-
Is it About the Nail or Not?
I saw this essay about getting your hamster off the treadmill and being in the moment. It’s not just for University of Iowa employees. I do the mindfulness thing, I juggle, I make dumb YouTube videos. And for a little over a month now, I have not scrolled past the first few headlines at the…
-
Jim Updates His Workout and Adds a Step Counter!
Since we added the step platform, I’ve been wondering how to count steps when I use it because for some reason my smartphone step counter won’t count steps when I try to use it on the platform. Sena got a handy step counter and it works! It works if you have it in your pocket…
-
A Study Shows Mindfulness Is Non-Inferior to SSRI for Anxiety Disorders And What the Heck Does That Mean?
I ran across this study showing Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is “noninferior” to escitalopram in the treatment of adults with anxiety disorders. I passed my Biostatistics course in medical school—barely. I have been practicing MBSR daily (for the most part) since 2014 when I really needed to address my struggle with burnout. I’m probably…
-
How the Metta Prayer and the Shower Juggle Are Alike
I’ve been practicing mindfulness meditation since 2014, when I became uncomfortably aware of how unpleasant I was becoming on the job and elsewhere. I called this “burnout.” The word still works as an explanation although it was and is sometimes still an excuse. I learned about the Lovingkindness meditation or the Metta Prayer during the…
-
Remembrance of Dr. William R. Yates MD
I was thinking about the Clinical Problems in Consultation Psychiatry (CPCP) learning sessions which was introduced to me by one of my first teachers in the University of Iowa Dept of Psychiatry, Dr. William R. (Bill) Yates. I had originally been thinking of posting one of my own CPCPs that I presented in 2015. It…
-
Move Your Way!
I saw the HHS Move Your Way campaign regarding the new strategy on encouraging older people to exercise, namely the Midcourse Report: Implementation Strategies for Older Adults. There are many ways to get and stay fit. We could all do better, including me. I exercise pretty much daily for about 30 minutes. Following that, I…
-
What Do the Personal Brain Specialists Recommend?
Dr. George Dawson’s post “The Freak Show” reminded me of how coarse and cruel we can be to each other, even when we’re not aware of it. Maybe I should say especially when we’re not aware of it. Dr. Dawson emphasizes the importance of the empathic approach. In the same way, Dr. Moffic in the…
-
Gardening Works as Mindfulness Meditation
When I think of Sena learning to juggle and find her juggling balls on the floor where she drops them after a 2- or 3-minute practice, I now think of her gardening. I wondered if gardening could be a form of meditation and did a web search like I did yesterday for juggling. It turns…
-
Can Juggling and Mindfulness Meditation Complement Each Other?
I read this article about mindfulness today and it got me thinking about how juggling might be two different aspects of the same activity. I think they both help focus the attention. There a number of articles on the web which essentially say that juggling can be a sort of meditation. I know hardly anything…
-
“Stink, Stank, Stunk!”
I’m just puzzled lately over what seems like a contradiction between two ideas I’ve seen in the news and in TV commercials. It’s all about body odor. There is this study that was recently published about stinky armpit odor possibly making the practice of mindfulness meditation more effective. This contrasts with the usual meaning of…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 