Can’t Sleep? Here’s How to Fix it

July 18, 2013 by MikeTremba Leave a Comment

Americans are plagued by insomnia.

There are too many bills to pay and not enough income. Too many job seekers and not enough jobs. Too many mouths to feed and not enough food in the fridge.

Essentially, our lives can feel completely out of whack at times and the first thing to go to waste is our sleep patterns.

Without healthy sleep habits it’s almost impossible to lead a healthy overall life. If you find yourself laying awake at night, here are a few tips to help you catch the Zzz’s you need and get your health back on track. [Read more…]

Out of the Fog: Four Observations about Bad Habits

July 10, 2013 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Forgotten habits exist right under the skin.

We think we’ve got them licked, but they’re always immediately beneath the surface, ready to emerge whenever we get careless or ignore their symptoms. Or look at them this way: We never get rid of them; we put them into deep freeze and can defrost them whenever we get sloppy.

We would all like to think we have “our acts together,” certainly in how we present ourselves to others. As I said we would like to think that, but equally certain is that within each of us there is a nagging — oft times scolding — inner voice pointing out our shortcomings; loath to congratulate and pretty darn quick to disparage. No one likes being critiqued with unrelenting regularity, so what do we do?

Simple, like teenagers not wanting to be scolded by critical parents, we tune it out. Call it “denial;” call it “defense mechanism;” or call it “mental health,” after all, a rose by any other name…

However, despite what children protest, sometimes, we parents know of what we speak and the warnings we provide could save them a bucketful of hassle — if only they’d listen. Alas; they, as did we, find out too late.

Being a “wrinkled kid,” I ignored my internal parent and was unintentionally thawing out some past routines.

It began innocently enough with five little words (six, if you count the contraction as two): “One small bite won’t hurt.”

And it doesn’t.

Neither does the next; or the next, or even the fourth. But upon the frightful realization that I had waded in so deeply I could no longer see the shoreline, I needed to face reality.

[Read more…]

One More Reason to Stay Healthy

June 19, 2013 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

We all want to be in good health.

Equally true is that we often put off what we need to do to achieve that objective, needing reminders of what really matters. Many times they are unpleasant. Some times, we’re just fortunate.

Ever since I was old enough to live on my own, my place of residence has always been at distance from the remainder of my family. I didn’t dislike them and we (mostly) got along well. It’s just that — I don’t know — I guess I’m the one from my clan who was most inclined to strike out for new horizons.

I’m actually not very adventurous. So it came as no small shock to my parents when, after graduating college, I threw what few possessions I could call my own into my 1973 Mazda RX2 and drove across the 115 degree Nevada desert — without air conditioning — to establish myself as the afternoon drive DJ for KEYY AM in Orem, Utah. I held no particular desire to live in the Beehive State; it just happened to be where I landed my first gig. Upon arrival, they immediately demoted me to the all-night slot and fired me six weeks later.

Welcome to radio.

After that, I “played the hits” and spun classic vinyl throughout the west, eventually lighting on the Northcoast of California 30 years ago. I guess that qualifies me as “a resident,” and short of our airport, I love almost everything about this area and call it “home.” My family however still resides elsewhere.

In the past, it was always me, who at the end of a too-short visit, hugged my mother farewell, loaded suitcases into the car, and resumed my far-flung life, never successfully suppressing the wetness in my eyes.

The baton passes.

[Read more…]

Five Simple Ways to Tell if You’re Addicted to Your Hobby

April 23, 2013 by Featured Author Leave a Comment

Having a hobby is encouraged and considered a positive trait by society.

In a healthy individual, hobbies may act as effective creative outlets and stress relievers. Sometimes, though, hobbies can take on a darker role in our lives, essentially becoming an addiction that needs to be overcome, often with the help of outside sources. Read on for five simple ways to tell if you’re addicted to your hobby. [Read more…]

More Than What We See

April 17, 2013 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

**Recently, I received an invitation to attend a rehearsal of an upcoming performance of Skin Deep, a Neil-Simon-ish poignant comedy about weight, body image, romance, and relationships.**

Although this is not a theater review, I admit that even though the cast was three weeks out from opening night, my wife and I both truly enjoyed it. The play bounces lightly between humorous and tender moments with an unforced ease and the tight cast of four actors performed well with and up against each other. Never did I check my watch – and that’s rare until itself.

However, the reason I was invited was NOT to provide good reviews (um, which I think I just did…) but because the plot, to a large extent, deals with how our inner dialog determines the quality of the lives we lead. Since you’re reading this column, I assume you understand that is one of the pillars about which I write.

Maureen Mulligan, an overweight woman, is afraid of romance because she might get hurt.

Because of her critical self-talk, she masks her pain with humor and conjures up excuses to avoid becoming involved with a sweet, slightly awkward gentleman who sees her for who she is as a complete person, paying little heed to the superficial level of what she weighs.

The playwright, Jon Lonoff, must have been overweight, as he gives eloquent voice to what so many of us with body image “issues” say to ourselves — and then reflects that internal dialog’s outcome in the quality of our lives.

Maureen is prepared to live in unhappy solitude, pacifying the emotional pain with Chinese food.

Don’t misunderstand; I’m not saying — nor is the play — that a woman (nor man) can only be defined by her relationships. However, should we choose to avoid them because we feel unworthy, that’s a pizza with a different topping. [Read more…]

« Previous Page