Elbow Bumps and Pandemonium - Blog#26 - 28 March 2020

The coronavirus has invaded, an invisible alien, spreading from Area 51 in Wuhan, taking over our fellow humans, infecting invisibly, so we don’t even know who is who. Are thee friend or foe? The word “pandemonium” was coined by John Milton in his classic poem, Paradise Lost. He combined a pair of roots, “pan” (meaning: all) and “demonium” (evil spirits), to form a word that now describes all hell breaking loose. How apt.

Our needs compete. Survival, health, and safety are more primal, and typically trump our needs for attachment, affiliation, and affection, though we seek compromises. Anxiety motivates fight-or-flight maneuvers intended to guarantee survival (social distancing = flight) or at least reduce an emotional threat. Loneliness motivates affiliation, the urge to connect. How can we balance them? How can we listen to the wisdom of our anxiety, but keep a leash on the amygdala? How can we maintain connectedness in the face of social distancing?

Anxiety, Avoidance, Death Anxiety, Connectedness, Gratitude, Managing Feelings, Mindfulness, SadnessEd ChandlerMarch 28, 2020Comment

Managing Sadness and Depression - Blog#20 - 7 July 2019

Clinical depression goes well beyond sadness and related feelings. It is best viewed as a syndrome with cognitive, behavioral, and physical, as well as emotional symptoms. To reduce depression, we often need to grieve, and replace or accept significant losses that led to our depression. But we also need to address behaviors and thought patterns that contribute to or maintain depression. Specifically, we need to counteract depressive withdrawal, and change negative thoughts about our self, the world (and people), and our future. And sometimes we need to muster the courage to address childhood issues that continue to dog us well into our adult years. If you get stuck in the blues, or experience more pronounced clinical depression, join us for this foray into perspectives on the alleviation of depression.

Depression, Sadness, Self-Help, External Connectedness, Avoidance, Acceptance, Consciousness, Managing FeelingsEd ChandlerJuly 7, 2019Comment

Ed Chandler and Beyond