Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of … Values?
On March 20th, the world celebrated International Happiness Day. You missed it? That’s too bad. Or maybe, it isn’t. It’s possible that by missing out on Happiness Day, you might have saved yourself from the popular misstep that many other people in our society have tripped over. That’s right, happiness, or the pursuit of happiness […]
Mindfulness in Three Steps
Mindfulness, that eastern meditative practice you’ve been hearing and reading all about, can sometimes be a difficult thing to understand. What exactly are you supposed to “do?” The definition, which is difficult in itself because there is no one agreed upon definition, is also vague; purposely bringing your attention to the present moment in a […]
Collecting Your Baggage
Baggage is often used as a metaphor to describe people’s unique histories that are informing their current thoughts, behaviors, and world view. When we think of baggage in that way, we realize that everyone has baggage, because everyone has a history! In fact, if we didn’t have baggage, then we wouldn’t really have a life, […]
My Resolution is to Suffer More
This year, I resolve to feel bad about myself. I am going to worry that I am not meeting my goals, and have negative thoughts about my weight, my job performance, and my parenting skills. I’m going to have anxiety about social situations. And, I’m not going to try and avoid these feelings, or try […]
Detach No More
Lately, things around the world have been difficult, to say that least. There is political unrest and people are clamoring to feel that their voices are being heard. Many people feel like their chances of making change in their world are stalling, or even going backwards. In the midst of all this unrest, we think […]
Debunking Mindfulness Myths
Mindfulness is such a pervasive topic these days that it feels like it’s infiltrated every corner of life (even the NY Knicks are using it!). And, everyone has tips on how to be mindful. Headspace, the mindfulness training app, is advertising during sporting events. Wall Street and large corporations are bringing in mindfulness experts, as […]
Understanding Change
Changing a habit is a difficult thing to do. Even with the best of intentions, actually making behavior changes that last can be a slow and laborious process. This process of change has been studied and broken down, and understanding how people change can be helpful in your personal change process. Change is rarely a […]
Relapse Justification: A Normal Part of Change
You have made some pretty big changes in the past few weeks. You’ve cut down or stopped drinking and using substances, you’ve tried to reach out to friends and family to build up a support network, and you’ve worked to align your daily life with your values and goals for yourself. Overall, it’s been a […]
Communication is Hard!
Communication is hard. And, it’s a really necessary part of our lives. How else are we expected to get what we want from someone else? Or to ask someone to change their behaviors? Or let someone know that you really like what they’ve just done? We need to communicate with others, and sometimes, we are […]
All About: Different Types of Support and Treatment
Let’s meet Doug. Doug has a wife and a young child, a dog, and a job in IT. Doug’s a responsible dad, an attentive husband, and he even just got a promotion at work. He’s never had any trouble with substances in the past, and would describe himself as a casual drinker. On the surface, […]
