Back before there were psychiatrists and therapists, way before the introduction of Prozac and Xanax, people were using mantras to calm their nervous systems and sooth symptoms of depression and malaise. In fact, the earliest mantras were used by Hindus more than 3,000 years ago. Employed by Buddhists, Christians, Taoists, and persons of most faith...

Aristotle once said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of wisdom,” and Miguel de Cervantes said, “Make it thy business to know thyself, which is the most difficult lesson in the world.” Interpersonal therapy is, of course, one way of getting to know yourself and your triggers. Personal retreats are another—whether they involve an outdoor adventure...

According to Kristin Neff, Ph.D., self-compassion expert and associate professor of human development at the University of Texas in Austin, there is physiological data supporting the claim that self-compassionate people have better emotional coping skills. In her book Self-Compassion, she explains that researchers have measured cortisol levels and heart-rate variability among participants trained to have...

This post is from my archives. Today would have been a good day for me to wear the t-shirt that says, “I can only please one person a day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow doesn’t look good either.” As I progress in my recovery, I am a choosier shopper when it comes to friendships–I...

I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting. Wait without thought, for you...