All Life is Learning - May 2022

One-time volunteers needed

Ever wonder about how to volunteer with OLLI when your life is so busy? We have the perfect opportunity! Volunteers are always needed for one-time activities, such as talking with people about OLLI at a Farmers Market, festival, Art Hop, or helping at Taste of OLLI 2022. If this sounds like something you can fit into your schedule, please sign up for our list of members willing to be asked for assistance by reaching out to Judy Sivak, co-chair of the Membership and Marketing committee, at judysivak@gmail.com or call the OLLI office at (269) 387-4157. 

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Learnable superpowers – mindful meditation

I recently took my 17-year-old daughter and her friend to Florida for spring break. My wife could not get the time off, so if we were going to drive straight through, I would have to reconcile attempting to sleep in the back seat while my teenager drove 80 miles an hour at 3 a.m. It proved impossible. With the ABRUPT lane changes, regular intervals of slamming on the brakes, and many expletives from the both of us, I realized that I would never be able to fall asleep, regardless of my exhaustion. Of course, she thinks she is the best driver in the world (she is not). Although I am a pretty fit person, I came as close as ever to having a coronary event and had to find ways to keep calm for about 8-hours. I had to conjure my mindfulness superpower for survival, and it gave me the idea for this month’s newsletter submission. 

Mental health is part of almost every conversation these days, and depression and anxiety are a common part of our language. Mindful meditation and radical acceptance have helped millions of people manage their stress and anxiety. I will only describe them from a big-picture perspective, as they are designed to be very personal in nature and mastered over time.

Mindfulness is a mental state where one’s focus is on the present moment in time. Most of our stress is fed by thoughts of the past and/or the future, so the idea is to use meditation to focus on the present with non-judgmental acceptance of your current emotional state. Close your eyes and focus on something you hear or feel, like the air conditioning in the vents or the way your body feels in the chair. As your mind drifts to the future, maybe a deadline or some chore, catch yourself and bring your focus back to the air in the vents. As your mind drifts to the past, maybe an unpleasant exchange with a colleague or something you read in the paper, catch yourself and bring your focus back to the way your body feels in the chair. 

 Like any superpower or skill your ability to conjure it gets better over time and with practice. Having practiced this superpower for the last five years or so, it came in handy during Covid and is the only reason I survived that 8-hour ride with my teenage daughter behind the wheel. As you get better at practicing mindfulness, you notice that you now have the magical power of closing your eyes and making your stress and anxiety disappear. Here is a study that discusses the physiology behind why mindful meditation has this effect on our executive function. 

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