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The Art of Breathing

Most of the time, we only become aware of our breath when there’s something wrong with it. Ranging from chronic lung illnesses to extraneous exercise, we generally only focus on breathing when we have to. But there is a whole system of thinking that puts the breath at center stage. The well-known Buddhist monk and […]

The Fundamental Attribution Error

Often times, when something happens – or, more likely, when something goes wrong – it appears to be a human tendency to want to know the cause. “Why did this happen?” is a question we will often ask, whether it’s relating to something big and consequential or if it is something small. But, according to […]

The Therapy of Trees

As authors Marco Mencagli and Marco Nieri point out in the introduction of their 2019 book, “The Secret therapy of Trees,” “In the United States, over 80 percent of the population lives in urban or suburban areas.” Moreover, since the Industrial Revolution began more than 100 years ago, people and families have been migrating from […]

The Psychology of Color

It’s been known for centuries that color can have an impact on the human brain. Specifically, different colors can influence a person’s mood and feelings. So, what are they? “Humans react powerfully on an emotional level to colors,” writes author Cath Caldwell. “Research has shown that there is consistency in the responses people have to […]

Body Language

In his book, “You Can Read Anyone,” author David J. Lieberman, Ph.D., gives an in-depth look at the techniques used to interpret a person’s body language. According to the author, these are the same techniques used by the FBI, US Military, and other law enforcement agencies. So, it sounds like some compelling stuff, right? Lieberman […]

Being Happy

It may be true . . . there isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” approach to finding happiness. More than that, what makes some else happy may not make you happy. But that’s OK. Author Patrick Lindsay, whose book “Be Happy: 170 Ways to Transform Your Day,” attempts to guide to reader to a brighter day using bite-sized […]

Exploring Nature-Focused Healing  

Did you know that going outside can make you feel better? And it’s not just folk wisdom. Science is beginning to catch up to the idea that nature, greenery, and sunshine impact our mental health . . . and it does so in a positive way. And the inverse is true. Being disconnected from nature […]

Challenging Negative Thinking

Thoughts are sometimes described as a river . . . they are continuous, on-going, and move from one thing to another without ever really stopping. In one sense, this is a consequence of consciousness itself. It is doubtful, for example, that insects have a river of consciousness, at least not that we know of. In […]

Resilience

“How do you turn adversity into strength?” This is the question that author Josh Floyd, and – quite frankly – many other people, have asked. The concept has been catching on in recent years, giving people a framework by which to grow beyond their own pain. Psychological resilience or emotional resilience can even be measured, […]