26
FEB
2021

Keeping Hope Alive During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Lessons Learned from Holocaust Survivors

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, I find myself thinking more and more of my parents who are Holocaust Survivors. They were interned in the Lodz Ghetto, Auschwitz, and other slave labor camps for five years where they endured...
06
DEC
2020
photo albums

Finding Solace During Times of Despair

During times of despair, many of us draw comfort from remembering and daydreaming about happy times. These memories and daydreams nourish our mind, body, and soul and make our present reality more bearable as a form of temporary escapism. I can relate because I’ve been using this...
09
NOV
2020
strengths reflection journaling

Acknowledging Our Strengths

As I read my emails, listen to the radio and watch television, I’m inundated with messages about the public mental health crisis during this global pandemic that will worsen during the winter months. The prediction is doom and gloom. Many experts are offering courses, blog posts,...
03
AUG
2020

Have a Day!

A post in Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper makes me rethink a phrase I sometimes use wishing people to “have a great day.” As she explains, some people have difficulty with this phrase and rightfully so, especially now during the pandemic. They may out of work, have experienced the...
19
JUL
2020

The Health Benefits of Nature

Every morning I head for a nearby park. I love walking around the park mindfully, immersing myself in the sights, sounds, smells and sensations around me: robins chirping  and flitting from tree to tree; the wildflowers swaying in the breeze; and sunshine on my face,...
15
APR
2020
Resilience

Developing a Resilience Mindset

We must keep in mind that in general, people are highly resilient. Psychologists define resilience  as “the process of adapting well in the face of significant sources of stress.” Resilience-based research tells us that how we deal with adversity is more important than the...
27
MAR
2020
COVID-19 Resilience

Reflections on the COVID-19 Pandemic

This is a stressful time for all of us, filled with fear, anxiety, uncertainty and worry as our world turns upside down. As I write this article, I am in self-isolation. This is good practice if we are to “flatten the curve” and slow down the spread COVID-19. Acting on the advice...
24
MAR
2020

Holocaust Survivors Share 15 Life Lessons We Can Apply To The COVID-19 Pandemic

Photo: Flickr/Creative Commons, Peter Miller. Holocaust survivors overcame the most severe form of persecution and went on to become productive members of the communities in which they settled. They have exhibited an extraordinary resilience and love of family and community....
11
NOV
2019
Acts of Kindness

How To Bring More Kindness To The World With A Smile, A Compliment And Giving Spirit

In the 1980s the phrase, “Practice random acts of kindness,” was popping up everywhere – bumper stickers, billboards, decals on mailboxes, and elsewhere. I remember the first time I saw it. I was in my car and read it on the bumper sticker of the vehicle in front of me. This...
13
JUN
2019

June 13, 2019 – Myra presents at a teleconference for service providers around the world who work with Holocaust Survivors.

Myra presented a teleconference hosted by the Claims Conference, in collaboration with the Jewish Federations of North American (JFNA) for service providers around the world who work with Holocaust Survivors. Her topic focused on “The Principles and Practice Components of...