Stephen Shostek Counseling Services

10/14/2021

These Things: 466

Going for a walk?

Yeah, me too! This time I’m determined to get out of my own head and into something new and different. Check out The Mindful Walk on my blog.

https://stephenshostek.com/blog/the-mindful-walk/

06/03/2020

These Things: 468

New Starts

I’ve been interested to hear about new things that people started during the stay-at-home time. With more time at home and the need to have new/novel experiences, what might creativity realize?

In April, a climbing friend started a new podcast that you might find interesting. Portland resident Josh Elliott created “So, How Are You Doing?”, a podcast where he interviews people from various backgrounds and countries about how they’re affected by and coping with the pandemic. His guests include folks from outside the US (Argentina, Japan) as well as from around the US. The perspectives they share are interesting to say the least. https://joshuajayelliott.squarespace.com/episodes

05/01/2020

These Things: 467

For something totally whimsical, and a break from the news. Created by Nicolas Deveaux...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRYSOJOoHXA

Check out the Giraffes trend shop: http://www.shop.com/jvglenn/search/Giraffes

04/05/2020

These Things: 465

Laughter and Connection

New post on my blog: https://stephenshostek.com/blog/thriving-during-coronavirus-enrichment-and-laughter/

Thriving during Coronavirus: Laughter and Connection Leave a reply March 27, 2020. Here in Oregon we’re several weeks into spatial/social distancing, and for some of us it might even be week 4. So, how’s it going? For sure these past weeks have been isolating for most of us, and much less stimul...

03/24/2020

These Things: 464

Thriving during Coronavirus: The News

The world seems pretty dark and hopeless right now, especially if you’ve been keeping up to the hour with the news. What I’ve been reading lately has mostly inspired impatience, anger, fear, and a peculiar quality of dispiritedness. It hasn’t been fun or elevating. In my better moments I’ve been able to detach from it and come up for air.

Reading good news has helped. I found that I needed to search for it though – it wasn’t grabbing the headlines of the NY Times. But it’s out there and no surprise - good stuff is going on all around us. Of course it is, and reading about it creates a realistic balance for the troubling news, which I’ll keep reading because I value being informed. I’ll share a few news stories here that you might find elevating or make you laugh.

Acts of generosity? A plane carrying 31 tons of medical equipment and supplies arrived in Rome on March 12 to help Italy out. A team of 9 medical experts arrived with the shipment to lend a hand. Italy had asked its neighbors in the EU to help out with equipment and supplies during the crisis, but other EU countries were also feeling the pinch of scarcity (can you blame them?) and declined to help out. China stepped in - https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-italy-respirators/china-sends-medical-supplies-experts-to-help-italy-battle-coronavirus-idUSKBN2101IM

What is it about Penguins? Why do we enjoy watching them waddle along? Some aquariums have released their penguins to roam the spaces that humans have vacated and lucky for us they also released the videos -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVfTGFBJ8a8&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCtX5M_BGwE

Last couple of years, we’ve seen several new movies about Mr. Rogers. It’s clear that we’ve needed him lately. A quote attributed to Mr. Rogers goes like this: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, look for the helpers, you will always find people who are helping.” Here’s an NPR story about helping - https://www.kuow.org/stories/finding-support-and-kindness-in-the-coronavirus-neighborhood

A law student in S. California created a volunteer organization to provide groceries and supplies to the elderly, immunocompromised and others in need - https://www.ocregister.com/2020/03/20/kindness-during-coronavirus-yes-and-its-contagious/

Acts of kindness in London. A distillery switches to making hand sanitizer; Musicians stream performances; Food delivered to the homeless - https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/coronavirus-london-acts-of-kindness-in-a-public-health-emergency

Articles about neighbors volunteering to help neighbors abound - https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/random-acts-of-kindness-going-viral-too/287-1db051a3-6e1f-47a5-982a-b84f386ae0ac

I’ve no doubt that similar acts of kindness are underway in all of our communities. A search for “acts of kindness during coronavirus” will return page after page of results. If you have some unexpected free time on your hands and feel inspired to help out, there’s lots of science based evidence (and folk wisdom evidence) indicating that you’ll benefit along with the recipients. Here’s a behavioral science article about that - https://positivepsychology.com/random-acts-kindness/

And finally, I re-learned a lesson last night: I shouldn’t read the news as the last thing I do before I go to sleep. Last night it was just too dispiriting. Instead I’ll focus on Three Good Things, gratitude, and the funny way that penguins walk. Much better.

