Mindfulness meditation is the practice of focusing your attention to a neutral source, such as your breath, and then refocusing that attention when your mind inevitably wanders. It’s a simple concept, but it can be a frustrating experience if you don’t know what to expect. In this article, I’ll explain the way I teach mindfulness…
Emotional snowballing happens when our reactions to uncomfortable emotions create more uncomfortable emotions. This core emotion grows as it goes, like a snowball gathering more snow as it rolls down a hill. A common example is worry about worry, but emotional snowballing can occur when any one emotional reaction builds from another. Before we dive into…
“Radical acceptance rests on letting go of the illusion of control and a willingness to notice and accept things as they are right now, without judging.” – “Despite my many ordeals, my advanced age and the nobility of my soul lead me to conclude that all is well.” Radical acceptance is the act of acknowledging…
The real tragedy of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas is that he eventually gave it back. Okay, not really. But some aspects of Christmas have become pretty toxic, and here’s one reason why: Pluralistic ignorance is a circumstance of social psychology in which each member of a group privately rejects a norm, but believes everyone…
Just as the Corybantian worshippers do not dance when in their senses, so the lyric poets do not write those fine songs in their senses, but when they have started on the melody and rhythm they begin to be frantic, and it is under possession […] that the soul of the lyric poets does the…
Emotional growth means growing in our emotional abilities. This means not only getting better at managing our emotions, but also in the ability to evoke emotions of our choice. We do not have complete control over our emotions. If we did, we’d all decide to be happy, and live happily ever after. But we do…