courage

Courage: Getting Back in The Saddle

Courage: Getting Back in The Saddle

The word courage is often associated with heroes. Knights in shining armor, men strong enough to break down walls, or daring first responders are just a few of the many examples that would come to my mind when I was young. To me though, no one was braver than a cowboy. I often dreamed of saddling up and racing through open plains, running down stampedes, and chasing outlaws. When I got into my teenage years, I had the opportunity to work as a cowboy where I saw firsthand how terrifying a stampede can be. 

Beyond Burnout: Cultivating Resilience and Well-being

Beyond Burnout: Cultivating Resilience and Well-being

As with most college students, I have kept myself very busy throughout my whole college career. After all four years… I. AM. TIRED! It is harder than before to focus on my future goals, much less school work. I find myself overly stressed and easily tired out after finishing just a couple of assignments. It is difficult to relax with all the work on my mind and yet I can’t stop procrastinating. I get so easily sucked into my phone and other distractions that it’s a struggle to even start my work. Some may call this phase, senior burnout.  According to psychologytoday.com (Sussex Publishers, n.d.), burnout is defined as “a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress.” Signs of burnout can be cynicism, depression, dread of work, emptiness, and hopelessness. There may even be some physical repercussions such as tiredness, headaches, heartburn, and stomach problems.  

Adventurous Living

Adventurous Living

Adventurous living leads us to cope with adversity, take healthy risks, embrace uncertainty, cultivate optimism for positive outcomes, meet disappointments with resilience, and live every experience with increased openness and vitality while deliberately seeking further experiences. Both those who learn to be more adventurous and those who are naturally adventurous experience greater psychological well-being in various areas. Most importantly, adventurous living can be fostered by anyone, at any time, without extreme measures.

Leaning Into Your Fears

Leaning Into Your Fears

In our journey as humans, fear is inevitable. We want to avoid our fears, sometimes at all costs, because what scares us makes us uncomfortable. We are often told advice, such as: “Avoid what makes you anxious”, or: “You don’t need to give attention to any emotion that makes you uncomfortable”. Instead of pushing against fear, what if we could reframe it in a more constructive way? What if we could lean into our fears and learn valuable lessons in the process?