GOTO-HEALTH

 Emotion is a complex, temporary psychological and physiological state and physical functioning is a reaction to internal or external events. Emotions influence our physical health! 

 

Alan Watkins is an influential thought leader, business consultant and doctor, celebrated for his pioneering work in cultivating sustainable, ethical, and purpose-driven organizations. Today, I’m listening to his TED talk and learning; the most important lesson he chooses to teach his children is: “control our own emotions”. 

 

I’m aware of a couple dozen emotions, but Watkins says there are over 34,000. I pride myself of my skill, learning to control my emotions, but now I need to deal with a new one most every moment as I negotiate the connections in my life? 

 

Dr. Watkins was first a medical doctor for about 12 years. Then, he arrived at the understanding that “treating emotions” with large corporations make a bigger difference in physical health and finding purpose in our lives:  helping metaphorically 500 employees at a single company influencing their family and community, instead of a single patient. His influence has become worldwide.

 

I first chose Nursing as my profession. I loved Lewis and Clark College, but soon hated my practical nurses training at Good Samaritan Hospital in 1957 because all we learned were procedures to follow. I was often the only one on duty, even as a student, at one of the hospital wings on the night shift those days. One of my inborn skills is to complete what I start. Therefore, I completed my formal education with a degree from the U of Washington in Public Health Nursing. Fortunately, I was fired from my first job with King County. 

 

Getting married and raising a family, for girls, was a priority in the 1950s but after the girls left home, I went back to the U of Washington and got my masters in Psychosocial Nursing. I loved that!! My thesis was: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN WITH RIGHT BRAIN AND LEFT BRAIN THINKING.

 

Thirty years later, I am a facilitator of a writing group: OMOIDE (MEMORIES) at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington (JCCCW), which I helped incorporate in 2003. I am currently finding purpose for our organization to benefit our larger Seattle/Washington community with Japanese Heritage Values as we publish the OMOIDE VI book.

 

Iain McGilchrist (born 1953[1]) is a British psychiatrist,[2] philosopher and neuroscientist who wrote the 2009 book The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World. He further suggests balancing our Wester World left brain thinking with right brain example from Asia and most often from Japan. Japanese Values is often cited in my estimation because Japan had the Edo period from 1600-1800ad for bringing their Arts and Culture to a PhD level. Research indicates that connecting with cultural heritage significantly boosts well-being and happiness