Episode 34 - Seriously? Oh my G.A.A.D! - A Sanity Quickie ...

The Hopeful Humanist Cafe

Welcome to an ¨S.Q.¨ moment, a Sanity Quickie, where I will share with you a daily practice I have incorporated into my days to stand up to the chaos thrust into our lives because of the covid-19 Pandemic. The tile for this episode is both a description of the shared hardships of our collective reality and a sanity prescription to boost optimism, elevate levels of happiness (even if only by degrees), and combat intrusive automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) that currently plague many of us as we are struggling to figure out how to navigate the terrain of an uncertain and unfamiliar world. The acronym is obviously a play on words and hopefully a refuge for the secularist, humanist, atheist or anyone whose tendency is to appeal to reason. G.A.A.D stand for gratitude, acceptance (of the radical sort), achievement (or accomplishment) and a deliberate internal reflection about who or what we desire to embrace and bring into our lives so we can experience happiness and good mental and physical healthy. I invite the listener to reflect upon the benefits (i.e. increased optimism) of finding a moment each and everyday (upon waking up, during a meal, going for a walk, getting ready for bed, etc.) to think about things to be grateful for, embrace a mental attitude of acceptance, consciously reflect upon daily achievements (check-mark moments), and setting goals motivated from an inward glance of enhancing desires as opposed to desires based on impulsive clinging and craving.

The orienting tone includes:

1) T-shirt idea: "No Biggie"

2) Mantra: "Chip away at the stone"

3) Empowering quote by Emily Dickinson: "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul."

Showcase Resource:

1) I would like to share a link to a podcast I recently listened to entitled, "How to take it like a Stoic" at https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/take-it-like-a-stoic-coping-in-the-time-of-coronavirus-1.5520846. Check-out the interview to discover some ways to hone the acceptance muscle and enjoy a discussion about the benefits of journalling like a stoic and the suggestion that "negative visualization" might help us to be more grateful for the moment(s) we find ourselves in.

Thank-you for joining me for this sanity quickie, just a tip-of-the-iceberg conversation that is always on-going and continuous. Until next time, peace, take care, and be well!