“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” - Epictecus

From time to time when I encounter a challenging moment or when someone I hold dear is struggling, I think of a particular song from The Sound of Music a movie musical I enjoyed as a child. The song is entitled “My Favorite Things” and goes like this: “ Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things. When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I’m feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don’t feel so bad.” Rodgers and Hammerstein, the songwriters, wrote the lyrics before we had access to the brain research that supported their message.

Over the past several years, I have read with considerable excitement the works of Daniel Siegel, Rick Hanson, Richard Mendius, and Jon Kabat-Zinn. Their writings have raised our understanding and appreciation of the impact of life’s daily stresses on our health and of the strategies that can help to protect our brains and improve our physical and mental health.