Blog: Healing Choices
This blog focuses on the small moments that make a good day into a bad day, or a terrible day into a gift of a day. It’s my belief that developing awareness in these small moments is the practice we need to be able to navigate all the ups and downs of life, from loss and grief to love, peace, and joy.
Developing the Skill of Self-Compassion
“If you long for the world to be a saner, more loving place, please be advised that you must start inside. Care for your sick, anxious, exhausted self as lovingly as you want to care for every suffering thing.” --Martha Beck, Like Ten Thousand Knives When All You Need...
The Magic of Reality
I recently sat with one of my best friends over coffee. Because I trust her so much, I told my friend about a problem I’d been having with my husband, as it bothered me deeply. She listened, as all good friends do, and then we moved on to other topics. After we left...
Why I Meditate
You are not your thoughts. I am not my thoughts. Meditating helps me remember this. When I meditate, I watch my thoughts come and go, like clouds in the sky. I focus on my breath until I realize I’m not focusing on my breath—I realize I’m thinking a thought. Then I...
Money Beliefs
What are your money beliefs? We all have them, whether we realize it or not. For example, I have a friend who believes money is a tool that helps him live a great life. My friend budgets for the things he needs, saves for the things he wants, and has no debt. He is...
Thoughts Create the Experience, Events Don’t
I have come to believe that if I am having a negative experience, it’s because of my thoughts. I don’t always realize this during the experience, but sometimes I do. In that moment, I have a choice: I can continue down the path I’m going, blaming someone else for my...
Weight Loss and Awareness
Recently, I spoke to a client who wanted to lose weight. At a certain point, I mentioned I’d lost 18 pounds last summer (over a 4-month period). When she asked me how I’d done it, I briefly explained I’d given up certain foods for 30 days and still hadn’t gone back to...
Clean Pain vs. Dirty Pain
Back in April, I was in a lot of pain from recurring headaches. Physical pain, yes, but when I really looked at the pain and the causes of it, I realized I was making it worse with my thoughts about it. Dr. Steven Hayes, a psychologist and the pioneer of Acceptance...
The Universe is Friendly
A few weeks ago, I had lunch with some of the students in my improvisational comedy class. One of my classmates mentioned that registration was open for the next session of classes. She said she’d wanted a Saturday class but all the classes were sold out except...
Unspoken Expectations
In the past, I’ve written about unspoken expectations. My friend, Brooke Castillo, calls this The Manual. Just like your dishwasher comes with a manual all about how to make it work properly, we tend to have unspoken rules about how the people in our lives should...
Riding the Wave of Grief
On Saturday morning as I was folding laundry I was suddenly overwhelmed with grief. I am not someone who cries easily but I felt the tears coming and I let them. I folded laundry and cried and thought about my loved one. By the time I was finished folding the last...