“Now that your worry has proved such an unlucrative business, why not find a better job?”—wrote the wise 14th century Persian poet, Hafiz. This question, posed 700 years ago, is still relevant. Even though we know worrying can’t protect us from experiencing life’s unavoidable difficulties, and even though it fuels our stress and our saps joy, why is the worry habit so hard to break?
Read MoreToday, during the peak of the holiday season, I’m happy to share a Take a Moment micro-meditation called the “letting-go breath.” This slow inhale through your nose, followed by an even longer, slower exhale through pursed lips sounds deceptively simple, but it will quickly leave you feeling more relaxed and settled in both body and mind.
Read MoreThis week, I’m sharing an article I wrote for Spirituality & Health magazine in collaboration with a wonderful psychotherapist and author, Andrea Wachter, who specializes in tools to ease stress, anxiety, and overwhelm. The article contains some wonderful practices, including a 12-minute meditation where you’re guided to speak directly to your anxiety, giving it compassion and loving redirection.
Read MoreWhen I was 25 and pregnant with my first child, it became clear that I had to deal with my constant fear of an impending catastrophe. I’d been plagued by intense anxiety as long for as I could remember, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to manage. Unremitting worry that something would go horribly wrong with my baby was swelling along with my belly.
Read MoreI’ve been reading a wonderful book, Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm, by Thich Nhat Hanh, the extraordinarily wise Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist. Much of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings revolve around the benefits of mindfulness, and he emphasizes the importance of regularly bringing that deep attention to our fear.
Read MoreI’ve been reading a wonderful (and very timely) new book about healing from prolonged stress and trauma called, Widen the Window—Training Your Brain and Body to Thrive During Stress and Recover from Trauma, by Elizabeth Stanley, PhD.
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