Category: CREATIVITY
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MAKING MY PEACE … with photographing flowers
MAKING MY PEACE … with photographing flowers … sensory immersion in bloom … Flowers soothe the soul, don’t they? Whether it’s wandering through the grand displays of the Chelsea Flower Show or simply spending time in Aunt Jeanne’s flower-filled country garden in France, I’m reminded again and again of the mental health benefits flowers give to me. Being among…
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MAKING MY PEACE … with nature as the antidote
MAKING MY PEACE … with nature as the antidote … feeling overwhelmed? … this poem gets it … In a world where noise is constant and truth is blurry, the poem “For Sanity Press Pause” by Kathryn von Bergen, offers a rare thing: a poetic exhale. The poem questions modern contradictions — where good is mocked, effort goes unrewarded, and digital noise drowns our intuition. Instead of…
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MAKING MY PEACE … with tranquility
MAKING MY PEACE … with tranquility … all I am saying is give peace a chance … and it can be mapped … Do you remember bean bags? I think it started with a purple bean bag in the corner of my bedroom. From a large family and noisy activity in the home, it was my…
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MAKING MY PEACE … with bibliotherapy – reading for healing
MAKING MY PEACE … with bibliotherapy – reading for healing Bibliotherapy – reading for healing – is a therapeutic method I find intensely interesting, as someone deeply invested in psychosocial wellbeing and an avid reader. Bibliotherapy for emotional and psychological healing is at the heart of C.K. Elim’s 2024 The Book Therapy: Transforming Lives…
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MAKING MY PEACE … with poetry as a healer
Making My Peace … with poetry as a healer Many people use poetry as a healer. Victoria Lambinicio’s 2024 book is an example of poetry as a healer. Midnight in Asia is a collection of poetry in six chapters, written as the author states, by a “schizophrenic Asian American woman.” Throughout the collection of verses, her…
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MAKING MY PEACE … with what teenagers write about
Making My Peace … with what teenagers write about When teenagers write, unfettered, without restrictions, what do they write about? According to Soumia Shah’s new 2025 book Teen Rising, teens reveal their inner thoughts, concerns, and self-doubts. Teen Rising: An Anthology of Stories Written by Teens all around the World (2025) is a collection of 20…
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MAKING MY PEACE … with profanity being good for mental health
Making My Peace … with profanity being good for mental health Profanity – cursing, cussing, swearing – can be good for mental health if used appropriately and responsibly – say researchers. Research shows that swearing during pain can help ease the pain, and using profanity helps to build resilience in situations where people…
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MAKING MY PEACE … with gaining ground in 2024
Making My Peace … with gaining ground in 2024 At the end of each year, we let go of the past and move into the future – into the unknown. For many, the path may be known, but for all, the outcome of walking that path is unknown. Will it be a better…
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MAKING MY PEACE … with a memoir of madness
Making My Peace … with a memoir of madness It was an impulse purchase, bought in a hurry, without even looking at what I grabbed. I was early, on my way to meet a girlfriend for lunch, and I raced into a second-hand English-language bookstore. All I knew was that it was small,…
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MAKING MY PEACE … with managing the chaos of creativity
Making My Peace … with managing the chaos of creativity The creative process never runs smooth. Ideas run wild, then they dry out. Motivation moves like a runaway train, then comes to a screeching halt. Routines work until the rhythm is disrupted. Certain potential successes turn out to be slow-moving sloths. Oh, the chaos…