This is a short video that describes the impact of caffeine and alcohol on sleep. Take a few minutes to watch it. It has some surprises.
Until next time…
Dave
Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk Tuesday – Insomnia
15 Tuesday Sep 2020
Posted in Ted Talk
Tag Archives: Relaxation
Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Week of September 6, 2020
06 Sunday Sep 2020
Posted in Spread Your Wings
With all the craziness in 2020, here’s another challenge that will help you gain a little peace. Challenge: Meditate 5 minutes for two days this week. It can be anytime you want, and wherever you want. You can listen to meditation music, you can get trial periods for the Calm or Headspace apps, or you can just use the simple method of closing your eyes and following your breath.
In the comments, tell me how it went.
Until next time…
Dave
Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Weekly Challenge
30 Sunday Aug 2020
Posted in Spread Your Wings
Tags
Challenges, family, Lockdown, Reading, Relaxation, Spread Your Wings, Sunday, Writing
Challenge: This week’s challenge involves some exploration. I’m going to offer another challenge below in case some of your lockdown conditions are just too hard to pull this off. The challenge is to take a walk in the woods, a beach, or a park. The challenge doesn’t require a certain distance, just that you go to one of these locations and take a stroll.
Challenge (alternate): Some of you live in areas where the lockdown is tough to overcome. One of my friends in Melbourne, Australia appears to be in an area that is suffering from a resurgence of the virus and is back under lockdown condition. This challenge is for you. This week, read about, look at pictures, or attend a virtual tour of one of your country’s or state’s national parks.
If you participate, tell me how you feel when you return from your little excursion.
Until next time…
Dave
Daily Ramblings – Funny Friday – Fish and Potatoes
15 Friday May 2020
Posted in Funny Friday
A boy is selling fish on a corner. To get his customers’ attention, he is yelling, “Dam fish for sale! Get your dam fish here!” A pastor hears this and asks, “Why are you calling them ‘dam fish.'” The boy responds, “Because I caught these fish at the local dam.” The pastor buys a couple fish, takes them home to his wife, and asks her to cook the dam fish. The wife responds surprised, “I didn’t know it was acceptable for a preacher to speak that way.” He explains to her why they are dam fish. Later, at the dinner table, he asks his son to pass the dam fish. He responds, “That’s the spirit, Dad! Now pass the fucking potatoes!”
Courtesy: The Laugh Factory
Have a great Friday, folks!
Until next time…
Dave
Daily Ramblings – Funny Friday -The Perfect Son
31 Friday Jan 2020
Posted in Funny Friday
It’s Friday folks! Time for a joke for my Funny Friday posting.
I hope all of you have a great Friday and a fun and relaxing weekend. Here’s your weekly funny!
A: I have the perfect son.
B: Does he smoke?
A: No, he doesn’t.
B: Does he drink whiskey?
A: No, he doesn’t.
B: Does he ever come home late?
A: No, he doesn’t.
B: I guess you really do have the perfect son. How old is he?
A: He will be six months old next Wednesday.
Courtesy: The Laugh Factory
Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Exercising the Brain
05 Saturday Oct 2019
Posted in Spiritual Saturday
Video provided by Happify and Dan Harris. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/131682712
I enjoy posting these videos. I find them entertaining and hope you do too! Today’s little video is a quick walk-through on meditation. I enjoy meditation because it helps me focus, and it is very relaxing. It is a great way to train the mind.
I hope you have a great Saturday!
Until next time…
Dave
Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Meditation Benefits
10 Saturday Aug 2019
Posted in Spiritual Saturday
Tags
Benefits, Focus, Less Anxiety, Less Chronic Pain, Lower Blood Pressure, Meditation, Relaxation, spirituality
Mayo Mindfulness: Meditation is good medicine
The above link will take you to a terrific article about the benefits of meditation. I highly recommend taking a quick look if you have any doubts about this practice. Just 10 minutes a day can have a tremendous impact on your memory, your sleep, and your concentration. It can reduce your blood pressure, improve your mood, and sometimes, reduce chronic pain (Sparks, 2019).
