Both psychotherapy and a mindfulness practice can be powerful and effective ways to help us live more fulfilling, useful, and healthy lives. Moreover, being in therapy while having a consistent mindfulness practice can compound the benefits of both processes. How do these two benefit one another? To define terms, mindfulness is nonjudgmental awareness of the […]

True recovery from an eating disorder, be it anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating, or “garden variety” (but no less damaging) compulsive overeating, requires recovery from perfectionism (which doesn’t have to be “perfect”, by the way). It’s so seductive to believe that once we reach the right weight, eat only organic foods, fit into a […]

It’s usually pretty easy to feel good about ourselves when things are going our way, when we’ve been making significant progress on our personal and professional intentions, and when we’re in harmony with the important people in our lives. However, when we fall short of our own expectations, disappoint others, or fail to achieve a […]

“I’m too old not to be on my own side.”  Maya Angelou Nor are you ever too young to be on your own side. Developing self-compassion offers far-reaching benefits. 1) For instance, you might think that taking a stern approach with yourself about your smoking habit would help to achieve your aim. However, a recent study revealed […]

“I’m too old not to be on my own side.” (Maya Angelou) Actually, you’re never too young to be on your own side. Developing self-compassion offers a multitude of benefits, some which may seem counterintuitive. For instance, you might think that taking the drill sergeant approach with yourself about reducing your chocolate or smoking habit […]

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 […]

I mentioned recently how helpful self-compassion can be when we experience uncomfortable feelings. It occurred to me that this is somewhat akin to having a tired, cranky child in the back seat when we’re taking a long road trip. Let’s say that you’re feeling fearful about an important project at work. You find yourself mulling […]