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Moving Beyond Terror. First Step: Breathe

Anyone who has ever worked with me, in any teaching capacity, knows my first act when teaching is to get everyone to stop and breathe. Whether I am working with fourth graders or NASA scientists, I always say the following: “Before we start, I’m going to ask you all to stand on up …” and…

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It turns out I like the flurry – tending to stay in motion

Yesterday was a crazy day in my life. I had to complete two vastly different projects. First, I was presenting my “Let’s Talk Clouds” workshop at a local middle school. As the Earth Lady, I work with schools to help students jump-start their interest in science, specifically Earth Science. Then, I switched gears and released…

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Productivity Tuesday: Feel Free to Forgive Yourself

Sometimes, despite our best efforts to be productive and to complete projects on time, we get overwhelmed. Too many deadlines loom. Too many to-do items beckon. Too much has to be done right this instant.I just had this happen yesterday. I returned from a weekend away to a mountain of projects that ballooned into emergencies…

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Communication Thursday: Just Exactly How Do You Inhale? (part 2 of proper breathing)

In the previous post, we talked about proper posture when standing or sitting to communicate. To recap: stand with your feet hip-width apart (draw an imaginary line from your second toes, through the center of your ankles, the center of your knees and then up to the hip points [the parts that just out to…

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They all say to stop and breathe, but how exactly do we do it?

Oh my goodness there are a ton of posts on mindfulness, meditation, and anxiety reduction. Almost all of them have some form of, “stop, be still, and breathe to calm yourself.” It’s great advice. And it works. The trouble is, how do you stop, be still, and breathe when you might be scared, anxious, nervous,…

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Keeping Our Cool (Strategies for Maintaining Focus While Competing)

(Over the next few posts, I will look at how to maintain focus while in competition or in other high-stress situations.) Today, let’s talk about breath. If I have to make a list on how to maintain focus while in the midst of competition, the first item on that list would be to breathe. Deep,…