RCL Health

Lessons from Pema Chodron, Buddhist International Author and Teacher

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Getting Unstuck and Changing Triggers:  Choosing a fresh alternative

I have often found that Pema Chodron is a wonderful teacher when your life seems to be changing, when you want things to stay the same and they won’t, or even when you need to release destructive habits. She asks “What is Happiness?” She suggests that it includes relief from anxiety, depression and stress with a positive expectation of good, positive groundlessness, a state free of bias and predjudice, no preferences and full openness to the moment without expectation. It implies openness and freshness.

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GET REEL®: Produce Your Own Life

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Click here to listen to an interview on Hayhouse Radio

Get Reel and Produce Your Own Life with Deb Scott and Dr. Nancy
Produce Your Own Life! Gettin

Before you click the remote one more time, let me tell you that media is one of the top three things that shape your life. Let me also tell you that this news could be the best news you have ever heard, if you know what to do with it! Think of the power you have will have to make decisions! After your parents and teachers, the television, Internet and movies shape what you think, who you become and your level of happiness. Why does it matter? Because your goals, ideas, motivations, thoughts, and personal strengths and insecurities have been influenced by your media viewing choices.

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Why are Hallmark Christmas movies so popular?

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Join Dr. Nancy with reporter Nikki Battiste on CBS This Morning
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hallmark-channel-lgbtq-christmas-movie/

Hallmark must be doing something right; millions of people watch their Holiday movies and say that it is part of their holiday tradition.  But why? It’s partly because the brain likes things that are familiar! The plot of the hero/heroine, who meet, experience some tension before getting together, have helpful friends and finally have a happy ending after the final conflict is a story as old as time.  And it’s good storytelling!!  Remember the Wizard of Oz, the Star Wars movies, and many romantic comedies, like When Harry Met Sally, Moonstruck, and Sleepless in Seattle?  We love the story and we especially love the happy ending. And the brain feels safe and secure, and especially familiar when all ends well. It’s what is called in mythology, The Hero’s Journey.

If you are feeling well, it magnifies your feelings, but if you are feeling down, it uplifts you.  And as you see familiar actors in different movies, you feel that they are like family, since they are so often in your living room! Some of the actors are even actors you saw as a child or teen, so they are especially comfortable to see again. Even the props and settings feel familiar as all the films are taped in the same studio.

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How to Detox After The Election: 7 Ways to Recharge

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Originally for THE WASHINGTON POST, November 2020

WHY DETOX AFTER THE ELECTION? It has been a long, close election, and for many a stressful one. And it takes a toll on your body and mind after a while. The longer the stress, the worse for the immune system and all of the body’s organs due to the fact that the nervous system has been fired-up and on high gear, keeping you in a hypervigilant stress response. But there are some steps you can take to move ahead in ways that are healthier for your mind, body and spirit.

1 CELEBRATE OR COMMISERATE – have your feelings, talk about your feelings or journal them to get them out. Talk with others about ways to move forward and express how you feel. DO SELF-CARE to release all the long standing tension.  Or depending upon your preference, CELEBRATE in a way that lends itself to SELF-CARE.

2 MEND RELATIONSHIPS – without gloating or carrying a negative intention, be sure that you mend any relationships that may have been stressed or damaged by political arguments and differences.  The relationship is more important than politics. Focus on what brings you together and put any disagreements behind you. 

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It’s Time I Posted a New Blog about Social Media

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From an interview with John Hopkins

Why talk about social media when it already takes over too much of your time?

Because after working with media and mental health for over 30 years, I am finding that the effects of social media have taken over as a mental health and emotional influence, more powerful than some print and televised media. When I completed my research in the 80’s on the positive influence of TV to help children manage stress, there was no social media. Then, when  I released my book Get Reel: Produce Your Own Life in 2015, social media was taking off as a major influence in individual lives.

What do you really need to know?

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WAYS TO BE HAPPY NOW

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We are all in this together.
If you feel isolated or thrown off your normal routine, remember that most of us have had major life changes during the health challenge. Finding ways to navigate uncharted territory and sudden change takes a supportive team and we can all work together to find old and new ways to support one another. You deserve it and your sense of well-being is more important now than ever. In addition to the good advice of social distancing and hand washing, here are some for you to try to help you have the best experience possible while taking care of yourself and others.

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Happy Makes You Healthy

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See more at Inspiring Lives

Can you recall a day when you felt good inside, in every cell of your being, and with your relationship with every part of your life? Since you tend to experience life through the awareness of your physical body, when you are feeling well, your perception of everything else gets better. And it works both ways: when you feel well physically, you have happier thoughts and when you have happy thoughts, you create a positive feeling in your body. But that is just the beginning!

Today the science of psychoneuroimmunology studies the mind-body interaction, especially the amazing cures that have resulted from the placebo effect. This effect occurs when patients receive healings of physical conditions when they are not even been giving real medication, surgery or treatment. For example, a treatment may be given that is believed to be effective and later it is found that it is not. So why do one-third of those taking the treatment improve? Belief and expectation create a result of the mind and body energies working together. They are intricately connected in such a way that when one is working well, the other can’t help but thrive!

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TEXTING VS. YELLING AT HOME: HOW TO STAY HAPPY

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Dr. Nancy was interviewed by USA Today in April 2019 on this topic. 

Would you believe that there are some positive benefits to texting at home? Sometimes the most complex and the simplest things are suitable for texting. For example, if you want to approach a difficult topic but want to give the person some lead time to think about it, you could text them in advance, stating what you want to discuss and asking them to get back to you with a time to talk. Or you might just be saying that dinner is ready, or asking if you left an item in another part of the house. It can be practical to send short simple texts to address any of these topics. But if you are texting rather than talking as if the person is not in the house, then you are risking becoming distant and misunderstood. The same level of connection cannot be maintained electronically that you can have in person, and the message can too easily be misinterpreted. For these types of communications, it is important that you do exist separate from your device and that certain things don’t require electronic devices. Texting too often implies that the sender assumes that you are constantly with one of your devices. And that assumption alone can be dangerous for your social connection to real people in real time.

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Fake news and other scary stuff for kids

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In an interview with Fox News, Dr. Nancy explains hoaxes online and what you can do about them.

Some factors get in the way of children feeling safe when they hear news or see things on the Internet that aren’t real. Why?

Children don’t distinguish fantasy from reality. When their big brother tells them that the boogeyman is out to get them, or that there is a tooth fairy, they take it at face value, so exposure to a myth about an image can really take hold in a child’s mind. It is unhealthy for children to be exposed to such frightful ideas that can stay with them for a period of time, challenging their feelings of safety. This phenomenon even occurs with adults who watch way too many crime shows; they feel less safe than those who don’t and may avoid venturing out due to these feelings.

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It’s summer travel time: Are you anxious about flying?

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Originally appeared in Thrive Global Summer 2018

Media and health blogs report that this is such a common problem! Many people have come to me in my psychotherapy practice to learn how to reduce flying anxiety. Symptoms include fear of heights, fear of being out of control, sleeplessness before a flight, generalized anxiety and resistance to taking the trip.

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