10 February, 2019

Calling Yourself “Sweetheart”: Terms of Endearment Are a Fun and Easy Way to Shift Your Mood

By |2019-01-18T14:05:42-08:00February 10th, 2019|Mindful Methods|

Have you ever called yourself “sweetheart?” If not, I highly recommend it. It cracks me up every time, and cracking up makes me feel better. If sweetheart doesn’t do it for you, come up with something hilariously, comfortingly perfect from your own imagination. Lovey? Sweetums? Schnookie Bear? (*cringe*) But seriously… if it brings [...]

1 February, 2019

When Quitting Isn’t an Option: Mindful Methods to Find Happiness

By |2019-01-15T12:16:10-08:00February 1st, 2019|Mindful Methods|

What happens when you say to yourself, “I’m so fucking finished” and you know that actually, you can’t quit. Actually, you aren’t finished… you are in it until the end… so what are you going to do to make it work??????? Oh my Jesus… Where does radical self-care start? Baby steps! That’s where [...]

10 January, 2019

Taking in the Good in the Sea of Cortez: Experiencing Dependent Neuroplasticity in a Nutshell

By |2018-12-19T13:11:02-08:00January 10th, 2019|Mindful Methods|

The landscape in the Sea of Cortez is magnificent. I imagine sailors hundreds of years ago witnessing the rugged cliffs, the jagged and smooth shapes and colors of burnt sienna, reds, beiges, and greens, awed by the gifts of nature. I kept snapping photos, trying to picture how I might paint such a [...]

1 January, 2019

Making Peace with Our Appearance: Being Mindful of Self-Talk Around Aging

By |2018-11-20T14:03:40-08:00January 1st, 2019|Mindful Methods|

One of my core values is to allow myself to age gracefully without the knife or the fillers or any of that, but I’ve noticed myself coming into conflict with this recently. I notice myself smoothing my skin up or back in the mirror to see what I’d look like if I could [...]

24 December, 2018

Finding Joy in the Mail: How Our Lives Can Be Enriched by the Mundane

By |2018-12-20T14:22:51-08:00December 24th, 2018|Mindful Methods|

“Look at this catalogue, I had no idea this company was still in business,” remarked my Dad, sifting through his stack of mail. “Oh my God, I love that catalogue! I read it in the bathroom, I read it in bed at night,” I replied. My sister said she’s never seen it, but [...]

20 December, 2018

Show Up as Your Best Self: Mindfulness Makes It Possible to Be Who You Really Want to Be

By |2018-11-19T12:20:30-08:00December 20th, 2018|Mindful Methods|

How many times have you just “stepped in it” with your partner, your kids, your parents, your boss, or your coworkers? Have you ever found yourself wishing you could go back and take your foot out of your mouth before entering that conversation? While I can’t offer you any time-travel tips, I can [...]

10 December, 2018

Brushing My Teeth in Bed: Mindfulness and Pain

By |2018-11-27T09:55:36-08:00December 10th, 2018|Mindful Methods|

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I had the most bizarre event happen in my body. I was over the moon hopeful and grateful because the woman who does scheduling for my primary care doctor pulled a rabbit out of a hat: getting me an appointment with a pain specialist. It wasn’t that convenient [...]

1 December, 2018

Watch Your Thoughts: Observing Your Thoughts with Mindfulness

By |2018-11-15T13:33:00-08:00December 1st, 2018|Mindful Methods|

I had an interesting experience recently that showed me what a difference being a long-time meditator can make when we encounter spur-of-the-moment stressors. I was having acupuncture done for my sciatic pain — my “ridiculitis” as I call it — when suddenly, I heard a blood-curdling scream. It came from a young child [...]