Category Archives: Stress Reduction

Blogging for good health!, Stress Reduction, This -n- That

Wandering Through Quotes

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Have you noticed the trend to start book chapters with a quote?

Maybe authors have often done that; but somehow, I am noticing it more and more – and I like it.

It’s a thoughtful way to introduce the theme of a new chapter. Like a soft opening.

As my next book’s edited manuscript nears readiness for the production team’s formatting, I realized that one of my initial goals — adding a fitting quote to introduce each chapter — hasn’t been fulfilled. Alas, I never got around to it!

Dare I delay sending the manuscript to production while I search?

Where is everyone finding these quotes?

Bingo! Ask AI! Duh.

I had always admired the effort authors would take to find such quotes, thinking they would still be stuck in stacks of quotation books.

But this is the 21st century, and if you want to find quotes about anything, your search is a click away! From Socrates to Twain to Angelou, your quest will find great quotes spanning the millennia on the same topic.

We frequently use the phrase, “dropped down a rabbit hole,” when researching, as one discovery often leads to another.

But after reading this article recently, I realized what I experienced in my quote quest was more like wandering. 

Wandering: meandering through a space with no plan, destination, or urgency – just enjoying the journey.

So, in addition to simply Googling and asking ChatGPT for quotes about various emotions and resilience, I meandered through this site and discovered all kinds of wisdom and reflection-inducing thoughts.

My noodling around was almost like a spring walk – without the sneezing.

If you need relief from today’s craziness, wander for a spell in the world of quotes to discover those golden nuggets from across the ages – without having to read individual tomes to extract them.

Then, get outside to wander a spell just to see what you can discover. The headlines will be right there when you come back, but you will feel refreshed.

One word of advice though is, if you use the likes of ChatGPT to pull quotes from the databases of the world, double check to see if the cited author really said that. Sometimes AI will summarize an author’s collective quotes to reflect your query, and that quote you are given cannot be verified.

During my own research, I came across some incredible authors I hadn’t encountered before, and whose works are definitely worth exploring further.

Happy wandering!

In health –

Deidre

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Blogging for good health!, Habit Building, Stress Reduction, This -n- That

I Know A Place … A Very Special Place

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My spot.

It beckons to me like sirens calling from the deep seas.

I always gladly yield to its call.

Come. Come outdoors. Come to ponder, to read, and to write. Do some soul work.

Ahhh!

I had just created that perfect spot in my former home. It became a mystic place in the freedom of the outdoors, which allowed equal freedom of my mind and heart.

Do you have such a spot? A place where you long to go that allows your mind to wander where it will, or to focus on deep truths that uplift and inspire you?

For me, such a place requires a table where books and papers can be spread out. Where my drink and food can be close-by.

Moving to my new home necessitated leaving that outdoor table behind, and while we have created lovely outdoor seating and conversation areas, I just hadn’t recreated my own special spot.

Until recently.

Yet unadorned with no potted flowers or decorations nearby, this humble space is beginning to become my spot. For there in the screened porch warmed by the sun, I can once again read, take notes, ponder, and create.

At least until the pollen season gets in full swing, painting everything yellow. Achoo!

Then we all head indoors until we can spray and wash everything before resuming our outdoor life.

Where is your spot? Do you go there often?

In health –

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Recipes, Stress Reduction

Stuffed French Toast – A Different Kind of Yum!

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Before you entertain visions of thick sliced bakery bread cleverly slit open and stuffed with a fluffy, cheesy, sweet cloud of decadence … hold it right there. We are going in an entirely different direction.

Think yummy, eggy French toast topped with savory goodness.

Think making it the night before, if you wish, so there’s only the baking to be done the next morning.

Think enjoying the leftovers the next day with no effort!!!

Yes!

Best of all, it’s a ‘concept recipe’ that’s easily adaptable to ingredients on hand.

We’ve developed a saying at home to describe using the last dab of anything. We call it ‘community service.’

We are performing an act of community service when we eat that last piece of cheese, drink that last half-glass of kombucha from the bottle, or heat up that half-bowl of soup languishing in the refrigerator.

When preparing this week’s version of Stuffed French Toast, I used the last four okra, looking for a home. The week before, there were a few seasoned oven-roasted potato wedges that were put to good use.

