Early in the pandemic things felt quite dark. The news fed us horrifying images and statistics about the “unprecedented times” in which we were all living. In fact, the term “unprecedented” became so common, people began to roll their eyes when it was said, despite the fact that it continued to actually be true. It [...]
Five mindful ways to manage smartphone addiction and take your attention back Marie Kondo-style. For many people, spring naturally brings forth a burst of energy, a sense of vitality, the possibility of new beginnings and an urge to purge the clutter around the house. Garage sales pop up everywhere as spring cleaning commences and people [...]
Using 2018 to set your 2019 future self up for success. Here we are again. About to cross the bridge between years. A year ago 2018 sounded so new, and now here it is swiftly slipping into the past. As the last few days of 2018 get crossed off the calendar, I invite you to [...]
Going Beyond the Gratitude List to Weave in Thanks Throughout Your Day I have a complicated relationship with Thanksgiving. When I was young girl growing up in New England, we learned how the Pilgrims welcomed their friends the Indians to the table for a meal of friendship. When I got older, I learned the story [...]
“Every moment only once.” -Thich Nhat Hanh “Every moment only once.” I love these words by Thich Nhat Hanh, a monk, a spiritual leader, poet and peace activist who is renown for his teachings and writings on mindfulness and peace. Some of Thich Nhat Hahn’s key teachings are that the practice of mindfulness helps tether [...]
“Ask not what the world needs of you. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do that. Because what the world needs now is more people to come alive.” - Robert Thurman The concept of ‘aliveness’ is at the core of the therapeutic work I do as a psychologist. In feeling alive—really tapping into [...]
A Few Simple Mindfulness Exercises Can Alleviate Distress. Christine Clarridge recently interviewed me for her article, Not wild about dogs? How to cope in mutt-mad Seattle, that appeared in the June 9, 2017 issue of the Seattle Times. The premise of the article, which you may have already gathered from the title, was about how [...]
I was recently interviewed by Christine Clarridge of the Seattle Times for a lifestyle article that ran on Mother’s Day. The article, How to improve your relationship with your mom, addressed just that—improving your relationship with mom. Although Mother’s Day has come and passed this year, the article offers some valuable tips on how you [...]
Wipe away the clutter with simple mindfulness practices throughout your day In my previous blog, The Rise of Mindfulness and Adult Coloring , I mentioned mindful coloring as being one of my windshield wiper practices, but then realized that these practices are neither well known nor self-explanatory. I created the term “windshield wiper practices” to [...]
Why millions of Western adults are getting present putting color to paper Last year, three of the top-selling books on Amazon were of a totally new genre: coloring books for adults. In fact, a staggering 12 million adult coloring books were sold in 2015 alone, making what was once an activity beloved mainly by children [...]