I love gardening tools, and painting tools, and “fix it” tools. To this day, one of my favorite activities is to wander around a hardware store. I’m fascinated by the vast displays of tools for every occasion and circumstance. And every time, I’m reminded that I need the proper tool to get a job done efficiently without injuring myself or damaging the project. I love it when I can accomplish all three and consider the effort wildly successful.

While meditation has become more mainstream, folks often dismiss it as a beneficial technique because of uncertainty about what it is. It is not removing all thoughts or stopping the incessant activity of one’s mind. It is not an Eastern religion. Meditation is a state of awareness and calm and one of the most effective forms of stress reduction.

The word mantra comes from Sanskrit meaning “sacred message.” It’s a short, positive statement or affirmation to say to yourself each day to remind yourself of your strength and resilience. Mantras are personal. Your mantra may not be meaningful to me, and my mantra may be useless to you, so finding a mantra or mantras that resonate with you is the key to their effectiveness and power. Plus, it’s important to have a variety of mantras for different situations, like coping with anxiety, depression, fear, or self-esteem issues.

Water has always frightened me, probably because I grew up in land-locked Oklahoma with few opportunities to become comfortable swimming or water skiing. In the water, I felt out of my element and scared. It was okay to be “around water” …playing in the lawn sprinkler or splashing in a shallow pool, but being “in the water,” in the deep end of a pool or in a lake or ocean, well, that was a panic attack waiting to happen.

Do you ever have trouble managing distressing thoughts? While you don’t have control over the thoughts that enter your mind, you do have control over how much time they spend there.

The medical assistant took his blood pressure. “What was it?” I asked. “I don’t know,” he said. “They didn’t tell me.” My father was raised in the era when you did what the doctor told you, no questions asked, like most people in his generation.

When I was a little kid, I remember thinking, “I hope I get an “A” on the spelling test!” Or when I was in high school, “I hope I get a Superior rating at the state piano competition.” And as an adult, thinking, “I hope I get that job!” Or, “I hope everything falls into place so we can move to Colorado.” Those are a few of the “hopes” I remember over the years. We can all reflect on past hopes for positive outcomes for both small, relatively inconsequential events as well as those that are life-changing.

Some people like scaring themselves to death…you know, the scary movies, zip-lining, the thrilling and heart-pounding amusement rides. Those have never been appealing to me, although I have daughters who love that type of thing. We obviously experience those activities differently. For me, those are frightening, scary times to be avoided at all costs; for them, eagerly sought experiences.

I readily admit it: Fall is my favorite time of the year. I have friends who thrive in year-round summer weather and never miss the changing seasons. But I need autumn. I find it’s an easier time, when I’m not suffocating in 105º heat or freezing in 30º below temperatures. Autumn takes little effort, and for me, it’s a time of respite and reflection…a time to catch up with myself, to be more mindful, to breathe easier.