The Muna Effect

I've always considered my life as several puzzle pieces, aiming towards putting together this ginormous picture one day, and when that picture is complete... life itself will be over even if I'm alive, you know what I mean? Fortunately, I don’t think that will ever happen. Life is a never-ending puzzle. We’re constantly putting pieces together. And it’s not like these pieces aren't malleable (or is that only applicable to metals?); the pieces can grow. Or rather they la yer up and create a larger and larger picture. Actually, it’s the framing that changes. My perspective and my view. There's this huge image, but I can only see so much of it. And lately (for the past two years or so) it seems that every so often my fr ame enlarges to allow more of the image to be seen. And it always opens my eyes up a little more, and I always feel a little more secure and snug. Like I just plugged in another piece of the puzzle. And it’s the perfect fit. It might even be compared...

Do write about it "Writing or journaling allows you to slow down and think through how you want to respond so you’re responding rather than reacting," says Kueny. What’s the difference? "Reacting is ba sed on emotions. It's almost automatic. Our emotions feel very real but they’re not always rationale," she says. "When we respond we’re choosing how to respond. We’re cognitively thinking through what we want to have happen and what is the best way to make that happen." Don’t stomp or storm Instead of storming into a room and screaming that your partner isn’t paying enough attention to you, write about it or employ some other anger-dissipating trick. After you're feeling calmer, walk into the room and say you’ve missed him or her and suggest an activity you can do together. "A rationale response is more likely to get the desired outcome," says Kueny. Do practice compassion Doing something compassionate for someone else is ...

"Is today a bad day or just a less happy day?" --My baby brother. Good question huh? Sometimes we might feel less happy and misunderstand that to mean that we're not having a good day. Every day is going to be different. We can live off of our happy high days all day every day, forever and ever. But that doesn't mean it’s a bad day. It just means it’s another day.  Bad DAYS are actually pretty rare, and bad LIVES are even more rare. I see them more as bad   moments . We may have a bad moment or a few bad moments in a day, but does that mean the entire day is bad? No. Look for any and all positives in that day. Trust me, there's always something, no matter how "small" it may seem.  Of course, there are cases when people really do have bad days for several days, and I'm not pointing towards them. I'm not saying what you're feeling isn't real. Your case could be different than mine. If you're really in a bad spot, I'm not he...

** Disclosure: There are spoilers regarding the novel ** It used to be that I could and would read 16 books within a week back in "the day" (i.e. middle school). However, as an undergrad senior soon-to-be grad student, that's not the case. So it’s always a rare treat when I can finish a novel. My most recent read is titled Hush, Hush , written by Becca Fitzpatrick. It was alright to say the least. I know that’s not a very descriptive word- but I assure you, a description follows! It’s surprising how the book managed to grab my attention right from the first page. I honestly can’t remember the last time a book was able to accomplish that. Perhaps it was the easy-to-read flow, perhaps it was the imagery of quick and dirty sex on a farm in the rain, or maybe it was just the fact that I had just had a 13 hour layover in Kuwait with absolutely nothing to do leaving my mental resources achingly ready to absorb the first available form of entertainment. ...