mindfulness

3 Easy Things to Try to Immediately Improve Your Mood

There are a million things that can cause our mood to rise and fall throughout any given day. Whether or not we show it, and no matter how hard we work to keep calm and carry on, our emotional responses can run widely outside of our control. It’s an unavoidable and entirely human thing to… Read more »

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“Name It to Tame It” – The Deep Emotions Underlying Your Triggers

What triggers you and why? We all have those moments when all of a sudden one statement directed toward us sends us into an emotional tailspin. It may be a single word our partner uses to describe us that makes our blood boil. It may be an offhand, teasing remark from a friend that ignites… Read more »

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7 Practices to Keep Calm in the Face of Uncertainty

“Uncertain” is likely a mild way to put how we’re all feeling right now. This year has presented so many shocks to our systems, many of us are struggling to retain any sense of equilibrium. The deer in the headlights feeling of “what comes next?” has our anxiety at peak levels. While there are real… Read more »

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Experts at Home: Dr. Kristin Neff on Self-Compassion

In this Experts at Home conversation, Dr. Lisa Firestone talks with researcher Dr. Kristin Neff about the importance of practicing Self-Compassion, especially during challenging times such as this global pandemic. Watch Now: Subscribe to PsychAlive (it’s free!) to see more Experts at Home.  

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Experts at Home: Dr. Donna Rockwell on the Benefits of Mindfulness in Challenging Times

  In our second Experts at Home conversation, Dr. Lisa Firestone talks with mindfulness expert Dr. Donna Rockwell. They discuss the many benefits of mindfulness during this challenging time, including how mindfulness can help reduce anxiety and expand our ability to “sit with the unknown” and face this moment. Watch Now: Subscribe to PsychAlive (it’s free!)… Read more »

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Creating Order in an Upside-Down World

In the past, staying at home was a privilege, a day off, a stay-cation or just an opportunity to relax. However, we are now in a truly strange time. It is mandatory that we stay home and it doesn’t take long for the novelty to wear off. Kids who have complained about getting up in… Read more »

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Don’t Despair…

Are you having a hard time responding to the challenges, tragedies, and hurting in the world? As you take in the news, do you feel yourself growing numb, cynical or hopeless? If you’re impacted emotionally by world events (as many of us are) and are facing a lot of despair, first try to recognize and… Read more »

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How Meditation Is Linked to Better Mental Health

Meditation and practicing mindfulness have gained increasing momentum in the western world in the past several decades. By paying attention to what happens in each moment, people can practice being present and more aware of everyday life.  Research shows that meditation not only relieves stress but has significant impacts on an individual’s sleep, coping mechanisms,… Read more »

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Making Sense of Trauma

When a person endures childhood trauma, the experience can have a ripple effect on their mental and physical health throughout their lives. Research on the impact of adverse childhood experience has left no doubt that early trauma, especially unresolved trauma, impacts the development of emotional regulation skills and distress tolerance. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have… Read more »

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Do You Identify as an Anxious Person?

Have you ever thought to yourself or even voiced out loud that you are “an anxious person?” A little known truth about how our brain works is that wherever our attention goes, our energy flows, and that influences the decisions, actions and consequences that follow. Have you ever had the experience of wanting to buy… Read more »

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