The Alexandria Papers Newsletter #71 | Dr. Alexandria Szeman 19 March 2023
Want to Stop Emotional Eating? Ask Yourself These 6 Questions | Sixty and Me
Have you ever thought about the tiny number of things over which we have actual control? There are so many things in life that go on regardless of us actually ‘doing’ anything to make them happen. Trees get leaves and plants grow. It rains. The earth turns on its axis.
Migraines Not Going Away? How to Break Out of a Rut | Migraine Again
Maybe you’ve taken your meds, rested in a dark room, loaded up on water … and you’re still stuck with a migraine attack that’s not going away. It’s so frustrating! We’ve been there. Migraine is a finicky disease.
6 Self-Care Tips for Sexual Assault Survivors | Teen Vogue
This method really helps me – I open the notes section of my phone and let out whatever I might be feeling on the screen. A trigger can come from seeing a person who looks like your abuser or even the same car they drove.
Do you need help dealing with
sexual assault,
rape, or incest? Call
@RAINN ‘s Hotline 800.656.HOPE (4673) to talk to a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area. Don’t feel comfortable talking? Use chat/text instead.
A Gentle Practice to Wind Down Before Bed | Mindful
Hi, I’m Sara Ivanhoe-yoga director at the University of Southern California where I teach a five-week course on sleep. What I’m going to be teaching you now is a short sequence of gentle movements and breathing techniques to help you wind down at the end of the day and prepare for sleep.
How to Live as a Minimalist: A Beginner’s Guide | The Simplicity Habit
A guest post by Melanie Manard of The Conscious Insider The word minimalism first appeared in the art world of the 60s to describe the work of artist Donald Judd. Nowadays, it’s used to define both design concepts and lifestyle precepts. Minimalism is about recentering on what’s essential in our…
Valentine’s Day’s connection with love was probably invented by Chaucer and other 14th-century poets | The Conversation
As an undergraduate, on a tour of Europe, I happened to step into the church where Saint Valentine’s head was kept. The tour guide told us a (likely fictitious) story about Saint Valentine performing forbidden marriages for persecuted Christians under the Roman emperor Claudius Gothicus (possibly…
I used to hate audiobooks, and now I’m a diehard Audible user | Tom’s Guide
(Image credit: Shutterstock) Friends, readers, fellow book lovers – hear me out. I come not to bury books, but to praise them. As a lifelong reader, I’ve happily spent more than I should on books I’ll never get around to actually finishing. Creating stacks for shelf upon shelf of tomes I pretend…
17 Tasty Meals You Can Make in One Pan | Food and Wine
These one-pan recipes include roast chicken with butternut squash and an easy sheet-pan pizza. Plus more one-pan meals.
Basic Sourdough Bread | King Arthur Baking
Recipes Bread Sandwich bread This tangy, soft sandwich loaf recipe was originally developed for the bread machine; we’ve tweaked it here for those of you without a machine. See our recipe for Bread Machine Sourdough Bread for the original, machine-baked version.
They lied when they said I killed my mother, but that didn’t stop Betty from leaving me and taking the kids. She even flipped me off after she slammed the car door. Yeah, like I believed they were my kids in the first place.
Books by Alexandria Constantinova Szeman
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The Alexandria Papers Newsletter #70 | Dr. Alexandria Szeman 12 March 2023
Why Your Best Thoughts Happen in the Shower or When Walking | Psychology Today
Seemingly mindless activities are mindful experiences that put us in the moment and can lead to the state called “flow.” Ceasing from deliberate thought can yield unexpected insights from ideas incubating in the subconscious background. Solitary activities let us disconnect from the outside world….
Why You Might Want to Give Green Light Therapy a Go for Migraine | Migraine Again
Are you looking for a non-medicinal approach to easing your migraine attacks? There are plenty of natural remedies out there, and one of the newest might be worth a go: green light therapy, a noninvasive therapy that has shown promise for helping those with migraine as well as other conditions,…
Trauma distorts our sense of time and self. A new therapy might help | Science News
Trish Tran narrates her life in staccato notes. “I remember carrying my little sister on my back because she’s too tired and walking through the huge sunflower fields … and me feeling so tired I didn’t think I could walk another step.”
