{"id":351,"date":"2020-04-23T11:14:59","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T18:14:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peoriapresbyterianchurch.org\/wordpress\/e-votional\/e-votional-april-22-2020-by-dr-terry-swicegood\/"},"modified":"2020-04-23T11:14:59","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T18:14:59","slug":"e-votional-april-22-2020-by-dr-terry-swicegood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peoriapresbyterianchurch.org\/wordpress\/e-votional\/e-votional-april-22-2020-by-dr-terry-swicegood\/","title":{"rendered":"E VOTIONAL APRIL 22 2020 by Dr. Terry Swicegood"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE WISDOM OF LAURIE SANTOS <\/strong><\/p>\n

Laurie Santos, a professor of psychology at Yale University, says her stress levels have gotten so high she is constantly trying to figure out whether her chest tightness is a symptom of covid-19 or pandemic-induced anxiety. She was interviewed by Katy Milkman of the Washington Post. Here are excerpts from that interview.<\/p>\n

Santos, who introduced a course on happiness and how to achieve it that became Yale\u2019s most popular class, understands emotional well-being better than most. And she recognizes that the anxiety she has been feeling is widespread.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many of us are realizing that unless we do something, our mental health is going to really suffer,\u201d she said. One good thing is that the science shows us there are simple interventions we can be doing to feel better, but they take some intention and some work.\u201d<\/p>\n

One exercise she suggests is \u201cThe Three Blessings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to fall into the mode of \u2018woe is me, everything is terrible.\u2019 Research shows that we really can benefit from counting our blessings even when it feels like there aren\u2019t that many blessings to be counted. The simple act of scribbling down three things you\u2019re grateful for can significantly bump your mood, in some studies as quickly as within a couple of weeks. It\u2019s completely free. It takes five to 10 minutes a day. At the end of your day, just scribble down a few things that you\u2019re grateful for.<\/p>\n

\u201cI practice this myself. I have the tea that I really like. Neither I nor my husband is sick and I can still hug him, which is something I want to savor. And my mom who\u2019s in this vulnerable category \u2014 she\u2019s older and she has [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] \u2014 she\u2019s following the instructions and she\u2019s staying home and I\u2019m so proud of her for doing that.<\/p>\n

In her class at Yale she cites studies that if we want to be happier, we need to be other-oriented rather than self-focused. \u201cThe simple act of doing something nice for others, whether it\u2019s spending money on others or spending your time on other people, can boost your well-being more than if you spent that money or time on yourself.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, that becomes all the more important, \u201cSantos says. \u201cI think one of the frustrations people are feeling about staying inside is that they see so many vulnerable, sick people in need. And people say, \u2018Just stay home, do nothing\u2019, which violates our desire for agency. We want to take active steps to be helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

So honoring the wisdom of Laurie Santos, what are your three blessings– today, right now? What quickly came to my mind as I answered this question was (1) my walk through the neighborhood at 6 a.m. this morning. (2) sitting on my back porch, looking out on a wonderful world, drinking my daily latte as I write this E Votional. (3) Third, having Barb at my side.
\nAnd, to honor Laurie Santos\u2019 wisdom, what is one thing you can do for someone else today?<\/p>\n

Prayer:<\/p>\n

For the beauty of the earth,<\/p>\n

for the glory of the skies,<\/p>\n

For the love which from our birth<\/p>\n

Over and around us lies,<\/p>\n

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,<\/p>\n

This our hymn of grateful praise. Amen.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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