Research and technology have advanced to the point where scientists can observe the way in which meditation affects the brain to reduce anxiety.
Using special imaging technology, researchers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center report that they have determined the way in which meditation affects or acts upon certain brain mechanisms.
“Although we’ve known that meditation can reduce anxiety, we hadn’t identified the specific brain mechanisms involved in relieving anxiety in healthy individuals,” said Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., the lead author of the study.
“In this study, we were able to see which areas of the brain were activated and which were deactivated during meditation-related anxiety relief.”…
Author: Sephira
Born and raised primarily in Northern Virginia, my family and I moved to North Carolina in 2006. Married for over 20 years, my husband and I have two boys and a gaggle of cats.
For me, writing is a great stress reliever. I can let my mind wander and let my emotions run free in a way that is generally not possible in my normal everyday life. My writings run the gamut in terms of style and genre – for instance my first novel is a historical romance set in the Civil War, but some of the other things I have in the works are fantasy or thrillers, among other things.
It probably goes without saying, but my poetry is somewhat eclectic in nature, and again while some may feel the need to stick with a particular form, I tend to write just whatever comes to mind. Let the winds of inspiration lead me on…
I’m always interested in comments and feedback. So please feel free to share your thoughts with me!
One of the reasons why i love Sigyn/Loki so much is that it directly subverts the “Woman as reward for triumph” narrative.
Loki is not a good man. And very rarely successful at his scheming. And Sigyn loves him regardless because a woman’s affections are not bestowed on the victor by fiat.
She loves him. That’s it. That’s all there is to it. He doesn’t “deserve” it he didn’t “earn” it she just DOES.
» Depression: How do you tell your boss you can’t work?
If you don’t have a mental illness – whether it’s depression or alcoholism or an anxiety disorder – you’ve probably never been confronted with these questions: How do you call in sick when your mental illness prevents you from work? What do you say when you go back to work after an extended absence because of your mental illness?
When you have to answer these questions, you realize how much stigma there is about mental illness.
Links Related to Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Not Norse-related, but a collection of my writings on BPD that are personally relevant and perhaps useful to others, particularly if they want to understand me better or communicate with me better.
- Questions on Borderline Personality Disorder (with listed book resources)
- Tips for Communicating with Someone With BPD (which would include tips for communicating with me. A bit of a lengthy read, but I’d very much suggest doing so if we interact at all.)
- On Shadow Work (ie, spiritual and psychological exercises for dealing with issues, including BPD)
- BPD and Mirroring (about identity disturbances)
- Long Personal Post on BPD
To any Tumblrites who are deaf, hard of hearing, know people who are, or just enjoy cool tech, a start-up called MotionSavvy is working on technology that uses Leap Motion to recognize sign language and and outputs written or spoken English. The project was started by a group of deaf students at RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf (yay RIT!) who moved to San Francisco to develop the product with Leap.
The team has over 800 deaf beta testers, but they are looking for more. They hope to have a product available to consumers by September of 2015.
For more information, check out this TechCrunch article and this video.
Talk Therapy Online and Counseling Services.
BlahTherapy is run by and was founded (April 2010) by a single individual who has had moments just like you – where we really needed to speak to someone.
Today, BlahTherapy connects you with random strangers around the world who are willing to talk to you about your problems, as well as sharing their own. As a community, we’ve found that talking through our emotional, psychological, or mental issues is one of the best methods of releasing our anger, stress, depression or pain. Sharing and connecting with other strangers who are going through a struggles just like you provides great consolation to anyone in need of healing or a friend.
Loki’s Delight
a piece of sky
blue with a dash
of calming purple
a wisp of cloud
surrounds
the central sun-drop
precariously tethered
to the ground
with a dream
beliefs and conviction
unwavering strength
and constancy
hold the dream
tight to reality
compass point petals
guide the heart
always leading back
home
Holding the Bowl 