE ABANDONMENT RECOVERY WORKBOOK: Guidance through the Five Stages of Healing from Abandonment, Heartbreak, and Loss. In it Susan shares some of her tools for dealing with the pain of abandonment in a number of areas. If you missed the program you can hear it by clicking on the Blog Talk Radio logo:

Blog Talk Radio logo

Here’s a list of talking points from the show:

  • Abandonment defined
  • Susan’s dealings with abandonment
  • How abandonment affects social status
  • S.W.I.R.L.
  • Death, rage, and abandonment
  • How abandonment is similar to PTSD
  • Overeating as abandonment
  • What we can do to heal right now

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picture of Susan AndersonThis interview was recorded in 2015 and it deals with Susan’s book Taming Your Outer Child: Overcoming Self-Sabotage and Healing from Abandonment. Click on the Blog Talk Radio logo to be taken to the show.

Blog Talk Radio logo

 

JohnK 8-28-2016

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Inner Exploration and Your Dreams

picture of john kobikLast week we posed the question “do you know where your passion is?” Today we drill down a bit more on the topic. You can read the article or listen to the mp3 which follows.

 

Uncovering  Your  Passions  and  Your  Why  

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Use the following ways to easily uncover your passions and discover your why in life. Make a list of all the things that you have always dreamed about doing. These should be all those items that you haven’t done because of a lack of money, time or they seemed to be impractical.

Use these questions to uncover your dreams:

 

1. What is the one thing that you are always dreaming about but haven’t done yet?

2. What did you want to do or be when you were growing up?

3. Have you ever abandoned a dream?

4. What is it that you want to do, but are afraid of doing?

Once you have identified your dreams your next step is to create a plan of action. You may have ended up with a relatively long list. If so make time to start doing a few of them each month. If you have to schedule time for them into your work calendar.

For those dreams that require more effort and time look for a way that you can attempt to do one. Your dream may be to visit an exotic country or help build a new school in an under-developed country. Look for ways to make this come true. This would be your long term passion and why.

If you don’t have too many dreams, try the same experiment with your hobbies. Write out a list of hobbies that you have done at one time, those that you currently do and those that you would love to do.

Don’t have a list of hobbies, what are the things you currently spend time on that make you feel happy and fulfilled? Look for ways to turn these into a hobby.

You may even be at a point in your life where you wish to turn a part-time hobby into a full-time one. If you enjoy art, ceramics, poetry, music, writing, dance or a particular exercise. Look to see if you can do this full time. Can you become a yoga instructor, ceramics or art teacher or write your own novel?

If your hobby or interest doesn’t transition well into a way of making you money see if you can get involved in a different way. You may love to run marathons and smaller events for a local charity. Look for a way to get involved in running that could provide you with an income.

You will be participating in your passion and this will make you feel happier with life.

 

 

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This week on CHI FOR YOURSELF:

Picture of Susan AndersonSusan Anderson, author of THE ABANDONMENT RECOVERY WORKBOOK: Guidance Through the 5 Stages of Healing from Abandonment, Heartbreak, and Loss. Thursday at 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific

 

JohnK 8-22-2016

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The Week Ahead: Healing the Heart and Feeling the Passion

picture of john kobikIf you’re feeling the flood of feelings brought on by abandonment listen up! Our next CHI FOR YOURSELF guest makes her second visit to bring us tools and exercises intended to help you discover and heal underlying issues, identify self-defeating behaviors of mistrust and insecurity, and build self-esteem. Susan Anderson is the author of THE ABANDONMENT RECOVERY WORKBOOK: Guidance Through the 5 Stages of Healing from Abandonment, Heartbreak, and Loss.

Picture of Susan Anderson

Susan Anderson

She’ll be with us on Thursday, August 25th at 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific time at chiforyourself.com

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man cryingThis week CHI FOR YOURSELF began a series on finding your passion. If you missed the post you can hear it by clicking on this player..

 

 

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woman pointingIf you haven’t done so make sure you sign up for updates from GenuLines. You can do that by putting your email address into the box at the top of the page!

 

 

…and, if you’re eating out this weekend- Choose whole grains over flour products. Something like oatmeal is more nutritious and has less fat than bagels, French toast, pancakes, or sugary cereals. For dinner, try a Thai or Chinese restaurant that serves brown rice rather than going for pizza and pasta.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

JohnK 8-19-2016

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listener animationOverheard:

” ‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

~ Alfred Lord Tennyson

 

 

 

It’s Monday. Do You Know Where Your Passion Is?

picture of john kobikAre  you  just  working  or  following  a  passion?   How do you view your job? As something that brings home a paycheck, or do you consider your job to be something that you are passionate about? Many truly successful people in life are so successful because they are following their passion. They really enjoy going to work each and every day. This is because they feel that they are making a difference each time they do so. So how can you get to the point where you are performing a job that you really enjoy each day?

