PLUMA DESIGNS
  • Team Pluma
  • Services
    • Salon Services
    • Pluma Styles
    • Styling Tips
    • Testimonials
  • Products
  • Pluma Snippets
    • The Snippets Blog
    • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Call 480-922-9315
    • Hours
    • Our Location
    • Contact Us
    • Request Appointment
    • Request Consultation
  • Books
    • Living Brave
    • Dear Son Dear Mom

Pluma Snippets


​Welcome to Pluma Snippets, our monthly newsletter. A collection of beauty ideas, styling tips, monthly specials, book recommendations, and local events created and compiled by salon owner, Hilda Villaverde. Included is a commentary written with a fresh perspective on living a not-so-ordinary everyday life… guaranteed to be thought provoking and inspiring.  Sign up today!

Be Curious

8/1/2019

1 Comment

 
​In our first book, Living Brave, Women, Stories and Pathways to Thriving , Mary Beth and I asked twelve women to write how they nurture their inner garden of wellbeing. We found we don’t seem to care for or nurture ourselves in our young years, but eventually as we mature, we arrive to an awakening and desire to care for ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually. I am certainly feeling the call for self-nurturing at this time in life.
The month of August while things around us slow down a bit, is a good time for us to recover and reinforce our spirit of wellbeing. The following is an article written for the book by Dr. Gayle Cordes an Arizona state-licensed psychotherapist, client and friend. I hope it brings a smile to your face and is a reminder to keep curiosity nourished in your life:

There is an old proverb that warns, "Curiosity killed the cat."  One might suppose from that advice being inquisitive could get you into trouble.  A bit of digging shows the original form of the proverb was “care kills the cat,” where “care” meant “worry” or “sorrow.”  And it turns out there is even more to this proverb.   What is often left out is the rest of that adage, “satisfaction brings it back,” suggesting resurrection or return.  So maybe being curious isn’t all bad?

As a psychotherapist specializing in psychological trauma, I have worked with many people weighed down by painful life experiences, by worry, by sorrow. Studies show unresolved traumatic stress impacts our physical, as well as mental health, not only complicating chronic medical conditions such as hypertension, but in many cases causing them. The famous Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is one of the best examples of this research.
​
No one goes through life without bad things happening—natural disasters, accidents, illness, death of a loved one, divorce, job loss, bullying, and the list goes on.  We all experience such things.  It turns out that with psychological trauma, it’s not so much the terrible thing that happened, it’s what comes after.  Did we hide away from the world in fear?  Or did we reach out for help to recover?  Did we tell our story?  Did we heal and make meaning from the experience?

The field of neurobiology is a fascinating new area of scientific study.  What these experts tell us is that being curious is wired into us as part of the life-enhancing circuitry of our brain; in this case, what’s called the “seeking” circuit.   Interestingly, this circuit sits across from the life-protecting circuit of fear.  So, what if we fire up the seeking circuit instead of letting fear take over?  What if we approach the world with interest and curiosity, rather than avoiding risk and hiding out in fear?  Seems easier said than done sometimes, I know.

Years back, after my second divorce, I was weighed down with “care,”—worry, sorrow, and, yes, with some fear.  Yet I did something some people thought was crazy; I went back to school. Again.  After two master’s degrees, I set out to complete my doctorate.  I fired up my curious-seeking circuitry and plowed onward.  It turned out to be the right divorce recovery strategy for me. I see the same good outcomes for my patient’s time and time again. Being curious is not only a characteristic of well-being, but it can contribute greatly to our return to health.   
Perhaps, then, there is something to that old proverb after all, if we consider it in its original form, as reflected in Shakespeare’s 1599 play, Much Ado About Nothing: “What courage man! What, though care killed a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care.”
​
It seems whether we draw upon the findings of 21st century neuroscientists or the wisdom of the ancients, the examined life is the way to go (indulge me here, Socrates).   So, be curious!

A very special thank you to Gayle and all of the other contributors to our books in the Living Brave …. Stories that Inspire series. livingbrave.net
1 Comment
Suzanne Diamond Haniotis
8/27/2019 05:36:15 pm

Dr Connie Mariano is a good friend; I listen to her radio show as usual. i enjoyed hearing you talk on August segment. I ordered two of your books.

- You write so well on pertinent issues
- I have a manuscript/memoir looking for someone to help with finalizing, btw.

I’ll call tomorrow for a hair appointment - the one with a Phd and seven books to her credit - Wow. i’m not far from Shea

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Hilda Villaverde is the owner manager and stylist at Pluma Designs, a hair salon studio in Scottsdale, AZ.  A recognized public speaker, Hilda earned her Doctorate in Religious Studies with a minor in Pastoral Counseling from Emerson Institute. 

    She is the author of ten published books, including her newest book in the Living Brave series; Living Brave...Women In Business, Compelling Stories of How ONE Can Make a Difference. 
    ​www.livingbrave.net

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    June 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

HOURS
Monday - Saturday 8am to 5pm
Stylist availability varies.
Call 480-922-9315
Let's Get Social !
CONTACT US
Picture
7000 Shea Boulevard, ​Suite 1607
Scottsdale, AZ 85254

480-922-9315

    Sign up for Snippets Monthly Newsletter

Subscribe to Newsletter

©2023 Pluma Designs Hair Studio, Scottsdale, AZ. All rights reserved.
Site powered by GET WEB Get Going!
  • Team Pluma
  • Services
    • Salon Services
    • Pluma Styles
    • Styling Tips
    • Testimonials
  • Products
  • Pluma Snippets
    • The Snippets Blog
    • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Call 480-922-9315
    • Hours
    • Our Location
    • Contact Us
    • Request Appointment
    • Request Consultation
  • Books
    • Living Brave
    • Dear Son Dear Mom