We all want to be successful in life, but what do we really mean by “success” and what is it we are really wanting? For much of our country’s history being successful has meant financial wealth, having a “good” job, and maybe even becoming rich and famous. However, how many rich people have you heard
Wellness & Happiness
Am I a Lazy Westerner? How a Culture of Active Avoidance Impacts Us All
In 2006 Sogyal Rinpoche, the world-renowned Tibetan Buddhist teacher and author of the highly acclaimed The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, called Westerners lazy. I know what you might be thinking, “How could I be lazy if I’m so busy all the time?!?” This is an important question that deserves a little unpacking as it speaks
Continue Reading
Wellness & Happiness
Jumping for Joy: Unleashing the Power of Exercise for Mental Health & Wellbeing
As a psychotherapist one of the questions I always ask my clients in the first session is “Do you exercise regularly and if so how much?” This is actually a common question in the mental health field, the importance of which is backed by a good deal of research. Whether you are an avid exercise
Continue Reading
Wellness & Happiness
What is Sanity? Exploring the Meaning of Mental Health and the 6 Signs of Sanity
One of the questions I regularly ask myself, as a psychotherapist, is “What is sanity?” In other words, how do we/I define mental health so we can know if things are improving? This is a very important question because it informs the very foundation of the practice of counseling. For me, this question often spurs
Continue Reading
Wellness & Happiness
When Your Body Speaks Your Mind Listens: Harnessing The Power of Body Language to Change Your Reality
Today it is generally understood that body language is a big part of how we communicate and therefore plays a significant role in how we are perceived by others. According to the research of Albert Mahrebian, communication is 55% body language, with an additional 38% attributed to tone of voice, totalling a whopping 93% as non-verbal. This leaves
Continue Reading
Self-Compassion
What’s Wrong With My New Year’s Resolutions? Why Most Resolutions Fail and How to Create Effective Ones that Change Your Life
It’s a New Year. For some, the rolling over of the calendar year means very little, and for others the New Year is an opportunity for a fresh start, a chance to do some course correction and to achieve some goals that may have fallen by the wayside. However, there seems to be a problem.
Continue Reading
Wellness & Happiness
Living in Congruence: When the Inside and the Outside Become One
I was first introduced to the idea of congruence while in graduate school for counseling psychology. Simply put, in a psychological context, congruence means that what you show on the outside—words, actions, body language, etc.—matches what is on the inside—thoughts, feelings, body sensations, etc. If what is on the outside does not reflect what is
Continue Reading
Wellness & Happiness
Permeability: Learning to let in Life’s Goodness
For me, there is just something about stepping out into a bright blue fall day and taking a deep breath of cool crisp air deep into my lungs. Simply hearing dry leaves rustling in the breeze and feeling the distinctly cool fall air on my skin has the power to completely shift my state of