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19 Developing a Healthy Mind
GLOSSARY
to get the most out of life – to enjoy life as much as possible; to experience the
act of living with maximum enjoyment and success
* Why are we spending so much time at the office? If wequit and travel the
world, we’d get the most out of life.
to live life to its fullest – to enjoy life as much as possible; to experience the act
of living with maximum enjoyment and success
* Jeremiah tries to live life to its fullest, never saying “no” to a new opportunity.
fad – something that becomes popular very quickly and remains very popular for
a short period of time, but then becomes unpopular and almost disappears
* When I was a kid, having pet rocks was a big fad.
lifestyle – a way of living; the way that one lives one’s life, including how one
spends one’s time and what one values
* Zoran decided to change his lifestyle. He quit his high-paying job as a corporate
lawyer and instead began working with poor children in faraway countries.
fulfilling – satisfying; giving one a feeling of completion, happiness, and
pleasure; meeting one’s needs
* It must be very fulfilling to work as a nurse and spendall day helping sick
people feel better.
to go through a phase – to experience a certain period in one’s life when one is
very interested in a particular thing
* Most little boys go through a phase when they love learning about dinosaurs.
to dwell on – to spend a lot of time thinking about something, especially if it
makes one sad or angry
* Why do you always want to dwell on the things that you did poorly? Wouldn’t it
be better to focus on your successes?
to live in the moment – to focus on what one is doing right now, enjoying the
present and not worrying about the past or future
* It’s good to plan for the future, but sometimes it’s equally important to live in the
moment and enjoy what you have.
negativity – one’s tendency to see the bad or negative side of things and believe
the worst about things, or believe that bad things willhappen; pessimism
* I think it’s difficult to be around Lubijana, becauseher negativity is very
depressing. No matter what happens, she thinks it’s a badthing.
to appreciate – to recognize and enjoy the goodness in something; to value
something; to realize the goodness and importance of something
* I really appreciate your willingness to help me move the piano. That’s so nice
of you!
to practice – to follow a group of rules or guidelines that tell one how to live
one’s life
* I know that Lorie’s family is Muslim, but is she a practicing Muslim?
mindfulness – an awareness of what one is doing and what is happening
around oneself; the act of paying attention and being aware of the moment
* This article says that people who eat with mindfulness, instead of eating in front
of the TV, eat less food and have fewer problems with obesity.
mantra – a phrase that one repeats many times, usually quietly, to control one’s
thoughts, have focus, and become calmer
* When things aren’t going well, Al repeats a mantra:“Tomorrow is a new day.”
to calm – to give someone a feeling of peace and relaxation, especially after one
has been very angry, worried or stressed out
* They tried to calm their baby by giving her a bath andplaying quiet music.
meditation – the practice of controlling one’s thoughts to try not to think about
anything and become very calm and relaxed
* Sabrina tries to find time for five minutes of meditation each morning, before
she has to start thinking about her job and kids.
judgmental – often sharing one’s opinion about whether other things, and
especially other people’s actions, are good or bad; havingstrong, critical opinions
about people and things
* Ms. Fritz is so judgmental! Wherever we go, she spends the whole time
criticizing what other people are wearing.
close-mindedness – not wanting to listen to or accept other people’s opinions or
ideas, because one wants to keep one’s own beliefs
* The way he refuses to listen to other people talk about their religion is a good
examples of his close-mindedness.
to buy – to accept, believe, or adopt; to listen to what anotherperson says and
decide that it is a good idea, or to begin doing whatanother person is doing
* I don’t think you’ll get anyone to buy your ideas abouttime travel.
hocus pocus – something that is impossible or false; a set of ideas or beliefs
that one thinks are silly or nonsense
* He says he can teach us how to make $10,000 a day, but it’s just hocus pocus.
______________
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. Who would you expect to have the most fulfilling life?
a) Someone who lives life to the fullest.
b) Someone who dwells on the past.
c) Someone who has a judgmental attitude.
