In Viktor Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning, we learn how Holocaust prisoners were more likely to survive if they felt there was some meaning to their senseless circumstances. In this evil place and time where life had no meaning, to survive meant finding and creating meaning wherever they could. For many, becoming hopeless meant certain death. Meaning and hope are like oxygen for the soul. So how do we…
From Path to Peace With Todd Perelmuter NewsletterHow do our thoughts affect our emotions? Or, do our emotions affect our thoughts? What comes first, the thought or the emotion? Understanding the answer to these questions can help us feel better and think more positively. This can also help us heal from the grief of losing a loved one. (more on this in my YouTube video). So, let’s take a look…
Humanity has been through a lot lately. Pandemic, economic destruction, and war. Just one of those can be too much to bear. This doesn't even include the stress it puts on our families, friendships and mental health. Luckily, there are a great many and powerful tools at our disposal to heal from trauma, to re-energize ourselves, and to recenter ourselves. In this podcast, Todd shares his easy, practical tips for…
Make Life Less ChaoticI wish this wasn’t such a timely metaphor, but tragically due to the recent events in Ohio it is: a speeding train cannot reverse course instantaneously. It has so much inertia that it can only be stopped very slowly, and only once it’s stopped can it begin the gradual acceleration in the other direction.Our habits, especially our mental habits, are like speeding trains. When we are born,…
When we embark upon our path to peace, we frequently find ourselves at a fork in the road. One way, is safe, easy, familiar and has the allure of peacefulness. The other way is scary, unknown, adventurous and requires great courage. One way seeks outer peace, but the other way creates inner peace. When our inner peace is dependent on external circumstances, we will have a chaotic life. When we…
Q: Dear Todd, how to take life seriously?TODD ANSWERS: When we wonder whether we are taking life too seriously or not enough, we are stuck in the middle of two polarities. The key to breaking free is to not take life at all. That's right. Just leave it be. None of us are so powerful as to be able to control the many forces of the universe that were set…
Q: Dear Todd, what if you are in so much physical discomfort and have been for years and the only thing that seems like it will end this discomfort is death. How do you reconcile that? Take comfort in knowing that your discomfort will end when you die?TODD ANSWERS: That is unfortunately just life sometimes. You can try to find comfort in some possible tomorrow, but you can also find…
Love is the glue that holds this universe together. It is the gravity that unites two star crossed lovers. And it is the only reason we exist — it brought our parents together, love nourished and protected us through infancy, and it is the only reason we haven’ blown ourselves up yet.Love is a feeling as innate as hunger. Instead of leading us to food, love guides us towards being more…
There are two things taking place when we feel like our life is not going the way we hoped or wanted it to. The first thing is expectations — those pesky things created by society, our loved ones, and our own biased assumptions about how life should be. The second thing is a feeling of stuckness — that dull feeling, which lacks newness and excitement, that stems from repetitive and monotonous…
The question, "What makes a good life?" has plagued philosophers and intellectuals for millennia. It is one of, if not the most important question for our species.Everything we do is driven by our desire for a good life. And yet, despite doing our best to have a good life, we're often left feeling unhappy and dissatisfied. If we give in to every urge and impulse, we may find ourselves sick…
“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.
