Worldwide Stew

Be kind to yourself first

The first person to whom you should be kind is yourself.

You might think I’m talking about narcissism. I’m not. A narcissist is an extremely self-centered person who has an exaggerated sense of self-importance. By definition, they don’t find it hard to be unkind to themselves.

It’s hard for me to write about this because I often feel unkind to myself. I’m learning, though, that a lack of self-compassion is harmful to everyone who surrounds the self-judgemental person. It messes with how we live with each other.

A brief meditation for Parkinsons Disease

This is a transcript of my Self-Acceptance Meditation

This meditation is a collaboration with Claude.ai.

Hi, this is Mike Davis. I am the host of the Worldwide Stew podcast and WorldwideStew.com. This is a focused effort to try to provide some hopefully helpful meditation, brief ones, for those with Parkinson’s disease. I hope this helps. Thanks for listening. So I want to welcome you to this gentle meditation for self-acceptance. However you arrived here today, at this moment, sitting, lying down, in a wheelchair, you’ve made it to this moment and that takes incredible courage.

Never waste an elevator trip

There’s a reason they ask entrepreneurs, what is your elevator speech?

It’s because a lot can happen in an elevator. Two or more people meet. There are limmited distractions. You have an opportunity to share messages. You might make a transaction.

Anyway, that’s the logic of it.

Like most things, there’s more than logic in promoting the elevator speech.

You’re making a mad dash to decent coffee. Your hair may or may not be combed. If you’re twelve, you may be going to your parent’s room in your swim suit.

Nothing else matters

Nothing else matters

By Mike Davis, Th.M.

Go to Your Room

I suspect my Mom wasn’t the only parent who responded to her children’s loud disagreements and fighting by telling us to go to our rooms.

It was good advice. When we get caught up in fight (part of the fight, flight, faint network), the chemicals coursing through our bodies want to defend ourselves from fear of shame, embarrassment, and , occasionally, physical injury.

Often, the most mindful way of navigating our fear, anger, and doubt is to separate ourselves from the circumstances. This is especially true if we can learn to be aware of arousal. Awareness can be our Earkly Warning System! It gives us space to rewrite the story we’re telling ourselves. Usually, that’s the problem: the story that’s taken residence in our mind. They’re taking advantage of us. They don’t value my feelings. They always treat me this way.