somatic-psychotherapy.org

a good video description of the path to the The True Self and the purpose of The False Self -- a concept developed by psychotherapist Donald Winnicott (1940s-1970s) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A02Ucd6monY

6 tips for Avoiding Zoom Fatigue and 6 Refreshing Eye Exercises for Tired Computer Users https://www.rebuildyourvision.com//6-refreshing-eye-exerc/... https://www.patheos.com//tips-avoiding-zoom-fatigue-covi/

Sussexroyal Verified "With everything going on, it’s a lot to take in. Many of us may feel confused. Or alone, or anxious or scared...and in isolation, some of us may just feel bored, or that you don’t know what to do with yourself without your normal routine. It’s perfectly normal to be feeling any of these things. Our emotional well-being is challenged everyday whether we realise it or not, but our lives are usually filled with distractions. Now with constantly changing COV...ID coverage, we are all adjusting to this new normal and the feelings that come with it. But here’s the good thing (because right now we need to hear good things, right?): Yes, there is isolation and physical distancing, but there doesn’t have to be loneliness. There are resources that can help us all through this process, and ways that YOU can become one of those resources. @crisistextline @giveusashoutinsta @kidshelpphone and CTL Ireland are organisations that need new volunteers now more than ever and have an open door for you to get the support you need. - If you’re home and feeling bored, you can digitally train to be a counselor and HELP someone who really needs your support! What an amazing way to use this time - If you feel alone, overwhelmed, depressed, or anxious, you can text one of these lines and talk it through. - If you are in an abusive relationship and now find yourself in isolation with your abuser, these counselors are there for you. You do not need to suffer in silence. And for those of you who don’t feel comfortable texting with a stranger, reach out to your friends, family and colleagues. Phone calls and video conferencing are such a great way to feel more connected - ask if they’re okay, tell them how you’re (actually) feeling, and use this time to really listen for the answer. If there is someone you know and are worried about, your text may be the thing that saves their life." https://www.instagram.com/p/B99hcWDJfO1/?utm_source=ig_embed

https://qz.com//coronavirus-quarantine-has-serious-menta/

This graph is about spreading AWARENESS of the importance of PREVENTION, and NOT spreading fear and panic. This is about the importance of everyone learning HOW AND WHY to take precautionary measures in order to flatten the curve of the spread of a virus in order to protect the most vulnerable among us. Cleaning products that can destroy novel coronavirus https://www.consumerreports.org//common-household-product/... https://www.yahoo.com//think-doesnt-matter-catch-coronavir

BEING CENTERED It is a very human desire to be centered, to feel centered and this has become an explicit or implicit goal of a lot of psychological and spi...ritual work. To get back to my center or center myself and so forth. It is a valid and honorable lens or metaphor to attend to and explore, especially during times of overwhelm and stress. But it seems important not take it too literally or rigidly or get too one-sided with it. Rather, to dance with it, play with it, to pick it up at one moment and set it down in another. Soul-flexibility. There are times in our lives when we just are not going to feel centered in the face of certain experiences, symptoms, emotions, impulses, memories, sensations in the body, and destabilizing psychic content of all kinds. Before we rush to abandon these visitors to psyche and soma concluding they are errors or mistakes which must urgently be corrected, transcended, and cured we might just dare to consider that they, too, carry a certain intelligence and even beauty. That they, too, have something to contribute to our overall ecology of being. In these moments, if we try to force ourselves to be centered we run the risk of losing touch with some open, tender, pregnant, piercing, fierce, creative aspect of psyche that only wants to make itself known, to come home to be reunited with the vast. Soul, here, appearing as uncentered. Before we banish these experiences into the underworld (where they will only gain momentum for future unconscious eruption) let us take a moment and fully allow ourselves to be uncentered. Not partially. Fully. Just right now. And listen. And see. And feel. And sense. Before we practice aggression and abandonment toward the uncentered one, let us pause for a moment and see what it is she has to say, what it is he is feeling, what these ones are evoking within us. There is magic and aliveness in the psyche that will manifest itself in a myriad of ways, including in those that do not conform with the egoic status quo. But the soul is oriented to poetic activity, to the full spectrum, to that embodied aliveness that is found within each of its expressions. Photo by Madhu Shesharam

