Blog

MERI Center Blog

April 29, 2020
Resilience Tips

April 23, 2020
Resilience Tips

Judy's Resilience Tip fo the week:  The Power of Good Memories

 

April 15, 2020
Resilience Tips

Judy Long's Resilience Tip from April 15, 2020: Metta Phrases


Metta for Caregivers
(from Joan Halifax, Being with Dying teachers’ manual)

The emphasis in these practices is on balance—the balance between opening one’s heart endlessly, and accepting the limits of what one can do. The balance between compassion and equanimity. Compassion is the trembling or the quivering of the heart in response to suffering. Equanimity is a spacious stillness that can accept things as they are. The balance of compassion and equanimity allow us to care, and yet not get overwhelmed and unable to cope because of that caring.

The phrases we use reflect this balance. Choose some phrases that are personally meaningful to you. You can alter them in any way, or use one that you have created out of your unique personal significance.

To begin the practice, take as comfortable a position as possible, sitting or lying down. Take a few deep soft breaths to let your body settle. Bring your attention to your breath, and begin to silently say your chosen phrases in rhythm with the breath…you can also experiment with just having your...

Read more »
April 8, 2020
Resilience Tips

Judy Long, Chaplain, Weekly Resilience Tip

April 1, 2020
Resilience Tips

We will strive to bring you video resilience tips from Judy Long, Chaplain, recorded from the weekly UCSF symptom Management interdisciplinary team meetings. Here's this week's tip: Self-Compassion

Thank you Judy for sharing your wisdom with us!

March 24, 2020
Resilience Tips

At today's UCSF Symptom Management Service Interdisciplinary Team meeting, Judy Long, Chaplain extraordinare, led us in a short resilience exercise.  We hope to record them in the future, but alas, did not record today's session.  

Judy started with a grounding exercise, asking us to breathe in and out. Then she prompted us to ask ourselves:

Why:  Why am I here? Why am I doing this work? Why do I care (about my work, my family, etc.)?  

What: What is going on in my body right now? Do I have a headache, stomachache? Notice in your heart anything that dominates. What emotions are on the surface?

Next, think about the person you are meeting with next. What are the stories I have about this person? What are my preconceptions? What is the narrative I have about this person.  Recognize that they are preconceptions and narratives.

Now imagine what they may be going through, what they may be feeling.  Are they in pain? Nauseous? Are they scared? Angry? Worried?

What narratives may they have about you?  Be mindful of how all of this affects your interaction.

Bonus tip:

Think about someone you’d like to connect with and how you could connect with them.  Phone, text, video.  

 

March 18, 2020
Resilience Tips

Judy Long, Chaplin, compiled a list of online resources to cope with stressful times.  This list includes minfulness & meditation apps, articles, and the like. You can download it here.  We hope that you all find it helpful to cope during this time.

Much love and blessings to all.

~The MERI Center

March 17, 2020
Resilience Tips

I am passing along a meditation suggested by my personal teacher that has been really grounding and uplifting for me over the past few days. I want to share it in case it is of assistance to any of you as well: 

  1. Find a comfortable seated position (or a comfortable position lying down).
  2. Imagine a gentle energetic cord grounding and connecting you to the center of the Earth. Once you do, find a similar energetic cord connecting you to the stars. Find a point of balance in between the two. 
  3. Tune into yourself to find a color (or combination of colors) that represents healing, immunity, and health to you. The first color that comes to your mind is perfect. It may also change from day to day, and that is fine. 
  4. Once you have your healing color in mind, allow that color to coat the outside of your Aura, or the energy field that surrounds your body. Then allow it to completely permeate the inside of your Aura or energy field as well, until you feel surrounded and supported by it. You can also imagine the healing color permeating every cell of your body.
  5. Once you feel grounded and comfortable with the above step, create a tiny rose in your mind's eye in the same healing color. This represents your healing gift to others. Once you see the tiny healing rose in your mind's eye, imagine sending it out energetically to everyone in the universe so that they can find their intention to heal/optimize health as well. 

I have been doing this meditation every day and it is definitely...

Read more »