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Here’s to Daydreaming!

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Posted by Gwyn MacDonald

Well, it’s finally happened. Science has proven that what I’ve been doing for most of my life is actually very important and beneficial to our brain health. I’m talking about daydreaming (Not to be confused with procrastinating, which I can take to Olympian levels, believe me!).

You know what I mean. Wandering around in the valleys and mountains of your mind. Building your dream garden or meditation space in your mind. Creating that spectacular clothing line in fabric that you designed or dyed yourself. Starring in that movie or novel you’ve been concocting for a few years now. Or just traveling around and embracing what ever shows up.

We all do it, but most of us stop ourselves and get back to being more “productive” as soon as possible. Daydreamers have gotten a bad reputation in the past but check out some of the benefits of daydreaming, excerpted from a cool article in the Huffington Post, How daydreaming can actually make you smarter:

These rewards include self- awareness, creative incubation, improvisation and evaluation, memory consolidation, autobiographical planning, goal driven thought, future planning, retrieval of deeply personal memories, reflective consideration of the meaning of events and experiences, simulating the perspective of another person, evaluating the implications of self and others’ emotional reactions, moral reasoning, and reflective compassion… From this personal perspective, it is much easier to understand why people are drawn to mind wandering and willing to invest nearly 50 percent of their waking hours engaged in it.

I say, get back to daydreaming, right away! You know you were going to….

Clean It Like You Mean It

Posted by Judy Moon

Spring is in the air! Nature around us is exploding.In Chinese medicine, Spring is a time of renewal after the long dormant winter. Bulbs are pushing their way through the soil making their long hard journey towards the nourishment from the sun.

Just as the sap in the trees shifts its flow upward, emotions and energies in our bodies can make their way towards the surface and express themselves sometimes unexpectedly. We also know it as “Spring Fever”.

I have been “swept up” by Spring Fever. I was feeling the urge to do some spring cleaning. This past weekend I washed all of the windows in my house and all of the curtains. I was cleaning holding the intention of “inviting more clarity in to my life”. It stirred a question in me –

“How can I Spring Clean My Mind and My Life?”

Spring cleaning is all about taking inventory, clutter clearing, organizing and refreshing.

1. Take stock – what’s working and what’s not? What really rocks in your life right now? Do more of that. What is draining you? Eliminate those things

2. Clutter clear – get rid of bad habits, unhealthy relationships, negative self talk and beliefs

3. Organize – make some lists and get a game plan. How will you accomplish some of that clutter clearing? Set goals, write it down make it happen, get a buddy to keep you accountable, shut off your phone and take a break from your email occasionally.

4. Try something new/plant new seeds – now that you have created some space in your mind, body and spirit there is room for some growth- try a new recipe, try a new cuisine, walk to work a different way, take a class, or do absolutely nothing if that’s a new concept for you.

Spring is a great time for bodywork and acupuncture – it can help with balancing of the spring energy and facilitating relaxation.

What’s your favorite Spring Cleaning ritual?

Sources:
Acupuncture Today
Huffington Post
Acufinder.com