RAINN Online Hotline
Do you need help dealing with sexual assault, rape, or incest? Call @RAINN ‘s Hotline 800.656.HOPE (4673) to talk to a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area. Don’t feel comfortable talking? Use chat/text instead.
3 Hidden Stressors That Are Sabotaging Your Mental Health | Oprah Daily
Outsmart them with these easy habit adjustments.
Decluttering When You Don’t Have Time: 4 Tips to Make Progress Today | The Simplicity Habit
Use these tips for decluttering when you don’t have time to sneak in decluttering tasks to start making progress immediately. Do you feel totally overwhelmed by the sheer amount of clutter in your house – but don’t have the time to truly tackle your mess?
How the Victorians Created the Modern English Novel | Literary Hub
Over 120 years since the Victorian era ended, its literature continues to have huge staying power in the collective imagination of the English-speaking world. We all have a clear idea of what “Dickensian” London looks like. We know what it means to be a Scrooge, or to be a bit Jekyll and Hyde.
9 Books That Rethink Our Narratives About Health and Healing | Electric Literature
In their Grammy-winning comeback song “Not Ready to Make Nice,” the (formerly Dixie) Chicks sing, “They say time heals everything but I’m still waiting.” The lyrics claim power in not healing, in refusing to shut up and let it go when those in power continue to benefit from that very expectation.
Bread Folklore: Medicine, Divination Tool, and Love Magnet! | Icy Sedgwick
You wouldn’t think something as humble as bread would have so much folklore attached to it. Yet many of us encounter bread folklore when we’re young. I’m sure we’ve all heard the old wives’ tale that eating your bread crusts would make your hair curly.
Sourdough Ears 101 | Sourdough Brandon
This post may contain affiliate links for products and ingredients I use and recommend. For more information, see my disclosures here. One of the most popular sourdough baking topics I’ve been asked to write a guide about is how to get sourdough ears.
Naked, with Glasses (the story)
This is how the plan to kill your husband could begin. You come home early from work. You have a headache. A terrible headache. The worst headache of your life. You have this grant proposal to write. It’s not finished, and it was due yesterday.
Books by Alexandria Constantinova Szeman
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Filed under Baking, Books, chronic pain, Cooking, Health and Wellness, hemiplegic migraines, Meditation and MIndfulness, Mental Health, migraine, Migraine with Aura, Migraine Without Aura, migraines, Newsletters, PTSD, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Violence, The Alexandria Papers Newsletter, Trauma
Tagged as books, bread folklore, decluttering, electric literature, english novel, Icy Sedgwick, literary hub, mental health, migraine, migraine again, mindfulness, minimalism, oprah daily, rainn, rainn online hotline, science news, sexual abuse, sourdough brandon, sourdough ears, the simplicity habit, trauma, victorians
The Alexandria Papers Newsletter #64 | Dr. Alexandria Szeman 15 January 2023
How to Use Mindfulness for PTSD | VeryWell
Using mindfulness for PTSD may be a good way of coping. Mindfulness has been around for ages. However, mental health professionals are beginning to recognize that mindfulness can have many benefits for people suffering from difficulties such as anxiety and depression.
Guide Me: How Can I Prevent the Next Migraine Attack? | Migraine Again
It’s easier to prevent a migraine attack than treat one. Discover evidence-based strategies for prevention, including natural and alternative remedies.
5 New Year’s Resolutions for Trauma Survivors | Psychology Today
Trauma survivors struggle to take care of their mental health as much as their physical health, but this should be prioritized in the new year. Unmet needs in childhood often manifest in adulthood, leading to unhealthy behavior patterns-but 2023 can be the year to start unpacking.
RAINN Online Hotline
Do you need help dealing with sexual assault, rape, or incest? Call @RAINN ‘s Hotline 800.656.HOPE (4673) to talk to a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area. Don’t feel comfortable talking? Use chat/text instead.
