This year mindful hub will have a special focus on the unique needs of millennial young adults. Check back often to view excerpts from Donna Torney’s forthcoming book, Center Points for Young Adults: Building identity, intimacy, and youthful wisdom through contemplative practices.
Through the joys and sorrows, nothing has illuminated my parenting as much as my mindfulness practice, especially when parenting teens and young adults. The best part of mindful parenting is the increase in your belief that you are a good parent, that you are competent and you can make it through…
Sometimes life leaves us hanging in limbo. Maybe waiting for an acceptance letter, a return call from a loved one, or news of a promotion. You might feel some frantic energy around something even more anxiety provoking, like the results of a medical test, or waiting for a family member to…
What do you feel when you hear the word shame? How about guilt? Shame is usually a toxic emotion that keeps us frozen in time. Guilt on the other hand, can be instructive, and can spur us on to be our best selves. Your mindfulness practice can help you develop your best, loving,…
Want what you have?! What a thing to ask you to do at the start of the school year! How will you function without the latest iPhone, backpack, fall fashions, new car to cart the family around? I once read a quote from the founder of a legendary department store…
The pursuit of perfection is insidious in our culture. I could write volumes on its negative effect on our lives. But in keeping with the spirit of the letting go project, I want to offer you a short meditation on letting go of perfection. In my therapy practice, letting go…
My husband used to say that flirting was fun because it made people feel good, and the science behind flirting backs up his belief. However I have worked with many teens, young adults, and yes, full-grown adults who have been the “victims” of flirting in that they feel misled or toyed with…
One way to conceptualize mindfulness and the benefit of a present moment focus is to notice the state of mind that is conjured up by dwelling in the past, or worrying about the future. We can even put mood states on a time continuum where depression is induced by thinking…
Gabor Maté takes a mindful look at addiction, in all its forms:
In our culture it’s a point of pride to be over scheduled, stressed, and frazzled. Anything else qualifies us as lazy, unmotivated, and (gasp!) average. True story: I overheard the following conversation in a restaurant in Harvard Square last fall. I assume it was parents’ weekend at Harvard, for as…
Reduce the amount of time you spend in uncomfortable mood states.
How to deal with going off to school.
