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 wolf of fear, greed and hatred. “Which wolf will win, […]

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 mean condoning. In fact, self-compassion entails accepting responsibility for our […]

“Always move toward your demons. They take their power from your retreat.” (Thom Rutledge) One valuable tool I’ve found for dealing with fear or anxiety is to view my feelings as enthusiasm. This way, if I’m fired up about an upcoming event, I can use this energy constructively and direct it accordingly. One rather odd […]

“If you believe that feeling bad or worrying long enough will change some past or future event, then you are residing on another planet with a different reality system.” (William James) One of the most important differences between optimists and pessimists is that optimists see their problems as temporary rather than permanent. When dealing with […]

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 isn’t news to anyone who’s downed a cup of coffee […]

The other morning I awoke from a deep, refreshing sleep, relishing in my warm bed, the sound of birds chirping, the sight of lush trees outside the window, and I yawned luxuriously. Life was good. For about ten seconds. Then, the thoughts began to swirl about in my head, as I recalled phone calls to […]

Depression can be a vicious cycle. When circumstances or continual stress cause you to fall into a depressed mood, chances are that the thoughts going through your mind, be they about yourself, other people, or life in general, are anything but uplifting. They’re often more along the lines of “Why bother”, “I can’t handle this”, […]