You know a lot more about you and what is likely to be creating problems for you to live the life you want. Having cleared some space, cleared the decks and programmed your sat nav, it is time to move forward in a new direction. One that will allow you …

When we open up to one another we inevitably realise that we share the same human feelings: hurts and doubts, hurries and worries. The same dark nights and desires of the soul. And while each one of us is unique, we share our essential humankind-ness. Our need to belong, our …

Epitomizing this shift, in 1903, Dr. George Pettey, an addiction specialist, vocalized a growing opinion about the depravity of addiction, calling it "another curse." A series of federal regulations, beginning with the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, were bellwethers for the changing national outlook on drugs and drug …

Otherwise, you aren't getting you, they aren't getting you, and that's not okay. Generalising a little, you either access past events and recall or exaggerate an experience that results in depression or you create huge multisensory events about the future which results in anxiety (from how the body reacts physically …

Something unexpected comes up which forces you to change your holiday plans. You think: How am I going to work round this? What are my options? Why does this always happen to me? My plans are all ruined. Someone congratulates you on a piece of work you've done. You say …

Keep striving. In a lot of cases, the ride to the life you want sucks and it's ugly, but if you don't worry about it and just hold on, you'll make it there. It makes perfect sense that schools use behavior and habit tracking sheets as a learning tool for …

You must be no less committed to finding your own path back to your authentic self and your authentic life. Just like Debbie, you must learn to paddle your own canoe and the fewer passengers you invite onboard, the easier it will be for you to reach your goal. You …

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a kind of talk therapy (psychotherapy) that addresses this connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In CBT you learn to identify and change thinking patterns that may be distorted, beliefs that are inaccurate, and behaviors that are unhelpful. CBT is a way to help …

You have received the air and continue to repeat the process. You let go and you receive. Some of us do this very efficiently; others, not so much. The lungs have a capacity of five to six litres depending upon your size. You may be breathing in a shallow manner …

Forgiveness isn't about letting someone "off the hook." The first and most powerful objection we encounter in ourselves is the mistaken idea that to forgive means looking the other way while somebody "gets away" with something. We see forgiveness as an undeserved get-out-of-jail-free card. That seems wrong somehow, because we …

They took my pain and made it their pain! They asked, Why are you doing this to yourself? and Being self-employed isn't worth going through this much trouble and completely ruining your life and credit. We could say that when I went against my own advice, by not taking care …

What will happen?" If you're feeling pressured, do both: stop and organize, and also ask yourself, "What does it matter?" Look at the big picture. Then focus on one thing. Keeping working on this concept until you truly understand that these are simply states of mind and that you can …

Because so many drugs can contribute to depression, if you are experiencing symptoms of depression, have a health care professional assess the medications you are taking to see if any might be adding to your struggle. Ask if dosages of suspect drugs can be adjusted, eliminated, or replaced with a …

Understand that this is not an all-or-nothing proposition. As I did, you may have parts of your life that you absolutely love and parts that you absolutely hate. There may be parts that you wish could be added to an otherwise great life. Living for your fictional self, whether it …

Only lack of effort and self-doubt can stand in your way. Be fearless, and you will accomplish your aims. Expectations begin with the individual. Although it's important to have expectations for others, the most important expectations you have are for yourself. They determine the outcome of a situation before it …

Can you tell if your need to be perfect comes only from within you--that it's a striving for excellence on steroids? If so, when did it become important? Are you perfectionistic with others? If you are, is there someone from whom you expect their best at all times? Are there …

Take cocaine as an example. Even doubling the sale price of the coca leaf in the mountains, were that to happen absent a monopsony, would increase the cost to a street purchaser by less than 1 percent. Why? Because of the economics of the supply chain, the sequence by which …

Do the time-consuming prep work on the weekend. While not everyone has time to prep their meals on any given Saturday, what with kids' swim meets, Mommy and Me classes, or orchestra performances, this can also be a great way to teach your little ones their way around the kitchen …

As a result, everyone reacts differently to the events and opportunities they encounter. Being open-minded can help you so much, giving you the chance to learn at every turn in life. You can see what others choose to shut out. Many people fail to discover new things because they think …

Probably something along the lines of recalculating. In a soft voice that is supportive. Calm yet direct and to the point. Imagine if it swore at you. Told you how pathetic you are. Scorned you. Shouted in a deep bellowing voice or indeed a shrill screaming high pitch one. Either …

