Suffering results not so much from the bad things that have happened, are happening or might happen to us, but the way in which we regard those things, the meaning we give to them. Essentially, if we regard them as intolerable, unmanageable and unacceptable, we suffer...
What do you have stored in the back of your closet, the corner of the attic or the remote room in the basement? If you imagine venturing into these dark recesses, what do you begin to feel? Dread? Excitement? Both? Maybe you’ll find some gold coins given to you by a...
Of all the interpersonal skills we can imagine, empathy is surely one of the most important. Empathy may be more difficult for some than for others. Maybe some are constitutionally disadvantaged from the start in not being highly tuned-in to the emotional state of...
When I ask others what is their least favorite feeling to feel, guilt is one of the more common responses. For many, the feeling of guilt has a profound and negative impact on the quality of their lives. It is possible to better understand and manage guilt so that it...
The gravitational pull inside of a black hole is said to be so strong that beyond a certain point, known as the ‘event horizon,’ nothing, not even light, can escape from it. In some ways, addiction is like a black hole. At the top, the slippery slope is subtle, such...
That’s it. I’m done with trying to meditate. It’s too hard and I just can’t do it. First of all I don’t know what posture I’m supposed to be sitting in. I’m probably doing that wrong. I can’t even sit still for thirty seconds without shifting my position, which can’t...
You’re driving down the highway in the right lane and come upon a sign reading: “Left Lane Closed Ahead.” Do you slow down so drivers in the left lane can merge in front of you? Or do you speed up so nobody passes you? Your colleague is sure that the annual meeting...
How often do we say “Wouldn’t it be great if . . . ?” If only we could acquire, achieve and experience all the wonderful things in life. And if only we could get rid of, conquer and transcend all of our problems in life. “Oh, if I could lose this weight and arthritis...
One common source of tension and conflict in relationships, whether romantic, familial, platonic or professional, is the difficulty in managing the differences between the parties involved. “How could you possibly think that way?” “Why do feel you so upset? I would...
In a sense, doing something in a routine way means that we don’t have to think much about whether we want to or should do it. We just do it because it’s our established routine. Somewhere along the line, a decision was made to just do the thing so we don’t have to put...
