Items in today’s column include:
*Here’s how to reduce High Holy Day stress
*Political Bytes
*Coming Our Way
Here’s how to reduce High Holy Day stress
SAN DIEGO – Just in time for Yom Kippur, San Diego author Julie Potiker has offered some tips for how to reduce stress.
They are:
- Recognize Stress When It’s Happening: Allow yourself to recognize when stress is coming up in your body. Name it, and identify what you are feeling and where. For example, “I feel stressed; my neck is tightening up. I feel anxious; my stomach feels upset. I feel agitated; I’m tapping my feet a lot.” Naming the emotion and observing where it is occurring physically in your body is one way to use mindfulness to step into awareness and out of the intensity of the emotional state.
- Observe Yourself Without Judgment: In recognizing how you are feeling, take a moment to look at yourself as you would a dear friend. Observe yourself with kindness and compassion, not judgment. Ask your inner critic to take a back seat while you give yourself the caring you need to get through this moment.
- Breathe: Practice the pause. Take a slow, deep breath and exhale slowly. Repeat this four or five times. Pay attention to your breath and count the number of breaths. Again, this takes you out of the intensity of your stressful feelings.
- Give Yourself Reminders: I like to use little colored dot stickers; you can find these at most any office supply store. Place a sticker on your computer, on your work phone, even on your dashboard in your car. When you see the sticker, take that as your cue to take a slow, deep breath.
- Keep a Here-and-Now Stone On Your Desk: Find any stone that feels good in the palm of your hand. It doesn’t need to be fancy; you can find one in your yard, on a walk, or even at an arts and crafts store. Keep this stone on your desk at work and pick it up any time you feel stressed. Really feel the stone in your hands. Focus mindfully on its texture, its temperature, its weight, then look at it and observe its shape and color and any patterns. I like to call this a “here-and-now stone” because it brings you right into the present moment, stopping the loop of discursive thoughts that were stressing you out.
These tips and others are elaborated upon in Potiker’s book: Life Falls Apart, but You Don’t Have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm In the Midst of Chaos.
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Political Bytes
To accommodate his attorneys, an appeals court has delayed Congressman Duncan Hunter’s fraud trial on charges of misappropriation of campaign funds for eight days to Jan. 22. The primary election, in which Hunter has drawn major opponents including former Congressman Darrell Issa, state Senator Brian Jones, Radio host Carl DeMaio , and his 2018 challenger Ammar Campa-Najjar, is scheduled for March 3. … San Diego City Council candidate Joe Leventhal has been endorsed for the 5th District seat by the San Diego Asian Americans for Equality (SDAAFE) Foundation. “Joe Leventhal is a hardworking and thoughtful leader who appreciates the diverse demographics in the region,” said Steve Hsieh, SDAAFE President. “I am confident that he will work to improve the quality of life for the thousands of Asian Americans living in San Diego. SDAAFE is proud to endorse Joe’s bid for City Council, District 5.”
Coming Our Way
Among films to be shown at the San Diego International Film Festival is Jo Jo Rabbit by New Zealand moviemaker Taiki Waititi, which concerns a boy in Nazi Germany who finds his single mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. It will be screened on Oct. 15 at the Balboa Theater. Ticket information is available through the festival’s website.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com