SMART Living 365

Ideas to create a more happy, peaceful and rewarding life--365!

Forget Being a Drama Queen—Be a Queen of Calm

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized, Thankful

Most of us are drama queens—yes, even you, my macho friends!  While it is pleasant to hear good news from others, most of us are more easily sucked into situations where something unusual and oftentimes dreadful occurs.  Psychologists say that urge comes from an inborn biological imperative in place designed to keep us safe and constantly on the look out of danger.  But for most of us, our lives are routinely safe and secure.   So, instead of looking out for lions and tigers and bears, we are drawn into the dramas around us with amazing fascination.  And instead of choosing something saner or more helpful, we frequently pass it on to others rather than taking the high road and doing otherwise.  That’s why it is SMART to let go of your inner drama queen and instead become a queen of calm.

[youtube em328ua_Lo8]

 [tube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em328ua_Lo8[/tube]

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The Simple Benefits of Spending Time In Nature

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Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Sustainable, Thankful

“Research has shown that people with a greater sense of vitality don’t just have more energy for things they want to do, they are also more resilient to physical illnesses. One of the pathways to health may be to spend more time in natural settings,”  Richard Ryan.

Trees are alive too!

 

As some of our friends and family know, Thom and I have been renting a house for a month every summer up in Idyllwild for around 17 years. Idyllwild is a very small mountain town, (less than 2,000 permanent residents) about an hour from our home in the desert. Back in 1993 we did it for the first time because, quite frankly, we couldn’t afford any other type of vacation. It seemed like a good way to escape the desert heat and was a great bargain as well. Little did we know back then that the experience would be so rewarding, that we would still be doing it 17 years later. Now, not only do we consider it still an amazing vacation value, we are living examples of the restorative power of spending time in nature. [Read more…]