ALL of these affect your health by lowering your resistance to disease, increasing your own body’s attacks on itself (autoimmune disorders) and causing dangerously low mineral and vitamin deficiencies. Yikes–you may say, I engage in a lot of these behaviors!  Even if you did all of these things, you can start with just one. Pick one with the understanding that every little bit you do can make a difference in your happiness. Just the psychological effects of knowing you are tackling something in your life that is harmful to you makes a difference. Feeling good is a natural thing–but just like a cold can block our ability to breathe well, our behaviors can block our ability to feel happy. Give happiness a fighting chance–start a new habit today!

How important is feeling good? is a post from: Terry Diebold on the Value of Self Worth

It would never occur to Phoenix–if he were to be able to think–that food wouldn’t be there when he is hungry. He plays with sticks, his parents’ claws, sleeps and eats. How wonderful if our life was that easy–but it isn’t. And we were never promised it would be easy. That is the stuff of fairy tales. Our lives are real and with reality, comes, good and bad, ups and downs, happy and sad. There is nothing wrong with you if your life has problems! No one’s life goes smoothly all the time. If your problems are stubborn or hurtful get help. Be glad every day you wake up–and if you need help, it is out there…unless you’re hooked on the Hornby Island Eagles.

Be glad every day you wake up is a post from: Terry Diebold on the Value of Self Worth

Monday Morning is a post from: Terry Diebold on the Value of Self Worth

I don’t mean you’re late for your best friend’s wedding–and you’re in the wedding party. I mean hurrying…hurrying to get to a meeting, hurrying to fax something, hurrying your dog to “go,” telling your child to “hurry up,” feeling rushed, feeling like there’s not enough time, doing laundry at 11:00 p.m., taking your coffee, bagel, briefcase and the trash out with you in the morning–with the bagel between your teeth?  Why are we so rushed? Because we have forgotten how to live. We have forgotten we are meaningful just by being. We have forgotten how pleasant it is to stroll with a relaxed body instead of straining forward like runners at the finish line. We try to fit too much stuff in a given period of time. True, I don’t want to wear my underwear two days in a row, but I have made a conscious decision to not hurry on the way to the washing machine. I will not rush myself, my dog, or my husband. I urge you to take the pledge. Let me hear from you if you do.

Are You Tired of Rushing? is a post from: Terry Diebold on the Value of Self Worth

Are you stuck in a rut? is a post from: Terry Diebold on the Value of Self Worth

Some people, though, don’t know what to do when they aren’t running around. They like being busy because they don’t have to think about problems and issues that are bothering them.
I will tell you a secret: The more you don’t deal with your issues, the more power they have over you. They become more inscrutable because they are vague and seem to float away from us when we “remember” we have a problem. Sit down with yourself, write down what you think the problem is. Then write down what you would tell a friend if she or he had the same problem. Just the act of writing it down helps because you have finally taken control. Obviously some problems are more easily solvable than others but taking a step is a start–a good start to freeing up your Spring.

Most people dread January, February and March is a post from: Terry Diebold on the Value of Self Worth

We live in a city on the East coast and like many other cities, have had a lot of snow. Most of us have to park on the street and we have learned to squeeze three cars in spaces most people would only try to park two. We know that if we are careful, everyone usually gets a place to park. The snow has taken our parking places down by about 1/3 and those of us who get home late have to park blocks and blocks away. Not fun on a cold night, especially if you are toting groceries.

This person I mentioned took up two parking places for five days (no one knew whose car it was) even though someone had left a note on the car. Now the note wasn’t bad but it did have an edge to it. When the neighborhood found out whose car it was, someone approached her in person. Upon being asked to move her car, she was incensed. She said if the note had been nice, she would have moved it. Since that time, about three weeks now, even though she is the only person in her household she has consistently parked her two vehicles over four spaces. Despite attempts to mend this situation, she refuses to speak to anyone.

This is not about me. This is not about parking spaces. This is about how important our personhood is. Here is a person who probably has a long history of being wounded. She’s angry and wants to let people know she is somebody. If she had a good sense of self-worth, she would have said, “Geez-sorry, let me move it.”

Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. Our personhood, our soul, is given to us by God; this should be important enough in itself to remind us that hurting another person or ourselves is degrading and destructive. And it has a long tail…..

How Important Is Our Personhood? is a post from: Terry Diebold on the Value of Self Worth

Cover via Amazon

Fluzzard

For me, it’s not only been the Blizzard of 2010 but the flu. There is a difference. Had it just been the blizzard I would have been looking busy but really just wasting time. The flu, however, kept me stuck on the sofa so I ended up watching old movies– wonderful, funny, tragical and magical movies.

Coming back to the real world put me in touch with the fact that we are so eager to move on to the next new thing that we give short shrift to anything not so new.  A movie comes out and within two weeks, it’s on DVD. Good songs are only good for a couple of weeks. No wonder people feel insecure about themselves. Any success is immediately overshadowed by the implication that if it’s not the latest thing, it’s not as good. We don’t take time to savor, to take our place in the universe—or if we do, it’s only for 15 minutes.  Here are some movies that have much to say and that we need to hear…again and again.

Network—the writing is phenomenal and so is the plot.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner- the writing is honest; Spencer Tracey died 16 days after he finished the movie. It still makes me sad that he’s gone. If you don’t know who he is, you’re missing something.

Fiddler on the Roof- Stunning insight into change and the human spirit. Sophistication doesn’t score. You can’t not sing.

The Bridge on the River Kwai – makes you understand why we should be on bended knee to anyone who served in the military in WWII.

Turner Classic Movies is showing all Oscar winning movies in February. You can even vote online for your top ten favorites. Catch is, you’ll have to watch some to be able to vote. It’s a great catch.

Reminder to love your life from favorite classic movies is a post from: Terry Diebold on the Value of Self Worth

Time alone for listening to your soul and building self awareness is a post from: Terry Diebold on the Value of Self Worth

Every day you have a choice of complaining or rejoicing. is a post from: Terry Diebold on the Value of Self Worth