Recent content by anniel

Honestly, I have found keeping a gratitude journal to be one of the most important factors in staying positive, motivated, and engaged with the world. I simply write down 5-10 things/experiences/etc. I'm grateful for at the end of each day. Then I look back at them over time. Obviously this...

I also love Winston Churchill's quote, "We are all worms... but I do believe that I am a glow worm!" I remember reading this quote as part of a required text in college, and just loving the attitude that it reflects. Thanks for sharing the Churchill quote about success, Delia. It's a really...

I'm a middle school ELA teacher, and I'm working on establishing a classroom library to help my students do more independent reading. I want to know what your favorite young adult books are, and/or what your favorite books were as a young teenager! Of course, books in this thread would need to...

I LOVE training for marathons because I find that focusing my life around those goals makes everything else in my life (work, sleep, relationships, etc.) go better. When I am really pushing my limits and surprising myself athletically, I feel like a productive person and I get more work done, I...

I find that I can focus much better after a morning workout-- if I'm waiting to work out until the afternoon or evening, I'm antsy and I'm thinking about my workout. So on my days off from work I try to get out and do my workout after I've had my coffee and a light breakfast. On days when I...

I agree with your point that especially at first, doing yoga at home rather than in a class can be especially helpful for stress relief. I've been doing about 15 minutes of yoga a day this summer and finding it extremely helpful. I do it alone in my bedroom in the evening. I went to a class with...

Hi folks, I offer very basic fitness coaching for $15/month. I have a USATF coaching certification and experience coaching both cross country and track and field. I have successfully helped some friends and family to their 5k and marathon finishes, and I would love to share this with you if you...

I love listening to pretty much anything by the band Red Molly. They're a folksy, really positive group. You can find many of their songs on YouTube or Spotify. A second favorite would be "Hideaway" by Kiesza. I'm also a sucker for the Beach Boys ("Don't Worry Baby"). :)

I recently read marathoner Deena Kastor's new memoir, Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory. This book was especially meaningful to me as a distance runner myself, but I think its focus on our ability to control our mental state and make the very best of each situation would...

One strategy that has really helped me is setting up an auto-payment from my checking account to my credit card every month, even if it's small. I treat this like a bill-- it has to get paid every month. I use debit or cash for all of my other expenses. This combination means that I can only...

I agree, Ilija, with your comment about really talking to each other. Thanks, kittykat, for the book recommendation! I will check it out. We're different in a lot of ways, I guess. One is that I think I am more of an emotional person and he approaches things more practically. He's definitely...

I'm relatively new to marriage, and quite young, and I would love to hear any tips people have about improving communication. My spouse and I are very different, and most of the time, that's a blessing. But sometimes our difference in communication styles makes it very hard to meet both of our...

What a great question! I'm very happy as a middle school teacher, but in another life I would love to become a physical therapist. To me, they seem like magicians; I have seen such immense growth in myself and others under their care. I think there's something very special about being able to...

Personally, I have two go-to strategies: working out and reading a good book. I don't always want to start a workout, but I always feel better once I have it done. I also find reading to be much more of an escape than browsing the news, looking at social media, etc. OlgaC, I love the idea of...