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LIVING FROM CENTER BLOG 

 

Do you take it to bed with you?

I bet you have a lot on your mind. So many of us have concerning thoughts and worries — these days more than ever. And that’s on top of all our typical day to day stuff.     I also bet you’re probably aware of how those stressful thoughts have a way of showing up in your body. Stiff neck. Tight jaw. Back tension, etc. It’s kind of par for the course given how your mind and body is connected. Here’s something else I bet you do… and it’s […]

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Want to drop a habit? Don’t deprive, replace

It’s that time of year when changing habits is on our minds. So here’s what I’m wondering… have you ever try to ‘willpower’ yourself into not doing something? You know, like stopping a not-so-healthy habit? How has that worked for you? Letting go of a ‘bad’ habit is usually easier said than done, isn’t it? Sometimes we feel like it’s a great intention to not get the candy bar at the vending machine during an afternoon slump or to stop staying up late bing-watching Netflix on a weeknight. But actually […]

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Leveraging yourself as you go along

I just discovered something about myself. I like structure. It makes me feel capable, confident. I’m laughing a little at that word ‘just’ – how I wrote that I ‘just’ discovered this. I’m no spring chicken. You’d think that would be something that I knew about myself by now. Well, maybe I did know. But I was trying something new. And I forgot what I had learned before. That’s ok. Because re-discovery is useful. Going through the process of learning about yourself is empowering – every time you do […]

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Snow day comfort soup

I’m feeling under the weather. And it’s a snow day (here in Boston). Time for soup. Not just eating soup. Making it. That’s what actually adds to the comfort part for me. One of my favorite soups to make on a day like this is roasted potato and kale soup. I get to put the oven on and fill the house with the aroma of hearty potatoes browning (and sometimes mushrooms if I have them!) Now I know, you may not think of kale as comfort food. But I […]

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Don’t quit. Just simplify

I almost didn’t write this blog post. It’s late. The day is almost over. I worked all day and into the evening in my massage therapy practice. Realistically, there just wasn’t a lot of time in my schedule today to write. In fact, there’s probably plenty of legitimate reasons I could come up with why it would be ok for me to skip my post today. And the truth is, I could turn to my self-compassion and start again fresh tomorrow. But here’s the thing…when I set an […]

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The usefulness of Yay me! moments

What went well for you this week? When I work with my coaching clients, that question is an important part of our conversations. Did it take a couple minutes for you to think of something? What if I asked you about what didn’t go so well? Went right to it, didn’t you? That’s why that first question is important. Important to ask first. A coach I once worked with adds a layer to that question that makes it even more powerful… she regularly asked me to connect it back […]

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My secret about why some resolutions stick & others fizzle out

I admit it, I love January and all that new year intention setting energy. I’ve spent plenty of years writing down, in those first weeks, what I want to accomplish in the rest. Strategic plans and lists for the things I want to do, the new habits I want to commit to (again).   Sometimes I found myself riding the wave of a resolution the whole year through. Other resolutions – not so much. Here’s the huge secret I’ve come to realize about what sticks and why… The important […]

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My New Year Breakthrough

I am ready. Well, maybe I’m not. But heck, it’s a new year. And I actually love that new year energy of intention and commitment. So this year, I’ve decided to channel that energy toward something I don’t usually do. I’m going to follow Brian Johnson’s advice and sink into a ‘fire, ready, aim’ approach. When I first heard Brian talk about that concept as he summarized Jason Selk’s book, 10 Minute Toughness, oh boy, did the perfectionist in me bristle uncomfortably. I’m a thinker, a planner. Jumping right […]

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Sore, Tight Muscles… Should I Ice or Heat?

“How do I know whether I should ice a sore muscle or whether I should use heat?” This is a question that comes up all the time in my massage therapy practice.   The answer depends on what kind of muscle strain or tension is causing your pain and discomfort, and ultimately comes down to one key thing – inflammation. Lots of things can trigger muscle soreness – a twist in the wrong direction, overexertion (from lifting something too heavy, for example), or the variety of overexertion where you […]

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Do you Trust your own Resiliency?

