Connective Balance from Within: The D.R.E.A.M.E.R. Way

By Dr. Gemma Brennan and Dr. Tim Brennan

Every day of life is part of our personal journey and history, offering us the opportunity to spread kindness, make memories, and take care of ourselves. In short, each sunrise comes with a restart button that provides a chance to begin again. But how do we find the answers to all of our deepest questions about life, and then utilize those answers to create a pathway to achieving all our dreams?

In an insightful guide to achieving connective inner balance, Drs. Gemma and Tim Brennan rely on their professional experience as educational leaders to share a roadmap that teaches us to appreciate our beginnings, wisely use our talents, and then begin expanding our life’s possibilities through positive change, laughter, and emotional wellness. While guiding us to focus on ourselves, where we are in our journeys, and our attitudes for the trip ahead, the Brennans introduce a new method of living that employs energy connections from seven sources—diet, rest, exercise, awareness, meditation, expression, and renewal—to provide a multitude of positive benefits. Included are introspective questions and writing exercises that encourage self-reflection and growth.

Connective Balance from Within: The D.R.E.A.M.E.R Way shares a practical roadmap that leads us down an insightful path to living in a world of happy, healthy relationships, beginning with ourselves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Jul 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781480889897

Dr. Gemma Brennan

Drs. Gemma and Tim Brennan are award-winning trailblazers in the field of education who are passionate about helping others plant seeds of self-confidence. Whether they are presenting workshops, writing a column for Newsweek, volunteering with a coalition to plant community gardens, or leading schools to reach goals, Gemma and Tim possess a deep passion for leading others to achieve their dreams. The Brennans reside in Manchester Township, New Jersey.

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BOOK TESTIMONIALS

Where scientific fact, spirituality, and time-tested wisdom converge, not in competition but in harmony, there exists the deeper truths of the human condition. Connective Balance from Within: The D.R.E.A.M.E.R. Way (Emotional Wellness and a Little Humor Every Day) seeks not to preach but to humbly and thoughtfully construct a plan for mindfulness. It engages the reader to find his or her own comprehensive approach to disease and wellness and isn’t afraid to have a few laughs along the way.

Matthew J. MacCarrick, MD, FAAP

Director of medicine and pediatric critical care specialist

The D.R.E.A.M.E.R. Way shows you how to transform the personal dreams you have for yourself into a reality. It is an encyclopedia that tells you everything you need to know in order to become your best and most fulfilled self. But this is no regular how-to self-help book. What is different is that you feel the authors have written the book just for you. It is like they’ve been waiting for you to buy it off the shelf and take it home where they sit. As you turn the page or journal and answer one of the questions, you may hear them whisper in your ear, That’s it. Keep going. You’re doing great. We’ve got your back! By the end of this one-of-a-kind read, Gemma and Tim will have become your best cheerleaders, your life coaches, your confidants, and the type of friends you would love to have over to the house on a hot summer day for a cool glass of lemonade. No unseasoned author(s) could have developed that kind of intimate relationship with a first-time reader, but these two wise sages could and did. Reading The D.R.E.A.M.E.R. Way is a road map to those who have somehow lost their way, forgot their bearings, or just gotten a little off track. How lucky you were to find this book.

Welcome home!

Dawn Colapietro, MSW, MPS, MBA

Connective Balance from Within: The D.R.E.A.M.E.R. Way (Emotional Wellness and a Little Laughter Every Day) is a perfect blueprint for anyone who wants to live a happier, healthier, more productive life. Drs. Tim and Gemma have hit the proverbial self-help nail on the head. I’ve read many self-help books, but this one tops them all. The best book of its kind in ages. A must-read!

Tom Moore, president of Tom Moore

Associates, Healthcare Marketing, BS

Hospice RN

When it comes to learning and deeply understanding what is possible and practical along life’s journey, look no further than Gemma and Tim’s new book, Connective Balance from Within: The D.R.E.A.M.E.R. Way (Emotional Wellness and a Little Laughter Every Day), along with their inspiring workshops. Attending their programs helped me discover new creative options, enhance my self-awareness, and clarify my values and priorities. Their modeling, shared experiences, wise insights, playful exercises, and humor are generous gifts I treasure.

Regina Rosenthal, PT, MA, RYT 200

Author of The Heart of Healing: Discovering the Secrets of Self-Care

Both Gemma and Tim Brennan are trailblazers in the field of education and for many years have been my mentors within the teaching profession. They possess a deep passion for education, student safety, and emotional wellness of both children and their teachers. Having the knowledge they share will only improve the overall culture of a classroom, daily practices, and routines as well. I have attended their professional development seminars on meditation. The focus was on improving the emotional wellness of students so they could open the proper channels of their minds before completing their various tasks. As a result of implementing their suggestions, my students had a better focus throughout the day, along with being more positive and cooperative. The change has been so dramatic that administration has asked me to share this technique with my colleagues so they can benefit as well from these practices.