A planeload of medical supplies, including masks and respirators, has arrived in...

03/19/2020

These Things: 463

http://stephenshostek.com/blog/responding-to-the-coronavirus-outbreak-march-18-2020/

Responding to the Coronavirus Outbreak – March 18, 2020 Leave a reply I talked today with a few of my clients who have suddenly and unexpectedly lost their livelihoods. My heart goes out to you. Words seem so inadequate at a time like this. Things are changing fast in Oregon and in the US as the c...

03/19/2020

These Things: 462

Encouragement

Where do you turn for encouragement or inspiration during troubled times? A friend sent me a poem by Lynn Ungar that I’ll pass along here. Ungar offers a way to embrace the “stay at home” necessity that we’re living with today.

Pandemic

What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath—
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world
different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those
to whom you commit your life.
Center down.

And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives….

You can find the full poem here: http://www.lynnungar.com/poems/pandemic/

What if you thought of it as the Jews consider the Sabbath— the most sacred of times? Cease from travel. Cease from buying and selling. Give up, just for now, on trying to make the world different than it is. Sing. Pray. Touch only those to whom you commit your life. Center down.   And when your ...

03/17/2020

These Things: 461

Responding to the coronavirus outbreak – March 16, 2020

For the next several weeks I’m transitioning my counseling practice to online video conferencing.
I’m taking this step in order to follow the urging of the CDC, Oregon Health Authority, and other experts in the medical science community to minimize contact with others to help slow the spread of coronavirus through our population. Transitioning to video conference sessions is what I can do toward helping my local and broader community, and it’s what I can do to support the CDC’s and OHA’s goals, so I’m taking this step now. It feels like the responsible thing to do.

“Flattening the curve,” is the phrase we’ve been hearing from immunologists and the medical science community.

I sincerely hope that you’re well. I’m healthy and well as I write this, and I’m not aware of having been in contact with infected persons.

I recognize how extraordinary these circumstances are and how broad the impact is on individual persons and on our community as a whole. The heightened level of worry, “cabin fever”, isolation, social disruption and other changes are having a powerful impact. I’m feeling it too and feel sympathy for all of us as we respond to the coronavirus situation. Collectively, I see that we’re all in the same boat.

I’ll reevaluate the recommendations for social distancing from the CDC and OHA each week. I anticipate returning to in-person sessions when the recommendation changes.
Economic disruption has already begun in our communities as events are canceled and people don’t go out or engage in services the way they did just last month. It’s moving through like a wave. If you’ve already been impacted my heart goes out to you in sympathy. I’ll be focusing on resilience and on resources for managing stress in the coming days, so check in again soon.

03/11/2020

These Things: 460

What an odd time we’re living in just now with the global response to the novel corona virus outbreak. My expertise isn’t in public health so I don’t have advice to share. Instead, I’m following guidelines from the experts at the WHO and Oregon Health Authority, the same as what most of us are doing. I’m reflecting on how we all share the same situation with this concern – we’re all in the same boat with this.

The Greater Good Science Center published a thoughtful article related to the public response to this virus. The GGSC article focuses on emotional reactivity and encouragement. If that sounds interesting, check it out at -
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_keep_the_greater_good_in_mind_during_the_coronavirus_outbreak?utm_source=Greater+Good+Science+Center

In the midst of our panic around COVID-19, we must look to each other to help us get through it.

02/18/2020

11/20/2019

Hi Clients – You might want to budget a few extra minutes to find parking in my neighborhood this week. Utility work at the intersection of SE 8th and SE Alder has closed a few nearby blocks to traffic and this will create some parking pressure.

Access to our parking garage at the 8th Street entrance is still open, but you'll need to swing wide around the "Street Closed" sign at 8th Street to access the driveway. The closure and work site is at the 8th Street & Alder intersection, but PBOT has closed the 4 streets that feed the intersection.

04/10/2019

These Things: 458

Love is but a song we sing
Fear's the way we die.