This winter really pushed the edge. I’ve lived in New England most of my life. Freezing temperatures and lots of snow are nothing new for me. And, since those conditions are familiar, I can also say I do carry with me that automatic, inner sense of “We’ll get through it” or even an eager “Spring is just on the other side of this” as I move through the season. This year however, I’m not sure eagerness is quite the word I’d use to describe what I’m noticing. This Boston […]

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Want Love and a Healthy Relationship? How you answer these 3 questions can be the key

Ah, to be in a relationship… with someone who is kind to you, with someone who genuinely enjoys your company, a partner in life who is supportive because they believe in you… Sound like something you want? Imagining how good that might make you feel? It does sound like a healthy relationship, doesn’t it? But does it really begin with finding the right person? Consider the possibility that your relationship with yourself is actually the key that determines the health (and longevity) of any committed relationship you want to be […]

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This Year’s Reflections BEFORE New Year’s Resolutions

I have to admit… I’m a big fan of the New Year season. I know, some folks aren’t. And understandably so. There’s often this ever present assumption, expectation even, that we should be always doing more, should be better. Resolutions can feel heavy rather than inspiring. That’s not what New Year’s time is for me. What I learned long ago is that “should” has never been an empowering or effective motivator.  And I definitely no longer view New Year goal setting through that lens. I’ve found there are much more stirring […]

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Who Would You Be if You Released an Old Pattern?

Do you have those times in life where you just feel stuck? And not because you’re not trying, but in fact maybe – being in the mode of ‘trying so hard’ – you realize you’re actually getting in your own way? I can definitely relate. Like lots of folks I know, I’ve found myself living lately from a perfectionist place where I make everything more complex than it needs to be. There’s a lot of ‘wanting’ and even a good deal of detailed planning. But then there’s that elusive […]

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Life has Ups & Downs – How to Find Contentment in the Tide

Do you experience times in life when you feel pretty good? Moving along, setting goals – then, for whatever reason, your best laid plans don’t work out… and a nice weighty doldrum or funk sets in? It’s easy to feel frustration, even resistance, when that happens. After all who wants to be in one of life’s ‘downs’? That happened to me recently. When things didn’t go the way I wanted, I was ready to go into self-criticism mode. A mode that can often keep me stuck. But this time, an […]

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The Difference Between Intentional and Inevitable R&R is the Secret to Living Powerfully

I’m sure you’ve heard it before… rest and rejuvenation are essential components of a healthy, vibrant life. It’s also true that ultimately, even if we have very busy lives, somehow our bodies will find a way to rest. To keep going, they have to.   But there’s a powerful difference between inevitable and intentional R&R. Inevitable R&R? Yep, I know you’ve experienced it… those times when it feels like all you can do is collapse on your couch because you’ve been on the go for two weeks straight. Or those […]

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Why Your Neck is Tense & One Thing You Can Do Everyday to Help

Does your neck hurt? I’m not surprised. If you’re like most people, your head is probably not in the best position right now while you’re staring at this computer screen. When clients come in to see me for massage, I usually start their sessions with this question: “Anything you’d like me to focus on today, an area that’s particularly tense or painful that you need addressed?” Almost everyone’s answer … “neck and shoulders.” And as I watch them walk across the room to hang up their coat or sit down […]

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Just Begin it…

Kind of like the Nike motto, but less pressure.  You see, I think it’s that pressure – the “I’m gonna be a person who just does this now” (who jogs, who does yoga, who meditates every day, etc.) – that sometimes keeps us from actually sustaining the thing we want to do. Perhaps you were quite motivated the first day or two, but slowly, did that feeling of “the should” ever start to creep in? And then maybe even “giving up” following close behind? “Shoulds” have never made good […]

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