Reading Corner

Links related to the weekly posts.

 

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This week, we wrote about how your peaceful relationships are a shelter from the storm. These authors offer suggestions for how to maintain your internal equilibrium during tumultuous times.

Surviving Tough Times by Building Resilience “Lately, the world seems to be lurching from one crisis to another. We’ve experienced a global pandemic, dramatic changes to how we conduct our daily lives, economic uncertainty, and political and social turmoil, as well as an array of natural disasters. Then there are personal traumas that people are also dealing with, such as the loss of a loved one, declining health, unemployment, divorce, violent crime, or tragic accidents. For many us, this is a time of unprecedented struggle and upheaval. Whether the source of disruption in your life is a global emergency or a personal tragedy—or both—living through difficult times can take a heavy toll on your mood, health, and outlook. It can leave you feeling helpless and overwhelmed by stress and anxiety.”

Tumultuous Times: 5 Strategies for Kindness Toward Others and Ourselves “During these tumultuous times, many of us recognize the need to be kind to ourselves and others. Psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl, MD, is credited with inviting us to consider that in any situation we have the power to choose our response no matter how difficult the circumstance. The response we choose contributes to our potential for learning, growth, happiness, and making a positive difference in the world. What choices are you making to support yourself and others during these tumultuous times? Here are a few options to consider as you navigate your inner “politics” of self-care, kindness, and choices.”

Tumultuous Times, Compassion, and Self-Care “During these tumultuous times in the US and around the world, many of us feel personally assaulted and distressed by news events. Each day, media of all kinds demand our attention, shouting news and information to attend to, digest, and distill. How do we navigate our thoughts, choices, and responses? How do we pay attention to the news stories, discerning fact from fiction, steering our reactions, ideas, and opinions — while also maintaining our internal equilibrium? This article is not a commentary about the politics in the news, which comes at us relentlessly. Rather, it’s a blog post about navigating our own internal politics — the inner compass that helps us guide ourselves toward our true north during today’s difficult times and navigate our well-being in the process.”

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This week, we wrote about why being honest is so important in your relationships. Here are three authors explaining why that is so beneficial for you.

How to Share Your Feelings “…sharing connects us as humans and opens the door to receiving the love, support, and guidance we need to heal and thrive. Sharing your feelings helps to nurture the authenticity, trust, and open communication that are so important for healthy relationships.”

Why You Have to Share What You Really Feel and Want in Relationships “Relationships thrive in an environment of emotional safety, openness, and authenticity. This means that both people involved need to feel safe with each other, be safe for each other, and be willing to express themselves openly and authentically.”

Secrets to a Happier Relationship: How to Share Your Feelings With Your Partner “Communication is the foundation of a healthy relationship. You’ve probably heard this before, but we can’t say it enough. If you want to strengthen your relationship, then it’s important for both of you to feel safe and comfortable sharing what’s happening in your world. From the day-to-day thoughts and feelings to the big things like your hopes and dreams. Here’s why: Sharing your feelings with your partner is what deepens your connection and allows you to achieve greater intimacy.”

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This week, we wrote about what we have learned about peace and harmony through our relationship. Here are some other blogs we have written that expand on different aspects of having a peaceful, harmonious relationship.

Why You Benefit From Both Separation and Connection in Your Relationships “This is a perfect example of what we refer to as one of the cornerstones of harmonious peaceful relationships, the element of individuality within a relationship; the trick of remaining an individual while being in union. This same applies in various degrees to all relationships, often within families and even friendships. The more you know yourself, the easier it is to practice the respect and honoring of others’ individuality.”

Total Acceptance From the Heart is How You Create Peace in Your Relationship “But I don’t want to convey the message that a successful relationship requires a long apprenticeship, because what Maude and I have is an attitude, and I see no reason why it cannot be adopted by anyone at any age. It starts from the understanding that we are two completely separate individuals. My desires, pleasures, thoughts and worries are not hers, even though there is much overlap. It is where they don’t overlap that the differences stand out.”

What are the Characteristics that Create a Sense of Peace in Relationships? “When your relationship is peaceful and harmonious, you remain connected whether you are together or apart. There is never any sense of disconnection. With full acceptance (pretty much a prerequisite of a peaceful relationship), you never feel a need to leave in order to protect your individual identity. Neither does your partner, so disconnection never occurs, and the struggle of reconnecting is not necessary.”

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This week, we asked about peace in a relationship and how it can change the world. We’re pleased to offer a number of recommendations on attitudes and actions to take.

9 Simple Ways To Create A More Peaceful Life “Living in peace is about living harmoniously with yourself, others, and all sentient beings around you. Living in peace is both an outward and an inward process. Outwardly, it’s a way of life in which we respect and love each other in spite of our cultural, religious, and political differences. Inwardly, we all need to search our hearts and minds and understand the fear that causes the impulse for violence. In continuing to ignore the rage within, the storm outside will never subside.”

The Golden Rule: The Path Way to Human Right and World Peace “We are living at critical moment in our history, a time when humanity must choose its future. Our world is experiencing a fundamental global crisis: a crisis in global economy, global climate change, global degradation of values, and respect to all human right and life forms. This entire global crisis is a crisis which we all share in common. It is not only a problem of a certain country or region but it is a problem of all humanity. To solve this global problem we need a global solution. Each and every one of us needs to be part of the solution by taking our own personal action as the world can only change when we change ourselves. If everyone does his or her part, together we can accomplish our common dream which is a better and peaceful world in which all humankind can live in peace and harmony along with nature and all other living beings.”

10 Ways to Spread Peace and Kindness “…your influence upon others around you; how what you put out into the world takes root in others and spreads. This phenomenon is called social contagion. Basically your emotions and behavior are picked up by others and can be imitated, felt, or copied. We have all had the experience of being lifted up by someone’s positive energy or weighed down by someone’s complaints or hostility. As social beings, we feel and are influenced by the energy of those around us. So, this causes me to ask, “what energy are you putting out into the world?” What influence are you having on someone else’s mood or day?”

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This week, we wrote about how honesty leads to trust in your relationships. Here are three different articles on the importance of trust and how to create it.

Why Trust Matters in Your Relationship and How to Build It “To have trust in a relationship means that you feel a sense of security and loyalty with your partner. According to Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and professor at Yeshiva University, it’s the basis of a solid relationship. ‘To trust means to rely on another person because you feel safe with them and have confidence that they will not hurt or violate you. Trust is the foundation of relationships because it allows you to be vulnerable and open up to the person without having to defensively protect yourself.’”

Trust is one of the most important aspects of relationships “While trust is one of the most common words in the English language, it’s also commonly misunderstood. Trust may mean different things to different people—particularly across differences. Researcher and educator, Brené Brown, emphasizes the importance of breaking down the concept of trust into specific qualities and behaviors so that it can be more easily understood. Drawing from her extensive research, Brown offers the acronym BRAVING to share qualities that contribute to building and sustaining trust in relationships with partners, friends, family members and co-workers…”

Importance of Trust in a Relationship “It is trust that allows us to navigate the uncertain and complex world we live in today. With the rise of the internet, mobile phones, email, chat and social media, it is so much easier for people to connect or spend more time with co-workers than with family or significant others. Trust is integral to happy and fulfilling relationships in both our personal and professional lives. We require trust to develop over time to build successful and meaningful partnerships.”

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