“He was saner than anyone — he had fallen out of the world of illusion: love, interesting work, hope for the future.” John Gardner
Musings: Ten Tips For A Saner Life… Keep wheel of emotional ups/downs in check. Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Auguries of Innocence by William Blake (1757–1827)via bartleby.com
TO see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
I can’t believe we are already in the month of August, and on the homestretch to saying adieu to summer and hello to fall. This summer seems to have whizzed by and I’m not quite sure why. I’ve done my share of running around, and had my bouts of health related issues (Don’t you love those long-winded phrases? Yeah, sounds better than saying I’ve just been ill. 
). Anyhow, recently, I read a terrific O Magazine article by Brené Brown that got me thinking about the idea of living life saner and authentically. She gave four tips/life lessons that resonated with me deeply, and I’ve added other tips to take us from here into the fall and beyond. I’ll include hers in this piece and give credit. All of our actions are tied to our emotions, and when we are pulled in many directions, we end up on an emotional roller coaster/merry go round. The following tips will help remind us to temper those swings and stay sane and calm. What would you recommend? Below are ten to mull over:
♥Self-Acceptance Is The Foundation to a Saner Life – Wherever you are, whatever you do, your sanity, happiness and sense of self begins with accepting you as you.
♥Fitting In Is Not Belonging – As Brené suggests in her piece, “Belonging starts with self-acceptance … Believing that you’re enough is what gives you the courage to be authentic.” (credit)
♥Constantly Comparing Self to Others Leads to Misery – Until we walk in another person’s shoes we don’t know their struggles, so stop the hand-wringing.
♥Perfectionism Is Not About Striving for Excellence – Instead of focusing on “How can I improve?” Perfectionism makes us re-frame our focus from excellence to subservience with the question: “What will they think?” (credit)
“The creative person is both more primitive and more cultivated, more destructive, a lot madder and a lot saner, than the average person.” Frank Barron
Musings: Ten Tips For A Saner Life… You Belong Here and Everywhere (Photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik)
A robin redbreast in a cage 5
Puts all heaven in a rage.
A dove-house fill’d with doves and pigeons
Shudders hell thro’ all its regions.
A dog starv’d at his master’s gate Predicts the ruin of the state. 10
A horse misused upon the road
Calls to heaven for human blood.
♥ There Is Nothing To Prove, We Are Enough – Once you believe in yourself and believe you belong; here, there, anywhere, there is no need to convince others. Just be.
♥Vulnerability Is an Act of Courage - Pretending we never feel vulnerable is counterproductive to growth. Relax! “When you know what you’re feeling and why, you can slow down, breathe, pray, ask for support…” Brené Brown (credit)
♥Envy Is A Waste Of Time – Envying another and feeding the green eyed monster of jealousy will diminish us and our skills.
♥ Self-Care means Nurturing All of Our Being – Exercise the body, mind and spirit and feed it uplifting messages.
With age comes a recognition that all those all night parties, both-end-candle burning and stress inducing moments have to be exchanged for healthier options or our health will give us hell to pay. Anytime we act in moderation, we add to prolonging and preserving our life. I’ve been taking classes, learning more about photography and, as a way to build a portfolio and work at getting better at the craft, I decided to enter a fun contest. I am a novice but I’m enjoying the process. Please check out my submission and support me through the “collect me” feature which is similar to a Like button. Click “Collect Me” to help my entry in the One Life Photography Competition via eliz obih-frank. Hey, submit your photos too. Thank you! 
More below!
