I Want to Live a Simple Life
How to Make Life More Exciting and the Benefits of Switching Things Up
“If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.” ~Stephen Hunt
Isn’t it funny how metaphors for life exist in all of our everyday experiences?
I found myself on a mountain the other day (no, that’s not the metaphor), where the route through the particularly rocky bits was marked with cairns. (For those non-mountain runners, a cairn is a man-made pile of little rocks indicating the pathway.)
Even though I was following a fellow runner, I liked to lag behind to enjoy the solitude and absorb the surrounding energy of nature. That’s the hippie in me.…
10 Ways to Cultivate a Positive Mindset and Change Your Life
“Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” ~Buddha
I remember how I used to think; it was always, “People suck” and “I hate (fill in the blank).” I was constantly focusing on the bad side of humanity, so that was all I could see. It cast a shadow, which took the joy out of life.
It should have been obvious that I was creating my own misery, but I wasn’t able to see how my own thoughts affected my mood.
I had to change my entire outlook by training my mind to see …
Abuse Isn’t Always Physical, and We Never Deserve It
“A bad relationship is like standing on broken glass. If you stay, you will keep hurting. If you walk away, you will hurt but you will heal.” ~Autumn Kohler
It happens little by little, bit by bit. So very slowly that before you know it, you can’t recognize the person you lie next to at night and you hate the person you see staring back at you in the mirror.
Who is that person?
Where is the strong, capable, unflappable, and carefree person that you once were? When did you become someone so pathetic, so small and malleable?
I have …
Breaking Free from Manipulative, Narcissistic Parents
“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.” ~Brené Brown
I happened to catch the last scene of the movie Moonstruck on TV a few nights ago. The scene marks the happy resolution of various plot threads, and yet I felt as if I was witnessing the sinking of the Titanic.
It was like watching a demonstration of what I have come to understand as the two ways of being in this world: dominating vs. accepting, narcissism or bullying vs. kindness.
Having come from a narcissistic …
3 Ways to Build Stronger, Deeper Friendships
“No friendship is an accident.” –O. Henry, Heart of the West
Recently I was telling a friend how grateful I was that she had initiated a get-together.
“No one ever reaches out to me,” I complained. “I feel like I am the one driving all of my relationships.”
“Well,” she responded, “don’t think too highly of me. I almost never reach out…to anyone.”
I mulled this over on my way home that evening. I have often felt like the driving force behind many of my relationships. But I have also felt on many occasions that I’m just as bad at …
3 Times When I Wasn’t a Good Friend & How to Avoid My Mistakes
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~Maya Angelou
In this current age of social media, it is easy to have large and wide social circles. I believe that the larger and wider these circles get, the shallower the friendships become.
I’ve always been a person who is very selective when forging friendships. I think that has mostly stemmed from the fact that I value depth over breadth, and quality over quantity.
For this reason, I have had a handful of friendships …
Why It’s Okay to Feel Lost (And How to Find Your Way Again)
“Feeling lost, crazy and desperate belongs to a good life as much as optimism, certainty and reason.” ~Alain de Botton
Do you feel lost and alone?
Adrift and confused about which way to go?
Do you long for “something more” but have no clue what’s missing?
Maybe you’re not miserable exactly, but you’re not animated and in love with life either.
Your circumstances may even look pretty good on the outside.
But on the inside, where truth resides, you are bored to tears, unfulfilled, and restless.
Or maybe you are miserable, stuck in a painful place, silently suffering.
Trust me; …
Learn to Reduce Stress: Mindfulness eCourse by Thich Nhat Hanh
Stress can be overwhelming, and sometimes crippling.
Not only does stress suck the joy out of our days and keep us awake at night, it can also take a toll on our bodies.
Headaches, chest pain, digestive problems, hair loss—they’re all potential consequences of stress, not to mention serious conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
Then, of course, there are mental consequences. We feel anxious, restless, and irritable, and often scared and discouraged. Like there’s too much to do and we don’t have enough time or skills to do it.
Everything feels urgent, like life is a series of catastrophes …
How to Deal with Depression and Anxiety: 10 Lessons from a Lake
“Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation.” ~Viktor Frankl
Low moods can roll in like a numbing wave, washing out the pleasure from life.
If you’ve experienced this, you’re not alone. Surveys have shown that the vast majority of people in the US eventually experience some depressive symptoms, and many are anxious. I’ve been there before.
Early in my medical career, I made some research findings that contradicted the then-current views. My boss was not an expert in that area, so he simply …
How to Reconnect with the Inner Light Below Your Pain
TRIGGER WARNING: This post deals with an account of physical abuse and may be triggering to some people.
“What hurts you blesses you, darkness is your candle.” ~Rumi
We are all born with it. The beautiful bright light in our soul, filled with love and happiness.
I remember having that feeling of being so alive and free and untouched by fear or worry.
This is who we are at the core of our being. This is our true authentic self, from before the world told us who we needed to be and negative outside circumstances started to tear down …
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