Discovering what Matters when Face-to-face with Death: Remembering 9/11 with Christina Ray Stanton9/9/2021
Nobody likes to make mistakes, trip up, fail, or miss a shot. Goofing up once is one thing, but goofing up repeatedly and driving your mind and thoughts into a pretty deep pit is quite another.
Today on the Choose 2 Think Podcast, I share a story about my recent (epic fail) experience at the Bluegrass States Games Pickleball Tournament in Lexington, KY. I was so focused on winning that I did not foster the proper mindset and healthy thought patterns DURING play. Now when I play pickleball, I'm gonna hone in on the following 5 strategies to improve my game (and let the results take care of themselves). These tips help me foster the critical sports mindset AND help me with other obstacles I face in life off the court. Discussing the sensitive topics of suicide, attempted suicide, and suicidal ideation* can be quite challenging because they are emotionally charged. Sometimes it's hard to find the words to express our thoughts and feelings about these issues.
Choose 2 Think Podcast guest Stephen Johnson, a licensed social worker who has been in practice for decades, reduces the charge on this issue by addressing it in a loving and God-honoring fashion. During the interview, Stephen answers these two overarching questions: 1) Why might someone choose to take their own life? 2) What can the survivors (family members, friends, the community) do to deal with their grief and any guilt they may be feeling as a result of losing someone they know to suicide? His answers may surprise you. Apparently, we're gaining weight during Covid, a phenomenon fondly called "The Quarantine 15." And it's no wonder, right?! The sad news is that America already had a weight problem that has only grown over these last 9 months.
According to Statista, 26% of US adults are inactive and 31% are obese (the highest rate in the WORLD!). The cause? Nearly half of all Americans conclude that main contributors for obesity are inactivity and a poor diet. Our daily routines have changed drastically and our stress levels have skyrocketed in 2020. The gyms are closed, and we stock up on prepackaged foods or takeout. How do we cope with all the fear and the unknowns? To what do we turn in our time of need? For some folks, it's Food. Though we may be more inactive than ever and though we may not be choosing the most healthy foods during this long and troublesome season, there is another culprit at play as well, and we tend to shy away from addressing this all-too-familiar foe when it comes to food. Some scientists say that we have about 60k thoughts daily. Others say it's waaaaay less, more like 6k.
And of these thoughts, the National Science Foundation postulated that 80% are negative and 95% repetitive (2005 study). Another study in that same year from Cornell suggested that 97% of our worries are actually unfounded. Since I'm in the Choose 2 Think business, this information is quite fascinating to me. Why? Because our thoughts literally affect our brains. And if I'm having a gazillion negative thoughts daily and I'm repeating them, well, that's a recipe for one very weary, dissatisfied, and downtrodden noggin. So what's a feller to do? |
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