“Get Together” – What a powerful song that was. And it seems as relevant for 2019 as it was in 1967. It speaks to me about pro-social ideals, broaden and build, and bridging the divide.

I was moved by Tom Cole’s homage and review for this song and I want to share it with you.
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/10/711545679/get-together-youngbloods-summer-of-love-american-anthem

The song was everywhere during the 1967 gatherings in San Francisco. After it was used in a public service announcement, it became an anthem for the rest of the world.

03/23/2019

These Things: 457

Frustrated at Work?

An article about frustration in the workplace caught my eye recently. Frustration – that unpleasant feeling we get when we think we ought to be able to do something or make something occur, only to discover that we can’t do it. Frustrations come in all manner of sizes – some minor but others more pervasive or daily, like in the workplace.

For sure there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to all frustrations in all circumstances, all the time. The author shares one approach to addressing workplace frustration from an example at Pixar. The disgruntled people at Pixar were frustrated after having their creative ideas repeatedly ignored. The director who succeeded in mobilizing those disgruntled people took an approach to frustration that might be interesting if your circumstances fit the scenario he describes. Check it out at:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/08/smarter-living/frustrated-at-work-that-might-just-lead-to-your-next-breakthrough.html

Don’t discount the misfits on your team.

03/08/2019

These Things: 456

International Women’s Day

Wishing everyone a powerful/satisfying/happy International Women’s Day! And encouragement to keep up the push for balance and equality.

Celebration of this day goes back to 1909 when it was first proposed and celebrated in the US. Much has changed toward balance and equality since 1909, but a look at the metrics shows us that much is yet to be done.

Christine Lagarde at the IMF has spoken powerfully and knowledgeably about equality during the past year. You can hear her interviewed on NPR today at https://www.npr.org/2019/03/08/701409797/lagarde-keeps-an-eye-out-for-dark-clouds-on-the-economic-horizon and recently on CNBC at https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/05/imf-chief-employing-more-women-could-boost-economies-by-35-percent.html

I’m focusing on national and world economies today because societies that better meet human needs will provide a world with more possibility for thriving and wellbeing for all. A world where more of our real needs can be met.

https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

Steve Inskeep talks to Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, about the global economy, and the need to leverage the role of women in finance.

02/28/2019

These Things: 455

Davos, the WEF and the Global Elites

I’ve been a fan of the Greater Good Science Center for a while now – you’ve probably seen me sharing their articles here from time to time. I think they’re unpacking some helpful stuff toward our greater good. So I was keen to hear that they were invited to participate in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

What were those captains of industry, ruling elites and economists hoping to get from PhDs who study happiness? And how much trickling down would it need to do before it made a difference to common folks like me?

The article below answers question #1. I’m still pondering question #2, but I figure that the direct action we all take in our lives toward our greater good will have the most immediate impact. Let’s keep up our best and brightest work. Enjoy! https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/can_happiness_trickle_down_from_the_global_elite

The GGSC traveled to Davos this year to share insights on happiness with leaders at the World Economic Forum.

02/03/2019

These Things: 454

How about a laugh?

This show is always fun and it benefits a pro-social global cause. The 20th anniversary fundraiser for Clowns Without Borders is next Saturday 2/9 at the Alberta Rose Theater in Portland. Two shows – an afternoon matinee and an evening show. Details at the Alberta Rose calendar or the ticket website - https://secure-public.ticketbiscuit.com/AlbertaRoseTheatre/Events/358001

Doors open at 7:00 $28 Advance $38 At the Door $50 Preferred Seating (first 5 rows of center section - available in advance only) $15 Kids 12 & Under The very best circus artists and physical comedians to benefit Clowns Without Borders. Featuring The strong and lyrical Shersten Finley on aerial stra...

01/17/2019

These Things: 453

Farewell Mary Oliver.

Thank you for your thoughtful reflections on meaning for all of these years. I found encouragement in your words to make changes that felt risky and to be in the serious pursuit of joy.

Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

https://www.npr.org/2019/01/17/577380646/beloved-poet-mary-oliver-who-believed-poetry-mustn-t-be-fancy-dies-at-83

Oliver wasn't always appreciated by critics, but she was still one of the country's most popular poets. In 2012, she told NPR, "Poetry, to be understood, must be clear."