So they decided to cut the tail of Mike's horse short. That worked for a while, but then they saw that the poor horse couldn''t brush the flies away and the tail grew back in pretty soon anyway. So they decided to measure the heights of the horses. And sure …

Another time in college I had only one more final to go, and I was totally worn out. I needed some help. So I got an amphetamine pill to help me stay up all night and study. I didn't know then that I had ADD or that amphetamines are supposed …

As I've suggested, the latest research shows us that what's going on in your gut influences what goes on in your brain--not the other way around. So, if the evidence shows us that the brain is responding to messages sent by the gut, primarily through the vagus nerve, then it …

It will help you to think of solutions and better yet understand what other people's actions are caused by. Visualize Negative Thoughts Turning into Positive - Here's an activity that works wonders for negative thoughts. When you have a negative though, visualize it in your head and then slowly transition it …

Unite the mind with this sign that is available in the present moment and let the mind flow with every succeeding moment. As you pay bare attention to it, you will see that the sign itself is changing every moment. Keep your mind with the changing moments. Also, notice that …

Those who were stigmatized were assigned the most undesirable category in the community.2 Though modern use of the word stigma no longer involves physical markings, a person with mental illness carries an indelible mark of shame nonetheless. This happens because society views mental illness as menacing, deviant, and unpredictable …

If it is distorted and fictional, be assured that it will show itself at the worst and most inopportune times, because that self-critical voice is relentlessly whispering in your ear. This personal truth business is a big deal, a huge deal. If you don't get yours straight, it will ruin …

A state where you are willing to learn new things with a smile. Increase the state by changing the submodalities. Make images bigger, feelings more intense, sounds more impactful. Whatever pleases you and gives you a wonderful feeling of learning with ease and pleasure. Anchor it by touching your thumb …

I won't quarrel with that. But the secondary gain of educating the public is far more valuable. One of the greatest ways we make sense of the world is by hearing the stories of others. Through their narratives, we measure and reframe our internal thoughts and feelings, learn that we're …

However, true experiments are difficult to perform on this issue because you can't force a random sample of people to smoke or stop smoking. As a consequence, researchers had to analyze the incidence of illness in smokers and nonsmokers. But any observed differences in one study could have been the …

He can even schedule, "8:30 pm -9:30 PM - goofing-off", if he wants. But now, whatever he does, he's doing it on purpose, with intention, and his evening is more likely to turn out satisfying to him. He still has to deal with distractions that would pull him away …

It's your life, why would you want to be a passenger? In examining your locus of control, we've been talking about the particular style with which you interpret and respond to the events in your life. I trust that, by this point, you have a clear understanding of which of …

It reestablishes itself simply by noticing that it has not been present. As soon as you are noticing that you have not been noticing, then by definition you are noticing and then you are back again to paying bare attention. Mindfulness creates its own distinct feeling in consciousness. It has …

(Though I wonder if this business will last now that California has legalized recreational marijuana.) And if she did have a heart attack while driving, wouldn't this force her to fly off the road and crash? As she keeps thinking these thoughts, her heart starts pounding, and her breathing becomes …

You're completely disconnected from everything else. When you're working on a particular project or towards a particular goal, you're in that box and nothing else. Put the other boxes away. Nothing else matters but getting everything in that particular box done. If you have more than one box open at …

Pay attention to life, and maybe you'll discover and draw inspiration from your childhood experiences. Sometimes it also helps to develop these passions by diving into uncommitted ventures. By uncommitted, I mean activities in a nonprofessional sense. Perhaps you can volunteer or join an organization that will help you nourish …

As a clinician, I see this all the time. It's hard to appeal to a child or adolescent about the need for "commitment to treatment" because they're young and feel invincible. They roll their eyes or give me an I-know-what's-better-for-me-than-you look. Though it's easier to plead this case to adults …

97% of us are borrowing money to create the illusion of having money and only 3% of us actually have money and own what it looks like we own. We think of debt-free as some kind of wonderful accomplishment when it's actually what normal is supposed to look like! Of …

If you are halfway through the scariest horror novel you ever read, your meditation is going to be full of monsters. So switch the order of events. Do your meditation first. Then read or go to the movies. Accept that anger, guilt, and fear may be making you ill (emotionally …

But you have to treat finding pleasure like you would any other must on your to-do list. If you didn't do this, it's likely that you'd never have a chance to play with your kids, read a great novel, or engage in any leisurely activities. You may even be depriving …