As you look over this concept recipe, imagine how you might adapt the ingredients to what you have on hand.

Stuffed French Toast

Grease a baking dish sized to fit a single layer of the bread component.

Place slices of bread at the bottom of the dish to cover the entire area. Sourdough is our bread of choice.

In a sauté pan, crumble and cook ground breakfast sausage. For a square 8–9-inch glass pan, I used 1/2-pound ground sausage.

When the sausage is almost cooked, add some diced onion, maybe bell pepper, mushrooms, fresh okra (oh, yes!), cut up leftover roasted or baked potatoes, or anything else that suits you and might assist in community service.

Continue to cook and brown the mixture until the sausage is cooked, the onion becomes translucent, and the veggies begin to brown.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk eggs, a dollop of heavy cream (half and half will do, but the heavy cream is the yummiest – having said that, you can ‘thin’ the heavy cream with water if more fluid is needed). Season with salt and pepper. For the square baking dish, I used six eggs.

Spread the sausage and vegetable mixture over the bread layer. If desired, sprinkle grated cheese on top.

Pour the egg mixture evenly over the top.

At this point, you can cover and refrigerate this overnight or put it into a preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Download the recipe here:

Stuffed French ToastDownload

The square pan made four servings – two for now and two for later! I left it in the oven a few minutes too long and things got a bit browner than I had wanted, but we both agreed that it was a yummy breakfast!

Now, that’s community service in the kitchen at its finest!

In health –

Deidre

Next week, I will post the results of my following my own advice: how I found energy and a mindset that changed the path of my day. Make sure to subscribe to foodtalk4you so you will not miss a single post delivered directly to your in-box Tuesday mornings!

Blogging for good health!, Recipes, Stress Reduction, This -n- That

Caregiver Confessions

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Note: Make sure to read until the end to catch an important tweak to last week’s Cottage Cheese Blueberry Bake.

This week’s post is a confession – or, more accurately – a sharing of a recent revelation.

In the final editing process for the content in my next book, Toolkit for Caregiver Emotions, I am making sure to mention, those who are short-term caregivers might experience the same mindsets and emotions experienced by those who are long-term caregivers.

Hah! Little did I know I was going to be a short-term caregiver, who would experience some of those same things.

My sweetheart just had hip replacement surgery. We’re looking at a six-to-eight-week standard recovery for general mobility issues.

Meh. No big deal, right?

Caring for someone with post-op pain concerns, decreased mobility, and who uses a walker along with other adaptive equipment is not the biggest hurdle ever for me.

I found, however, that my role as the primary caregiver, helping with activities of daily living, (such as bathing, dressing, and bathroom needs) – along with managing a variety of new temporary medications – quickly put me at risk of falling into a mindset of self-neglect.

Granted, there are no raging, random caregiver emotions here. The first two to three days post-op were hard on both of us – it’s a shared experience – but as I observed myself, it was easy to see self-neglect wiggle its tenacles into my day.

As we both experienced for the first time all the hip replacement concerns – the ice pack apparatus, careful spacing of pain meds, frequent transfer concerns with bed/chair, home exercises, movement restrictions, and dealing with the side effects of medications – we were both frequently exhausted.

Then it happened.

“My sweetheart is all set now; I’m just going to rest – I can skip my shower and my daily vitamins.”

In those first two days, I think such a mindset is normal. The importance of caregiving being a priority is evident as our kitchen island has been taken over by medical paperwork, and a row of short-term medications serves as a reminder to administer them on time.

But, dear caregivers, going beyond that initial adjustment period with self-neglect is not healthy.

Remember, there are two patients in any caregiving situation – the person giving the care and the person receiving the care. Ignore the needs of the first one and the needs of the second one might not get met because the first one may have collapsed!

If your adjustment period is not getting better – as ours did, thankfully – then it’s time to call in for help. Use those offers of assistance to free up time for your daily selfcare.

Next week, I’ll be sharing another breakfast casserole recipe that was easy to prepare in advance and gave us a fresh-from-the-oven treat this morning – no big clean up – and a promise of another easy meal the next day.

