Expect Nothing and Appreciate Everything
Creativity Coloring Page for Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal
Hi friends! Since Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal launches in three weeks, I’ve recently been sharing some of the coloring pages, which all depict things we can do to minimize anxiety in our daily lives.
So far I’ve shared:
Today’s tip: Create something with your hands.
If you’ve ever immersed yourself in any type of creative activity, you know how meditative and calming it can be.
When we’re focused on the next brush stroke, bead, or stitch, we’re deeply immersed in the present moment—not caught up in our thoughts, …
How to Get Past Blame and Shame and Strengthen Your Relationship
I used to think that if I told my wife exactly what’s wrong with her, her response would be, “Yes, I see it now! Thank you for showing me the errors of my ways.”
To my surprise, that never happened. Finally, I saw that I was going about things the wrong way. Complaining, blaming, and shaming were simply not an effective strategy for creating more love and harmony with my wife. Duh! Once I realized this, I went in search of what really did create more love and harmony. Fortunately, several great strategies—backed by actual research—helped show me what could …
Understanding the Cycle of Pain: How to Transmute Anger into Empathy
“When we get angry, we suffer. If you really understand that, you also will be able to understand that when the other person is angry, it means that she is suffering. When someone insults you or behaves violently towards you, you have to be intelligent enough to see that the person suffers from his own violence and anger. But we tend to forget … When we see that our suffering and anger are no different from their suffering and anger, we will behave more compassionately.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
There is so much to be angry about every day because life …
Hugging Coloring Page from Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal
“Sometimes in life all you need is a hug. No words, no advice, just a hug to make you feel better.” ~Unknown
Hi friends! Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been sharing coloring pages from the soon-to-be-launched Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal, which also includes doodle prompts, writing prompts, and questions to help you minimize anxiety in your daily life.
So far I’ve shared the music coloring page and the meditation coloring page.
Today’s page is one of my favorites. The tip: Hug someone to release the feel-good chemical oxytocin (a hormone that some have called an “antidote …
The Past May Have Shaped Us, But We Have the Power to Change
“If you want to fly, you have to give up the things that weigh you down.” ~Toni Morrison
Our very first relationship is the one we develop with ourselves. However, even that one is shaped by outside forces.
You may or may not believe that we choose our family. Regardless of your position regarding how your soul made it to your parents’ household, the truth is that the environment we are born into determines a great deal of the rest of our lives. This is especially true about the way we relate with ourselves and others.
We learn by observing …
Life Is in the Little Things: Finding the Extra in the Ordinary
“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.“ ~Jimmy Johnson
“Write about what we did today,” my daughter said. She knows I often write once she is asleep.
Dully I thought, “What we did today wasn’t that exciting.” Yet, for her, it obviously was.
She gets lost in her experiences, deeply entrenched in the realms of her imagination that continue to weave each experience she is having.
From my perspective, I took the kids and their friends to a nature reserve so they could get muddy and play. I needed them outside, away from the house where cabin …
In Search of the Sacred: Escaping Facebook’s Sticky Web
“You leave the present moment every time you check your phone.” ~Deirdre Jayko
Facebook was driving me to distraction! One late-winter evening, I prepped for a mood-saving hike in the snow. Magic happened on the trails in the moonlight. I decided to check Facebook for a friend’s answer to a message.
Who knows what caught my attention, but I ended up skipping from post to post. Once I emerged from my Facebook haze, I realized it was too late to walk safely. What had I accomplished in place of my hike? What did I even read about?
As I put …
Meditation Coloring Page from Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal
Hi friends! As I mentioned last week when I shared the music coloring page from Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal, I’m planning to share some of the other pages, twice weekly, until the journal launches on June 26th.
Each page depicts one simple thing we can do to help ease our worries.
Today’s tip: Make time for meditation.
Of all the healthy habits I’ve adopted, meditation has been, by far, the most transformative.
It’s enabled me to observe my negative, obsessive thoughts instead of getting caught up in them, and it’s helped me create space between my thoughts …
Made a Big Mistake? What to Do Instead of Beating Yourself Up
“Note to self: Beating yourself up for your flaws and mistakes won’t make you perfect, and you don’t have to be. Learn, forgive yourself, and remember: We all struggle; it’s just part of being human.” ~Lori Deschene
When I was in twelfth grade I took a World Issues class and learned about colonization, child soldiers, and how some children, by no fault of their own, had a much more challenging life than I’d had. After that, I wanted to help but wasn’t sure how.
Then, at age twenty-three, I was hired at a non-profit organization where I had the opportunity …
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