How to spot an eating disorder | Psyche
When you are close to someone – a family member, a romantic partner, a longtime friend – you are likely to be fairly attuned to subtle changes in behaviour that could signal a shift in that person’s wellbeing. For many people, these changes are connected to eating.
How to Start a Self-Care Journal | Read Poetry
If you’re a writer, chances are you have a stack of journals tucked away in the back of your closet, likely filled with memories, heartbreaks, and musings. Many of us as a means of self-care to process thoughts, feelings, and experiences. But have you ever created a journal solely for self-care?
Awards: Best Memoirs of 2022 | SheReads
Every year thousands of our readers vote for their favorite books of the year in the She Reads Awards. Find out more about the books that were nominated and see which book was voted the Best Memoir of 2022. The winner of the Best Memoir of 2022 is . .
30 Easy Bread Recipes for Beginner Bakers | Taste of Home
Baking bread is more popular (and easier) than ever! If you’re new to it, don’t be intimidated. Consider these easy bread recipes and become the baker you always knew you could be! Be sure to check out our ultimate bread baking guide, too.
While the Music Lasts: Poem to My Younger Self
Each night, standing in the hallway at the open / door of the bedroom, I see you lying in the / fading light, his arms around you, your head on his / chest, his lips against your hair, and I want to tell / you everything.
Books by Alexandria Constantinova Szeman
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Filed under #CSA, Baking, Childhood Sexual Abuse, chronic pain, Health and Wellness, hemiplegic migraines, Mental Health, migraine, migraine self-care, Migraine with Aura, Migraine Without Aura, migraines, Panic Attacks, Poetry, PTSD, Rape, Sexual Violence, The Alexandria Papers Newsletter, Trauma
Tagged as books, bread baking, bread baking for beginners, chronic migraine, cptsd, eating disorders, journal writing, journaling, memoirs, migraine, migraine again, migraine prevention, migraine self-care, mindfulness, New Year's Resolutions, new year's resolutions for trauma survivors, poem, poetry, psyche.co, Psychology Today, PTSD, rainn, rainn online hotline, self-care, self-care journal, survivors, taste of home, trauma survivors, very well, while the music lasts: poem to my younger self

The Alexandria Papers Newsletter #62 | Dr. Alexandria Szeman 1 January 2023
Want to Eat Mindfully? Here are the BASICS | Mindful
Looking to bring mindfulness to the dinner table? Lynn Rossy shares six steps to prime your mind for savoring your next bite-whether it’s chicken nuggets or kale. BASICS is an acronym for a complete set of guidelines that walks you through the mindful eating process from beginning to end.
Migraines: Steps to head off the pain | Mayo Clinic
Migraines cause pain as real as the pain of injuries – with one difference: Healthy habits and simple remedies sometimes stop migraines before they start. By Mayo Clinic Staff Medicine is a proven way to both treat and prevent migraines. But medicine is only part of the story.
Being ‘Miss Independent’ May Not Be As Healthy As You Think | Shape
There’s a lot of cultural celebration around the concept of independence, particularly in the United States. People who can take care of themselves receive praise, and the terms “self-made” and “single-handedly” are markers of true, hard-won success.
Do you need help dealing with
sexual assault,
rape, or incest? Call
@RAINN ‘s Hotline 800.656.HOPE (4673) to talk to a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area. Don’t feel comfortable talking? Use chat/text instead.
7 Daily Habits That’ll Improve Your Mental Health in 2023 | CNET
Making goals for the new year is a ritual we all take part in right after the holidays pass. Maybe this year you’ve made a resolution to get out of debt or devote more time and energy to eating better.
Keeping on with the Reading Trend | Sixty and Me
Since reading is a great pastime for women our age – and for anyone, really – here’s another list that I was able to complete and review. Continuing my search for funny women authors over 50, I stumbled across Jenny by researching her agent for a client of mine.
No Knead Fig and Walnut Bread | Mangia Bedda
This easy no knead fig and walnut bread is fragrant with cinnamon and lightly sweetened with honey. All is you have to do is stir all the ingredients together and forget about it for 6-24 hours. Enjoy slathered with butter or cream cheese for breakfast, as a snack or any time of day!
