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As we enter the last week before Christmas, many people are outwardly focused on what to buy, what to give, what to share. So this week, we at InnerSelf turn the focus to the inner. While still keeping the focus on giving and sharing, we speak about giving of ourselves and sharing love. Thus, our articles speak of "The Greatest Christmas Present Ever" (it's a gift you can't buy in a store or online); "Stepping Out Of Our Little Corner and Open To Uplifting Others"; "Teaching Our Children About Love, Emotions, and Relationships"; and much more...
Scroll down below for our featured articles and of course for the many additional articles that have been shared on the InnerSelf website this week.
Wishing you enjoyable insightful reading, and of course a wonder-full, joy-full, and loving week. And if your week is a busy one, remember to stop and take a deep breath and smell the fragrance of love throughout it all...
Marie T. Russell
editor/publisher,
InnerSelf.com
"New Attitudes...New Possibilities"
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NEW ARTICLES THIS WEEK
The Greatest Christmas Present Ever
Written by Pierre Pradervand
In a variety of teachings, unconditional love is the heart and soul of the spiritual life and the ultimate aim of the spiritual path – and by love is meant love in action of course (be it meditation or feeding the hungry), not discourses about love.
Article is continued here: The Greatest Christmas Present Ever
Stepping Out Of Our Little Corner and Open To Uplifting Others
Written by Ellen Grace O'Brian
Nothing contributes more to unfolding our divine potential than “stepping out of our little corner,” reaching out beyond our personal needs alone, and opening to abundance for uplifting others. This is how we enter the stream of divine grace in its fullest expression. We open ourselves to be divine instruments of healing and blessing.
Article is continued here: Stepping Out Of Our Little Corner and Open To Uplifting Others
Teaching Our Children About Love, Emotions, and Relationships
Written by Armin A. Zadeh
A great irony of human existence is that love, which is arguably the single most desired goal in life, is so poorly understood and so hard for us to master. Given its importance, we might expect that enormous resources would be spent on understanding how to attain love.
Article is continued here: Teaching Our Children About Love, Emotions, and Relationships
Living in Full Abundance: Delivering Our Gifts To The World and To Each Other
Written by Eileen Workman
It seems to me that our ongoing quest to secure material wealth—often to the point of excess, and with little regard for the harm we may do while in blind pursuit of money—reflects the fact that, as a species, we’ve never really come to grips with what we’re living for.
Article is continued here: Living in Full Abundance: Delivering Our Gifts To The World and To Each Other
Being A Member Of The Community: Don’t Seek Friends, Be A Friend
Written by Walter Ling, MD
People are meant to live in communities. It is our nature; it is in our genes and in our jeans. Being connected with other people is crucial to our happiness.
Article is continued here: Being A Member Of The Community: Don’t Seek Friends, Be A Friend
Are Your Thoughts Driving You Crazy?
Written by Linda Graham
Sometimes your thoughts can drive you crazy, blocking clear thinking and impeding response flexibility. Sometimes your thoughts trigger further thoughts, evaluations, judgments, and condemnations that reduce your resilience. These thought patterns are ways of filtering reality that can be counterproductive.
Article is continued here: Are Your Thoughts Driving You Crazy?
The Magical Superpower That Could Transform All Your Relationships
Written by Michael J. Gelb
What if I told you that you had a magical superpower that could transform your relationships while enriching your life dramatically?
Article is continued here: The Magical Superpower That Could Transform All Your Relationships
How To Infuse Your Family With The Spirit Of Generosity This Christmas
by Sheri Madigan
Around this time each year, many children have made a Christmas wish list that includes items like toys, games, crafts…
Article is continued here: How To Infuse Your Family With The Spirit Of Generosity This Christmas
Opioids And These Socioeconomic Factors Mix For Deaths Of Despair
by Matthew Swayne
The overprescribing of opioid-based painkillers may be the main, but not sole, driver of the increased abuse of opioids…
Article is continued here: Opioids And These Socioeconomic Factors Mix For Deaths Of Despair
Why People Who Live In The Country Are Less Likely To Survive Cancer
by Rosalind Adam, et al
It is easy to romanticise about escaping to the country, with its clean air, green space, and idyllic views. But our…
Article is continued here: Why People Who Live In The Country Are Less Likely To Survive Cancer
How Disappointment About Gifts Is Good For Kids Who Have Enough
by Nikki Martyn and Elena Merenda
Both the Santa story and consumer culture promote the ideal of wish-fulfilment, but parents can model adaptability and…
Article is continued here: How Disappointment About Gifts Is Good For Kids Who Have Enough
Why Vegan Diets Are Adding To Malnutrition In Wealthy Countries
by Chris Elliott, et al
Hidden hunger affects over two billion people, globally. The cause is a chronic lack of essential micronutrients in the…
Article is continued here: Why Vegan Diets Are Adding To Malnutrition In Wealthy Countries
How Financial Loss Can Have Catastrophic Effects On Health And Life
by Nick Haslam
People who have a financial shock are at greater risk of depression and a raft of other physical and mental health…
Article is continued here: How Financial Loss Can Have Catastrophic Effects On Health And Life
How Imagination Can Help Overcome Fear And Anxiety
by Valerie van Mulukom
Almost everyone has something they fear – maybe it’s spiders, enclosed spaces, or heights. When we encounter these…
Article is continued here: How Imagination Can Help Overcome Fear And Anxiety
How Parent And Child Emotion Therapy Eases Depression
by Jim Dryden
An interactive therapy involving parents and their depressed children can reduce rates of depression and lower the…
Article is continued here: How Parent And Child Emotion Therapy Eases Depression
How An App Can Help Fight Loneliness In Old People At Christmas
by Niall Hayes
Loneliness, as a leading cause of depression and obesity, is believed to cost £6,000 per person in health and social…
Article is continued here: How An App Can Help Fight Loneliness In Old People At Christmas
Is Combining Robots With The Internet Of Things The Next Great Leap Forward?