I believe that this book, Connective Balance from Within: The D.R.E.A.M.E.R. Way, is a guide for emotional wellness and that within the next few years, we as a society will put more emphasis on emotional well-being rather than just data achievement.

Ray Roe, MA

The workshop was magnificent. The amount of time you spent on its preparation was evident in your great presentation—a true reflection of your book Connective Balance from Within: The D.R.E.A.M.E.R. Way and the research you have completed. The information you shared with us was not only informative but also motivating. The generous giving of your time and talent for the betterment of the parishioners was memorable. Thank you.

Barry Burke

Coordinator, Outreach for Maturing Adults Advisory Committee

Connective Balance

from Within

The D.R.E.A.M.E.R. Way

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Emotional Wellness and a Little Laughter Every Day

Drs. Gemma and Tim Brennan

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Copyright © 2020 Drs. Gemma and Tim Brennan.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by

any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author

and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of

the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of

people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Interior Image Credit: Nancy Corsaro

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8988-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8990-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8989-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020911445

Archway Publishing rev. date: 7/24/2020

CONTENTS

Authors’ Note

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

The Heart of D.R.E.A.M.E.R.

Chapter 1 You Are Here

Chapter 2 Pack Your Attitude

Chapter 3 Listen Up

Chapter 4 Where Have We Been?

Chapter 5 Bringing D.R.E.A.M.E.R. into Your Life

Chapter 6 Gaining Your Balance

Chapter 7 Uniting Your Inner Team

Chapter 8 Dreams into Action

Chapter 9 Living in the D.R.E.A.M.E.R. Dimensions

Chapter 10 Sources of Power and Peace

Chapter 11 Diet

Chapter 12 Rest

Chapter 13 Exercise

Chapter 14 Awareness

Chapter 15 Meditation

Chapter 16 Expression

Chapter 17 Renewal and Relationships

Chapter 18 Maintaining Emotional Balance: The Power of Daily Laughter

Chapter 19 Every Step You Take

Notes

We

dedicate this book to all the teachers who brought

us into the world of expanded awareness and to all

the teachers who will continue to inspire children to

become their best as they learn to serve the world.

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AUTHORS’ NOTE

The contents conveyed in this book are for information, education, and entertainment only.

We strongly recommend you see your physician before beginning this or any other life-changing program.

PREFACE

According to repeated studies by the National Institutes of Health, social relationships—both the quantity and the quality—affect mental and emotional health. The differences show up in behavior, physical well-being, and mortality risk, especially in people over the age of thirty. This discovery has led a growing number of scientists to state that personal relationships will join diet, rest, and exercise among the standards predicting quality of life.

The D.R.E.A.M.E.R. way builds on relationships. This new way of living employs the energy connections within each human being, arising from seven sources:

Diet

Rest

Exercise

Awareness

Meditation

Expression

Renewal

Each of these energy activities operates within four dimensions: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. The combination can be as individual as personal consciousness; as social as family, friends, and associates; or as general as species, planets, galaxies, and universes.

The blending of the seven sources and four dimensions provides life, love, health, wealth, and contribution.

Relationships start within each of us as thoughts and feelings. They move to the outer world of actions. What is lived and learned can go on to become improvement in your life.

In chapters 1, 2, and 3, we begin our journey by focusing on you: where you are right now, your attitude for the trip ahead, and your ability to just listen. Then, in chapter 4, we’ll introduce the D.R.E.A.M.E.R. way. Why begin with a close-up on you? Because if you want to live in a world of happy and healthy relationships, your best bet is to start with yourself.

To thine own self be true,

And it must follow as the night the day

That thou canst not be false to anyone.

—William Shakespeare

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Together, we began writing this book because of a combined interest in the topics we are presenting to you, along with a sense of joy and commitment in our desire to share with you what we have learned and experienced during our years as parents and educators and in our most cherished relationships with all our family and the friendships created as a result of mutual respect.

We have always been rejuvenated in our enthusiasm by our interactions with those who are part of our personal lives, in addition to those who have attended the workshops we have been presenting over the last several years. Writing this book gave us the opportunity to learn something new every day. It has been an even greater experience than we expected. We have better imbued our personal lives with a focus on living one day at a time.

What makes up the moments of our lives can be heartwarming, challenging, exciting, heartbreaking, disappointing, uplifting, and, at times, confusing, yet it can help us unravel an appreciation of our existence. We believe we should do our best to live every day by being fascinated by our world and not being afraid of what is to come in our future.

All of us can accomplish and enjoy each day only as it is given to us. As we close our eyes at night, let us all appreciate what we have been given, be glad we had a hand to hold along our journey, and respect the connectedness we have as human beings.

Our gratitude and special thanks go to the following: our parents and grandparents, who were our guiding support throughout our growing years; our teachers from our elementary years through our continued education and receipt of our doctorates; our sisters, Dawn Colapietro and Kathy Brennan; our children and grandchildren, from whom we gain great insight on life today;