Alice’s Book Club – SPRING session of 2024

 The complete briefing will be available soon. Thank you!

MENTAL well-being

Mental health is extremely important for everyone and it needs to be carefully taken care of in order to have a good quality life. But what is this “mental health” since so many people are talking about in our society nowadays?

Well, before I progress with my thoughts on it, here I begin (as I often do) with the scholastic definition, most accredited academics of the world agreed upon: "Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behaviour".

According to several organizations from the health field, mental health is "the state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to his or her community". In other words, "it determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making, including subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence, and self-actualization of one's intellectual and emotional potential, among others".

Pretty complex, isn’t it?! Of course it is, and that’s why governments allocate tremendous resources (accessible and comprehensive) in order to empower individuals with knowledge, but it is up to each person to be willing to stay informed and up to date on this matter. 

For your reference, here I’m sharing a fragment from the Government of Canada's website (the Division of Public Health Services), which lists few valuable points, concerning mental health:

Fragment: "How can you take care of your mental health?"

Take care of your mental health in the same way you would take care of your physical health. It takes practise, patience and support.

You can maintain or improve your mental health by following the advice below:

- Know and accept that life can be challenging.

- Know and accept your strengths and weaknesses.

- Set realistic goals for yourself.

- Accept yourself and others. This is the basis of self-esteem.

- Learn to recognize and understand that you and others have both positive and negative feelings.

- Create a sense of meaning in your life by learning and trying new activities, like starting a hobby.

- Create healthy, trusting relationships with people who accept and support you.

- Building a supportive community is an important way to improve mental health.

- Making meaningful connections with your family, friends, peers, colleagues and other members of your community can help you feel: like you belong, safe and secure, free to express your thoughts and feelings on issues that are important to you.

- You can help create a healthy and safe environment where you live, learn, work and play by:

* knowing and accepting that everyone has difficulties in their lives

* taking part in local events and getting to know your neighbours

* finding ways to get involved and giving back to your community

* supporting and including people of different ages and backgrounds in your community

Also, for my Romanian readers, below I’m publishing a text written by professor, doctor Leon Dănăilă, for whom I have a tremendous respect.

(As a courtesy, here I’m publishing the text in original, asking the non-Romanian speaking readers to use the automated translator installed at the bottom of the page. Thank you!)

NOTE: Neuroplasticity is the brain’s capacity to continue growing and evolving in response to life experiences.

"Dragii mei, dragile mele,

Astăzi vreau să împărtășesc cu voi câteva modalități simple de a stimula neuroplasticitatea:

- Utilizați mâna nedominantă: Faceți activități zilnice, cum ar fi spălatul pe dinți sau folosirea furculiței cu mâna mai puțin folosită. Acest exercițiu, cunoscut sub numele de neurobice, consolidează conexiunile dintre celulele creierului.

- Călătoriți: Explorați locuri noi și expuneți-vă creierul la stimuli inediți și medii înconjurătoare noi pentru a deschide noi căi neuronale.

- Antrenați-vă memoria: Utilizați mnemotehnici pentru a vă exersa memoria, stimulând conectivitatea rețelelor neuronale.

- Citiți ficțiune: Cititul unui roman și implicarea în acțiunea acestuia îmbunătățesc conectivitatea creierului și activitatea în regiunile responsabile pentru senzații și mișcare.

- Dansați: Practicarea dansului reduce riscul de dezvoltare a bolii Alzheimer și îmbunătățește conectivitatea neuronală, datorită implicării multiplelor funcții ale creierului.

- Asigurați-vă un somn adecvat: Somnul ajută la consolidarea învățării prin creșterea spinilor dendritici și transferul informațiilor între neuroni. Recomandat este un somn de minim 7 ore pe noapte.

- Faceți exerciții fizice și meditați: 30 de minute de exerciții fizice zilnic sau meditația contribuie la formarea de noi sinapse, iar consumul de flavonoide (cacao, afine) și antioxidanți (ceai verde) susține plasticitatea creierului.

Încercați aceste metode pentru a vă menține creierul în formă și a spori agilitatea mintală, indiferent de vârstă!"

So, dear friends, reading only the brief thoughts shared above, I guess we could safely imply that more often than we think, our mental health is in our hands and taking it seriously is an essential part of our overall well-being.

Your mental health is crucial; make time for it like your life depends on it, because it does!

POEM: “Mother o’ Mine”

“Piano Concerto No. 1” – by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (classical music)

Here is a short poem, written by Rudyard Kipling, highlighting the unconditional love of a mother for her child. Depicting different situations, the author assures that his mother’s love would sustain him throughout any hardships he might encounter in life.
Extrapolating a bit, this poem is focusing on a personal and universal theme, which “reflects the Victorian era's emphasis on domesticity and family values, while exploring the enduring power of maternal love. Through its concise language and evocative imagery, the poem encapsulates the timeless bond between a mother and her child”.

🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

~ short video clip (this poem in audio version) ~
 

May 2024: “Happy MOTHER’s Day!”

It’s a well-known fact that celebrating a Mother’s contribution in our life cannot be celebrated in a day or two. But a day has been dedicated to make all mothers out there feel proud of themselves, emphasizing that life would not have been the way it is today, had they not been there.

Wishing all mothers our there a very  Happy Mother's Day! 