by Mauro Dragone
The Internet of Things is a popular vision of objects with internet connections sending information back and forth to…
Article is continued here: Is Combining Robots With The Internet Of Things The Next Great Leap Forward?
Hate Christmas? A Psychologist's Survival Guide For Grinches
by Karen Rodham
Two years ago, I came into work on December 1 to find a bag on my desk labelled “Karen’s Christmas Intervention”. It…
Article is continued here: Hate Christmas? A Psychologist's Survival Guide For Grinches
Why The Key To Humanity Isn't Genetic But Microbial
by Ian Myles
What if the key to perfecting the human species were actually … yogurt? The fantasy of trying to perfect humanity…
Article is continued here: Why The Key To Humanity Isn't Genetic But Microbial
Looking For A High-Tech Gift For A Young Child?
by Marina Umaschi Bers
Shopping for a new high-tech gift for the child in your life this holiday season? It’s easy to be overwhelmed by all…
Article is continued here: Looking For A High-Tech Gift For A Young Child?
Your Smartphone Apps Are Tracking Your Every Move
by Jeff Inglis
If you have a smartphone, it probably is a significant part of your life, storing appointments and destinations as well…
Article is continued here: Your Smartphone Apps Are Tracking Your Every Move
Don't Stress The Kind Of Christmas Tree To Buy If You Reuse Or Compost
by Bert Cregg
Environmentally conscious consumers often ask me whether a real Christmas tree or an artificial one is the more…
Article is continued here: Don't Stress The Kind Of Christmas Tree To Buy If You Reuse Or Compost
How Chickens Became The Ultimate Symbol Of The Anthropocene
by Carys Bennett, et al
We are living on the planet of the chickens. The broiler (meat) chicken now outweighs all wild birds put together by…
Article is continued here: How Chickens Became The Ultimate Symbol Of The Anthropocene
Why Multitasking Between Devices Is Associated With Poorer Attention And Memory
by André J. Szameitat
How many times have you sat down to watch TV or a movie, only to immediately shift your attention to your smartphone or…
Article is continued here: Why Multitasking Between Devices Is Associated With Poorer Attention And Memory
How Nature Is A Rich Source Of Medicine
by Ross Piper, et al
The Pacific yew tree is a fairly small and slow growing conifer native to the Pacific Northwest. The Gila monster is a…
Article is continued here: How Nature Is A Rich Source Of Medicine
What Winter Solstice Rituals Tell Us About Indigenous People
by Rosalyn R. LaPier
On the day of winter solstice, many Native American communities will hold religious ceremonies or community events.The…
Article is continued here: What Winter Solstice Rituals Tell Us About Indigenous People
How Cheap Oil Is Blocking Progress On Climate Change
by Scott L. Montgomery
The relationship between supply and demand, a fundamental economic concept, holds that when the price of something…
Article is continued here: How Cheap Oil Is Blocking Progress On Climate Change
Why You Should Not Worry About Screen Time But Focus On How You Use Technology
by Margaret E. Morris
Many Americans find themselves bombarded by expert advice to limit their screen time and break their addictions to…
Article is continued here: Why You Should Not Worry About Screen Time But Focus On How You Use Technology
Why Older Adults May Need The Sex Talk Even More Than Teens
by Heather Honoré Goltz and Matthew Lee Smith
Humans are sexual beings. This urge does not stop when the clock strikes 60. Or even 90.Young adults may deny older…
Article is continued here: Why Older Adults May Need The Sex Talk Even More Than Teens
Here Are Some Tips For Truly Happy Holidays
by Rachel Croson
Each year it seems our travel gets more and more out of control. Between the multiple holidays, family we need to visit…
Article is continued here: Here Are Some Tips For Truly Happy Holidays
How To Make Reading Fun And Part Of Life
by Peter Rul and Zelda Barends
The love of reading is one of the greatest gifts an adult can give to a child. Pragmatically, reading proficiently…
Article is continued here: How To Make Reading Fun And Part Of Life
How Imaginary Friends Could Boost Children's Development
by Paige Davis
Psychologists first became interested in imaginary friends in the early 19th century because they feared they could be…
Article is continued here: How Imaginary Friends Could Boost Children's Development
5 Ways To Reduce The Risk Of Stillbirth
by Vicki Flenady, et al
Stillbirth is defined as the death of a baby of at least 20 weeks’ gestation or 400 grams in weight. Most stillbirths…
Article is continued here: 5 Ways To Reduce The Risk Of Stillbirth
How To Design Cities To Counter Loneliness
by Tanzil Shafique
Do you feel lonely? If you do, you are not alone. While you may think it’s a personal mental health issue, the…
Article is continued here: How To Design Cities To Counter Loneliness
The Bad News On Human Nature, In 10 Findings From Psychology
by Christian Jarrett
It’s a question that’s reverberated through the ages – are humans, though imperfect, essentially kind, sensible…
Article is continued here: The Bad News On Human Nature, In 10 Findings From Psychology
The Surprising Role Of Childhood Trauma In Athletic Success
by Veronica Allan
The story of Canadian speed skater and cyclist Clara Hughes, the first ever Olympian to win multiple medals in both the…
Article is continued here: The Surprising Role Of Childhood Trauma In Athletic Success
What Are Allergies And Why Are We Getting More Of Them?
