Given the volatile and angry nature of this current national election, how do we manage our anxiety? Regardless of our political affiliations, this particular election cycle has involved unprecedented negativity and sensationalism, driven in part by people’s dissatisfaction with governmental gridlock, concerns about our economy,...
Life is precarious, people aren’t perfect, and so it’s inevitable that at some point we’ll be hurt or injured emotionally by somebody’s words or actions. The offense may be something relatively mild (making a thoughtless remark) or horrendous (child abuse). The question is how do...
Happiness. Anxiety. Delight. Frustration. Serenity. Impatience. In other words, emotions. We all have them. And so far nobody has figured out a way to remove the uncomfortable feelings without also erasing exuberance and the other pleasurable emotions. So, our options are either to accept occasional...
We all hear a lot about the benefits of giving thanks, especially during the holiday season. Indeed, people who express gratitude tend to be happier, healthier, and more able to cope with life in general. However, sometimes we just don’t feel grateful, and all of...
There is a Native American story about a grandfather, talking to his young grandson. He tells the boy that he has two wolves inside him that are struggling with each other. The one is the wolf of peace, love and kindness. The other is the...
Often when the idea of self-compassion is introduced to people, they become uncomfortable. When questioned, they express concern that if they offer themselves self-compassion, they’ll give themselves permission to continue with the same behaviors and attitudes. This misconception needs to be dispelled. Self-compassion does not...
A recent research study reports that, at least for women, drinking four or more cups of coffee per day lowers the relative risk of depression by 20 percent, compared with women who drink less than 100 mg coffee (about one cup) a day. This probably...
Sometimes there’s just no way around it -- we’re uncomfortable. Having the capacity to feel deeply means that we’ll have moments of excitement, joy, love, laughter, peace... and also boredom, sadness, anger, tears, and anxiety. However, it’s often through our judgment of our distressing emotions...