Dear Community,

When do you give yourself permission to pause and reflect? What is your body telling you? What restores you?

Finding time to relax and connect with your own wisdom is part of the gift of coaching. Much gratitude to those of you with whom I’m privileged to be serving. And for those of you considering, beginning again, coaching is available here for growing that which is most near and dear to your heart.

Enjoy this article for enhancing well-being, professional development and tending your precious life energy.

With Waves of Gratitude,
Teddy

Dear Community,

I’m hoping this finds you well and enjoying the golden light of summer.

While many of us have been delighting in reuniting with family and friends, having our freedom after a long haul of pandemic protections, creates pause for social adjustments.  I’ve heard many say, “I liked it the way it was.”  “Being less busy had its own gifts.”  If you are pondering lifestyle changes, coaching support is available here.

This past year has made me think about the preciousness of life.  In face of so much loss, globally and personally, my beloved partner would often comment, “We have this moment and the next.”  This wisdom was born out of the loss of his late wife, Claire, who was a dear friend. In honor of her courage facing an excruciating five year decline Gene Zimmerman published a book of poetry called “Searching for Clarity.” It is an entry to the deep love, grace and grief one encounters when facing un-chartered territory of a family member’s decline.  Ultimately, it offers hope to those wondering, “How does one carry on for one more day?”

Dear Community,

Wherever you find yourself in these rapidly changing times, life holds constant potential for the emergence of the good.  In even the darkest times of 2020, I found that the hard stuff was easier and more bearable with contemplating new possibilities. The new year is a great time to for resetting priorities and sharpening skills for self-care.  Coaching support is available here and see mind-body offerings below for support with reducing stress and increasing energy.  Here is an article on Evidenced Based Health Benefits of Practicing Qigong.

In the midst of this global healthcare crisis, I am moved by our providers unceasing devotion.  Over the holidays, Julie Tom, my dearest childhood friend, passed away from early Alzheimer’s at the age of 64.  While not wanting to let go, her providers were profoundly helpful guides when considering quality of life decisions.

The experience of witnessing this beloved friend’s rapid decline brought additional pause and incentive for understanding more about the brain and taking good care.  In Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s new book, Keeping Sharp, Build a Better Brain at Any Age, he speaks of Five Pillars of Brain Health:

• Move – Physical exertion has scientifically been proven to improve brain health and function.  When moving, you are signaling to the brain, I want to be here!
• Discover –  Get outside your comfort zone and learn a new skill or language.  It’s change that builds resiliency and asking what is my purpose?
• Relax – Stress is particularly subversive, so we need to find ways to unwind and get restorative sleep.  Poor sleep and chronic stress can lead to impaired memory diminishing ability to adapt to new situations.
• Nourish – Eat well, as diet affects brain health (and overall health, too).  The human gut microbiome – trillions of bacteria that make their home in our intestines – also have a profound affect on the functioning of our brains.
• Connect – Gather (socially distant) where possible for interaction.  Certain beneficial neurochemicals are released when looking another in the eye.  Taking a brisk walk with a friend and talking about challenges can be extremely beneficial for the brain!

This week a colleague shared the meaning of his “tag line.” It was a heart stopping conversation.

His brother has been a quadriplegic since his early twenties after a freak fall. Having worked in rehabilitation, I was curious about his story.

He married a woman with cerebral palsy knowing they would not have long together. Given she too was confined to a wheel chair, their primary connection was face to face conversation.

Most relationships are enriched and complicated by differences of values, where we live, work, social engagements, travel, sex, sports, health, intellectual stimulation, attraction, family issues, etc. We make it about all of that! These two made it work within the confines of full bodied presence to one another.

For work, he makes websites for people with disabilities through use of voice command technology. Sometimes in the process he gets bedsores and the only way he can heal is through laying flat for weeks at a time, being turned frequently.

One day, his brother asked him, how do you do it? How do you lay there for hours doing nothing?

He replied, “It’s what I must do to live.”

This amazing man could be complaining and, instead, finds the resiliency to encourage others by frequently saying, “Make it a great day!”

My friend stated, “He’s always reminding me…” “This is why it’s my tag line.”

What grace at work!

Whether you are a medical professional, academic, executive leader, business owner, mom or manager, you are committed to offering care to those you serve.

While this is an enriching rewarding path, it can be extremely demanding, even draining at times. Where do you find support in face of depleting energy?

As a professional and a caregiver, I understand. My own journey through divorce took me to a place with having felt exhausted, yet unable to sleep well, overwhelmed by needs of those around me, and feeling as though there was no time to stop and restore myself. I was building a coaching practice, participating in training for furthering my education and raising two amazing sons. This life transition involved not only loss and grief, but relearning how to be in the world on my own. While my story is not uncommon in many ways; it has been expanding, heart opening and grown my compassion.

Initially, my unconscious “strategy” was to keep busy. I thought everything would be okay if I just kept moving forward and kept my head above water. Well, I was wrong. I couldn’t sleep. I became increasingly exhausted and agitated, encountering anger. I used to see anger as bad, as something to fear or push away. I now know it is a messenger, inviting one to look at something deeper that wants our attention.

One day, I realized…“I need to stop. I need to take a moment and take a breath.”

This was the beginning of my becoming mindful, taking time to breathe and hearing myself, finally, seeing what was truly important. My practice with Vipassana meditation introduced me to a new sweet spot inside, offering more clarity, focus and peace. There was a coming home to what I call the heartbeat of life.

One of the things I’m most grateful for in my own experience – both the good and the challenging – is how my mindfulness practice has grown my self-compassion, along with empathy for others. In fact, I really believe it has saved my life. How? As I’ve been faced with loss, grief and change, I’ve found mindfulness to be a gateway to joy.

Mindfulness has created a new place of freedom. Given the gifts of the practice and learning that keeps evolving, I am committed to serving other professionals and caregivers who want support for accessing their own peace, tools for greater well-being and leadership.