by Adam Collison, Elizabeth Percival, Joerg Mattes, and Rani Bhatia
Allergies are reactions caused by the immune system as it responds to environmental substances that are usually…
Article is continued here: What Are Allergies And Why Are We Getting More Of Them?
Why Attention Is Not A Resource But A Way Of Being Alive To The World
by Dan Nixon
‘We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom.’ Those were the words of the American biologist E O Wilson…
Article is continued here: Why Attention Is Not A Resource But A Way Of Being Alive To The World
If We Want Our Food To Be Truly Sustainable, We Need To Be Able To Tell Where It Comes From
by Chris West and Helen Burley
Transparent supply chains can help halt deforestation and protect Earth’s most vulnerable ecosystems.
Article is continued here: If We Want Our Food To Be Truly Sustainable, We Need To Be Able To Tell Where It Comes From
How We Know Climate Change Was Behind Earth’s Largest Extinction
by Hannah Hickey
Global warming that left animals unable to breathe caused the Permian mass extinction in the oceans, according to a new…
Article is continued here: How We Know Climate Change Was Behind Earth’s Largest Extinction
The First Effective Drugs For Preventing Migraine May Be Available Soon
by Katie A Lloyd
I suffer from migraines. At least once a month, I have excruciating head pain, sensory problems and intermittent bouts…
Article is continued here: The First Effective Drugs For Preventing Migraine May Be Available Soon
The Psychology Of Believing In Free Will
by Peter Gooding
From coffee table books and social media to popular science lectures, it seems it has has become increasing fashionable…
Article is continued here: The Psychology Of Believing In Free Will
After 50, Death Risk Climbs In Wake Of Loss Of Wealth
by Laurel Thomas, University of Michigan
Adults in their 50s and older who suffer a catastrophic loss of wealth have a 50-percent higher risk of dying than…
Article is continued here: After 50, Death Risk Climbs In Wake Of Loss Of Wealth
Why Death Is No Leveller If Some Live Much Longer Than Others
by Keith Frankish
Just like the rest of us, the rich and powerful have had to accept that youth is fleeting, that strength and health…
Article is continued here: Why Death Is No Leveller If Some Live Much Longer Than Others
What Does Gaslighting Mean?
by Jessamy Gleeson
Shortlisted for the Oxford English Dictionary’s 2018 word of the year, “gaslighting” has well and truly found its way…
Article is continued here: What Does Gaslighting Mean?
How People With OCD Get Stuck In A Loop Of Wrongness
by Kara Gavin
A study of hundreds of brain scans sheds light on abnormalities common to people with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Article is continued here: How People With OCD Get Stuck In A Loop Of Wrongness
How The Mediterranean Diet May Help Your Neurons Live Longer
by Marco Travaglio
Historians consider it one of the ‘cradles of civilization,’ but for many scientists today the real value of the…
Article is continued here: How The Mediterranean Diet May Help Your Neurons Live Longer
Why It’s Going To Get Hot And Dry All Over At The Same Time
by Josie Garthwaite
The kind of hot, dry conditions that can shrink crop yields, destabilize food prices, and lay the groundwork for…
Article is continued here: Why It’s Going To Get Hot And Dry All Over At The Same Time
Why Snacking Could Be Damaging Your Health
by Jenna Macciochi
Breakfast simply didn’t exist for large parts of history. The Romans, for example, didn’t eat it – usually consuming…
Article is continued here: Why Snacking Could Be Damaging Your Health
Astrological Journal for the Week
Written by Pam Younghans
This weekly column (updated every Sunday afternoon) is based on planetary influences, and offers perspectives and insights to assist you in making the best use of current energies... Read this week's journal here
It is also highly beneficial to reread the past week's astrological journal as it gives a hindsight view of the events that took place and may provide many "ah-ha" insights.
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