Mindful Mondays #5: Thankful Edition
Uncertainty, gratitude, and how to distraction-proof your phone.
Good morning and welcome to another edition of Mindful Mondays. For all my U.S. based readers, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend. This year, I was especially grateful to spend time with my family and loved ones after the uncertainty of the last two years.
As we move into the holiday season, let’s take a breath and reflect on our values and goals. What is the most important thing for you to focus on in these last five weeks of 2022?
Chris’s Writing
How To Distraction-Proof Your Phone
The other night I sat down to read a book. It was the end of a long workday. I’d already had dinner and made myself a steaming cup of chamomile tea. I was ready to relax and dive into what promised to be a captivating story.
Two pages in: ding. I ignored the sound of my text notification and went back to reading, but I had to re-read the last paragraph to remind myself what was happening.
A couple of minutes later: ding, ding, ding. Ugh–a group text… Continue reading
Articles of Interest
Gratitude: A holiday-themed meditation on gratitude from neuroscientist and meditation teacher Rick Hanson. Rick is one of my favorite teachers.
The Uncertain Mind: How the Brain Handles The Unknown: The American horror writer H.P. Lovecraft wrote that “The oldest and strongest emotion of humankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” In this article, Anne-Laure Le Cunff introduces a neuroscience-based perspective on uncertainty, and shows us how to use metacognition and the “Rumsfeld Matrix” to help with decision-making in uncertain times.
An Exercise-Induced Metabolic Shield in Distant Organs Blocks Cancer Progression and Metastatic Dissemination: This recent journal article shows that exercise helps prevent cancer progression and metastasis by increasing the nutrient demands of organs and starving tumors of the nutrients they feed on. One more reason to exercise regularly.
Podcast of the Week
Dr. Chris Palmer: Diet & Nutrition for Mental Health: Yes, I’m still geeking out on Chris Palmer’s work. This week, he’s on the Huberman Lab podcast. There are some tasty (and healthy) nuggets of information here, even if you already heard Dr. Palmer on the Tim Ferriss Show. I sent this podcast to a family member who’s an RN because I believe more people in healthcare need to know about Dr. Palmer’s research.
Quote of the Week
“It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not.” —Gandalf, in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings
That’s it for this week. Next week, I have a new blog post coming out that I’m really excited about. I’m hoping that you’ll get a lot of value out of it—and you’ll especially enjoy it if you’re a Tim Ferriss fan.
As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate your feedback on my work: what was your favorite section of the newsletter this week? What parts did you find boring? Let me know by replying to this email, commenting on Substack, or hitting me up on Twitter. I respond to every message.
Thanks,
Chris Cordry, LMFT
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I like your article "How To Distraction-Proof Your Phone". That is so true, and you gave some very good advice.