We will all feel all of the human emotions throughout our lives. That's part of life. But when we let ourselves get swept away by those emotions, then we can act unmindfully and in ways that can hurt our reputation and relationships. When our emotions carry us away, we lose ourselves and we feel the emotions with great intensity as if they are happening to us. When we are present,…
Repressed emotions are one of the greatest, if not the greatest, cause of physical pain and illness in our society. For example, over 90% of all doctor visits are stress-related. This is because we are not releasing our stress in healthy ways.Nothing about spirituality should imply we need to “look the other way,” “stuff down your emotions,” or “pretend like negativity is not there.” Mindfulness is about becoming aware of…
Self-hatred is a terrible affliction born out of the false perception that you are your thoughts. It divides us into two people rather than being one whole complete person. This illusion falsely implies you hate yourself, but in reality, you can't have a relationship with yourself. You simply are you. Relationships with yourself can only happen if you believe you are split in two. By recognizing your true self, all…
Someone recently asked me this question about how to respond to people who hurt us. I get it, believe me. Our first (unconscious) instinctual reaction is to respond with anger. But this would be a reaction that lacks wisdom, patience, perspective, and most importantly, efficacy. It is just not effective when communicating to respond with anger. People's walls go up and they dig even deeper into their positions.So how can…
Fighting Hatred with LoveThe Dalai Lama is a man who saw his own country violently conquered. It would be all too easy to become bitter. But instead, he forgives and loves. He puts all of our measly everyday squabbles to shame. If he can find compassion for his invaders, we too can find it for our rude coworkers, family feuds, and former friends.No matter the question, love is always the…
4 Tips for Anger ManagementTo work on oneself, to admit our flaws, to face them head on and to overcome them takes the greatest courage there is.We only yell out and act out in rage because we have lost ourselves and our composure. Because we fail to know how to use our words to communicate clearly.In meditation and mindfulness, we can remain at peace, we can think clearly, and can…
What's the Root Cause of Resentment in Marriage? All resenting stems from resisting. Resentment comes from resisting another person's actions, behaviors and habits. Instead of allowing the person to be, we silently resist who they are. That silent resistance turns into spoken or unspoken anger, distance and mutual hardship. What Can We Do When We Feel Resentment in Marriage? The absolute best thing we can do when feeling resentment is…
“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.
