Do we have the power to choose? Most of us certainly have the power to choose where will will rest our attention when practicing mindfulness and meditation. Every day we are faced with countless choices. We choose whether we will go through our day with mindful awareness or on autopilot. We choose whether we will […]
Getting inspired involves connecting with what inspires us and practicing mindful creativity. At times we may find ourselves feeling stuck in a daily grind, wondering what happened to the spark of aliveness we used to feel. Maybe we wait, hoping to feel inspired, forgetting that we can take action to generate feelings of inspiration. Take a […]
Are you afraid of being happy? If you find yourself saying that you want your life to be a certain way—that you want to be happy, feel well, or create a fulfilling career—but you find that your actions sometimes result in the opposite of what you say that you want, you may be afraid of […]
Cultivating courage with mindfulness, we create a greater sense of agency in our lives. Each week I hear stories in my office and my classes from people who are struggling with something but are afraid to talk about it, because they feel shame and they fear what others will think of them. In my experience, a […]
Self-esteem is how we see and value ourselves based on our beliefs about ourselves. Because our brains have a negativity bias, we are highly skilled at recognizing what is wrong with us. Some of us are skilled at reviewing our areas of challenge over and over until we feel really badly about ourselves. Try to […]
When I was in my early thirties and working a stressful job in a rehabilitation hospital, I came home from work every day feeling tired. I found myself habitually saying, “No”—to social invitations, to doing what I loved most, to just about everything but work. Even though work was important, in theory it was not […]
The Foundations of Wellbeing course by Rick Hanson is a year-long online course to support you in feeling calm, confident and resilient. These days, the world around us can seem increasingly volatile and unreliable. So it’s more important than ever to cultivate strengths and resources inside ourselves so we can stay joyful, peaceful, and loving, […]
Life’s messages can guide us in listening for our next sane and joyful step. Every day your life sends you messages through your body, feelings, and mind. Life’s messages may also come from outside, such as synchronistic encounters with people or other living beings, a sense that things seem to flow with ease, and a […]
Mindfulness for depression has been shown to decrease symptoms of depression and to prevent future relapses of depression. The world’s collective heart is breaking over the death of Robin Williams. For some, it brings a sense of disbelief and shock, and for others, it brings to mind the phrase, There but for the grace of God […]
Facing fear with mindfulness is a skillful way of dealing with fear. One of the things that keeps us from living mindfully and well is fear. Sometimes it’s more comfortable to sit still in uncertainty. Perhaps we have fear related to our health and wellbeing, fear of dying, fear of flying, fear of feeling, fear […]