Finding Hope in Uncertain Times with Deepak and Oprah's Free Guided Meditation

With the rapid spread of Coronavirus around the globe, it is understandable that many of us feel helpless. So how can we keep ourselves sane in these unpredictable times? 

Join Deepak Chopra and Oprah and millions of meditators around the world to find peace of mind in the midst of turmoil and do your part to help our global community find hope and optimism and become more mindful.

I completed the 21-Day Meditation Challenge, "Hope in Uncertain Times," from Deepak and Oprah, in 2017. Today, with COVID-19, the meditation conveys a whole new meaning. I am grateful that Deepak and Oprah have re-released this mediation so we can all join the #HopeGoesGlobal movement. it is free, easy to use, and provides a wonderful source of inspiration.

I personally have been feeling overwhelmed lately and this could have not come at a better time. This challenge has a focus on how to embrace uncertainty as an opportunity to grow and evolve. I am only on Day 3, but I’m feeling more centered already. I try to meditate first thing in the morning before my kids are up and start their distance learning.

You can still sign up for the challenge here or if you have the app on your phone, it appears in the Free Meditation section.

The Science of Being Happy

I just finished an amazing free online course called the Science-of-Well-Being.  Since it’s free and focused on mindfulness, I had to give it a try.  Dr. Laurie Santos of Yale University overviews what psychological science says about happiness in order to teach students how to lead a happier, more satisfying lives. The course also gives learners tips to apply wellness activities into their lives.

This class does not treat serious mental health issues like anxiety or depression. However, Dr. Santos’ class does provide space to have much needed conversations about mental health and happiness. And who couldn’t doesn’t want a free lesson on how to live a happier life?

So many of us are suffering from issues, such as relationship problems, substance misuse, physical health problems, job or financial problems, and recent crises.  Why not spend a little of your time to focus on well- being?

The class starts out by going over what you think makes you happy (but really doesn’t) and then in the later weeks, she reveals what actually makes us happy, based on scientific  research.  Spoiler alert:  Dr. Santos gives simple assignments that focus on such things as meditation and gratitude practice.  One week my assignment was to write down 3 things I was grateful for that day.  This simple assignment helped to focus my mind on the positive.  I was, also, so impressed with the questions the students from Yale..  Their insights and questions  made me want to be back on a collage campus.  

The multipart seminar-style series - filmed last year in Dr. Santos’ home - is available for free on Coursera.

The no-charge option for the course doesn’t include all the assignments and class materials — there’s a $49 tuition fee if you’d like all the available materials. I just took the free course and it gives you complete access to all the lectures.

So, 6 weeks later, am I a happier person for taking the Science of Well-Being?  Yes, I think it was time well spent for me.  I learned how to focus my mind and body with the simple tools that Dr. Santos shares in her course.  Thanks to Dr. Santo's and Yale for making this course available to the public for free.  I am grateful to be a student of the Science of Well-Being.

Eco-Friendly Wrapping for the Holidays

I come from a family that saved every ribbon and bow from Christmas morning and reused any wrapping paper fragments large enough to use again. I try to reuse, and this year I decided to try to be a little more eco-friendly when doing my holiday gift wrapping.

Here are a few low-waste alternatives:

Paper Gift Bags – You can use these many times and they make wrapping so much easier.

Fabric Wrap – use scraps of old fabric, a scarf you don’t need anymore, or even old shirt and fashion it into a bag that can be used over and over again.

Magazine Pages - for a smaller gift, use some colorful pages of a magazine.

Reusable Produce Bags - I’ve been  giving most people on my list gifts wrapped in Be Mindful Reuseable Produce Bags this year. It's a bag that can be reused all year long!

Gift wrap is big business and since most of it is not recyclable, it ends up in the trash. So if you have’t purchased wrapping paper this year, don’t! Skip the wrapping paper and think of more sustainable gift wrap ideas for the Holidays.   

Living with Climate Change

Climate change can be overwhelming. While looking for practical ways to help our planet, I listened into a dharma talk with Jack Kornfield on climate change that focused on our connection with nature and how we can make a difference with compassion and love.  