26 Seriously Useful Baking Tips You’ll Wish You Knew About Sooner | Tasty
To help make your bakes the absolute best.
Holiday (a poem)
“Day followed day, and this and that Seemed to be happening As always, but through it all Already loneliness was seeping.”
Books by Alexandria Constantinova Szeman
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Filed under #CSA, Baking, Books, chronic pain, Chronic Pain Treatment, Cooking, Health and Wellness, hemiplegic migraines, Mental Health, migraine, migraine self-care, Migraine Treatment, Migraine with Aura, Migraine Without Aura, migraines, Newsletters, Trauma
Tagged as baking, baking tips, books, Childhood Sexual abuse, cooking, cooking tips, healing, mental health, migraine, migraines, mindfulness, poem, poetry, trauma

The Alexandria Papers Newsletter #61 | Dr. Alexandria Szeman 11 December 2022
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No newsletters for the remainder of December, for the holidays and the new year. I’ll see you in January 2023. Meanwhile, here’s a picture of my youngest cat (11.5 years old) on the blanket I’m making for them, and she’s wishing you a happy end of the year.
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If you suffer from chronic conditions such as anxiety, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder, meditation may worsen your symptoms. Traditional meditation, such as sitting silently and relaxing your mind, is very challenging when your inner world is in chaos. Consider nontraditional forms of…
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When we feel mentally and physically well, we’re better able to care for ourselves and others We can try using these 5 tips to practice self-care during the holidays Try 10 meditations for holiday self-care When there’s a lot going on in our lives, we tend to deprioritize taking time to care for…
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According to a new survey, no, most of us would not feel comfortable talking about our migraine and mental health with our doctor. A whopping 77% of people with migraine and depression or anxiety say they hesitate to talk about their mental health with their medical provider, according to the…
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As a physical therapist, there’s one thing I am sure about when it comes to the human body – it is meant to move. Our anatomy and physiology are fine-tuned to navigate and interact with the world.
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Year-round, we encourage providers to adopt a trauma-informed lens-to use knowledge of trauma and its impact to make decisions about all aspects of their relationships with clients and how they run their program. During the holiday season, the need for a trauma-informed approach is critical.
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Interest in psychological manipulation has never been so high, according to online dictionary searches. “Gaslighting” beat out other words such as “oligarch,” “cancel culture,” and “Omicron.” The US dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster announced on Monday that their 2022 word of the year is…
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Journaling does more than just help you record your memories or find self-expression. It’s good for your health.
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You don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to practice gratitude – you can do little (and big) things all year round to express your generous spirit. It’s easy to get caught in the stress of the day-to-day and forget all the things that are actually going your way.
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“The main thing you’ve got to overcome is getting discouraged… writing pros is the hardest thing in the world” – Ernest Hemingway (July 21, 1899-July 2, 1961) Arnold Samuelson refused to hand over the $5 fee to get his diploma in journalism at the University of Minnesota.
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“I need your John Hancock.” “He’s the prodigal son of our family.” “That job was like working in the seventh layer of hell.” “He has a Willy Loman-esque resignation about him.” “We’re navigating between Scylla and Charybdis here.” Anybody with the literacy of an eighth-grader could read those…
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Here they are, the holiday classics! These are the top-rated main dish and side dish recipes you need for a perfect traditional Christmas dinner. They cover the savory side of Christmas dinner, from prime rib, baked ham, and roast turkey to scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry…
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Christmas lunch and dinner would be nothing without the comforting classics we love to eat year after year. These 49 recipes are the ones we hold dear at this time of year, whether they be classic through and through or with a slightly modern…
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Get ebooks at Amazon now:
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Filed under #CSA, Baking, Cats, chronic pain, Cooking, hemiplegic migraines, Meditation and MIndfulness, Mental Health, migraine, migraine self-care, Migraine Treatment, Migraine with Aura, Migraine Without Aura, migraines, Newsletters, PTSD
Tagged as #csa, anxiety, books, Childhood Sexual abuse, childhood trauma, depression, gaslighting, gratitude, holidays, journal writing, journaling, migraine, mindfulness, self-care, trauma, triggers