Grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Sometimes the only way to accept that which we cannot control, is to take action with the things we can. Today, on what is my son’s 11th day home … Continue reading Do What You Can Control
Author: RJSoto
Breathing Into Sleep
It’s one of the top pieces of advice for living a wholesome and healthy life—get more sleep. And like with most advice, it’s easier said than done. There are many reasons people have problems with sleeping. Insomnia. Anxiety. A mind that won’t stop racing. Stress. Poor diet—e.g. too much caffeine or too much sugar. Drug … Continue reading Breathing Into Sleep
Start With Self-Acceptance
The first two steps of AA’s twelve-step program are as follows: 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Both take a great deal of acceptance. First, accepting you have a problem. And second, accepting … Continue reading Start With Self-Acceptance
Mood, Emotion or Personality
In a special publication by National Geographic, Your Emotions: The Science Behind How You Feel, the myth that moods and emotions are the same is busted as follows: “Even though these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they’re different. Moods tend to be in the background of your conscious life and diffuse, whereas emotions are more … Continue reading Mood, Emotion or Personality
Softening
Resistance and tension reside in both our bodies and our minds. These are reactions to stress and uncomfortable situations, but neither are helpful. Think about jumping into water from a height. If you tense up your body, you are bound to break a bone on impact. Loosen the body, and it may hurt to hit … Continue reading Softening
You Are Enough
If I were to ask you to fill in the blank below, how many answers would you have? I am not ________ enough. My answers a few years ago would have been, I am not pretty enough. I am not a good enough mother, daughter, wife or friend. I am not doing enough. I am … Continue reading You Are Enough
Add In VS. Cut Out
If quitting bad habits were easy, there wouldn’t be AA, NA, Nicorette Gum, Nicoderm patches, or the countless self-help books and podcasts giving advice on how to become a healthier, happier you. Not every bad habit is a substance or addiction. Perhaps you’re trying to quit having belligerent outrages whenever you’re angry. Or maybe you … Continue reading Add In VS. Cut Out
Negative Emotions
Negative emotions aren’t pleasant, but they're not bad. Anger, sadness, fear—these are all healthy normal emotions to experience. It’s when we believe them to be bad, something to be avoided at all costs, that these negative emotions become harmful. When anger is suppressed and turns to rage, it can tear a person’s life apart. When … Continue reading Negative Emotions
Observe
Acceptance is not apathy. It does not mean you’re giving in, giving up, or bowing down. It’s choosing peace for yourself over control. When we’ve conditioned ourselves to reacting, though, acceptance can feel a lot like bending our will. We react when something isn’t going our way, and we’re trying to control the outcome. But, … Continue reading Observe
Choose Your Focus
When we believe our suffering is something happening to us, we’re living a victim mentality. Things, of course, happen to us that are beyond our control, but what we have power over is our response. It’s the difference between the man wrongfully jailed who becomes bitter, living a life of crime and feeling justified due … Continue reading Choose Your Focus