What's important to understand is that AS important as mindfulness is, it's not always enough. This is a helpful message from David Wallin in his book, Attachment in Psychotherapy. Wallin describes the need for learning *how to reflect* on our circumstances AS WELL AS how to be mindful. He calls reflection and mindfulness both together a "double helix." (Specifically, David Wallin refers to "mentalization", which is basically another word for reflection used in attachment li...terature) And so, if you've either been meditating but still having a lot of stress in your life, or having trouble meditating on your own, seeking support of therapy or someone who you can trust to help you make sense of stressful thoughts and situations can be ESSENTIAL to being ABLE to be mindful in the first place. Also, there is a growing realization that different kinds of trauma can make it very challenging for a person to go more deeply inside their experience with mindfulness without first attending to the trauma. So please keep that in mind whether for yourself or anyone else for whom you are recommending mindfulness practices. Mindfulness IS essential, and there are very valid reasons it is not always enough. -- Marenka Cerny, MFT https://www.youtube.com/watch

Vu Daje, people! Did Justin Gatlin invent this term, or have you ever heard before this way of describing the OPPOSITE of Deja Vu, and a needed re-imagining of Jamais Vu? What a concept! (Justin Gatlin, Olympic and World Champion sprinter.) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0yHk55D5rL/

Daniel Goleman's 2006 book, Social Intelligence is essential reading. He discusses the neurological basis for our satisfaction or dissatisfaction in all relationships, and the essential need for vital relational skills in not just in personal relationships, but in every kind professional context. Likely available at your local library. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZskNGdP_zM

Relating authentically with one or two people can be challenging enough. To relate well with a whole group of people, check out one of these articles on public speaking on Medium/Forge. I especially enjoyed the first tip below to "say something weird" ... from Ross McCammon: It's Okay To Suck At Public Speaking https://forge.medium.com/its-okay-to-suck-at-public-speakin "...I know it’s not that easy just to be relaxed when giving a speech, so here are a few ways that have helped me seem lower-key than I actually feel: "Say something weird. There is nothing audiences love more than a non sequitur. Find a thing in the room that everyone is aware of, and say the thing you might say if you ran into a friend at a cocktail party. How do you think you change a light that high up? What’s the dog looking at in that painting? In fact, whatever question a Joe Pesci character might ask while making small talk in a Martin Scorsese movie, ask that. It’s not a joke. But a moment of surprise and delight puts people in a receptive state of mind." here's the HOME PAGE (Forge / Medium) How to Get Better at Public Speaking https://forge.medium.com/how-to-get-better-at-public-s/home And this recommendation to learn ways to deal with anxiety with public speaking, to check out Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which you can do some self study with, but like most new things it can be helpful to have someone you feel comfortable with to walk you through it. (Which is what I usually need to learn new things.) I think DBT should be considered a significant section of the Basic Handbook for Being a Person, so I deeply appreciate when it's linked to specific applications. How I Tricked My Body Into Being Okay With Public Speaking - DBT and the other acronyms that changed my life by Kelli María Korducki https://forge.medium.com/how-i-tricked-my-body-into-being-o

Johann Hari tells the story of learning about addiction from Rat Park and learning that everything we know about addiction is wrong. author of Chasing the Scream https://www.ted.com//johann_hari_everything_you_t/up-next

A mesmerizing tour of art, music, farming, family, self care, socializing, learning, Lenny Kravitz's thoroughly creative life in Brazil.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlsKjWqu82k

The author of this article on self-confidence vs. self-esteem also wrote an interesting book on emotions and states of mind, if you're interested in a particular one or all of them... Book: Heaven and Hell: The Psychology of Emotions by Neel Burton https://www.psychologytoday.com//self-confidence-versus-se