We live in a culture that encourages us to try to feel good all the time. We hear the overt and covert messages: Be happy! Overcome struggles! Look on the bright side. What is the problem with such messages? First, it’s not possible to feel...
How many of us know someone - an adult, teen or child - who could benefit from the resource of self-compassion? We might think, Wow! That person really needs to be kinder to themselves and stop beating themselves up! But what is the best way to help another person to...
A few weeks ago, my ten year-old came home from her first field hockey practice with some news that touched my heart. She said that the first half of practice she had been practicing self-criticism and comparing herself to others, but then the second half of practice,...
When I learned that school had been canceled due to the coronavirus, I was more than a little shocked. My default coping mode was to get busy and stay positive. I also knew that I had to move my body and spend time in nature each day. Simultaneously, I became less...
The other night I lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. I was feeling sadness about something that had happened earlier in the day, and I offered myself a little compassion for the difficulty. I then went through my usual repertoire of things I do when I lay in bed: I...
My older daughter Maya was born sensitive, curious, and creative. As Maya grew, I learned that all of her five senses were extra sensitive. For her sounds were louder, smells and tastes more acute, she had a strong draw to everything tactile, and she saw “light...