Speaking of recipes – as I prepared that Cottage Cheese Blueberry Bake again this week, I paused after stirring the ingredients a final time. Hmmm. Wasn’t there oatmeal in the version I baked the first time? Friends, caregiver brain is a real thing. Yes – please add one cup of uncooked oatmeal to that recipe. Apologies for any inconvenience or recipe “flops.” Sheree is reposting the downloadable corrected recipe below.

In health and healing –

Deidre

UPDATE-Cottage Cheese Blueberry BakeDownload

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Blogging for good health!, Holiday Celebrations, Stress Reduction, Titles Worth Reading

New Year With A Better You

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Here we are. Decorations are still up, and anticipation is in our hearts for the New Year.

I hope there is a special sparkle in the air for you.

Many of us well-seasoned adults can even grab hold of that pure childlike awe and wonder from time to time throughout the holiday season – that is, if we are not in the throes of grief, strife, or trauma.

Speaking with a friend recently, I was reminded how the second year of grief can be even worse than the first.

The first year after a grief, we find ourselves stumping along, mostly numb, just going through the motions as we mark ‘the firsts’ – first birthday, first anniversary, first Thanksgiving, first holidays – first everything without whomever or whatever we lost.

If that was not hard enough, we sort of wake up in the second year to the new reality of our situation, and the hurt changes to something much more real, painful, and permanent.

We often hear about “getting over” something – which creates an image of sucking up, chest out, marching boldly forth, oblivious to our past pain – but should that be our goal?

Trauma of any kind affects our total mind, body, and spirit long after the event.

What we are discovering is that resilience and personal growth come when we stop fighting to get over something, and start discovering what lessons those experiences are imparting, that will carry us forward into the future.

Which returns us to the concepts from the December 3rd post: Before releasing something, we need to embrace it first.

Embrace to acknowledge, authenticate, and validate what was experienced. Then we release the pain, taking with us the lessons learned, and then filling our spirits with freshness to recharge.

Even missed opportunities can be processed this way – they are not failures and do not need to negatively color our self-esteem. They can show us where our boundaries are and where we need to grow.

When the cloud of trauma lifts, we feel light and liberated. It can feel like magic when that happens, but it is a process and a lifelong journey.

Use New Year’s Eve as a starting point for exploring lessons learned and how those lessons will help you take your next steps into the new year.

Are you filling up your blessings jar? I am, and I am looking forward to the certain magic that comes when I dump my 2024 blessings out on the table to relive each one in the early New Year!

Now, that’s magic!

In health –

Deidre  

PS- While printing costs are now higher for the latest full color edition of Toolkit for Caregivers, I have reduced the price to make it easier for family caregivers to buy. Spread the love by sharing this link, or better yet, buy it for someone else who could benefit from the helpful information. Thanks.

Blogging for good health!, Holiday Celebrations, Stress Reduction, This -n- That

Five Golden Rings

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Hallmark reverie!

This is a month of tidbits for me.

Taking an inspiration from one resource, Karl Moore’s, The 18 Rules of Happiness, and symbolically throwing it up in the air to see what it latches onto, is my Modis operandi right now.

After amplifying his rule #5 of, “Learning to let go,” in last week’s post, I wanted to touch upon Rule #6, “Do Random Acts of Kindness,” for this week.

Since it’s December, it’s easy to think of Secret Santa names being drawn out of a hat at the office or perhaps in your large family. But that’s assigned giving.

We’re talking about random acts of kindness.

Then, I remembered a recent Hallmark movie in which the main character repurposes five holiday greeting cards. Originally purchased to give to her now ex-boyfriend, she used those cards to send thanks and appreciation to five individuals from her past.

Not totally random, but to the recipients opening the card from someone they hadn’t seen for years seemed random – or unexpected, at least.

Close enough.

So, I’m throwing out a challenge.

Before this month is out, let’s all find five opportunities to do a random act of kindness.

Whether you pay it forward in line at the drive through or send a sincere note of thanks in snail mail to someone you haven’t seen in a long while. Find an opportunity to brighten five people’s lives in an unexpected, or random, way.

We’ll be sending out those five goldens rings referenced in that familiar song, The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Just image those five golden rings – each creating ripples of joy, gratitude, and hope.

What could be better?

