“Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience.” –Â Jon Kabat-Zinn
This week my sleep has been elusive. I know why. Iâve been watching too much news that documents multiple natural disasters as they unfold. My heart and thoughts have been with people around the world struggling as they face adversity.
Our humanity compels us to watch, but the format of presentation, jumping from story to story and image to image, does not allow for mindful processing of what we witness.
I know that itâs only by acknowledging the impact things have on us that we are able to properly attend to our needs.
What I really need to do is find a moment when I can simply be still and present with my emotions.
Doing art is a helpful activity that allows me to make sense of my day.
If I allow myself this time for reflection, I will sleep better.
Is there any part in your day that allows you to pause and reflect on how you are doing? What might carving out this time for yourself look like?
Thereâs no âright wayâ of doing mindfulness. Itâs a matter of what is right for you.
Warm thoughts,
Belinda Seagram, Ph.D., R. Psych. Executive Director, Landing Strong
Just because recovery is your focus does not mean that you donât need down time.
Itâs not only therapists who need vacations. Clients too need therapy breaks.
Taking time off work due to injury is not the same thing as a vacation. Doing the work to recover requires steady effort and focus. Other people might perceive time away from the job as time off or vacation. We know itâs far from that.
Just as we would take breaks to rest and recharge from our jobs, the same is true for trauma recovery.
How much time do you think would be healthy or helpful for you?
Please enjoy it, guilt free, and know that we are doing the same.
Warm thoughts,
Belinda Seagram, Ph.D., R. Psych. Executive Director, Landing Strong
A few years ago I purchased a magic lamp for our Christmas table.
I loved it so much that I began bringing it out at the beginning of the month and illuminating the kitchen each night as we gathered for a meal.
It also proves to be handy for power outages, bringing a sense of wonder to what otherwise could be a cold evening.
My colleague Deb Eaton was so moved by it’s magical glow, swirling snow and vibrant red cardinals that she too had to have one. She shares that on cold days it makes her feel warm inside, bringing back memories of yesteryear. Deb bought a second one for her mother, as I did last year for my father.
I should really think about buying shares in the company given that such a simple item can bring such immense joy.
Itâs a true gift to find joy in small packages and unexpected places. Do you have any items that do the same for you?
Warm thoughts,
Belinda Seagram, Ph.D., R. Psych. Executive Director, Landing Strong
Summer is often a time of travel and exploration.  This year will be no different.
I wonât be leaving the province, but instead will enjoy a staycation, looking more closely at the wonder of things closer to home. Â
Last weekend, Joe and I walked a dark laneway near our cottage, surrounded by hundreds of fireflies dancing in the darkness around us.  It was our own miniature Canada Day celebration courtesy of Mother Nature.  Truly magical.
A few months ago, during a full moon, I managed to capture the above image on my iphone. If I hadnât happened to wake up in the night, I would have missed it.
Tomorrow, a farmerâs market in Belleveau Cove will have my attention.  Iâve discovered that Tyler from Bear River has the best oregano bread Iâve ever tasted.  Bliss for a mere $5 a loaf.  In a few weeksâ time, weâll be sea kayaking near Yarmouth, an area of Nova Scotia weâve little explored.
Sure, there are things that leave me more than a bit uneasy if I allow my thoughts to dwell on them.Â
The world is in an unprecedented state of unrest. Â
I donât know when Iâll next get to see my son, or extended family who live in Ontario. Â
I just need to speak to my 87 year old father to be reminded of the meaning of resilience.  An artist, he is little perturbed by the state of the world, focussing instead on the incredible landscapes he recreates on canvases. He understands the secretâŠÂ  The beauty of simplicity.  Walking his tangled garden, capturing small glimpses of beauty, and finding creative ways of recreating them. Â
Way to go dad, thanks for the inspiration!
Warm regards,
Belinda Seagram, Ph.D., R. Psych. Executive Director, Landing Strong
Another great restorative yoga class this week left me feeling calm and centered (thanks Lisa!). At the end of the class, we practice Savasana, a pose where we lie silently on our backs, eyes closed. This exercise isnât a physically challenging one, but it is one where the mind tends to wander. During this part, our instructor played a wonderful rendition of the tune âSea of Love,â the theme song from the 1989 box office movie sensation. In this moment, where we are supposed to be clearing our minds, I was replaying a scene from the movie involving Al Pacino, who plays the role of a burnt-out cop. He is part of a sting operation designed to apprehend people with outstanding warrants, luring them in with the promise of having breakfast with the American Major League baseball star Dave Winfield. Everything was going smoothly until one late-comer shows up holding the hand of his young son.
âHey, am I too late?â he asks.
âYou got an invitation?â Al Pacino demands. The father hands over a piece of paper.
âErnest Lee, the invitationâs for you only,â Pacino asserts.
âI can hardly meet Dave Winfield without takinâ my boyâ, the man pleads.
Not wanting to ruin what was clearly a positive relationship between father and son, Pacino decides to cut him a break.
âWeâre all booked up.â Pacino discreetly flashes his police badge, signalling to the father that the baseball player event was a trap.
âThanks man,â the father backs away with his son.
âCatch you later,â Pacino responds before driving away.
Itâs a dark film, about a dark topic, but many years later thatâs the scene I remember⊠someone in a dark place, showing an act of compassion.
Memory and association are closely related. It is not the actual events that create our emotions, itâs how we process and remember these events. If I were stressed out maybe I would have remembered the fact that Al Pacino was a drunk and that the movie was actually about a serial killer. Because I was relaxed, I just remembered the good bit… the compassion.
This is a reminder for me to take the extra time to care for myself. If I take this extra time the bad things I may have experienced donât seem quite so awful. (And believe me, in my seven years acting as Chief Psychologist in a federal penitentiary, there was bad stuff). If I take the time to process these events, they donât affect me as much. I am more able to remember the good aspects of my job.
Many of us have experienced or witnessed incredibly traumatic or dark things as a routine part of our daily work. Looking back, how we feel about them is largely determined by how we remember them. The lens of trauma only remembers things the same way, repeated over and over. By welcoming the perspective of others in a safe and supportive environment, we open ourselves to seeing things in a new light, often changing the way these events emotionally impact us.
