When epic pain knocked me down, I turned to mindfulness and self-compassion to get through it. I just went through an epic body event that’s been incredibly challenging in terms of being vulnerable, needing and accepting help, experiencing pain, and navigating the medical system. Throughout, I used my mindful self-compassion skills to steer my brain [...]
When a slice of paradise is reduced to ashes while climate change threatens to unleash more infernos, floods, and disasters on a world already suffering from war, poverty, and violence, how should we respond? The Hawai’i Community Foundation is boots on the ground in Lāhainā funding trusted partners. See their Maui Strong Fund here. [...]
I recently spoke with “Care Giver Dave” Nassaney on his Care Giver Dave’s podcast and learned some alarming statistics. Did you know that approximately 30% of caregivers die before the person they are caring for? For those caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease, it’s worse. A Stanford Medicine study found 40% of Alzheimer’s caregivers [...]
Have you noticed how your body and mind respond to the sounds of birds chirping to their little hearts’ content? If you haven’t, I suggest you try one of my favorite activities: listening to the calming sounds of birdsong. According to this Washington Post article, just listening to birds singing brings all kinds of healing [...]
There's a designated date on the calendar for just about everything, from celebrating our favorite foods and animals to raising awareness of all the medical conditions and social problems that deserve our attention. Looking through some of the more lighthearted and fun days coming up, I was reminded that June 6 is Best Friends Day, [...]
Welcome to May, Mental Health Awareness Month! Is it a coincidence it follows Stress Awareness Month in April? I think not. It’s a fact: Stress is harmful to our emotional, physical, and mental health, and taking steps to reduce stress is one of the important things we can do to guard our mental health! The [...]
When you feel tightness in your chest and find yourself taking shallow breaths or otherwise feel stressed, have you noticed what a difference it makes to pause and breathe deeply? Now think about how you feel even more relaxed when you step outside and take a walk, taking deep breaths as you walk. Whether you [...]
Hello March! March is National Reading Month and International Women’s Day is March 8, a day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women worldwide! This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity, and we are being challenged to imagine a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination — where difference is valued and celebrated. What [...]
Have you ever let someone who has just a few items jump in front of you in line at the grocery store? Or left an extra-generous tip for a person working in a low-paying service job? Perhaps you saw a homeless person on a street corner and offered them half a sandwich while stopped at [...]
Writing poetry has become part of my life, a branch of a tree rooted in a community of mindfulness. I’m excited and nervous to be a featured poet at an event called Jewish Poets-Jewish Voices on January 17, 2023. For me, writing poetry started when I said yes at the beginning of the lockdown to [...]
