Tag: healing

"For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation." ~Rilke

Imagine if we began our marriage with the vow, "I take you as my burden, to have and to hold from this day forward." Call me jaded, but I think if people understood loving someone over time is agreeing to the most enriching burden you will ever carry—we would leave one another less. We would enter the challenge of relating with our eyes open and be prepared for the serious heavy lifting love takes.

Sex lies at the root of life, and we can never learn reverence for life until we know how to understand sex. ~ Henry Ellis

Sex scandals are us. The news is replete with what seems an endless account of seemingly good people whose sexuality has literally transformed them into a criminal. The stories of childhood sexual abuse are deeply troubling and extend into the millions when you consider the many youths sold into the global sex trade. Yet, stories of coaches and kids in locker rooms hit an even deeper nerve because they make us question, at the deepest level, our own sexual urges. We are all caught in the conundrum of longing to experience our sexual depths, while simultaneously being terrified of whether our fantasies are normal or even dangerous.

Recognizing that your relationship with your spouse—and those closest to you—are the most gentle teachers in life is a great way to approach the work involved in staying with them and getting though the hard times. Too often we don’t value and trust the huge amounts of resources that we have invested into them and are too willing to dispose of them before really digging into the work before us. I have been sharing these love tips for years and consistently hear back from friends that doing the work of love rewards them in ways they couldn’t have imagined. Use these tips to make this year one of love and healing.

Sleep. All business leaders need it, most crave it, but throngs don’t get the kind of restorative and rehabilitative sleep required to optimize mental clarity, focus, ideation, awareness, productivity and overall job performance. The result is egregious opportunity loss relative to realizing one’s full leadership potential. In addition to the CDC declaring "insufficient sleep an "important public health concern," a RAND Corporation study sheds more ominous light on the issue, finding that business losses in the U.S. resulting from deficient sleep reaches a staggering $411 billion (2.28 percent of its GDP)—the highest economic loss incidence of the countries studied.

I never liked cancer. I like it even less now.

In my work as a hospice chaplain and grief counselor, I interact with cancer in some way almost every day. Perhaps I'm a bit jaded. All my cases are terminal. Sooner or later, cancer is a killer.

Whether singing in the shower, in a choir or with a small child "sound therapy" is linked to health benefits for body and spirit. Since ancient times singing has been considered a healing tool, especially chanting, and we all know that countries have created national anthems to generate patriotism to motivate people to do things for their nation. Sounds can influence brain wave frequencies and promote well-being, specifically:

* Reduce stress and improve mood
* Lower blood pressure