Grief and loss can be experienced in many forms including death, changes to friendships, infertility, miscarriage, divorce, or moving homes. Grief requires patience and can be especially hard during the holidays. Consider three strategies that may help us this holiday season: present moment awareness, self-compassion, and seeking gratitude.

While pain is a normal part of life, resistance to pain can contribute to prolonged suffering. We explore signs of resistance and strategies that can help reduce resistance. Softening our efforts to resist can help us let go and turn toward acceptance and greater peace.

Could the goals of others influence our goals? We explore ‘goal contagion,’ the idea that perceiving someone’s goal-directed behavior can lead us to unconsciously pursue that goal too. We may consider contemplating how this could impact our lives and potentially the lives of others.

Stress and anxiety can be common experiences, yet difficult to disentangle at times. We take a closer look at similarities and differences between the two that may help us better understand our experiences. We also explore coping strategies that may support enhanced stress management and enjoyment of daily life.

Having a habit we would like to change is a relatable experience. We may have tried any number of things to break this habit, but have perhaps only found temporary (if any) relief. We consider a mindful alternative that can support habit change by observing, pivoting, and knowing our “why.”

Research has provided support for the power of self-compassion to help improve experiences of depression, anxiety, and shame. But how does self-compassion help? We take a closer look at some suggested mechanisms of change, and one way that we could consider bringing more self-compassion into our days.

Mother’s Day may hold many meanings. Some may be celebrating while others may be grieving. No matter what unique experience we may be having this Mother’s Day, we can take the opportunity to support ourselves exactly as we are today. We consider three holistic approaches to self-care including embracing community, making space for emotion, and practicing gratitude.

Creating meaningful relationships that add to our happiness and fulfillment in life can be challenging. Anxiety, fear, and self-criticism may stand in the way at times. We explore three general tips that can support cultivating meaningful relationships.

Our point of view can make a big difference. If our perspective becomes narrow or fixed, it can contribute to anxiety, a low mood, or difficulty in relationships. We can practice shifting our perspective to be more open and broad. In this week’s blog, we consider how the use of mindfulness, imagery, and a friend’s perspective could help.

Do you ever feel like you are your harshest critic? You’re not alone if you feel critical and judgmental of yourself sometimes, which may contribute to anxiety or a low mood. We explore how self-compassion can help, including three practices that could support movement in the direction of greater self-love, kindness, and compassion.

We may hear ‘OCD’ used in everyday language, but what does it mean to be diagnosed with OCD? We take a look at what characterizes OCD and how this can be different from having OCD tendencies. Please note that this blog is intended only for educational purposes. It is not a replacement for medical or therapeutic evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment by a licensed professional.

What does it mean to have a “balanced” reaction to a stressor? We explore what a balanced reaction can look like and how we may move away from commonly unhelpful responses. We consider the usefulness of grounding techniques, comprehensive self-care, and activating the parasympathetic nervous system.

Regardless of your relationship status, Valentine’s Day can be a day of celebrating you! In the spirit of self-love, we explore holistic ways we can show ourselves some love, including buying ourselves flowers.

It is a myth that a “good” relationship does not have conflict. To the contrary, conflict is a normal part of a committed romantic relationship. We shift the focus from eliminating conflict to managing conflict, and consider conflict management strategies. *Please note that "conflict" in this blog refers to everyday issues and does not include abuse of any kind.

Holding on tightly to certain thoughts and narratives can cause suffering. Yet, learning to ‘let go’ of these inner experiences can be challenging. We review three strategies that, with practice, may help you let go with more ease.

Money is a common source of stress. We explore factors that may influence how we relate to money, and three strategies that can help us cope with stress: Checking the Mindset, Practicing Generosity, and Planning and Accountability.

Our minds and bodies can feel on high alert as we manage the stress of a typical day, which over time can contribute to anxiety, low mood, or disrupted sleep. We explore possible impacts on the nervous system and three strategies that may help improve stress management and encourage rest: catching thoughts, setting boundaries, and practicing sleep hygiene.

If we don’t achieve our new years resolutions ‘perfectly,’ we may feel like we have failed. Rather than a resolution, we consider the benefits of setting an intention. We explore three steps that may help you start the new year with intention: mindfulness, meaningful change, and self-compassion.

Setting boundaries can be hard, especially during the holidays or when demands on our time seem ‘extra.’ We consider reasons why setting boundaries can be difficult, and also consider three possible benefits to boundary-setting that may be helpful to keep in mind.

What we think can influence how we feel and behave. Sometimes this cycle of “thoughts-emotions-behaviors” can get caught in an unhelpful loop. We consider three potentially problematic ways that our behavior could be impacted: avoidance, reassurance seeking, and isolation. Could these behaviors, at times, be standing in the way of a more fulfilling life?

Our thoughts can have us believing that everything they say are true. But that is not true. We consider three “cognitive distortions,” or ways that our thoughts can be unhelpful, which can contribute to difficult emotions and unwanted behavior. We review examples that may help you catch these types of unhelpful thoughts.

Communicating can be challenging! We may feel pulled to ‘keep it in’ or swing the other way and ‘lash out.’ In our latest blog, we consider an alternative. We consider steps to engaging in non-violent communication - a communication process that encourages compassion. These steps may be what you’re looking for at the next holiday gathering!

It can sting when we feel rejected by others. It may cause us to criticize or judge ourselves, which may only make it worse. Could rejection sting because we are not getting something we crave? We consider the Buddhist perspective of “craving” and three mindful, kind ways to deal with rejection.

Do you ever feel like worry, doubt, or insecurity stand in the way of happiness and joy in your relationships? We consider three tips for decreasing relationship anxiety: practicing mindfulness, enhancing communication skills, and not taking things personally.

Avoidance can limit our ability to lead fully engaged lives. Luckily, there are many ways someone could aim to lessen avoidant behavior in their life. We consider three ideas: acceptance, taking small steps, and alternatives. You’re not alone if you notice avoidant behavior in your life and support is available.

Avoidance is an effort to not experience any number of things including thoughts, emotions, situations, or events. While avoidance can seem helpful, it may limit our ability to lead fully engaged lives. Learn three ways that avoidance could show up in life. With increased awareness, we have more opportunity to turn toward meaningful change.

The “Living with Meaning” blog series concludes as we consider ideas that can help us make purposeful changes in our lives. If we notice areas where our actions do not fully support our values, we have an opportunity to take action and guide ourselves in the direction of greater meaning.

The “Living with Meaning” blog series continues with tips to help us see where in life our values may or may not be showing up. This can help us choose actions that move us in the direction of what matters most to us, toward increased meaning and fulfillment.

We want to live meaningful and satisfying lives, but it is not always easy to know how. The “Living with Meaning” blog series helps us consider how we could increase meaning in life, in an effort to lead more satisfying, fulfilling lives. We begin by asking, “what matters?”

Does it feel easier to notice the ‘negative’ in your day rather than the ‘positive?’ If so, you’re not alone. Learn about the influence of the ‘negativity bias’ and how you can aim to balance the imbalance with mindfulness and noticing the good.