2. What does Luke mean when he says, “Nothing can get me to buy your latest
hocus pocus”?
a) He doesn’t have enough money for what Lorelai is selling.
b) He doesn’t believe in the things Lorelai is talking about.
c) He doesn’t want to change his mantra.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
to dwell on
The phrase “to dwell on,” in this podcast, means to spend a lot of time thinking
about something, especially if it makes one sad or angry: “Yes, your business
failed, but stop dwelling on it. Try to think about the future and create a new
business instead.” The phrase “to dwell on” can also mean to talk about
something unpleasant for a long time: “We’ve been dwelling on this problem for
hours. Let’s talk about something else for a change.” The verb “to dwell” also
means to live somewhere: “Many years ago, humans dwelled in caves, but now
most of them live in homes and apartments.” A “dwelling” is a place to live: “The
city is trying to decide whether it should build new dwellings or a park over there.”
to practice
In this podcast, the verb “to practice” means to followa group of rules or
guidelines that tell one how to live one’s life: “They practice charity by giving 10%
of their income to nonprofit organizations.” The verb“to practice” often means to
learn how to do something better by doing it many times: “How many hours per
day do you practice playing the piano?” The phrase “practice makes perfect”
means that you have to do something many times before you can do it well: “Her
cakes keep burning in the oven, but practice makes perfect.” Finally, the phrase
“to practice what you preach” means to do the things you tell other people to do:
“I’d be more likely to follow his advice if he practiced what he preached.”
______________
CULTURE NOTE
The New Age “movement” (a group of people who believethe same things and
try to get other people to share their beliefs and way of living) is a type of
“spirituality” (interest in one’s purpose in life and one’s connection to a god or a
creator). The New Age movement “draws from” (takes pieces from) many
different religions, “atheism” (the belief that thereis no god), “cosmology” (the
study of how the universe was created), “environmentalism” (the belief that
people should take better care of the natural world), and “astrology” (the belief
that the position of stars and planets affect people’s personality and actions).
The New Age movement became popular in the United States in the 1960s and
1970s. It is very “individualistic,” meaning that each person is encouraged to
have his or her own beliefs. “Adherers” (people who follow) of the movement
generally believe that there is a greater power, but they might believe that it is in
nature, or that it is “abstract” (something that cannot be seen or easily
understood) and not a human-like god.
The New Age movement believes that the human mind has a lot of “untapped”
(not yet used) power, and that the power can be “enhanced’ (improved and
increased) by being “in tune with” (connected to and aware of) the natural world.
Many New Age followers believe in the power of the “healing touch” (the ability to
make a sick person better by touching him or her) and “healing crystals” (special
rocks that can make people feel better).
The New Age movement also encourages people to have a “sustainable lifestyle”
where they try not to hurt the planet, maybe by buying fewer things and driving
less. Many of them are “vegetarians” (people who don’teat meat) who eat only
“organic” (grown without chemicals) food.
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – b
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 522: Developing a
Healthy Mind.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 522. I’m your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Our website is eslpod.com. Go there immediately to download a Learning Guide
for this episode that will help you improve your Englisheven faster. Remember,
the Learning Guide membership is one of the ways you cansupport these ESL
Podcast audio files, so be sure to go to our website andtake a look.
This episode is called “Developing a Healthy Mind.” It’s a conversation between
Luke and Lorelai, giving their views on what it means tohave a healthy mind.
Let’s get started.
[start of dialogue]
Lorelai: I just finished reading a book about how to get the most out of life.
Starting today, I’m going to live life to its fullest.
Luke: Oh no, not another one of your fads. Weren’t you eating only blue- and
red-colored foods a couple of months ago?
Lorelai: This is not a fad! I’m changing my lifestyle soI’ll be able to live a
happier and more fulfilling life.
Luke: And didn’t you go through a phase where you spoke only to animals?
Lorelai: I’m not listening to you, and I’m not dwelling on the past. I’m living in the
moment and enjoying everything around me. I’m ignoring your negativity and
concentrating on appreciating the moment.
Luke: What are you doing now?
Lorelai: I’m practicing mindfulness. I’m repeating my mantra and calming my
mind. You should try meditation. It may help you withyour problems.
Luke: What problems?
