Last week, I attended a virtual “trailhead” with a local organization called Renewal in the Wilderness. These trailheads are designed to “make space for us to connect as a community and to share a weekly intention meant to deepen our day-to-day encounters with the elements.”

For the one I attended last Tuesday, the intent was around focusing on the edges and boundaries in our lives, and the leader shared an interesting mindfulness approach to doing this. I want to use it while out in the wildern...

I recently read a book called The Last Hillwalker: A Sideways Look at Forty Years in Britain’s Mountains by John D. Burns, and this passage caught my attention.  

“We’ve also learned to break this big beast down, to set our sights on the top of the next hill, the floor of the next valley. The whole walk is too big to contemplate; let’s just make it to that farmhouse, to the next road, across the next field, over the next stile.” (p. 48)

When I read this, I realized that while this idea...

You’ve probably heard the phrase “practice makes perfect,” but at least in terms of mindful eating, that’s not the best guidance. Striving for perfection sets you up for feelings of failure, shame, and guilt. 

And besides, we’re only human – perfection isn’t possible!

That doesn’t mean practice isn’t important, but I liked the way a presenter talked about it on a recent webinar. She said the reason to practice is that “you get better with practice.” 

That’s a much better approach for mindful eatin...

I’m a bit embarrassed to say that May 6 – No Diet Day – completely passed me by until a friend posted about it on Facebook. So I figured I’d make up for that miss by writing a blog post about No Diet Day      .

How Did No Diet Day Start?

This is an internationally recognized day that began in 1992, thanks to a woman named Mary Evans Young. Young was a British feminist who’d had body image issues, suffered bullying, and struggled with anorexia. She had already formed the o...

While recently listening to an episode of the podcast Stuff You Should Know (SYSK), I was reminded of something that I sometimes try to conveniently forget.

Multitasking is a myth.

Like many, I often have so much going on that I feel like I need to do two things at once, but it doesn’t work that way. 

As the SYSK podcast pointed out, our brains can only focus on one thing at a time, which is why people instinctively turn down the radio when they’re lost. They know they need to truly focus on what...

This past Friday, Bill Maher did an interview with Dr. David Katz, in which Dr. Katz said that this is a good time for people to get healthy since good nutrition, sleep, and exercise boost your immune system. 

I agree that improving our immune system right now is a good idea, and while more healthy habits might help, the focus on “getting healthy” has some challenges.

Grocery Shopping

In terms of good nutrition, being more healthy often involves eating lots of fresh produce and whole foods instead...

I have a confession to make. I haven’t given myself much time to think about or process what I’m feeling in relation to the current pandemic.

Yes, I’ve had moments of anxiety, but I haven’t explored the basis of that anxiety. It’s simply easier to say, “It’s the pandemic,” without getting into the details. Then I try to get busy again so I can keep the anxiety at bay without thinking about it.

Of course, this isn’t a particularly healthy approach, but I honestly hadn’t thought much about that fac...

Not long ago, I was supposed to travel to a conference that ended up being canceled due to the coronavirus. Or rather, the in-person part was canceled – the event still happened online. This included a speech by former astronaut Mike Massimino.

He shared lots of interesting stories, ranging from the many attempts it took him to get into NASA… to his experience in space… to being a guest on the show The Big Bang Theory. But one part, in particular, stood out to me.

His comment about regret.

It caug...

Have you been on any video conference calls lately, using Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, or something else? And if so, have you been feeling self-conscious about it? If so, you’re not alone.

An article on Slate called out some research on this, which revealed that 39% of people don’t like being on camera, and 59% are more self-conscious on camera than they are in real life.

Additionally, an article in The Washington Post pointed out that video conferencing reveals a lot more about what’s going on...

Apart from a surprise snowstorm last Tuesday, the weather here in Maine has felt quite spring-like. Robins are out hunting for worms, we have about 11 1/2 hours of daylight, temperatures are in the 50’s, and crocuses are coming up.

And I’ve never been so happy to get outside to enjoy it!

Here in Maine, we’re lucky that we can still go out for strolls and bike rides. Some of the beaches and parks are closed, but we have a lot more opportunities than many people, and I’m grateful for it. 

I’m not al...