Responding vs reacting is a mindfulness approach to stress reduction and resilience. We spend much of our time simply reacting to the various stimuli that we encounter every day. It is possible to change this habitual pattern by bringing awareness to that space between stimulus and our reactivity and expanding it with mindfulness so that […]
Holding hope means that we embrace a feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. Someone asked me recently if acceptance and holding hope are mutually exclusive. I think that both are possible simultaneously. Peace comes when we accept what is happening in this moment and, […]
Each of us has within us a reservoir of inner strength, resilience and power. By turning inward, we can access this inner strength and power and utilize it to support our own well-being. We can develop strength and resilience by recalling and focusing our attention on moments in which we have felt strong. In recalling […]
Our sense of self affects our self-esteem, emotions, mood, mental health, and physical health. It’s important that we have a kind relationship with ourself to support overall health, wellbeing, and resilience. How well do you know and understand yourself? We can begin to develop a clear sense of self by assessing our personal values, work […]
Own your voice for more personal power. When you own your voice, you become willing to speak up on your own behalf. You find the freedom to trust your inner wisdom and follow its guidance instead of abandoning yourself. Speaking up for yourself is an act of mindful self-care. When we own our voice, we […]
Opening the heart to love creates opportunity for a greater sense of peace, happiness, and wellbeing. Staying in hurt, angry, or even feelings of hatred and resentment is easy. It’s a default pattern. I’m continually surprised, when someone is hurting or angry, how resistant they are to the idea of opening the heart and extending […]
Open hearted and awake, we are grounded in the present moment with mindful awareness. We are more resilient. Much of our suffering comes from resisting the present moment and wanting things to be other than they are. We harden our hearts to the reality of our experience in an attempt to protect ourselves. This hardening […]
Mindfulness and fear. When we meet fear with mindfulness, we practice noticing the fear with mindful awareness. We meet It with kindness and curiosity, treating ourselves with compassion. With curiosity, we become interested in the source of the fear. We might become curious about what in us needs to be brought into the light of […]
Finding clarity becomes easier when approaching our lives with mindful intentions. In moments when we long for clarity related to a decision or circumstance in our life, we often try to think our way to clarity and force a solution. This typically leads to further confusion and uncertainty. Clarity comes when we focus our attention […]
Creating intentions with mindfulness supports us in living intentionally and living mindfully. Unless we’ve learned a different strategy, most of us spend the New Year coming up with resolutions regarding things that we feel we should do based on things about which we criticize ourselves. Most people develop resolutions (like exercise) that don’t even really […]