Stress is actually designed to help us survive. It is a heightened state of awareness and a boost of energy that we can use to take action. But it is supposed to be present in small doses. These days, we have more chronic stressors that keep us stuck in suffering. Learning to leverage stress helps us to return to a state of balance where we can enjoy our lives again.
How can selfishness be healthy? I typically get peoples’ attention with this kind of question. It’s one of those paradoxes that makes perfect sense when you consider it for a moment. Take a minute and see if you can see how selfishness can be a very healthy, and even kind thing to practice. Benevolent selfishness […]
Have you ever started to get ready for bed at a decent hour then decided to look at social media for a few minutes first? Then you clean the kitchen a little bit before bed. Maybe even knock out a little of that project you’re working on? Then suddenly you only have four hours to sleep […]
How often do you find yourself looking back and asking things like: What if I had stuck with playing the guitar? What if I hadn’t dropped out of baseball? What if I had shown up to that marketing event? There are a million ways to drive yourself absolutely bonkers with “what-if’s;” and each one is […]
When you are stressed out, anxious, etc. your body is in some degree of the ‘fight-or-flight response,’ which is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. It is a survival mechanism that is only supposed to be activated for a few minutes at a time to help you fight, or flee danger. When it stays activated […]
People sometimes say that learning to relax can be easier said than done. And frequently, that’s because we overthink things. It’s really rather cyclic. But the cycle of stressful thinking can be broken. Here are some ideas to start with: Meditation Meditation is an exercise in mindfulness, or noticing what the mind is doing without […]
Stop setting yourself on fire to keep everybody else warm! What a vivid image of martyrdom! Being a martyr is stressful because you sacrifice your own health in order to try and improve everybody else’s. It is usually well-intended since many people feel like it’s the ‘right thing to do,’ the ‘compassionate’ thing to do. […]
The difference is how you identify yourself. When you feel stress, it moves through you without getting stuck; it informs you of your circumstances (bills piling up, a sick kiddo on a day that you have a deadline at work, etc.). You are able to leverage it to provide you energy to focus and perform […]
Imagine a tree stump with a small sapling growing up from it. You’ll notice that this tree was chopped down, only to “bounce back” by re-sprouting new leaves! This tree cannot be kept down. It is the model of Resiliency. Why can some people smile through failure? Come through heartbreak stronger than ever? How can […]
Power and weakness are probably not what you think, so let’s look deeper into them. Using Mindfulness-based techniques we explore the meaning of power as it relates to your authentic self. This means that you make confident decisions, you ask for help without feeling weak, and show confidence in anxiety-provoking situations like a boardroom or […]
Fear and Confusion are amazing teachers. In the picture above, you can see that the eyes are opened wide, teeth are showing, and arms are extended to protect from a perceived threat. This is the classic “flinch response.” We’ve been duped! We’ve been taught that fear and confusion are bad things to be avoided. I […]
Trouble falling asleep? or staying asleep? Do you wake up throughout the night? Is your mind racing too fast to sleep? Have your sleepless nights impacted your job? Family? Friendships? Lying awake at night can be infuriating. It can keep you fuming about what happened today, and worrying about what may, or may not, happen […]
Optimism is not magical thinking There is no “secret” to success. No magical radio waves emanating to the universe that attracts success to you. It’s optimism. That simple. Optimism . . . a trait that can be difficult to find when we are down and out. With practice, however, it can be found when we […]
