Hello friends, I am back from my silent retreat. I often think of silent retreats as being like backpacking trips. Backpacking trips and silent retreats both include moments sublime, moments of intense discomfort, and I always feel better when I come home. On retreat...
An Emotional Intelligence Boosting Exercise for Kids and Grown-Ups Have you ever told yourself that you shouldn’t feel jealous of someone? Me, too. Thinking that we shouldn’t feel jealous, or angry, or __(fill in the blank with the emotion)__ is common for kids and...
So, it’s summer, and my kids are out of school. Yay! Boo! Both things are true.As a mom who works from home, having kids home for the summer presents both gifts and challenges. The kids see that I am at home, and they think that they can interrupt whatever I’m doing...
Note: this blog is a continuation of my last blog: Overcoming OCD…how it all began. My last blog featured Rohan* who had a debilitating nighttime fear of someone breaking into his house and taking him away. Rohan had been unable to sleep in his own room for the past...
When Rohan was five years old, he was outside playing with a friend, and a man walked through the alley. Rohan’s friend pointed at the man in the alley and said that the man was a kidnapper. Rohan ran into the house to find his mom. His mom assured him that he was...
Note: Be sure to read all the way to the bottom for a special treat from our family. Hello Friends, Have you ever noticed that your brain gets a little (or a lot) more anxious, neurotic, depressed, etc. than usual when you get sick? It’s a common occurrence, and I try...
Hello Friends, It feels good to connect with you. I’ve been teaching a lot and also slowly recovering from a case of bronchitis followed by Covid. One of my continual growth opportunities is how to balance rest with all I wish to do in the world. And I know I’m not...
Personal disclosure: last week I spent a lot of time beating myself up internally. The reason was pretty innocent: I have been doing a lot of teaching lately, which has left little time for other aspects of my work (like writing this newsletter). Because investing...
If I’m self-compassionate, does that mean I feel sorry for myself? It’s a common fear that self-compassion will lead to self-pity (for ourselves or our kids). What differentiates self-compassion from self-pity? And what makes one resilience boosting and the other...
Have you ever been stuck in a difficult mind loop and unsure how how to get unstuck? Me, too! When a difficult situation or emotion has me spinning, it means that my amygdala has been activated and my prefrontal cortex will be of limited help. What does this mean in...