There are quite a few apps that can help you with meditation, like Calm and Headspace. You can take courses on Mindfulness and meditation on Coursera. You can also find many guided meditations on YouTube. So what’s holding you back?
Meditation is a good workout for your brain, just like a good workout in the gym. It’s something you can do first thing in the morning or late at night. You can do it during a lunch break.
Personally, I would recommend using an app. Yeah, it’ll cost you a few bucks, but there is a lot of competition and the apps offer a great deal of content for the price. Content includes various meditations, meditation programs for reducing stress, productivity, or even self-care. Most of them will also have meditations specific to improving sleep. Calm’s sleep stories are awesome!
Anyone can meditate. It is just closing your eyes and concentrating on your breath and only your breath (It’s harder than you think). One of the shocking things I discovered is how crazy the mind really is. It is so hard to focus on the breath initially, but it will get easier over time.
If you haven’t meditated before, try the apps or YouTube. It’ll be worth your while. Articles like I provided above and cited below, provided by the Mayo Clinic, are beyond credible. Give it a whirl, you won’t be disappointed.
That’s all I got today, folks. I wish you great success with your new meditation practice.
Until next time…
Dave
Reference
Sparks, D. (2019). Mayo Mindfulness: Meditation is good medicine. Retrieved from: https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-mindfulness-meditation-is-good-medicine/?cauid=100503&geo=national&linkId=71697218&mc_id=us&placementsite=enterprise
Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content – Video Games and Netflix
16 Thursday May 2019
Posted in Bonus Content
Tags
Dead Space, Dead Space 2, Dead Space 3, Enjoyment, Entertainment, Fun, Netflix, Recuperation, Relaxation, The West Wing
Image by QuentinLGH from Pixabay
I enjoy my relaxation time as much as I do the work I do. Currently, I am playing a video game called Dead Space. I am also watching a series on Netflix called The West Wing. If you have not played Dead Space, I highly recommend it. I won’t offer any spoilers but it is one great game. It has some really scary scenes and has a great back story. I love video games with a great back story. The West Wing is a television show that was very popular. The series is about a President (Martin Sheen) and a whole host of great characters who really make the show. The writing is superb and I enjoy it tremendously.
If you are into video games, try out Dead Space. It is re-engineered to work on the Xbox One and will set you back $15. It also has two more games beyond the original–Dead Space 2 and Dead Space 3. I’m going to play the heck out of Dead Space this month and will jump into Dead Space 2 next month. It’s $19.99.
That’s it, folks. I just wanted to spread the word about two great things I do when I relax. I hope you give them a whirl if you are into Netflix and video games. They are a real treat!
Dave
Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Another Day of Relaxation
22 Monday Apr 2019
Posted in Motivation Monday
Hello, all!
I had a great Easter weekend with family and really enjoyed the downtime. It’s nice to have a break from the day-to-day once in a while and I took advantage of it. Today, will be another day of rest and recuperation to spend my sister’s last day here. Subsequently, today’s post will be short. I’m up early getting things done before the rest of the family wakes up.
On a sad note, my heart goes out to the people of Sri Lanka today. According to the news, terrorist bombs killed 200 people and injured many more yesterday. There were some American casualties but authorities have not released the names. When you read about horrors like this, it wakes you up to the savagery ever-present in the world.
On a lighter note, I’ll be back on track with my daily habits and rituals tomorrow. I hope each of you has a terrific week. Keep pushing forward with your goals. Remember, one small step at a time. Each step gets you closer.
Until next time…
Dave
Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content – Happy Easter!
21 Sunday Apr 2019
Posted in Easter
Today is Easter! For those of you who celebrate, I wish you a terrific Easter Sunday! I love holidays because it’s the one time during the year we can celebrate together with family and friends. My sister is visiting and Dad and I are having a great time with her. My Mom is in Minneapolis this weekend for ECKANKAR’s Springtime Seminar. She enjoys going to the major seminars to reconnect with friends she has made on Facebook and to pitch in on discussion round tables that are held at these events.
I wish all of you a terrific day wherever you are in the world. If you have any Easter memories to share, please do so in the comments below.
Until next time…
Dave