One way to achieve this is to look inside yourself and discover what gifts and talents you have. If you are not sure what your talents are, ask a family member. Schools today focus on teaching you the skills to get a good job, without even tapping into passion. You are taught to train for a good paying job and while fun at first, the excitement of it wears off. After a few years in your profession, you are feeling bored and unfulfilled. This is exactly why there are so many people pursuing a job that they aren’t happy with. Let’s take a look at some of the gifts and talents you may already possess.

You may be a great musician or singer, do you enjoy dancing? Do you love working with people? Or you may possibly be a great listener. Once you can identify one of your talents then you want to look for ways to use it. If you enjoy working with people, you may consider working with school children or even seniors. If you are a great listener you could become a social worker, a counselor or even a human resources person. If you can’t pursue your talent full time then think about doing it occasionally. You could also volunteer your time by using your talents. If you enjoy animals you could volunteer to help raise money for the humane society. Or raise needed equipment and tools for a local charity.

When you start to follow one of your passions you will instantly feel happier with your life. You will have a purpose in life, something to look forward to each week.
While you still may have to work to pay your bills and provide for your family. You have now found a new outlet – your passion. This could be the perfect way to improve your life, reduce stress and feel as though you are doing some good in the world!

 

JohnK 8-15-2016

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stick figure of man

 

Overheard:

“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” —Nelson Mandela

          ~Nelson Mandela

Happy August! Recipes for Good Food and Good Mood

picture of john kobikWe’re into a new month, and I don’t want to let too much time slip by without touching base with you. When I was growing up people used to call August the “dog days”. Not very flattering to dogs (who are some of MY favorite people!) Hot, humid days usually meant less activity at the kitchen stove. I want to kick off this month of August by calling on Jo Eager to bring us a quick and simple recipe that’s tasty and doesn’t require turning on the stove!

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The next edition of CHI FOR YOURSELF is in the planning stages. I’ll only say that it deals with healing from heartbreak, loss, and abandonment. Details to come.

 

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Some points to keep in mind with the start of the new month:

steps to happiness
 

Now, let’s eat!

 

 

Be well!!

 

JohnK 8-1-2016

chiforyourself.com home

 

 

clip art of manOverheard:   “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.”
Hippocrates

 

 

Today on CHI FOR YOURSELF: She’s the “Boss”- A Young Woman’s Life Transition

picture of john kobikI wanted to get this notice out to you ASAP since it was a late addition to our show schedule. On today’s CHI FOR YOURSELF, we’ll hear from the author of a book for teenagers written by a teenager.

Juliya Juliette made some big changes in her young life and she documented her journey in the pages of a book called “Becoming the Boss: Of Your Own Life”. Juliya’s family and friend relationships turned around dramatically through the choices she decided to make. And she’s working hard to get her book into the hands of other teens!

picture of Julia Juliette

Julia Juliette

 

We’re on the call today at 1pm Pacific, 4pm Eastern time at chiforyourself.com

 

JohnK 7-14-2016

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A few “de-Stressing” Tips For a More Relaxed You

picture of john kobikCHI FOR YOURSELF wants to help you reduce your stress levels. This week in GenuLines we looked at some “stress-busting” tips. Today we get some actionable steps that are easy to do and will help you nurture good chi! 🙂



***Stress is an overwhelming force that interrupts our body’s natural ability to fend off disease. Use the following actionable ideas to help reduce your stress:

 

 

  • Woman3dWrite down two places that you consider your happy places. Think about these whenever you feel stress is getting the better of you.
  • Plan your next vacation even if you have a bit of time before you can take it. Just the act of doing research for it can put you in a better mood.
  • Find an organization that will allow you to give your time as a volunteer. Try to do it at least once a week or if you can’t swing that, do it twice a month.

