Mid-Week Balance: 29 June 2011

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I have heard a rumor that summer is supposed to mean that things slow down.  That's not happening here.  In fact, my RSS reader this morning had over 400 unread items--I just haven't had the time to get through them all.  I have, however, had time to find some fantastic stuff to share with you this week.  The selections this week are a smorgasboard: from meditation, to secret-keeping, to body image, to challenging uni-dimensional thinking--with a dash of self-acceptance thrown in to keep it interesting.  I hope you find something that brings balance to your week.

Sunada is one of the regular contributors at the Buddhist meditation blog Wildmind.  If you follow my Twitter feed, or my Facebook page, you know that I'm a strong proponent of the benefits of meditation.  This post does a nice job of walking through how the paradoxical nature of meditation can be useful for someone facing anxiety.

I know that I included a post from Nourishing the Soul last week too, but since Ashley keeps writing good stuff, I'm going to keep sharing it.  In this post, she invites each of us to take a moment, assess what we are keeping secret, and actively share it with someone that we trust.  I'll let you read more about the reasons in her post, but I love this suggestion.

Hanne Blank's blog, Filling a Much-Needed Void, was a new discovery for me this week, and what a find!  I was blown away by this powerful, loving, body-positive post.  I think sometimes we need the reminder that all bodies are "real."

I have written before about the fact that one of the most valuable things we can do for one another is to allow a full range of emotions.  Because of that, I was excited to find this thoughtful piece from Martin Young at the KevinMD blog.  In it, Mr. Young explores the possibility that asking those facing serious illness to "just think positive" is not only not helpful, it is not respecting their experience.  I just had to share this one--let's promote & support anything that increases respect.

One of my newer blog finds has been Dr. Snit's Living with Lupus--But Dying of Everything Else.  Her lovely article about being "enough" was a MWB feature last month.  This week, I have the delightful dilemma of two wonderful posts in this blog that I wanted to share.  So, because I want my readers to get the best of what's out there, I'm sharing them both.  This beautiful post about loving our scars is an invitation to accept our imperfections as part of our beauty.   In addition, as a grief worker, I had to share this post about how loss is a part of life.

I know that this is quite the mixed bag of resources, and I hope that means that you find something that is exactly what you need.

Mid-Week Balance: 22 June 2011

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Hey all, it's been a nutty week, but I still found some good stuff for you.  I hope it touches you or lifts you up!

Let's start with this fantastic reminder from Ashley of Nourishing the Soul that exercise should bring benefits to our bodies and minds.  When we try to make it all about losing weight, we lose our perspective.

Anna Guest-Jolly's Curvy Yoga is one of my favorite body-positive blogs.  This week, Anna's story of a fierce, courageous sixth-grade yogi highlights the potential that exists when we don't restrict our ideas of what our bodies can do.

If you read Rosie Molinary's guest post here, you may have gotten the idea that this is a woman who has lots of great tools.  You'd be right in that, as she proves in this post where she invites readers to explore their own "Wheel of Life."

This post from Leo at Zen Habits really hit home for me this week.  It's a reminder that we are all immersed in chaos, and that doesn't have to be a bad thing!

Elisha Goldstein's Mindfulness & Psychotherapy blog is another go-to read for me, and he didn't disappoint this week.  I hope you enjoy this invitation to combine mindfulness and play.

I'm so grateful for the inspiration and the challenge brought by these folks this week.  Was there something you'd love to share?

Mid-Week Balance--20 April 2011

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This week's Mid-Week Balance roundup is pretty eclectic. I hope that means that no matter where you may be today, you find something that speaks to you.

From Glynis Sherwood's Recovery Matters blog, here is part of her "Myths of Grief Recovery" series. I've appreciated each of the posts in the series so far, but I particularly like how this "cautionary tale" highlights the challenge of providing permission for our feelings: "Don't Feel Bad"

Leigh Cousins writes Always Learning as a support for parents, but I when I read her post this week, I found myself thinking that all of us could use the reminder to take a step back from our frustrations and try to put them in perspective: "Some Perspective for Struggling Parents"

Jonathan Fields writes a blog that is an invitation to deeper thinking about entrepreneurship and professional communities. This post about "lucky people" struck a chord with me because it challenges our assumptions about ourselves and our power in our own lives: "What Lucky People Do Differently"

In her blog, Curvy Yoga, Anna Guest-Jolly became a favorite of mine by combining her knowledge of yoga with some powerful body-positive attitudes. This is a guest post from Shaunta Grimes, celebrating the power of yoga for young girls as an antidote to the negative body climate we're surrounded by: "Yoga as an Early Path to Body Acceptance"

At Body Aware Grieving, Margo Rose invites readers to consider the physical health component of their grief process. I really appreciated this practical overview on how to be proactive about creating a list of healthy self-care rewards: "Healthy Pleasures: Rewards to Reach For!"

That's the roundup for this week. Please feel free to share the helpful, intriguing, challenging gems that you find!