Happy Friday!!!
Hope you’ve been having a most excellent week :-)
Work’s been pretty steady for me this week.
I’ve had enough to keep me occupied (no pun intended) but not so much that I’ve been overwhelmed.
The first week of summer semester has gone smoothly, and I’m very enjoying the slower pace compared to the spring.
Taking one accelerated-pace course has been much easier to manage than the three I took previously.
The only tricky part might be making time for more labs, which require larger chunks of dedicated time, each week.
I suspect I’ll probably end up doing either two each weekend or one each weekend and one during a weekday evening each week.
All the other work - homework assignments, lectures, etc. - is a bit easier to spread out here and there.
We’re finally getting some consistently warm, sunny weather, which I’m loving.
Even though I’m not working from home anymore, I did use my lunch break on Wednesday to go to my apartment community and lay out by the pool.
While it’s a bit extra driving each day, I expect it to be worth the effort.
I’m hoping to head back to the apartment to lay out again today :-)
During therapy this week we explored what kinds of situations I find myself feeling impatient in.
Being able to think and talk through these kinds of things has helped me to recognize when they’re happening and addressing them in the moment.
This weekend I’ll be spending time outside (hopefully in the sun), doing a little bit of classwork, and getting out to enjoy some beers.
Whatever you get into this weekend, I hope it fills your cup.
I appreciate you.
Here are this week's most excellent resources for a most excellent life…
“…WHtR predicted the CVD incidence better than other obesity indices (BMI, WC, WHR).”
10-minute meditation could help reduce Brexit polarization, EurekAlert
“These findings suggest that an audio-guided befriending meditation could help boost perceived commonality between opposing political groups, and thereby reduce affective polarization.”
Omega−3s improved maternal health and birth outcomes, Examine.com
“This meta-analysis found that supplementation with omega−3s during pregnancy increased gestation by 1.4 days and birth weight by 49 grams. It also reduced the risks of preeclampsia (−16%), preterm delivery (−14%), and early preterm delivery (−23%).”
Stress and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Clear Mind, Happy Colon, De Sousa et al.
“While many risk factors can affect the overall course of disease for a patient who is yet to be diagnosed or has already been diagnosed with IBD, studies have found that stress and mental health conditions can increase inflammatory markers, thus increasing the probability of being diagnosed with IBD in the future.”
Sweet news about low- and zero-calorie beverages, Examine.com
“This network meta-analysis found that, to reduce body weight and cardiometabolic risk, replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with low- or zero-calorie beverages worked better than replacing them with water.”
The Rich Are Not Who We Think They Are. And Happiness Is Not What We Think It Is, Either., Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
“The data-driven answer to life is as follows: Be with your love, on an 80-degree and sunny day, overlooking a beautiful body of water, having sex.”
I’ll leave you with this...
Pour salt into a small bowl of water, and the water may be undrinkable.
That same salt in a large river has nearly no effect.
The river provides.
Similarly, a small heart is overwhelmed by life's troubles.
A large heart, however, can face much more.
The large heart provides.
You've got this.