In health –

Deidre

PS – you could take this idea to another level by involving your children or grandchildren and getting together to compare notes about giving successes. Could be a great teaching tool. Some of the deepest satisfaction from giving, though, is keeping it one-on-one and not seeking fame for your kindness.

Blogging for good health!, Habit Building, Stress Reduction

Release – Fill – Give

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One of our most popular recent posts was Strings from September 10, 2024. I’m glad it struck a chord for so many readers.

After the discussion about pulling our invisible string to lift our chests, straighten our backs, and hold our heads erect, came the video about Amy Cuddy’s TED talk.

I summarized her thoughts by concluding that, “If you want to give energy, you must be an open vessel to receive it.”

In this season of giving, we recognize that many of us face the challenge of offering our time and energy to others throughout the year, not just during the holidays. Whether we’re teaching, working in healthcare, or caring for loved ones, we know that taking time to recharge is essential to sustaining our ability to continue giving.

Stepping away for some self-care is a non-negotiable for our survival – “can’t pour from an empty vessel” – and all of that.

But what if our vessel is full of stuff?

Meaning, emotions we are holding onto – clogging our head and heart space.

A recent Facebook post from Peace, Love, and Smiles so beautifully stated: “Feelings are just visitors. Let them come and go.”

A key principle in my next book, Toolkit for Caregiver Emotions, is that emotions are not us. We experience them, they pass, and then we experience something else.

But some people start to identify with their emotions, letting them rule the day – day after day.

So, someone who experiences resentment, for example, becomes a resentful person.

Releasing these emotions is the first step to freeing ourselves from their hold on us so we can fill up and recharge, allowing us to be our best—for ourselves and others.

The message, then, is to take a moment to assess what emotion is taking center stage and dominating your very essence.

I start my conferences and workshops with an exercise in doing a release, by recommending the audience hold something in their hand to represent the emotion they want to release.

Then, bringing that symbolic object to their chest, they close their eyes, and after a few deep slow breaths, they ask themselves a question when they inhale on the next breath, saying:

“Would you, could you, be able to release this emotion for just a while? Set it aside for just a spell?”

On the exhale, they honestly answer.

If they can say yes to setting that emotion aside for even a little while – or forever – then they open their eyes, watching as they pull their hand away from their chest, and observe themselves setting that object/emotion down.

Doing this release can create an instantaneous sensation of being lighter and freer.

Those who are not yet ready to release, even briefly, their overriding emotions will benefit by further self-exploration of why they are holding on, why they perceive holding on is a benefit, or why they think they deserve to feel that way. Such a discussion may need the practiced listening ear of a counselor.

After a release, we are open to filling our batteries so we are ready to give again.

In the season of giving, remember to ‘release’ before trying to ‘fill,’ so that you can ‘give.’

In health –

Deidre

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Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Holiday Celebrations, Recipes, Stress Reduction

That’s Nuts!

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With the holiday party and baking season upon us, we turn to the subject of nuts. We’re talking about walnuts, pecans, cashews, and the like.

Nuts can be a powerhouse of nutrition with fiber, healthy oils, and beneficial phytonutrients that cut down on inflammation and ramp up heart health, blood sugar balance, and so much more.

But there can be a downside to nuts, depending on how they are treated.

Longtime readers of this blog or my book, Toolkit for Wellness, know that raw nuts are better than nuts highly processed in unhealthy oils.

But raw nuts still have factors in them that can inhibit proper absorption of nutrients and can contribute to unhappy tummies.

Enter the ‘activated nut,’ which has been handled in such a way as to eliminate the anti-digestive phytates and to activate beneficial digestive enzymes instead.

Activated nuts require soaking first, followed by dehydrating.

To soak:

Use glass bowls, if possible. Metal bowls may discolor but can be cleaned using Bar Keeper’s Friend.

Dissolve approximately 1 teaspoon of sea salt in 6 cups of water, add raw nuts, and soak. I buy large bags of nuts, so this requires multiple bowls.

Walnuts, almonds, and pecans can soak 12+ hours; cashews take just 6 hours. The water will turn quite brown.

Using a large colander, thoroughly rinse soaked nuts and spread out on towels. I have a large bath towel dedicated to this process – some staining may occur. Roll the towel up and let the towel soak up any extra moisture for a few minutes.

