cultivating spiritual health with research-based ideas
(*Trigger warning: gun violence*) Today—May 1, 2020—is an interesting day for me, an anniversary of sorts but not one I ever wished to start. A year ago today, one of my hospice patients threatened me at gun point. Although I escaped physically unscathed, I have…
(Plus Simple Photo Instructions for Sewing a Cloth Face Mask) A few weeks ago, the CDC began recommending that everyone in the United States wear a basic cloth face mask while in public. In response, my friend, Sydney Morgan, created an easy-to-follow photo-based pattern for…
I recently posted about this mantra/prayer/saying on Instagram and it was so well-received that I decided to make it a blog post as well! This idea from A Course in Miracles is one of my favorite sayings/mantras/prayers ✨ Everything seems less anxiety-inducing and more peaceful…
Please note: I recognize there are several religious holidays celebrated at this time of year (and throughout the year), and I similarly recognize Religious Nones come from a variety of religiours backgrounds. However, I have chosen to focus this post solely on the Christmas holiday…
This morning, as I was cleaning the bathroom, I was reminded that cultivating our spiritual health does not always require spiritually-dedicated activities like prayer or meditation, nor extraordinary experiences like going on a pilgrimage or attending a week-long silent retreat. Rather, with awareness and a…
When was the last time you made a greeting card? Have you ever? Growing up, my brother and I always made our cards. Just a piece of construction paper and/or printed photo plus some felt-pens—a few minutes later we had a card! Then as an…
Box Breathing is a spiritual tool I first discovered in the book, Rising Strong by Brené Brown. It can calm the fight or flight response, aid emotional regulation (particularly around anxiety and stress), and center us in the present moment. I personally use it as…
The following is a blog post I wrote in Spring 2017 for the course Histories of Knowing, taught by Professor Amed Ragab at Harvard Divinity School. It is more information dense than my other blog posts. It is not focused on a spiritual tool but…
It turns out, doing a masters degree at Harvard is a lot of work! Not only has it been difficult to write regular blog posts, but it has also been difficult to prioritize practicing what I “preach.” As I study for days on end, I…
This semester, I had the pleasure of taking the Harvard Divinity School course, Bridges to JustPeace: Understanding Fragmentation, Inspiring Empathy, and Building Coalitions for a Just and Peaceful Future. The professor, Diane Moore—head of the Religious Literacy Project—created the course in response to the recent…