Month: May 2023

Friday, May 26

Today is Friday, May 26, 2023. As we continue onto week 3 of moving towards dreams, aspirations, goals, you can continue to work on establishing your sleep ritual as we shift to awake times.

Think about this: As part of your daily routine, maybe even with your brain dump from last week, consider a reflection about instant pleasure vs. deep satisfaction in your day or week. Instant pleasure is short acting and immediate. It does not last. It lights up certain areas of the brain that drive us to want more if “that.” It doesn’t care if it is good for you or not, that kind of instant pleasure lights up specific brain cells.

Deep satisfaction lights up the whole brain and creates a warm glow that lasts. It is recharging. It feels good and nourishes the soul. It is good for your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Bottom line, it is so very good for you.

DGoV (Daily Gift of Vitality) Activity: For this next week, reflect on the people, places and things that cause you to experience deep satisfaction. Make a list and then see if you can figure out what are some similarities about the items on the list. What causes you deep satisfaction? Maybe you can find ways to increase opportunities for more of those deeply satisfying experiences.

A quote by Michael Franti, “Love is the action of soul satisfaction.”

Thank you to Benjamin Lehman for sharing this photo.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Friday, May 19

Today is Friday, May 19, 2023. As we continue- from last week-moving towards dreams, aspirations, goals, we may better understand our best awake and rest times. We offer a pre-sleep tool.

Think about this: During awake hours, there are lots of experiences and thoughts and feelings. The brain and mind are appropriately busy. Worries and fears about the future may surface. Future dreams, plans and action items develop. Where does all this go? What happens to it?

Sometimes, the start of sleep is delayed due to the brain and mind trying to sort through the day and prepare for the future. It does not want to forget anything important, but it does not know what is important and what is not, so it might try to cycle through everything and that can interfere with sleep. Good news, you can train your brain to rest by creating a ritual before you need to sleep.

DGoV (Daily Gift of Vitality) Activity: For this next week, before your desired sleep time, perform a brain dump. Write down everything on your mind in a notebook so that you can return to it in the morning. Let your brain watch you writing down all the things on your mind so that it can be reassured that you will not forget it and that you can return to it and organize your thoughts tomorrow. Then, when you are ready tomorrow, return to it and review your brain dump. Your mind will have solved much of it overnight while asleep. With regular practice, over time, your brain will learn to let your brain rest when you are ready to sleep.  

A quote by Queen Rania al-Abdullah, “We are stronger when we listen, and smarter when we share.”

Thank you to Gregoire Jeanneau for sharing this photo.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Friday, May 12

Today is Friday, May 12, 2023. This beautiful time of year is a great time to move towards dreams, aspirations, goals. Motivated for progress: planting something to grow, building upon and developing skills, advancing forward and trying something new.

Think about this: We start with the gardener’s analogy, not sure who to attribute this to. To grow a beautiful lush garden that can provide shelter, food, beauty and pleasure, the soil matters. There must be organic matter in the soil to provide nutrients, to hold water. Adequate sunlight and darkness, warmth and coolness, the worms, birds and bees all work together to support the soil and create a fertile space for a garden to grow. In that enriched space, then we can choose the seeds to plant and support that environment until the plant sprouts and grows to its fullest potential, whether a tree that provides shelter and shade, a plant that provides food and nutrients or flowers and herbs that provide beauty and pleasure.

We will start with small tips on enriching our own soil so that each of us can thrive and grow into our fullest potential.

DGoV (Daily Gift of Vitality) Activity: For this next week, examine your daily rhythms – the time you are naturally most awake and the time you can best sleep. It turns out that within 24 hours, some people do better with 2 sleep times (usually 1 longer and 1 shorter) and some are best with 1 longer sleep time. Write down when you are awake and when you are asleep. Include when you feel like you want to be asleep or when you want to stay awake longer. Just be curious.

A quote by Audrey Hepburn, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”

Thank you to Javardh for sharing this photo.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP 

Friday, May 5

Today is Friday, May 5, 2023. A great day to celebrate children.

Think about this: Listen to children laughing uncontrollably and it is hard not to smile. Joyful laughter is healthy, boosts others and changes the atmosphere and our internal physiology as well as those around us.

DGoV (Daily Gift of Vitality) Activity: Find opportunities to laugh out loud with joy. Let it release. Notice people having fun, laughing. Help others laugh too.

A quote by Charles Dickens, “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”

Thank you to Kulli Kittus for sharing this photo.

With gratitude and appreciation for all beings,

Naomi Parrella, MD & Fran Lee, FNP