Moving Beyond Social Distance Towards Expansive Solidarity

By Kyra Hazilla

In times of stress, I try to get really intentional about taking care of myself. I use a couple of strategies to increase my awareness of what is going into and coming out of my mind. I attend to how I am describing my circumstances and the world around me, and what I consume in the printed or visual forms. I came upon two great resources this week from The Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley that I’ve been sharing with colleagues and friends.

First, this lovely article reminds us of the four core things we need to prioritize during challenging times. Spoiler alert: my favorite thing about this article is the change in language from Social Distancing to Expansive Solidarity. I have found that the words I use matter, and I find my choices around words influence how I experience things.

Second, Greater Good offers a great reminder about bringing some mindfulness to our consumption of scary news: This article provides some illuminating research about what happens when we watch, read, or listen to a lot of news when things are intense. It also provides a couple of resources for good news.

Stay safe and take good care.

Savoring a Summer Shower

Aug 07, 2023

The practice of savoring has many benefits, not the least of which is helping you feel less busy on a busy day. Research shows it has positive effects for helping reduce hopelessness in depression, minimizing stress, and mitigating the effects of family conflict in balancing work and life activities.

Jun 22, 2023

There are many in the legal profession who struggle with the emotional tug-of-war of taking time off. Here are some thoughts to consider when planning your next holiday.

May 03, 2023

For today's facet of well-being, we look at the ways we can increase our sense of meaning and fulfillment in our work.