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List of all articles published on DrAngelAdams.com. Click on the titles to read full articles.

Articles

  • Prepare Your Mind for the Life You Imagine | Dr Angel Adams and Dr Patricia Papciak
    July 12, 2010

    Last Spring I was delighted to watch two robins in my garden, a mother and father, who were busily planning and preparing for the birth of their offspring. They were building an elaborate nest in my garden shed in the back of one of my old cardboard storage boxes. I felt honoured that they chose my shed as their venue for starting a new family. Planning and preparing are actually two very important cognitive functions that make up a group of what we call executive functions (EF). These advanced mental tasks include strategising, organising, setting goals, and paying attention to the important details that will help us achieve those goals.

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  • When a Child is Born a Grandparent is Born Too | Dr Angel Adams and Dr Patricia Papciak
    June 7, 2010

    Recently I became a grandmother and was surprised as my friends complimented me on my beaming smile and aura of radiance. At first I was dumbfounded by this new state of being; having never really relished the thought of becoming a grandmother. It used to conjure up images of being old, and the premise that old age is not valued or respected in our western society. This appears to be true especially for women who try to hide their age, are ashamed of their wrinkles and loathe the thought of being called ‘Granny’. I sought out others who have had this identity of grandparent bestowed upon them and there was a common theme that filled our conversations...

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  • How to Positively Influence Children to Reach Their Potential | Dr Angel Adams and Dr Patricia Papciak
    May 17, 2010

    Last week we looked at some examples of individuals who have given credit for their achievements to others who made an impact on their lives. Today we will focus on how we can help the children in our lives to keep their minds open as they build their future and develop their self-esteem.

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  • Can One Person Change Your Life Forever? | Dr Angel Adams and Dr Patricia Papciak
    May 10, 2010

    Do you remember who it was that dramatically changed your views and sent you in a different direction on your inspired journey? Thinking back there may have been one or two people or a handful, if you are lucky, who changed your life. Perhaps it started in childhood when someone took an interest in you and uplifted you in a way that it made a huge difference in how you viewed yourself and your own potential. In fact, that person believed in you when no one else ever thought of doing so. This had a life changing knock-on effect which set off an astounding chain of events, perhaps influencing you to discover your particular career path or life purpose.

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  • How Can Your Smile Make a Child Thrive? | Dr Angel Adams; Dr Pilar Placone
    April 19, 2010

    A few weeks ago I went to a conference in California and met up with a colleague, Dr Pilar Placone, who I had not seen in over 20 years. After all these years it was delightful to discover that we had so much in common. In our clinical practice we resonated with similar interests in neuroscience and therapeutic approaches; especially parent-child attachment therapy and mindfulness. I felt very privileged to have been invited to one of Dr Placone’s parent classes. I watched how her program helped guide parents to a more connected state within themselves which created a deeper connection, a "felt sense" within their child. Mindfulness is a way of observing thoughts, feelings and sensory input in the present moment without reacting, distracting, or escaping from them, but rather learning to accept them in a non-judgemental way. The following article written by Pilar is about how the simple, yet powerful act of smiling can reduce stress and enhance the parent-child bond (no matter how old your child is)...

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  • When to Give and When Not to Give | Dr Angel Adams and Dr Patricia Papciak
    March 1, 2010

    What does generosity mean to you? We all love someone who is a generous person and are repelled by someone who is selfish or stingy. Often a person’s giving nature has little to do with anything of material value but more to do with their attitude and generosity of spirit. We feel the generosity of others when they come to us with a relaxed presence. Their facial expressions and body language make us feel valued and comfortable just being with them. When they speak, there is a gentle quality that relaxes the psychological barriers between people. It is easy to be around this kind of person, easy to open up and we often desire to be more like them.

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  • Staying Focused and Connected: It's the little moments that count the most | Dr Angel Adams and Dr Patricia Papciak
    February 1, 2010

    Staying focused is necessary in whatever we are doing in order to do the best job we can do. We must prepare for any activity or project by focusing clearly in our minds and our bodies. Leaders in government and large organizations often have a very difficult time because they don’t have the luxury to focus only on one problem at a time. As parents, we have the same kind of problems on a smaller scale. We have many responsibilities to consider: our homes, our spouses, our children, our jobs, our bills, our health, our friends, etc. Because of our busy lives there are so many distractions that often we are only present in body, when our wish really is to be fully present with our whole self especially when spending time with our children and others who are important to us.

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  • Who Will You Inspire in 2010? | Dr Angel Adams and Dr Patricia Papciak
    January 4, 2010

    Have you reflected and pondered over the past year? If so, what was your greatest source of inspiration? We asked some colleagues and readers the following question: Who inspired you the most in 2009? Here are some of the responses received.

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  • Rise up and Wise-up: Ways to Consciously Create Your Day | Dr Angel Adams and Dr Patricia Papciak
    November 30, 2009

    You have probably heard the idiom “He/she got up on the wrong side of the bed.” This expression originates from the ancient superstition that it was bad luck to put one's left foot down first when getting out of bed. Today it simply means a person who woke up in a lousy or grumpy mood, started their day on the “wrong foot”, and in turn, it negatively affected what happened that day. The start-of-the day mood actually has a profound influence on the essence of your day. How do you spend the beginning of your day?

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  • Goodwill and Acts of Kindness | Dr Angel Adams and Dr Patricia Papciak
    November 9, 2009

    Have you ever heard the expression Assume Goodwill? Have you ever thought about what that really means? It’s an attitude. You live your life with the mindset that people in your life want to be kind, gracious and fair. You assume that although your world may not be perfect, you can develop a healthy attitude that the people you interact with on a daily basis will usually respond from a place of kindness, thoughtfulness and fairness.

    Simply put, we need to develop an outlook that most people mean well. That seems easy enough. Why don’t we all live that way?

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