Lorelai: We could start with your judgmental attitude and your closemindedness. How’s that?
Luke: Forget it! Nothing can get me to buy your latest hocus pocus!
[end of dialogue]
This episode is called “Developing a Healthy Mind.” “Healthy” is the opposite of
“sickly” or “ill.” We usually use this term to talk about your physical body. But
here, it’s being used a little differently, it’s being used to talk about your mind, the
way you think and whether that is healthy or not – the way you think, perhaps.
People have different ideas about this, of course.
Lorelai begins our conversation by saying that she just finished reading a book
about how to get the most out of life. The expression“to get the most out of life”
means to enjoy life as much as possible, to experience life in its fullness – in its
completeness. Usually people talk about this when they arereferring to success
or enjoying life somehow. So, Lorelai’s reading a book which is very common at
least in the United States, what we call “self-help” books, books that people read
to try to make them happier or better or healthier. Lorelai says that she’s going
to live, starting today, life to its fullest. “To live life to the fullest” means
something similar to “getting the most out of life,” to enjoy life as much as
possible.
Luke says, “Oh no, not another one of your fads.” A “fad” (fad) is something that
becomes popular very quickly and remains popular for a shortperiod of time, and
then everybody forgets about it. This happens with songs, this happens with
television shows, it happens with dances. In particular,I remember a few years
ago there was a dance fad called the Macarena, and it had these moves that you
would…oh well, forget it. It was a fad, and everyone’s forgotten it already.
That’s what a fad is, something you forget that is very popular but then is no
longer popular. In the 1970s a fad was pet rocks. People sold these rocks like
they were pets; it was amazing!
So anyway, getting back to our story Luke says, “Weren’t you eating only blue-
and red-colored foods a couple of months ago?” Obviously Lorelai likes to try
new and different, perhaps strange things, like eating food that is blue and red.
Lorelai says that this is not a fad. “I’m changing my lifestyle so I’ll be able to live
a happier and more fulfilling life.” Your “lifestyle” is the way that you live, the way
you spend your time for example. “Fulfilling” means satisfying, giving you a
sense of happiness and completion. So, a fulfilling life would be a life that was
satisfying, that was happy, that was complete.
Luke says, “And didn’t you go through a phase where you only spoke to
animals?” Luke is reminding Lorelai of all of the somewhat crazy fads that she
was part of in the past. He says, “didn’t you go through a phase?” “To go
through a phase” (phase) to means to experience a certain period in your life
when you become very interested in a certain thing; it’s sort of like a fad, but it’s
something that you personally get involved in. It could be for months or even
years. The expression is often used to talk about people who are going through
some sort of change in their life that perhaps isn’t necessarily positive or is
experiencing some sort of difficulty. We might talk about a teenager going
through a phase. They’re going through a part of their life where they’re angry at
everyone or they don’t like to talk to their parents. This is usually a somewhat
temporary situation; it doesn’t go on forever, we hope.That would be going
through a phase.
Lorelai says, “I’m not listening to you, and I’m not dwelling on the past.” “To
dwell (dwell) on (something)” means to spend a lot of time thinking about
something, especially something that makes you sad or makes you angry.
People may say, “Don’t dwell on it” if something bad happens to you – don’t keep
thinking about it over and over again. “Dwell” has a couple of different meanings
in English; take a look at the Learning Guide for some more explanations.
Lorelai says, “I’m living in the moment and enjoying everything around me.” This
is a popular self-help idea: to live in the moment – to focus on what you are doing
right now; don’t worry about the past, don’t worry about the future. Live in the
moment – live in the now. Lorelai says, “I’m ignoringyour negativity and
concentrating on appreciating the moment.” “Negativity”is when someone
always sees the bad side of things, one only thinks about the negative things.
The noun is “negativity.” “To appreciate” means to recognize the goodness in
something, to value something. So, Lorelai says she’s going to ignore Luke’s
negativity and concentrate on appreciating the moment – appreciating what’s
happening right now.
Luke says, “What are you doing now?” Lorelai says, “I’m practicing mindfulness.”
