Words of Wisdom: The Law of Balance

The Law of Balance: Finding the Middle Way 

If gravity is the glue

That holds the universe together, 

Balance is the key

That unlocks its secrets. 

Balance applies

To our body, mind, and emotions. 

To all levels of our being. 

It reminds us that anything we do, 

We can overdo or underdo,

And that if the pendulum

Of our lives or habits

Swings too far to one side,

It will inevitably swing to the other. 

Source:
Millman, D. (1995). The laws of spirit: A tale of transformation (p.9). Tiburon, CA: H.J. Kramer. 

 

(One of my 'happy places' on Georgian Bay. Photo reminds me to consider balance. 

Photo: Summer 2012. Photo by: L. H.)

Mind Over Mood: A Personal Literacy Story

Mind Over Mood: Using The Text 

As part of an education graduate course at Brock University, I was asked to engage in an interview with a class member to bring forth an understanding of my own literacy story. A series of open-ended questions were asked that allowed me to engage with recent literacy based events.

I found that I gravitated towards reflecting and expressing my thoughts about the cognitive behavioral therapy that I have been engaging with for the past six years to cope with a generalized anxiety disorder. I was able to articulate how effective and valuable the engagement with the text Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think was to my personal and teaching philosophies. The text became the scaffolding that structured my meetings with my doctor and allowed me to continue learning, exploring, and reflecting when I was on my own. This, being the goal of CBT, is to enable mind over mood as a self-reflexive practice in all aspects of your life.

Five Pillars of Happiness 

One of the exercises that resonated with me deeply from this book is conceptualizing, understanding, and creating pillars of daily happiness. The idea is to create five things that you feel are the most important to achieve or do in order for you to have a positive, healthy, happy day. There are many examples of 'ideal pillars/ scaffolded pillars' that may help you to create your own. 

Scaffolded Pillars:

1. Eating properly/ drinking enough water

2. Getting proper sleep 

3. Connecting with loved ones

4. Connecting spiritually 

5.Getting your heart rate up 

Monica's Five Pillars of Happiness:

1. Getting proper sleep 

2. Eating well/ drinking water 

3. Engaging with someone I love 

4. Engaging with something I love 

5. Engaging spiritually / self reflection 

I challenged my EDUC 1F95 Seminars to consider and create their own pillars of happiness. This is the brainstorming that both of my classes completed as part of 'Happiness in Education' week. 

What are your daily pillars of happiness? 

Weekly Words of Wisdom (5P30/5P42/5P37/1F95)

November 6, 2014 

Radiate // “Find ecstasy within yourself. It is not out there. It is in your innermost flowering. The one you are looking for is you.” - Osho

40 Tips & Tricks for Essay Writing Success (1F95)

40 Tips & Tricks for Essay Writing Success

Brought to you by: EDUC 1F95 14/15 - Seminar 15 & 16 – TA: Monica Taylor

1.     Do a bit every day so it gets done without a ton of stress.

2.     Start ASAP! Get a structure down early and take your time. Leave time for editing.

3.     DO NOT leave it until the night before. Give yourself time to write each draft and paragraph.

4.     BRAINSTORM

5.     Provide yourself with little rewards when you write to keep yourself motivated!

6.     Go for a walk! Do not underestimate fresh air!

7.     Organize by day what you want to be done certain things. This way you feel less stressed and overwhelmed by the amount of work. Example:

a.     Day 1 – topic

b.     Day 2-5 – Research

c.      Day 6-7 – Thesis / Intro

d.     Day 8-13 – Writing

e.     Day 14-18 – Edit, Edit, Edit!

8.     Start working on the essay as soon as possible and try to finish it a few days early.

9.     Chocolate.

10. Don’t wait until the last minute, work on it in small bits over time. Just don’t leave it to the night before!

11. Don’t underestimate writing out the rough outline. Even the roughest, barest outline helps when guiding you when pouring out ideas onto the page.

12. Plain and simple: plan and structure!

13. Proofread and then have someone else read it.

14. Don’t wait until the last minute!

15. If you have a friend in the class, make the same mini deadlines and help each other stick to them! Treat yourselves to a coffee when you reach a certain point!

16. You can never have too many references when planning out your essay.

17. Cut out all external distractions (music, TV and cellphone YES YOUR CELLPHONE)

18. Find references before you begin writing your essay since this will help shape your thesis and make your overall paper stronger.

19. Use advantage plus in your EDUC 1F95 Sakai Tab to help you. (EDUC1F95 Specific)

20. Make sure that you have all materials ready. Organization and understanding of the assignment is key.

21. Leave a day (minimum) in between writing each body paragraph.

22. Use a clear outline to help organize your thoughts and make writing your essay easier.

23. Write a general rough draft with everything you think is relevant, then leave it for a day or two and go back to edit it. You will have a clearer mind, and notice more of your mistakes.

24. Write a first draft and then don’t look at the assignment until a few days later. It will help you clear your mind.

25. Editing is half the battle. Content is important, but editing and finalizing your paper always increases your mark.

26. Take a break in between essay writing and editing to look at it with a clear head. (Movie break!)

27. Before deciding that you ‘can’t do this’ or you ‘can’t find enough info’ read back through your course notes and required texts with an open mind and with your general topic ready to explore.

28. Research, research, research!

29. When you have all of your information (even more than you need), writing will come easy to you.

30. Remember the rule of thirds! 1/3 Research 1/3 Writing 1/3 Editing

31. BRAINSTORM! Read your essay over and over!

32. If you find something relevant while researching, quote it and cite it right away. Make it accurate and add WHY it seemed relevant (this makes your research easier to use later).

33. Finish essay early and email it to your mom or dad and get them to read and provide suggestions.

34. Tell the people you live with you’re writing so if you try to distract yourself, they can tell you off!

35. Write! Don’t stop! Don’t edit! You done? NOW EDIT! #DRAFTSDRAFTSDRAFTS

36. Take a deep breath. And keep taking them.

37. E-mail your TA if you have any questions. REMEMBER you can’t e-mail them 48 hours before an assignment is due. Be prepared! (EDUC 1F95 Specific)

38. Use your Making Sense book. Show it off to your friends how much easier writing an essay is now that you have started learning tips from the book.

39. Try having a visually accessible calendar with your mini deadlines on it to keep you on track.

40. Be proud of your own work. Be proud of your progress. Don’t underestimate yourself! You’ve got this!

Weekly Words of Wisdom (5P30/5P42/5P37/1F95)

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything."

”It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!"

- Author Unknown