By Cayla Berejikian The past year of my life saw a lot of change. None of it felt monumentous, special, transformative, or like it was “meant to be.” It was simply constant and uncomfortable, like a dull headache. And the only side effect was vague sense of confusion and detachment, at least in the midst […]
Seasons of Change – Poetry & Immunity to Change Read More »
What is happiness? Most of us know when we feel it, but how do we go about defining it? Is it a generalized word to describe a wide range of other positive emotions like joy, contentment, and overall positive well-being? Or is it a philosophy of life and thus our conscious decision to be happy
Defining Happiness in Daily Life Read More »
Personality psychology is descriptive rather than explanatory, so it is a fallacy to say that a person is sensitive because they are introverted and neurotic, and far more accurate to say that some psychologists will label them as introverted and neurotic because they are sensitive.
The Personality Fallacy: Examining Identity as the Catalyst of Change Read More »
Relationships are hard work. There are so many different issues that can arise when planning to be with someone. This becomes even more difficult when people have different belief systems. People can differ when it comes to religious beliefs, views on raising children, values, and desired lifestyles. In your day-to-day life, it is easier to
Navigating Different Belief Systems in Romantic Relationships Read More »
“Every thought has a propellant, and that propellant is an emotion.” – Robert Wright, Why Buddhism is True. Mindfulness meditation helps us delve deeper into the mind and reflect openly and honestly about our thoughts and emotions. It also has tremendous benefits for improving things like attention span, pain tolerance, and emotional reactivity. Mindfulness involves
Mindfulness Meditation – Intention, Attention, Attitude Read More »
We are often our own harshest critics and that can get exhausting. Constantly talking down to ourselves can start to tear us down. Furthermore, we tend to not show ourselves the same compassion that we show others. It is easy to get caught up in the rat race of everyday life but we should remember
Loving-Kindness Meditation: Spreading Positive Energy Read More »
“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” – Lao Tzu Over 2,500 years ago, the great Lao Tzu encouraged us to take a step back and watch
Meditation as a Vehicle for Change Read More »
Guilt and shame are two of the most powerful emotions in our culture. They can be extremely negatively valenced in the mind and body, and I observe that they affect people’s mental health to a great degree. In this post I will describe why people can tend to get caught up in unhealthy patterns of feeling excessive shame and guilt, and give you some pointers on how you can overcome these patterns.
Overcoming Patterns of Guilt and Shame Read More »
We are all different. No one disputes that. We come in different colors, shapes, and sizes. We express ourselves in different ways as well. Some people love to talk, others enjoy painting, some like to write, and others love to sit alone. One of the biggest things we express as humans are emotions. In our
Different Expressions of Emotion: Neurodiversity Read More »
It is easy to get wrapped up in our identity, and the story of our life. Identity cuts to the core of who we are, so naturally we are extra concerned about it. In reality, our identity is more of a social construct than we think. Lisa Feldman Barrett, a leading psychologist studying emotion, has
Constructing Identity: We Make Ourselves Read More »