If nuts are to be used in a blender or food processor, they can be used now; but if long-term storage is desired or if they are to be used in baking, dehydrating is necessary.

To dehydrate:

If using a dehydrator, spread nuts out in a single layer on each tray needed, allowing for good circulation of air around the nuts. Do not crowd them. Place trays in dehydrator. Set temperature to 115-125 degrees and set timer for 12 hours.

When time is up, check for dryness and lengthen the time as needed. Store in a closed container in a cool environment.

If using the oven method, spread nuts out on large baking trays without crowding them. Set the oven at its lowest temperature. Since oven heat will be higher than the dehydrator, the drying time will be shorter. Stir nuts every hour and check for crispness after 6 hours.

Freezing nuts will lengthen their shelf life.

The resulting nut is light, crisp, and brimming with goodness!

I mostly activate pecans and walnuts, but now that my trusty dehydrator has found a place in my new home, I will return to activating almonds and cashews again as well. The brown outer covering of the soaked almond can be pinched off prior to dehydrating if desired.

Happy, healthy snacking and baking –

Deidre

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Blogging for good health!, Stress Reduction, This -n- That

Hugs – A No No For Now!

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As my third experience up close and personal with Covid ends – I’m negative! – there will be no friendly hugs for a while.

We long for that physical expression of love, friendship, and concern – and our mental and physical selves need that influx of the resulting oxytocin. Looking back on those dark days of the global pandemic, we remember how deprived and out of sorts we became from the lack of touch.

Oxytocin, sometimes referred to as the ‘cuddle hormone,’ is vital to our inner balance including:

  • Improved mood: Oxytocin can help you feel happier and more relaxed. 
  • Reduced stress: Hugs can lower cortisol levels, which can help you feel less stressed and improve your sleep. 
  • Improved cardiovascular health: Hugs can lower your blood pressure, heart rate, and improve cardiovascular function. 
  • Reduced inflammation: Oxytocin can help reduce inflammation and improve healing. 
  • Strengthened immune system: Hugs can help strengthen your immune system. 
  • Reduced cravings: Oxytocin can help lessen cravings for drugs, alcohol, and sweets. Remember how we turned to extra drinking and poor eating during Covid isolation? 
  • Improved relationships: Hugs can deepen your relationships. 
  • Reduced depression: Hugs can help decrease depression. 
  • Improved concentration: Hugs can help you concentrate easier. 
  • Improved energy: Hugs can help you feel more energetic. 

We need to have those hugs last for more than six seconds to release oxytocin at maximum levels. 

More than six seconds.

Try it.

I’ve heard some say that a great hug lasts for three breaths.

Ahhhh.

Maybe if I wore a mask?

In health –

Deidre

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Blogging for good health!, Exercise, Habit Building, Stress Reduction

Intentional Self Balance

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I got off that round tuit!

It was like a scene from several years ago when I decided to do something that would hold me accountable for balancing my food intake and my energy output with regular exercise and portion control.

Yes, it’s one thing to write about health and wellness, and another thing to not let life circumstances derail my solid intentions.

We so easily lose course, especially if we allow ourselves to become codependent on someone or something.

Are your friends not available for your buddy walks around the neighborhood? While that should not keep us from regular walking, often we let it.

Is it difficult to get to exercise classes? Is that a reason to stop working out?

So I, “did a thing.”

Like signing up for that Noom membership after seeing another ad for it – something that worked wonders for me – I saw a chair yoga ad on Facebook that made me want to see more. After learning the details, I took the plunge for a 12-week special offer for just $25.

Right then, I did my first session. A small, easy commitment that took all of 16 minutes to do.

Check.

Another session this morning – this time with light weights sprinkled in.

Check.

What’s that feeling of accomplishment?

I know all this stuff, but it’s the intentionality and accountability of it all that makes this work!

Small commitment. Every day. Works for any goal we have in mind.

Being able to put my palms flat on the floor means nothing if I don’t do it. Chair yoga used to be a joke in my mind, but when I am doing nothing organized, chair yoga is working.

Bigger things will come, but intentionally doing something each day beats doing nothing every time.

When ‘getting around to it’ never happens, turning to an intentional approach will get you there.

In health – intentionally –

Deidre