Existential Crisis An indication that usual practices are not working. What has changed? What values are being affected? Even - what are your important values? Existential questions While it is normal to think about these existential questions, one must be careful to maintain focus on the outcome, and not to get hung up on … Continue reading Life Practices Approach
Making Sense of Dreams During These Troubled Times
One way of making sense of dreams that I have found helpful in my philosophical consultancy practice is to first understand what dreams are before trying to interpret these messages from our unconscious. Associating with what we already knowDuring sleep we stop taking experience in and engage in a digestion or integration of the days’ … Continue reading Making Sense of Dreams During These Troubled Times
Life Practice 3: Frustration and Knowledge
Frustration begins where knowledge ends. Stress can be attributed to a lack of information. There is nothing to advise you as to what to do next, and not enough information for you to make that decision yourself. More information reduces frustration During changes in the workplace, managers help limit frustration by keeping the lines of … Continue reading Life Practice 3: Frustration and Knowledge
Life Practice 2: Relationship and Content
Paul Watzlawick once said that all statements contain an element of relationship and content. The familiar greeting, “how are you” is just that, a greeting. Relationship based, the speaker doesn’t really want to know how you are feeling; this statement merely acknowledges you, and you reply with “fine thank you, yourself” which is not meant … Continue reading Life Practice 2: Relationship and Content
Life Practice 1: Zoom in, zoom out
As we continue this era of physical isolation for indeterminate duration, our daily lives begin to normalize. We ease into our new structure to settle into a routine. Depending on how long the distancing rules will be in effect, we could lapse into autopilot mode the same way we had done so during our pre-virus … Continue reading Life Practice 1: Zoom in, zoom out
Life practices approach: a series of blog entries for people whose practices no longer work
As our politicians reach another decision point regarding the extension of social isolation, it is natural for us to ponder their decision with mixed feelings. Unexpectedly thrust upon us, we have experienced this major lifestyle change into social isolation through the cycle of storming and into the norming phase. We have by now adjusted our … Continue reading Life practices approach: a series of blog entries for people whose practices no longer work
Dream Analysis
Dreams extract relationship from the content of experience. Dreaming about real life encounters provides us with opportunities to make sense of particular events. Dreaming about events is how we understand and learn so we can adjust our expectations and become better equipped emotionally for comparable future interactions. Write it down - Capturing the story provides … Continue reading Dream Analysis
Living in the Human Predicament
Boon – something that is helpful or beneficial. Boonism - a system of boons or practices that help you to understand yourself and others. These practices of knowing and doing are available and part of life strategies. If you are beginning to rethink your purpose and what you truly value in life, there are things … Continue reading Living in the Human Predicament
Context and Perspective: from should to is
The realization that others do not conform to your expectations is a big one. Along with that realization comes the fact that others do not see your world as you do, nor do you see their world as they do. And this affects how we interpret each other’s speech and actions. Context: consider the relationship … Continue reading Context and Perspective: from should to is
Life Practice 4: Know that under stress we regress
Knowing how you behave under stress is empowering because you be able to recognize that you are stressed, and you can invoke some of your own interventions to generate options. As we have seen in previous practices, naming something is the first step towards fixing it. Know how you are when stressed Stress is one … Continue reading Life Practice 4: Know that under stress we regress
