Life in the time of coronavirus. We are living through a remarkably stressful time, with global scope and interventions unlike any health crisis we have ever seen. With so many rapid changes occurring related to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people […]
Mindfulness
Holding Mind in Mind: A Mindful Mentalization-Based Skill to Improve Relationships
Have you ever tried to hold someone else’s mind in your mind? Let’s do it together right now. Imagine that one of your good friends or close family members is having a good day. Maybe they had a big success […]
Anxiety is a Pushy, Self-Important, Exaggerating, Pain-In-The-Patootie
Anxiety can take a perfectly lovely, intelligent, capable person and turn them into a cowering, fearful mess. In fact, anxiety is infamous for its tendency to grossly over-exaggerate potential danger. To make its point, anxiety will hijack your nervous system […]
Experiencing Unpleasant Emotions? Invite Them In for Tea: The Counterintuitive Practice of Creating Space for Our Difficult Emotions
What do you do when you feel intense upset, anxiety, anger, or despair? Many of us want to get rid of the unpleasant emotions as soon as possible because unpleasant emotions are, well, unpleasant. We may look for a quick fix that […]
Strengthening Breath: A Weird, Twisty, and Wonderful Mindful Breathing Practice
Welcome to my video blog this week. Today, I’ll be sharing another mindful breathing exercise. Breath practices can be a powerful way to modulate stress by helping to calm and sooth our agitated nervous system. This breath is called the […]
An Attitude of Gratitude and My Colombia Vacation
Did you know that gratitude is good for your health? According to researchers, people who regularly practice gratitude have better heart health, sleep better, are more likely to exercise and eat healthfully, and are more resilient in terms of emotional wellbeing. […]
Be Nice to Yourself! The Science of Self-Compassion
Will you try an experiment with me? Read the following paragraph and check back in with me afterward. “You’re a total idiot. Why on earth would you do something like that? You’ll never amount to anything because you can’t get […]
Pause As You Exhale: A Mindful Breathing Practice
Check out this video blog with another mindful breathing practice: the “pausing as you exhale” breath. I enjoy teaching this breath for a couple of reasons. First of all, there are steps to follow as you’re breathing, and the steps […]
Depression is a Lying, Manipulative, Thieving, Self-Important A-Hole
Depression is kind of an a-hole. There, I said it. Please pardon my crude language but I think it’s an apt description. Depression can turn a perfectly lovely, capable, intelligent person into an irritable, lethargic, confused, pessimistic mess. It is […]
Go Take a Walk! The Many Benefits of Taking a Mindful Walk
Mindful Walking from Jennifer Hartman on Vimeo. Why am I outside to talk about mindfulness? Two main reasons. First, brain imaging research has shown that taking a walk outside in nature changes brain activity, allowing for improved concentration and decreased […]