January 28, 2013

A Murmur was Seen Through the Crowd

The crowd of birds, that is.  Starlings, to be specific.

I can't get enough of the videos gone viral of bird murmuration.  The most dramatic to me is the first one I ever saw.  It was captured by canoe paddlers Sophie Windsor Clive and Liberty Smith.




With so much news on the television about tragedy caused by nature, I find my faith in the natural way of things restored when I watch birds flying in a sort of random harmony.  When it's put to calming music, it becomes something of a meditation.


Last one:


January 18, 2013

Inspirational Meditation

"Inspirational meditation with original art and reflection, created by Melanie Weidner, Quaker artist and spiritual director. "  You can explore more of Ms. Weidner's ideas and suggestions by visiting her blog, Listen For Joy.


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January 8, 2013

Diet Tip in the New Year

Dr. Aaron Beck, M.D., known worldwide as the father of Cognitive Therapy, and his daughter, Dr. Judith Beck, Ph.D. psychologist founded The Beck Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.   Dr. Judith Beck is also the author of The Beck Diet Solution, a book that provides cognitive and behavioral weight loss strategies.

The Beck Diet Solution website emails dieting tips taken from her book.  Since it's the new year and many of us make resolutions to get healthy and lose weight, I thought I'd post the most recent suggestion. It features a cognitive approach to addressing one of the most frustrating aspects of dieting:  relapses or slips.   It also illustrates a core cognitive principle of thought replacement.


Recovering from Mistakes Immediately: A Key to Weight Loss and Maintenance Success

Dieters often make resolutions this time of year to lose weight and keep it off. Many dieters have made this same resolution in previous years and have ultimately not been successful.  One of the biggest stumbling blocks that dieters face is getting back on track after a dieting mistake, often because they say to themselves things like:

I've made a mistake. I've really blown it for the day. I might as well keep eating whatever I want and start again tomorrow.  

But it takes most dieters much longer to get firmly and consistently back on track -- perhaps a week, a month, or even a year. As a result, they likely gain back any weight they had lost.

We teach dieters many techniques to get back on track after making a single eating mistake.  One such technique is the use of analogies to demonstrate that making one mistake is not a valid reason to continue making more mistakes.  For example, we might say:

If you were walking down a flight of stairs and stumbled down a few, would you think, "Well, I've really blown it now!" and throw yourself down the rest?

If you were washing your fine china and dropped a plate, would you throw the rest of your plates on the floor?

If you were driving on the highway and missed your exit, would you continue to drive 5 more hours in the wrong direction?

We help dieters see that it makes no sense to compound one eating mistake with a second (or more). Once they accept that all mistakes, even dieting mistakes, are a part of life and learn how to recover from them right away, they're able to lose weight and keep it off without disrupting and undoing their hard work and weight loss achievements. 


Grief Resources in Austin and Beyond

When you need more than your loved ones can provide, there is help.            Resources for Grief and Support Groups     Compassionate Frie...