 

JohnK 7-8-2016

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Clipart image of overheardOverheard:

 

. “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”
~ William James

“The Stress Solution and More “De-Stressing Tips

picture of john kobikTodays CHI FOR YOURSELF scheduled guest (Arthur Ciaramicoli-The Stress Solution) will help us lower our stress levels. This week is a great time to get you to thinking about some ideas you can consider to begin the process. Each day this week GenuLines is posting several “stress-busting” tips. Tomorrow, you’ll get some actionable steps that are easy to do and will help you nurture good chi! 🙂

man with check signTOP TIPS
Stress is an overwhelming force that interrupts our body’s natural ability to fend off disease. Use the following tips to help reduce your stress.

 

 

7. Diet:
Because stress is an energy-robbing force, maintaining a diet that can
replenish our energy is an important part of combatting it. Avoid foods that
make you sluggish and sleepy. Eating fruits and nuts are great energy foods.
Drink lots of water to stay hydrated as well.

8. Take a Vacation:
Companies offer vacations to their employees for a reason. It gives the
employees the ability to live life outside the company. It also helps the
employees get away from the situation that may be causing stress and lets
them see that there is more to life than just work.

9. Visit with Family:
Even if you choose not to take a vacation, spend more time with your family.
You can plan day trips here and there or you can just all be with each other for
short periods of time each day. If schedules are scattered, try to set up, at
least, two days a week where the whole family must be together for dinner.

 

JohnK 7-7-2016

chiforyourself.com home

 

listener animationOverheard:

“Keep your temper,” said the Caterpillar.”
~Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the   Looking-Glass  

 

 

Saying NO to Stress: More Ways You Can Do This

picture of john kobikTomorrow’s CHI FOR YOURSELF scheduled guest (Arthur Ciaramicoli-The Stress Solution) will help us lower our stress levels. This week is a great time to get you to thinking about some ideas you can consider to begin the process. Each day this week GenuLines is posting several “stress-busting” tips. At the end of the week, you’ll get some actionable steps that are easy to do and will help you nurture good chi! 🙂

man with check signTOP TIPS
Stress is an overwhelming force that interrupts our body’s natural ability to fend off disease. Use the following tips to help reduce your stress.

 
 
 

4. Connect Socially:
We need contact with each other. Face-to-face contact is the best but if that is
not available connect with people on social media. Strive to stay off business
and political topics when you are stressed out. These will only add to your
stress. Consider talking about music, funny stuff, or whatever you and your
friends would like to talk about.
 
5. Volunteer:
Volunteering can help people see that their lives aren’t always as bad as they
thought. When they see others that are worse off and have the ability to help
those people, the stress levels can be drastically reduced.
 
6. Exercise:
Exercise is a proven stress reducing activity. If you are extremely stressed out,
consider upping the ante and going for higher impact type of activities like
Kickboxing or some kind of boot camp. Exercise can actually help prevent
onsets of stress from happening in the first place and can reduce the effect
when it does.

 

JohnK 7-6-2016

chiforyourself.com home

 

Overheard:clip art of man

“Its not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.”

~Hans Selye

 

This week: CHI FOR YOURSELF Helps You Get Your Stress Under Control

picture of john kobikThursday’s CHI FOR YOURSELF guest (Arthur Ciaramicoli-The Stress Solution) will help us lower our stress levels, so it’s a great time to get you to thinking about some ideas you can consider to begin the process. Each day this week GenuLines will post several “stress-busting” tips. At the end of the week, you’ll get some actionable steps that are easy to do and will help you get to nurture good chi! 🙂

 

man with check signTOP TIPS
Stress is an overwhelming force that interrupts our body’s natural ability to fend off disease. Use the following tips to help reduce your stress.

 
 
1. Recognize When You’re Stressed:
The first step is to recognize that you are stressed. It’s amazing how many
people maintain high levels of stress and that becomes their modus operandi.
When they get to that point, they don’t even realize that they are experiencing
stress. If you are in this situation you need to reflect back to a time when you
were not constantly stressed out.

2. Go to Your Happy Place:
Close your eyes and imagine what it would be like if you were in your favorite
place or your happy place. Is it on an island somewhere? Or perhaps you are
more of the daredevil type and love jumping out of planes. Whatever it
happens to be it’s important to imagine yourself being there.

3. Find a Place That is Quiet:
You need a place where you can go just to get away from it all. Even if that is
for only five to ten minutes a day. It can work wonders to reset your internal
batteries and can help you continue on. It could be in a remote area of a park
or it could be going to a sauna in a gym or a massage.

 

JohnK 7-5-2016

chiforyourself.com home

 

Overheard:

Clipart image of overheard“If you really want to escape the things that harass you, what you’re needing is not to be in a different place but to be a different person.”

~Seneca, Letters From a Stoic