Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

behavior change

A Day of Mini Mindfulness Practices

There are many great examples of mindfulness practices in self-help books, in-person classes, online courses, smartphone apps, and audio and video recordings! Although you are always encouraged to utilize longer practices, “even a relatively small amount of mindfulness practice can be beneficial” (Strohmaier, Jones, and Cane, 2021, p.198). These practices can be used whenever you’d […]

WRITTEN BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, OSU Extension, Lucas County, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator

REVIEWED BY: Misty Harmon, OSU Extension, Perry County, Assistant Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences

SOURCES:

  • 10-Minute Guided Meditation to Boost Focus and Motivation, Headspace, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TH2hY1s-Oc
  • Body Scan, Rob Davies and Heidi O'Donoghue, Utah University of Health, https://accelerate.uofuhealth.utah.edu/resilience/practice-body-scan
  • Chair Yoga Sun Salutations: Two Ways, Donna Freeman, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDfEk9oX73g
  • Chris Bergstorm, Three Senses Mindfulness Activity for Kids, Teens and Grown-ups, http://blissfulkids.com/three-senses-mindfulness-activity-kids-teens-grown-ups/
  • Easing Pain, Patrice Rancour, Wexner Medical Center. Adapted from Guided Meditations, Explorations, and Healings by Dr. Stephen Levine https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/-/media/files/wexnermedical/patient-care/healthcare-services/integrative-medicine/mp3-files/guided-imagery/easing-pain.mp3
  • Guided Meditations, Diana Winston, UCLA, https://www.uclahealth.org/uclamindful/guided-meditations
  • Kindness Meditation, John Schorling, University of Virginia, School of Medicine, Mindfulness Center. https://med.virginia.edu/mindfulness-center/continue-your-practice/audio-recordings/
  • Labeling Feelings Meditation when you are noticing repetitive thought patterns or strong feelings, Mindfulness Institute for Emerging Adults https://mindfulnessinstituteforemergingadults.com/student-resources/free-guided-meditations/
  • Mindful Breathing: Roberto P. Benzo, Mayo Clinic, https://www.mayo.edu/research/labs/mindful-breathing/audio-files
  • Mindful Eating, Dr. Cynthia Powell, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM6bIexyKSM
  • Mindful Walking, Sophia Brockman, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctvUwCCdTEk&list=PLX_OiPkQWfwOvUpFR3Q_MQWOjKipyeQ7g&index=5
  • Navigate the Sunday Scaries. Headspace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOJTl5FszXY
  • Pixel Thoughts, A 60-second meditation tool to help clear your mind, Marc Balaban, https://pixelthoughts.co/
  • Setting an Intention, Headspace, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTqforiHL7Q
  • Sleeping Deeply, Easily, Restfully, Patrice Rancour, Wexner Medical Center. https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/-/media/files/wexnermedical/patient-care/healthcare-services/integrative-medicine/mp3-files/guided-imagery/sleeping-deeply.mp3

REFERENCES:

  • Fuller, J. L., & Fitter, E. A. (2020). Mindful Parenting: A Behavioral Tool for Parent Well-Being. Behavior analysis in practice, 13(4), 767–771. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-020-00447-6
  • Gu, J., Cavanaugh, K., and Strauss, C., (2018). Investing the specific effects of an online mindfulness-based self-help intervention on stress and underlying mechanisms. Mindfulness: 9:1245-1257. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0867-y
  • Mantzios, M., & Giannou, K. (2018). A Real-World Application of Short Mindfulness-Based Practices: A Review and Reflection of the Literature and a Practical Proposition for an Effortless Mindful Lifestyle. American journal of lifestyle medicine, 13(6), 520–525. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827618772036
  • Miles, E., Matcham, F., Strauss, C. et al. Making Mindfulness Meditation a Healthy Habit. Mindfulness 14, 2988–3005 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-023-02258-6.
  • Powers-Barker, (2025). Introduction to Mindfulness, HYG-5243 Factsheet, Ohioline, Ohio State University Extension, https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5243
  • Ribeiro, L., Atchley, R. M., & Oken, B. S. (2018). Adherence to Practice of Mindfulness in Novice Meditators: Practices Chosen, Amount of Time Practiced, and Long-Term Effects Following a Mindfulness-Based Intervention. Mindfulness, 9(2), 401–411. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0781-3
  • Sparacio, A., IJzerman, H., Ropovik, I. et al. Self-administered mindfulness interventions reduce stress in a large, randomized controlled multi-site study. Nat Hum Behav 8, 1716–1725 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01907-7
  • Strohmaier, S., Jones, F.W. & Cane, J.E. Effects of Length of Mindfulness Practice on Mindfulness, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress: a Randomized Controlled Experiment. Mindfulness 12, 198–214 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01512-5

Create “New” Family Traditions in 2021

If you are reading this message, I am successful in attracting your attention in today’s world of constant change and distractions.  Perhaps the word that attracted you was “new”, family or traditions.  I used this oxymoron to produce a special effect that highlights our ability to make planned changes.   As we move into 2021 let […]

WRITTEN BY: Margaret Jenkins

REVIEWED BY: Marie Economos

SOURCES:

  • https://u.osu.edu/extensionclermont/2021/01/04/turn-your-resolutions-into-real-solutions/
  • https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5242 Stress Coping Strategies
  • https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5809 Aging

REFERENCES:

  • Jordan, Joelle D. The Evolution of the American Family, http://hdl.handle.net/2148/58, 2006
  • https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5243 Mindfulness Practice
  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, (2020) Your Money Your Goals. https://consumerfinance.gov/practitioner-resources/your-money-your-goal

Seeking the Optimal Zone

Have you assessed your personal “comfort zone” lately? Comfort zones, and our attachment to them, have gotten a bad rap in the press lately. Media headlines scold us to “get out of our comfort zone,” but comfort zones are not necessarily good or bad. This blog post (and additional related ones) will look at how […]

WRITTEN BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Lucas County

REVIEWED BY: Donna Green, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Erie County, green.308@osu.edu

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • bike photo from pixabay

REFERENCES:

  • Seery, M. D., Holman, E. A., & Cohen Silver, R. (2010). Whatever does not kill us; cumulative lifetime adversity, vulnerability, and resilience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99,6. 1025-1041.
  • Treber, M. (2015). Are there connections between stress and your heart health? The Ohio State University, Live Smart Ohio Blog. Retrieved from https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/mind-and-body/treber-1osu-edu/are-there-connections-between-stress-and-your-heart-health/
  • Tugend, A. (2011). Tiptoeing out of one’s comfort zone (and of course, back in). New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/12/your-money/12shortcuts.html
  • White, A. (2009). From comfort zone to performance management. Understanding development and performance. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228957278_From_Comfort_Zone_to_Performance_Management

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Yes, now you have that song stuck in your head, you’re welcome. As I hum the song, I can’t help but to smile and to reflect on things that make me happy. To give the definition of happiness may seem silly, since most of us understand what it is, but according to positive psychology researcher […]

WRITTEN BY: Misty Harmon, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County, harmon.416@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Joseph Maiorano, PhD, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Harrison County, maiorano.2@osu.edu

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://pixabay.com/photos/family-sea-vacation-beach-summer-2432568/
  • https://pixabay.com/photos/african-african-american-afro-3797905/

SOURCES:

  • Greater Good Magazine. Happiness Defined: What is Happiness? Found on 4/10/19 at https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/happiness/definition
  • Greater Good Magazine. Happiness Defined: Why Practice It? Retrieved on 4/10/19 from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/happiness/definition#why-practice-happiness
  • Harmon, M. (2019). How to "buy" happiness and better health. Found at https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/money/harmon-416osu-edu/how-to-buy-happiness-and-better-health/
  • Harvard Men's Health Watch. (2017). The pursuit of happiness. Retrieved on 4/10/19 from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-pursuit-of-happiness
  • Ho, L. (2019). How to Be Happy: Why Pursuing Happiness Will Make You Unhappy https://www.lifehack.org/610387/why-its-impossible-to-be-consistently-happy
  • Kloppers, M. 10 Things To Stop Caring About If You Want To Be Happier. Found on 4/10/19 at https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/ten-things-stop-caring-about-you-want-happier.html
  • Locke, R. (2018). 10 Scientifically Proven Ways To Stay Happy All The Time. Retrieved from https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/10-scientifically-proven-ways-stay-happy-all-the-time.html
  • National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI). Mental Health Conditions. Retrieved on 4/10/19 from: https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions
  • Suttie, J. (2019). How Understanding Evolution Can Help Us to Be Happy. Greater Good Magazine. Found at https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_understanding_evolution_can_help_us_to_be_happy

Give it to me, NOW!

The title of this blog is from a quote by Veruca Salt, the spoiled child in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Whenever Veruca saw something she wanted (which was quite often), she simply told her daddy about her desire, and her father did whatever it took to get that item for his covetous daughter. […]

WRITTEN BY: Joseph Maiorano, PHD, Family and Consumer Sciences, Harrison County Ohio, maiorano.2@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Misty Harmon, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Perry County, harmon.416@osu.edu

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://pixabay.com/en/crazy-irate-angry-mad-upset-3126441/

SOURCES:

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqsy7V0wphI
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Wonka_%26_the_Chocolate_Factory
  • https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/parenting-resources-raising-caring-ethical-children

REFERENCES:

  • Ellis, A. & Harper, R. A. (1977). A guide to rational living. New York, NY: Wilshire Books.
  • Marguiles, S. & Wolper, D. L. (producers); Stuart, M. (director). (1971). Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. United States: Wolper Pictures.

Make Change Happen, Don’t Wait for It

In this article, I talk about making change happen. I think this discussion may generally apply to a variety of changes. If you want something different in your life, I think you have two options. First, you can wait for the change you want to happen. You simply sit, trusting that the desired change will knock […]

WRITTEN BY: Joseph Maiorano, PHD, Family and Consumer Sciences, Harrison County Ohio, maiorano.2@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Terri Worthington, MSS, LISW-S, Family and Consumer Sciences, Geauga County.

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://pixabay.com/en/girl-room-woman-living-room-sofa-342839/

SOURCES:

  • Microwave Mentality (2010). Urban Dictionary. Retrieved on November 19, 2017 from https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=microwave%20mentality
  • Quote investigator: Exploring the origins of quotations. July 14, 2010. Retrieved on October 19, 2017 from https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/07/14/luck/

REFERENCES:

  • Ellis, A. & Harper, R. A. (1997). A guide to rational living. New York, NY: Wilshire Books.
  • WebMD. Stress management: Setting a goal to reduce stress. Downloaded on November 17, 2017 from https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management-setting-a-goal-to-reduce-stress#1

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