Looking to learn more about the causes and responses to climate change? Project Drawdown is a nonprofit organization that works to identify the top 100 solutions to reversing global warming. Drawdown.org has 100 ideas in use now that could lead to the drawdown point (when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and then steadily decline, ultimately reverse global warming).

We all know that eating a plant based diet and using electric transport will help with climate change, but some of the other things on the list may surprise you.

Here are the top 10 -

1. Refrigerant Management

2. Wind Turbines, onshore

3. Reduction of Food Waste

4. Plant-Rich Diet

5. Tropical Forests

6. Educating Girls

7. Family Planning

8. Solar Farms

9. Silvopasture Livestock

10. Rooftop Solar

There is so much work we can do to help reverse global warming. The creators of Project Drawdown, have calculated that about 1/8 of human-caused atmospheric carbon emissions are due to agriculture, food preparation, consumption and waste. The good news is that this is a great place for you to make changes in your daily life that can have a real impact. This summer, buy food from your local farmers market and CSA share pick ups and of course, bring your Reusable Produce Bags to the market.

Be sure to share with us here at Be Mindful what you are doing to make a difference in your community.

9 Tips for Using Less Plastic in the Garden

As we learn more about the consequences of single-use plastic, it’s becoming easier for us to reduce, reuse, and recycle the plastic we use in our gardens. 

Here are a few tips to get you started:

·         Start your own seeds from paper packets. Use biodegradable seed cups or make your own from toilet paper tubes, egg cartons, or newspaper. If you must use plastic containers, return them to the gardening center afterward, so they can be reused. 

·         Order topsoil, compost, manure, and mulch in bulk from a local supplier that will deliver.

·         When setting up a raised garden bed, instead of spreading black plastic on the bottom to smother weeds, use cardboard or layers of newspaper.

·         Avoid plastic-coated trellises for plants like tomatoes, peas, and beans. Buy uncoated metal cages or use wooden stakes.

·         Buy plastic-free garden tools. Look for wooden handles and metal ends. Keep your tools in good condition by cleaning them regularly and don’t leave them outside where they’ll develop rust.

·         Buy cotton gardening gloves. 

·         Make your own plant markers from popsicle sticks, wooden or old wooden kitchen spoons.

·         Start your own seed bank by storing seeds for later planting in glass jars.

·         Make your own weed killer. Here’s a recipe I use: 

1-gallon vinegar

1 ½ cups epsom salt

2 tablespoons dishwashing liquid

When you’re gardening this summer, always look for the plastic free options. Mother Nature will thank you.

Today is World Ovarian Cancer Day - Help spread awarenss of ovarian Cancer

Today is World Ovarian Cancer Day, an awareness initiative run by the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition.

More than 230,000 women around the globe are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year. The coalition projects that number will increase 55% by 2035, and the number of deaths attributed to ovarian cancer is expected to rise by 70% over that time.

My sister and I lost both of our parents to cancer so we try to remain knowledgeable and vigilant about ways to remain cancer-free. Since our mother passed away from ovarian cancer at the age of 42, we decided to have genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer when we reached our 40s.  The results revealed that we both carried a mutation on the BRCA2 gene, indicating we have a much higher lifetime risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. With our diagnoses came confusion and questions about our options and the best chances for lessening our chances of a cancer diagnosis.

Knowing that you are at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer can be emotionally confusing and overwhelming. We found that meditation and mindful living have helped immensely to handle the stress and to make decisions about next steps. Taking care of your emotional and mental health and ways to cope with anxiety is what inspire us to work on Be Mindful®

Ultimately, my sister and I both chose preventive surgery.  Michele had an oophorectomy – a surgery to have her ovaries removed and I had an salpingo-oophorectomy - the surgery to remove my ovaries and fallopian tubes - and we both schedule mammograms and MRIs twice a year.

Having lived with loss from cancer, we created Be Mindful®  to provides resources for anyone confronting stress, and to create awareness, explore wellness, mediation, and living mindfully.

