I’ve been practicing, teaching, researching, and writing about mindfulness for some time. Because of that, I sometimes take for granted that not everyone shares my level of understanding of the basics. So, let’s reset and get back to basics. We’ll start by defining mindfulness.
Read MoreFor decades, we have known that the brain searches for and locks in on negative information, events, and feelings. And, recently, we have all seen how the media often focuses primarily on the “bad news” to get our attention. But, why? What can we learn from this bias for negativity?
Read MoreVery few of us would say that 2020 was a great year. And it might be hard to find something good about this last year. However, if we look at it through the lens of post-traumatic growth, we might discover that we have gained valuable lessons that will help us in the years to come.
Read MoreLiving a purposeful life is often described as whether or not we engage in meaningful, nontrivial activities in our daily life (Scheier et al., 2006). The assumption behind this description is that when we are guided by purpose, we allocate resources and organize activities in a way that move us towards our goal. So, how do we do this? How do we live more purposefully on a daily basis?
Read MoreIn early 2020 the pandemic caused many of us to be suddenly thrown into working from home. We are now having to share our workspace with other family members who are also trying to work from home or attend school virtually. This brings about many impacts to our work and our relationships. Let’s find out what we can do to overcome these challenges.
Read MoreHave you noticed a difference in your dreams during the pandemic? If so, you are not alone. A May 2020 study of more than 3,000 U. S. adults found that those who were the most impacted by the pandemic noticed a strong impact on their dream life (Schredl and Bulkeley, 2020). Let’s find out why.
Read MoreI have had more than one person jokingly say to me, "Please excuse me, I have COVID brain." It seems that they may be right. Recent research in neuroscience seems to indicate that there just may be a "COVID brain". This study describes how the pandemic changes our brain, both for those who have been infected and those who have not.
Read MoreI’If you are like me, every time I decide to do something just for me, I have a flash of all the things that I should be doing instead. Since my to-do list is quite long, I have to fight the urge to postpone that relaxing walk or leisure reading to get something done on my list. After all, I’ve seen the research on the importance of self-control and self-regulation in obtaining long-term goals. Yet, recent research shines a light on the importance of fun and relaxation, too. Let’s take a look…
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