Humans did not evolve to face rush hour traffic, 24/7 news alerts on our phones showing us the worst things that are happening in the world, or to live half our waking lives at work with bosses and difficult coworkers. It doesn't matter who you are or where you live, there are times in our lives where we feel overwhelmed, stressed out, and exhausted from the constant barrage of chaos.…
Someone recently asked me how I can suggest that even people in Ukraine respond with love when they're lives are in danger. The person went on to tell me that they struggle with spirituality because "we have fear for a reason and if a bear is charging at you, it doesn't care if you respond with love or not, it will still eat you. If you respond with fear, maybe…
Q: Dear Todd, I view smoking and vaping as negative habits and don’t want to be around people who do that, and don’t want to view them positively. I find these habits trigger me and make me pull away. Any suggestions?Todd Answers: That is very understandable. It's always difficult to see our loved ones or people we care about doing something harmful whether it's vaping or doing even more harmful…
Q: Dear Todd, How Can I Get Over my Grudges? Giving love and forgiveness to others is the greatest gift you can ever give to yourself. When we love and forgive others, we do not lose anything. We in fact gain peace of mind, joyousness, and greater physical and mental health. The more joy and love within you, the more joy and love you put into the world and the…
It can be a hard and unwelcome lesson when someone we idolized shows us their humanness. We want to count on people, we hope we can rely on them, and until we learn this lesson, we expect people to always be there for us in the ways we need them to be.When someone fails us who we admire, when trust is broken, it can be earth-shattering. It can feel like…
When we get hurt and let down by others, the pain we feel lingers on long after the emotional event took place. These traumatic moments in our lives take up a disproportionate amount of our mental space. If we have too many of these moments in our lives, their mental real estate can consume us. It can take all our effort not to let those experiences define us and shape…
Q: Dear Todd, What Are Your Thoughts On Negativity?TODD ANSWERS: The thing about negative thoughts is that they are neither good nor bad, but clues to something going on below the surface.Like anything else that's undesirable, when negative thoughts arise, we can either get mad or sad about it. Or, we can be totally fine about it, accept it, investigate it joyfully, and be at peace with it. It's all…
Recently, my family has been struck with that most unfortunate of news. A giant in our lives and a guiding light was recently diagnosed with late stage terminal cancer. While I have been mostly offline these past couple weeks, I would be honored to share my experience with grief that I have been going through, and hopefully it can bring some solace and perspective into your own life.When we get…
If you think You're Too Anxious to Meditate? Think Again. As a wise Buddhist monk once said, “If you’re too busy to meditate for an hour a day, meditate for two hours a day!” As I like to say, “If you’re too anxious to meditate, then you definitely need to meditate!” Every single person on the planet can meditate. Meditation—i.e. being present—is our natural state of being. And those who…
Every single thing we experience outside of us is a projection of our own mind. If we lived in a tribe on an island with no connection to the modern world, we may think airplanes flying overhead were shiny birds. We can only experience the world based on our understanding, our mental state, and our emotional state.If we are hard on ourselves, we expect other people to be hard on…
“I thought my biggest fear was growing old and dying in prison. In truth, my biggest fear was growing old and not knowing myself.”
- Rick Smith, Albama inmate
Path to Peace - A newsletter not just for your mental health but also for your spiritual health.
