Isn't it just so frustrating and stressful when things don't go your way? We should be able to have our cake and eat it too. Right? But who ever said life was supposed to cooperate like that? Now, believe it or not, I'm all for visualization, energy, and spiritual exercises that are designed to align our deeper motivations and energies with our outward actions so that we draw more … [Read more...]
Compassion Transforms Parental Suffering
I was walking to work the other day and happened to witness a disturbing interaction between a mother and a young child. This child was running away from the mother (and grandmother) while the caregivers waited, with increasing frustration, for the child’s return. I was across the street, a very busy and loud street. But I clearly heard the shouts and agitated pleas of the mother, … [Read more...]
Why New Years Resolutions Fail
Happy New Year! Now that the celebrations are over, let’s talk resolutions and why so many new years resolutions fail. (According to some research, up to 90% of us don't successfully keep our resolutions). How many of those seemingly admirable resolutions have you actually kept? Really reflect on that for moment. If the answer is a wistful, “not many” or “none” or “what do you mean kept?”, then … [Read more...]
To Text or Not To Text: That Is Not The Question
So he starts picking a fight with me and yells, “What’s wrong with you, why do you always do that?!?” And I am so pissed and yell back, “You always do this! Why can’t you just calm down!” If you’ve ever been in a really intense moment of a relationship, this might sound or feel familiar. But what if I told you that this was a real fight someone had over text. I had the interesting privilege … [Read more...]
Turning Schadenfreude On Its Head: Cultivating Joy for Others’ Good Fortune
The Germans have a word for delighting in the misery and misfortune of others – Schaedenfreude. We might initially react to the concept of Schaedenfreude with a resounding “Not me! That’s horrible to think about. Who would feel good about others’ feeling bad?” Well, it turns out that Schaedenfreude may not be all that foreign to us if we explore what’s going on under the surface of our everyday … [Read more...]
How Mindfulness Tears Down the Walls of Stress
Have you ever gotten really stressed out and then thought about how beautiful the world really is, how much you really love the person who may have pissed you off, or how you are finally going to commit to volunteering at that homeless shelter? If those thoughts or motivations have never really crossed your mind immediately after feeling overwhelmed, out of control, or super stressed, you are … [Read more...]
What is Mindfulness?: Diving More Deeply
If you haven’t checked out What is Mindfulness?: Why All the Hype?, check it out HERE. That article will give you a bit of background on what we mean by mindfulness. So let’s dive a bit deeper into what mindfulness really is, how to strengthen it, and how mindful living can help to reduce unnecessary heartache and suffering in your life. But before diving in, let’s look at a few common … [Read more...]
What is Mindfulness?: Why All the Hype?
Many of us by now have likely heard of the term "mindfulness." It seems like every 5th book on the psychology and self-help shelves has the word mindfulness in the title. There's "Mindfulness in Plain English," "Mindfulness for Beginners," "The Mindful Way Through Depression," "The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD," and so on. Why is this the case? Why is there such hype around it … [Read more...]
Mindful Media Consumption: Eating and Digesting the Social Sphere
These days it seems like we can’t go five minutes before being assaulted by or choosing to engage with some kind of social media. This trend was made benignly but oddly clear to me recently during a lunch with a good friend. I was “briefing” my friend on the latest happenings in my life and informed him of some bothersome health issues befalling another friend. He quickly replied, “Yeah, I … [Read more...]
Plugged In, Tuned Out: How Mindfulness Can Literally Save Your Life
Now I don’t know about you, but I really hate getting hit by cars. Why I hate getting hit by cars is not the subject of this post. However, how hundreds of people in the Boston area are almost hit by cars each day is the lamentable topic for today. I can’t tell you how many times in the past five years that I have witnessed someone walking head down with headphones or texting almost get … [Read more...]