● Few video clips featuring Mother’s Day:

         (In English language): “History of Mother's Day” (via History Channel)  | “A Mother’s Day Tribute”

        (A brief musical moment): “A Mother's Prayer” (interpreted by Céline Dion)

● My previous greetings on the same theme: MOTHER’s Day – 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019

6 Years Anniversary of ALICE & FRIENDS CIRCLE™

 The complete briefing will be available soon. Thank you!

Meanwhile, please continue to enjoy and appreciate the ongoing spring, as there is always, always something to be grateful for.

Quick insights on CONTINUITY

       According to a number of significant scholars, continuity provides valuable perspectives on how people navigate through life, while maintaining a healthy sense of self-continuity, wisdom based on which we could gain a deeper understanding of what shapes us as individuals and how we could further promote personal growth and well-being.

      Generally speaking, continuity is a pretty subtle concept, explained as “the state or quality of being continuous” in relation to various contexts, according to Oxford English Dictionary.

      This term could be also understood as a flow of action without interruptions or changes, which provides security in life, emphasizing a positive effect (when continuity is seen as a dynamic process where changes are a part of life), or a negative one (based on its static facet, it might be difficult to fit into a constantly changing world).

      Personally, I truly believe that it is wise to have on the table a number of adaptive strategies based on past experiences, which could be used to deal with unforeseeable changes while creating stability in life.

      Another interesting way to understand a person's multifaceted experiences of continuity in life it is from a philosophical point of view.

      Some people “consider continuity as a prerequisite for human life, and how central it is in order to further develop our personalities in relation to social structures, process occurring by maintaining relationships across time and space, through both daily routines and social relations”.

“Continuity – a unique lens through which we can examine the intricate journey of human development.”

April 22, 2024: INTERNATIONAL EARTH Day

Each year, on April 22^nd is the annual celebration of Terra, and the chosen theme for 2024 is “Planet vs. Plastics” – an excellent occasion to be reminded about the significance of environment conservation and sustainability, while encouraging all humans to join efforts by taking better actions for a healthier and happier world!

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.”

● Basic background info:

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. First celebrated in 1970, it now includes events in more than 193 countries, focusing on engaging more than 1 billion people, governments, institutions and businesses to recognize our collective responsibility and to help accelerate the transition to an equitable, prosperous green economy for all.

● ARTICLES:

“10 Surprising Facts About Earth Day” | “A renewed SOS for survival: Earth Day 2024” | 
“International Mother Earth Day: Why we need to celebrate it every year?”

         ● VIDEOS:

“One Earth - Environmental Short Film”  | “His Epic Message Will Make You Want to Save the World - Short Film Showcase” (via National Geographic) | “The Beauty Of Earth”

● My previous greetings on the same theme: International Earth Day – 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019

March 2024: Happy EASTER!

 EASTER (Pascha) – an annual observance, honoring an old tradition while sending along appropriate compliments!

Warm greetings to all my friends who celebrate today (March 31’24) this special holiday!

Also, at this time, early greetings to all my Romanian & Greek friends who will celebrate this holiday few weeks later. 

֍ HAPPY EASTER! ֍ PAŞTE FERICIT! ֍ FROHE OSTERN! ֍ ΚΑΛΌ ΠΆΣΧΑ! ֍ JOYEUSES PÂQUES! ֍ BUONA PASQUA! ֍ 

● Additional background info:
Going beyond the religious significance of this holiday, here are few reference materials of general interest, depicting the secular & the cultural facets of this feast.  

● ARTICLES:

“Easter Traditions in Romania: A Cultural Celebration” |  “5 Romanian Easter Traditions (Orthodox Easter traditions)”  |  “Romanian traditions on Easter”

|  “Seven Easter Traditions from Around the World” (promoted by Martha Stewart)   | “27 Traditional Easter Foods From Around the World”  |  
“35 Popular Easter Traditions From Around the World to Celebrate the Holiday”  |  “How Countries Around the World Celebrate Easter”

● VIDEOS:

(In English language): “The incredible ROMANIAN Egg Art That Will Awe You” (Short Film Showcase by National Geographic) |

(In Ro language): “Exclusiv în România: Cel mai mare muzeu din lume dedicat ouălor încondeiate” (via archiva TVR1)

(In Ro language): “Taina încondeierii ouălor sau, cum o numesc localnicii, ‘scrierea ouălor’”

(In English language): “Traditional Easter Eggs in Romania”

● My previous greetings on the same theme: EASTER – 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019

Positive ATTITUDE, positive THINKING

”Joie De Vivre” – by Frederic Francois Chopin (classical music) 

       Once upon a time, I’ve read in one of Dale Carnegie’s books something that caught my attention and stayed with me for a number of years....here it is:  “Remember, happiness doesn't depend upon who you are or what you have; it depends solely upon what you think. So start each day by thinking of all the things you have to be thankful for. Your future will depend very largely on the thoughts you think today. So think thoughts of hope and confidence and love and success.”
       Yes, I’m more and more convinced that a significant part of the entire whole, it is about gratitude and positive thinking!
For some people it might be obvious that having a positive attitude could help them live a happier life, but the actual practice of expressing it, it is something that not very many people do.
       The wonderful opportunity for a greater peace of mind is lost, because many choose to focus on what others do, to criticize them every way they can, to blame everyone and everything hoping that by blowing someone’s candle their might shine brighter, but history has shown us time and time again that this is not the way things work.
       It you desire more happiness in your life, it is important to be positive, to live in the moment and to do things that bring you joy. When you are joyful, you shine and you will attract more like minded people into your life!

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”