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“Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with a moustache: You won’t be able to find it. But when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you.” – Ajahn Chah Restlessness seems to have peaked in our current times as we are faced with continued restrictions and loss due to theContinue reading “Restlessness”

Existentialism suggests that we have both the freedom and responsibility to make our own choices by looking within ourselves. Accordingly, we are tasked with finding meaning, determining our values, and making decisions that shape our lives. Existential psychotherapy builds on these views by approaching therapy with an emphasis on self-determination and our individual search forContinue reading “Existentialism & Daily Living”

Research supports a range of benefits associated with supportive and loving relationships. Most notably, people involved in both healthy romantic and non-romantic relationships typically live longer. They also have lower risk of heart attack, improved immune functioning, and reduced feelings of isolation and depression. Furthermore, healthy loving relationships can provide a source of support and reliability, whichContinue reading “Loving Relationships”

When our brain perceives our circumstances as stressful, our body often reacts by becoming tense. Body awareness helps us recognize these physical sensations that indicate we are experiencing stress. Once we recognize and acknowledge these physical experiences, we can practice stress reduction exercises such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, body scanning or other basicContinue reading “Reducing Stress through Body Awareness”

We all make mistakes. Yet, it is important to learn ways of accepting and moving on from our mistakes so that we don’t become overwhelmed by feelings of frustration, anger, and guilt, or stuck in a repetitive loop of rumination and self-hatred.   Although we typically think of forgiveness as something we grant to others, itContinue reading “Self-forgiveness”

Difficulties, setbacks, and pain are an unavoidable part of life. However, it is possible to approach our experience of these difficulties in a manner that allows for us to remain grounded and cope more effectively, ultimately reducing the impact of painful experiences and allowing us to respond from a place of resilience.   A major partContinue reading “Equanimity”

Uncertainty is a difficult thing for many of us. Nevertheless, there can be wisdom in uncertainty if we allow ourselves to accept that many things are out of our control. Likewise, if we are able to work toward greater acceptance of uncertainty, we might find greater possibilities as we take on new challenges.   Beginner’s mindContinue reading “The Wisdom of Uncertainty”

There is a parable about a rich king who was growing older. He had no family relations to inherit his many riches and rule his kingdom. Therefore, he decided to invite all of his most devoted supporters to a grand party, during which time he planned to offer meetings with his subjects and select anContinue reading “Simplicity”

If you find yourself obsessing over past events, stewing in resentments, replaying conversations over and over again, and beating yourself up for minor setbacks, you are likely struggling with rumination.  Rumination is the mental act of repetitively reviewing a thought or a specific problem without coming to any resolution. It can also be thought ofContinue reading “Awareness as the Antidote to Rumination”

Savoring is a concept related to mindfulness, but it often gets much less attention. Nevertheless, it can be practiced and incorporated into your daily experience to promote greater life satisfaction and happiness.     My former undergraduate advisor, Fred Bryant Ph.D., a social psychologist at Loyola University Chicago, is considered the father of research on savoring. HeContinue reading “Savoring”