amygdala

T.H.I.N.K.

/ Kennedy Farr / Leave a comment

THINKI came across this acronym today and thought, This is perfect!  I needed to see this!  How many times in a day do I not think? I have said things, done things, intimated things that, at the time, felt incredibly Appropriate.  Maybe even a little Profound or a lot Righteous.  Ouch.  A part of me wants to cringe when I think of these moments . . . but then Forgiveness of Self taps me on the shoulder, and I allow it entrance.  I strive to be someone who uplifts rather than tears down, yet I am far from Perfect.  Try as I might, life gets complicated and I get lost in the details.

There are times when an emotional hijacking takes place and my amygdala takes flight while my neocortex is still thinking, “Huh?”  And it is times like these when THINK would have come in very handy and saved the day.

Is it True?  Is it Helpful?  Is it Inspiring?  Is it Necessary?  Is it Kind?

What awesome questions to memorize and to tattoo to my words when struggling with a personal conflict at work or at home or in a relationship.  If it isn’t thoughtful, helpful, inspiring, necessary, or kind, maybe it is time for me to shift gears into a different way of thinking.  And speaking.  Or simply not saying anything at all.

We’ve all been in this place.  Some of us more than others.  We want to live a genuine life.  A life that is true to our own selves.  We think that if we don’t speak up and speak our mind, we are going to be swallowed by someone else’s ego or someone else’s preferences.  But I am thinking that it would be a whole lot of fun to be in this new THINK place.  I am wondering about all of the cosmic and universal shifts that could possibly take place all around and within by simply THINK-ing.

This week’s challenge: THINK.  THINK out loud to others and to my own self.  Set my ego aside and let my Higher Self do the talking.  I am suspecting that the week will be infinitely changed by setting THINK into motion.  Who knows what kind of windows, doors, and skylights — for me and for others — will be opened by simply THNKing.  I am going to focus on these very positive aspects and tell others what it is that I appreciate about them.  Life truly is brief and I want to spend it THINK-ing.  Out loud.

i think you are wonderful

 

 

Do you laugh at least 400 times a day?

/ Kennedy Farr / Leave a comment

s-LAUGHTER-largeFree your mind.  What does this feel like for you?   How do you free your mind?

One way I can describe freeing my mind are those times when I am with a friend and we are absolutely helpless with laughter.  Bent over, sides hurting, and howling with laughter.  There is just something about experiencing this kind of laughter and being lost in the moment.  It is like a transaction of abandon that feels like I left the planet for a brief while.  And it is such a pure connection with another human being.  A moment when I feel free to be exactly who I am.

1373And the moment lingers long after you have parted ways with your friend.  You think of it the next morning when you are standing in line for your morning latte and you feel the power of that very same laugh burbling up from within.  A small laugh escapes you and the person ahead of you turns around and smiles with you.  Another connection.

Laughter is a gift that is one of life’s daily miracles.  It redeems us from those moments that do not feel exactly stellar.  It invites us to embrace spontaneity and maybe even some forgiveness.  Laughter leads to a moment of exquisite freedom.  It is you feeling like what it is to be totally you.

AmygdalaOne of my research projects involves looking at the effects of laughter in an educational setting.  The statistics that I uncovered in my reading vary a bit, but it is said that the average child laughs approximately 400 times a day; the average adult somewhere between 4 to 11 times.  What do you think?  Do you laugh anywhere near 400 times a day?  Do you laugh more than 11 times a day?  This disparity would be funny if it weren’t so sobering.  It has definitely encouraged me to seek more moments of laughter in my day.  The more I laugh, the more I free my mind.  Or maybe it is the other way around.  Either way, it is a cycle that I happily embrace.

A-laughIn the ways of research, the findings regarding laughter in the classroom were somewhat predictable and also somewhat surprising: Laughter can be a wonderful way to make amazing learning connections in the classroom; additionally, learning can be enhanced by engaging the limbic system — which is great for learning.  Have you ever wondered why you simply didn’t feel comfortable in a learning environment?  Laughter, used with empathy and sensitivity, is also effective in lowering the affective filter — a term Stephen Krashen has used to describe how negative factors in the classroom block how we learn and how we process a learning experience.

But caution is advised concerning our use of laughter.  What you think is funny, could very possibly offend or confuse another –> thus spiking the affective filter to go up and to raise a wall — which is not not so good for learning.  So there is the whole respect factor where laughter is present.  You have to be aware and you have to be sensitive to others when you’re trying to have fun.  It’s all good when you think about it: the presence and the absence of laughter.  They both signal connection and respect.

Which, I believe, are two good components of freedom: connection and respect.

Free your mind.  This Playing for Change recording is so very captivating.  If I listen to it once, I have to listen to it again.  So simple and complex and rich.  And beautiful.  And speaks to collaboration, beauty, talent, and freedom.