Author Archives: tlindquistpsyd

“Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.”― Sigmund Freud Defense mechanisms or psychological defenses involve a process of pushing away and avoiding thoughts or feelings that are too painful or morally unacceptable to us. Freud began writing about defenses in an early work, Studies on Hysteria (1895), where he described a mental process that translates toContinue reading “Defense Mechanisms”

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” – Carl Jung Self-awareness involves the ability to be conscious of a range of experiences, including our emotions, thoughts, motivations, and behaviors. Our degree of self-awareness and the capacity to engage in self-reflection can have a significant impactContinue reading “Deepening Your Self-Awareness”

Can you recall a recent experience of being successful or doing something well? Take a moment to reflect on what it felt like to accomplish this task. Even if it is a smaller task, such as successfully keeping up with your laundry, cleaning up the kitchen, or making a healthy meal; engaging in things weContinue reading “Building Mastery”

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment with an attitude of non-judgement. Everyday mindfulness is one way we can exercise our attention on a regular basis without having to change anything in our routine or set aside time for meditation, although this is still highly recommended. We can practice everyday mindfulnessContinue reading “A Mindful Cup”

Loneliness is a common human experience and a powerful reminder of our need for connection to others. However, it can sometimes lead to feeling empty and unwanted. It is important to notice how we appraise or interpret these feelings and the meaning we assign to feeling lonely. It is not uncommon to experience critical thoughts,Continue reading “Coping with Loneliness”

The notion of impermanence can be hugely impactful and even transformative. Buddhism highlights impermanence or change as one of three facts about our existence. In our modern times, people often work hard to maintain the status quo or become overly caught up in pursuing the next big accomplishment. In some ways, such efforts could beContinue reading “Impermanence”

Mindfulness is everywhere! We see references to mindfulness in all types of magazines and books, television, and even in the names of businesses. To be sure, mindfulness can be extremely helpful and research regarding the positive role of mindfulness for improving wellbeing is impressive. Nevertheless, mindfulness is not always well understood and a number ofContinue reading “Mindfulness Myths”

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”  -The Buddha Anger is a common emotion that is normal and healthy. Anger itself is not a form of aggression, rather it is a felt emotional state that can beContinue reading “Grasping a Hot Coal”

What if we were given emotional report cards as children? This would imply many things, including an education grounded in emotional intelligence. As a society we strive to teach around cognitive and intellectual ability. Likewise, the intelligence quotient or IQ is based largely on these abilities. Nevertheless, emotional intelligence is highly correlated with success andContinue reading “Emotional Report Card”

Wise mind is a concept and practice that allows for us to acknowledge and sort through challenges and distress with the goal of arriving at a balanced response. It is also the place where our emotional mind and our rational mind overlap. Typically attributed to Dialectical Behavior Therapy, the notion of wise mind has a rich history connected to ideasContinue reading “Wise Mind”