“To practice” means to follow some rules or guidelines about how to live your life,
in this case. But “practice” has a couple of different meanings, so take a look at
that Learning Guide, once again, for some more explanations. Lorelai is
practicing mindfulness. “Mindfulness” is a notion – an idea that you are aware of
what is going on around you; you are paying attention to what you are doing.
There’s an old expression: “to be mindful of (something)” means to be paying
attention, to be concentrating on, to know what was going on. More recently,
people have talked about mindfulness as being a way thatyou are always aware
of what is around you, and this is supposed to somehow help you be calmer,
help you appreciate life.
Lorelai goes on to say that she’s repeating her mantra and calming her mind.
She says to Luke, “You should try meditation. It may help you with your
problems.” So, Lorelai is doing “meditation,” which is the practice in many
different traditions, both religious and nonreligious, of focusing on something,
controlling your thoughts. In some types of meditation, it’s focusing only on one
thing. In other types of meditation it could be tryingto focus on nothing –
emptying your mind, if you will. Those are kinds of meditation. One way of
meditating in some traditions is to use what’s called a “mantra” (mantra). This is
a word or a phrase that you repeat many times to yourselfquietly as a part of
concentrating – focusing on a certain thing, and not having other thoughts. The
idea is that it makes you calmer physically – physiologically. “To calm your mind”
means to give you a sense of relaxation, of peace.
Lorelai says that Luke should try meditation to help himwith his problems. Luke
says, “What problems?” Lorelai says, “We could start with your judgmental
attitude and your close-mindedness.” “We could start” means well, there are
many things that we could talk about, but here’s one. “We could start with you
judgmental attitude.” To be “judgmental” means to always be giving someone
your opinion, whether you like something or don’t like something. Usually, it’s a
negative way of talking about someone. If you say someone is judgmental, that’s
a criticism. You’re saying they’re always telling people things they don’t like –
they’re always judging other people, criticizing other people. So, you’re criticizing
them, which I guess would make you judgmental, I’m not sure. “Closemindedness” means not willing to listen to other people’s opinions or ideas, only
having your own ideas and not even paying attention to what other people are
saying, not being willing to listen to other people. Lorelai is saying that Luke is
judgmental and close-minded.
Luke says, “Forget it! Nothing can get me to buy your latest hocus pocus!”
When Luke uses the expression “to buy,” he doesn’t mean give money to
someone in order to that something back. He means to believe or accept
something. Someone may say to you, “I’m not buying it. He says that he didn’t
go to work today, but I’m not buying it.” That means “I don’t believe it; I don’t
accept it.” Well Luke doesn’t believe the ideas that Lorelai has about meditation
and mantras and mindfulness; he says “I’m not going to buy your latest hocus
pocus!” “Hocus pocus” is something that, in this case, is impossible or false. It’s
a set of ideas that you think are silly – that you think are nonsense, and that’s
what Luke thinks about Lorelai’s ideas.
Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
[start of dialogue]
Lorelai: I just finished reading a book about how to get the most out of life.
Starting today, I’m going to live life to its fullest.
Luke: Oh no, not another one of your fads. Weren’t you eating only blue- and
red-colored foods a couple of months ago?
Lorelai: This is not a fad! I’m changing my lifestyle soI’ll be able to live a
happier and more fulfilling life.
Luke: And didn’t you go through a phase where you spoke only to animals?
Lorelai: I’m not listening to you, and I’m not dwelling on the past. I’m living in the
moment and enjoying everything around me. I’m ignoring your negativity and
concentrating on appreciating the moment.
Luke: What are you doing now?
Lorelai: I’m practicing mindfulness. I’m repeating my mantra and calming my
mind. You should try meditation. It may help you withyour problems.
Luke: What problems?
Lorelai: We could start with your judgmental attitude and your closemindedness. How’s that?
Luke: Forget it! Nothing can get me to buy your latest hocus pocus!
[end of dialogue]
We appreciate the great job that our scriptwriter, Dr.Lucy Tse, did on today’s
episode.
From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come
back and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,
hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2009 by the Centerfor Educational
Development.
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