Articles

I don’t like Daylight Saving Time. This is not just a personal opinion, but also my professional one, because I know how disruptive even minor changes to the sleep-wake cycle can be – to mood and emotion regulation, memory and cognitive function, as well as overall health. Sleep is foundational to good mental and physical health, and most of us aren’t getting enough of it, which...

Looking for ideas to help you deal with a drinking problem, or other problematic substance use? Have you stopped and are finding it’s a struggle to stay stopped? Are you seeking an alternative to AA? Or just searching for some additional tools? Let me tell you how mindfulness can help.   The definition of mindfulness I use is: “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the...

It is possible to live a full and satisfying life even when your life has been turned upside down by chronic pain and/or illness. Recently I’ve been learning more about how, from the experts: three people who are doing it themselves, and are pointing the way to others.   I have a personal interest in this topic – although I’m a fairly fit and healthy person, I inherited a...

Let’s talk about shame. Let’s not run from it, trying to avoid its pain, or hide from it, pretending we don’t have any, or allow ourselves to be bullied by others who believe they have the right to make us feel shame. Let’s drag it out into the open, take a deep breath, and examine it.   What is shame? Shame is a basic human emotion – we’re born with it. And it’s universal – everyone...

A koan is “a story, dialogue, question, or statement, which is used in Zen practice to provoke the ‘great doubt’ and test a student’s progress” (Wikipedia). While I’m not a Zen practitioner, I enjoy pondering koans that others pose as well as posing my own. Here are a few for your consideration:   The opposite of addiction is not abstinence, it’s connection. (Sarah Bowen)  ...