Until lately when I have paid attention to my need to rest deeply, I have assumed that all I needed was that elusive good night’s sleep or two, or maybe an hour sitting in my chair reading a book, or maybe watching a movie. But I’ve been confused. There’s a fundamental part of resting I […]
As I teach and meet people soon after they have had a stroke, I see so many grappling with the question “Who am I now?” It’s not an easy question. So much has changed in so short a period of time. But it’s question worth asking. “Who am I now?” could be a question of
Many people are talking about mindfulness these days, and through careful investigation researchers are showing the potential for mindfulness to help a whole series of health and wellness challenges. Could mindfulness be applied to stroke recovery? Yes, it could, and practicing mindfulness as we work with stroke recovery can be very helpful. What is mindfulness
Persistence is very important in stroke recovery. To support our recoveries, we have to be motivated, really want to recover and work hard consistently over the long term. Our brains and bodies must know that recovery matters to us and that we will continue to pay attention to helping ourselves. Setting goals, making schedules, making
In a talk she gave called on lovingkindness Tara Brach, a wonderful teacher in Washington, DC, quoted a bumper sticker she had seen. She said, “If I lived in my heart, I’d be home right now.” I like this bumper sticker very much. I keep thinking about this quote, asking myself, “Where am I at
Many times when I give a talk to clinicians I am asked the heartfelt question, “What do I tell patients and family members? I don’t want to give them ‘false hope.’” These clinicians care about us. They don’t want to add to our suffering. They want to encourage us and often they truly don’t know
The other day I was talking to a delightful six-year old. He was telling me that the bread I had given him with his dinner was crunchy. I explained to him that when I was in the kitchen with his mother I was having such an interesting conversation with her that I had forgotten about
We often practice paying as little attention to something we are doing as we can get away with: You know how it goes: It’s morning. My mind is on my day. I am taking a shower but I am thinking about what I’m going to have for breakfast, what I will wear, and what the
We may have heard about neuroplasticity, but what is it exactly and how does it apply to healing from a stroke? My favorite definition of neuroplasticity is this: “The brain’s ability to change physically and physiologically in response to stimulation.” * What does that mean? Our brains are changing all the time – every second