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It is easy to become overwhelmed by our thoughts. People often describe getting stuck, spiraling, fighting, pushing, or otherwise becoming involved in what often becomes an unsuccessful attempt to control or get relief from distressing thoughts. All of us are prone to negative thought patterns or cognitive distortions, which often operate outside of our awareness…
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The quest for certainty is hardwired. We are naturally uncomfortable when we don’t know what’s next or when we cannot apply our previous experience in ways that help us feel we can predict the future. We work very hard to know and often trick ourselves into a false certainty to resolve our discomfort as we…
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We all struggle with how we feel about ourselves from time-to-time. Some of us may even struggle with our self-worth on a regular basis. Issues of self-esteem are central to overall mental health. When we experience a stable sense of self-esteem we are less likely to struggle with problems related to personality, addiction, or other…
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We often take our minds very seriously. We believe that if our mind says something, it must be important. It must mean something. It must be true! No matter how biased our minds might be, we often operate as if the stories it tells us are true. What stories does your mind tell you? What…
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Values can play a major role in supporting our well-being and promoting our resilience. What comes to mind when you ask yourself about your personal values? It is not uncommon for people to struggle when asked to identify values. However, taking time to identify and think through our core values can have a significant impact…
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“Where your fear is, there is your task.” -C.G. Jung Fear is often viewed as a signal for danger. However, our actual appraisal of a fearful situation or circumstance can range widely depending on the context, our personal history, and our appraisal of both what is feared and what our fear is telling us. On…
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Acceptance has become an increasingly important concept for building resilience and maintaining mental wellness. Although it has a long history in spiritual practices, acceptance has more recently become a cornerstone for mindfulness practice as well as therapy approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Acceptance involves recognizing a process or condition without attempting to…
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“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 to…
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“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 impact…
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Beginner’s mind is a useful way to practice changing our relationship to uncertainty. It involves letting go of our expectations and preconceived ideas about something and looking at things with a fresh mind, just like a beginner. This can be a difficult practice. Nevertheless, if we can learn to tolerate and accept uncertainty, we can…
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