How to Help with Hurricane Relief

If you haven’t been hiding under a rock, you know the extent of the damage caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Texans are looking at months of recovery, and Floridians are finally headed home after one of the largest evacuations in US history. Meanwhile, the the devastation in the Caribbean is of epic proportions.

Those of us mindful folks watching from the sidelines want to help, but knowing which kind of aid to send can be confusing.  If you’d like to donate to Harvey and Irma victims, here are some mindful ways to do so.

According to the Salvation Army, the best thing you can send is money, Monetary contributions support local economies and ensure that businesses can operate when relief supplies diminish. If you’d rather send goods, it’s wise to go through a trusted organization instead of mailing them on your own. 

Although the Red Cross has been criticized for a lack of transparency in how it distributes relief funds, the organization is always among the first relief services on the ground and says that ninety one cents of every dollar goes to the victims.

Additionally, Feeding Florida and Feeding South Florida and Houston Food Bank are food banks in need of monetary donations.

Global Giving connects nonprofits, donors and companies in nearly every country around the world.  They are currently focusing efforts on the Mexican earthquake as well as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

To help animals in need, the Humane Society is doing great work sheltering and feeding lost and stray animals in both Texas and Florida. They need monetary donations and dry cat and dog food.

If you don’t have the resources to make a financial donation, you can still contribute by volunteering, donating blood, or simply sending your good thought and prayers for the victims.

If you know of other mindful resources for donations, please share them with us in the comments below. 

Living Mindfully with BRCA

As September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, I wanted to share some important information about resources available to those who may a family history of these cancers. 

My sister and I lost both of our parents to cancer so we try to remain knowledgeable and vigilant about ways to remain cancer-free. Since our mother passed away from ovarian cancer at the age of 42, we decided to have genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer when we reached our 40s.  The results revealed that we both carried a mutation on the BRCA2 gene, indicating we have a much higher lifetime risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. With our diagnoses came confusion and questions about our options and the best chances for lessening our chances of a cancer diagnosis.

Knowing that you are at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer can be emotionally confusing and overwhelming. We found that meditation and mindful living have helped immensely to handle the stress and to make decisions about next steps. Taking care of your emotional and mental health and ways to cope with anxiety is what inspire us to work on Be Mindful®

We want others to know that there are resources for assistance and a variety of choices available for those with BRAC1 and BRAC2 mutations and their loved ones. A few that we like are BeBRCAware, Color, Bright Pink, Facing Our Risk, Cancer Support Community.

Ultimately, my sister and I both chose preventive surgery.  Michele had an oophorectomy – a surgery to have her ovaries removed and I had an salpingo-oophorectomy - the surgery to remove my ovaries and fallopian tubes - and we both schedule mammograms and MRIs twice a year.

Having lived with loss from cancer, we created Be Mindful®  to provides resources for anyone confronting stress, and to create awareness, explore wellness, mediation, and living mindfully.

Keeping it Simple During the Holidays

It is mid-December and things are starting to get busy around my house this time of year.  The holiday shopping, decorating, and parties are all fun, but it can get a little crazy gearing up for Dec 25 as we celebrate Christmas at my house.
 
No matter which holiday you recognize, this is a time to celebrate. A time to spend with family and friends.  But it should also be a time of peace and reflection.  Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the shopping and spending, I want to create a holiday with more meaning, more sharing, and more happiness this year.
 
I’ve been checking out Simplify the Holidays’ site with tips for creating less wasteful and more meaningful holiday celebrations.  Instead of buying all my gifts on Amazon or a big box retailer this year, I am opting for locally made gifts and encouraging my kids to do handmade gifts this year as well. I’m also thinking more about charitable donations and sharing time together vs. the latest gadget or toy. Seasonal plants make a great gift as do homemade goodies. A gratitude journal or craft project is another mindful choice. Sharing photos or creating and mounting a favorite saying for family members is a simple way to gift with meaning and not overspend or give someone something they don’t want or need. Giving an experience such as travel, an event, or a class may be another way to go if you do have money to spend.
 
Check out our Simplify the Holidays calendar daily inspirations and practical tips for simplifying your holiday season.
 

Merry Mindfulness!