excerpt from Urban Mindfulness by Jonathan S Kaplan, Ph.D.

Sometimes, we get stuck in a rut and just can’t break out. We need a little extra help to disengage from automatic pilot. We might resist sitting in meditation, or find ourselves too distracted when we actually do sit down to meditate. At these times, it can really help to turn to something we previously created or compiled to support mindfulness practice. It might be a collection of songs, a photo album, or a poetry compilation. You can also create a “mindfulness first-aid kit” to use in such situations.

During my clinical internship, I worked with gifted psychologist Lorraine Allman, who used mindfulness in group therapy for people with chronic mental illnesses. As part of the program, she advised participants to develop a “sensory first-aid kit” (Allman 1999, 30), which included items that appealed to each of the person’s five senses (that is, sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch). For example, one participant loved to go to the beach, so she put together a box of things reminiscent of her favorite place, including a postcard (sight), a CD of ocean sounds (hearing), suntan lotion (smell), and saltwater taffy (taste). She then filled the box with sand (touch). When she felt stressed or overwhelmed, she went through her kit and spent several minutes immersing herself in the sensory experience of these objects. Like other people in the group, she not only found herself feeling less stressed, but also really enjoyed taking time out for her mindfulness practice. In fact, she came to see feeling stuck as a positive thing, because it meant it was time to deliberately practice mindfulness! Here are some tips for creating your own mindfulness first-aid kit:

excerpt from Yoga for Pain Relief

Reflect on different parts of your body with gratitude and appreciation. Practice:

• Anytime to repair your relationship with your body. .
• When you are feeling discouraged by pain or illness, or critical about your body, to consciously choose friendliness toward your body. .
• After a medical appointment, to remind yourself that your body is more than its symptoms and diagnoses.

A full practice will take five to ten minutes, but you can practice the essence of this reflection anytime by simply reminding yourself of one reason you are grateful to your body.

excerpt from Healing Yoga for Neck and Shoulder Pain by Carol Krucoff E-RYT

Just as postural habits, such as forward head, can contribute to neck and shoulder pain, our psychobiological habits, how we respond emotionally and physically to stress, may also play an important role. For example, when we’re faced with fear, anxiety, or other stressors, one of the most common reactions is to tighten muscles in the upper back, shoulders, and neck—in effect, lifting the shoulders up toward the ears. It’s almost as if we’re trying to protect our heads the way a turtle draws its head and limbs into its shell. Other common reactions to stress that involve the neck and shoulders include teeth grinding, lip pursing, and other facial grimaces, along with finger drumming, thumb twiddling, and various forms of fidgeting.

excerpt from Transformative Yoga by Wade Imre Morissette

In the world of yoga, a healthy body and a healthy mind go hand in hand to create spiritual fulfillment. The physical practice of yoga offers great healing potential and health benefits. Yoga postures involve a lot of stretching, for example, which increases your overall flexibility and reduces muscular tension. Opening your body in this way also cultivates heat in the body, which aids in detoxification and expands your breath. The more deeply and easily, you’re able to breathe, the more you increase vitality in your body by bringing oxygen to your muscles. You’ve probably noticed how exercise—whether it’s a workout at the gym, brisk walking, or yoga—makes you feel more energetic.

It’s important to spend a good amount of time in regular physical practice, not only for the outward benefits but also to strengthen your internal confidence, which may weaken if you have a negative relationship with your body. A solid practice also helps ward off harmful influences, such as the stresses of our technological world or toxins from food or the environment, all of which can lead to an unhealthy body—and mind and spirit.

excerpt from Pregnancy & Postpartum Anxiety Workbook by Pamela S. Wiegartz Ph.D., ACT and Kevin L. Gyoerkoe Psy.D., ACT

No other time in your life will be quite so wonderful and chaotic all at once. Remember to cut yourself some slack and use the following tips to maximize your time:

excerpt from My Mother, My Mirror by Laura Arens Fuerstein, Ph. D.

In the West, neuroscientists and therapists write that one of the main things that separates our minds from those of animals is that we know we exist. As Mark Solms and Oliver Turnbull (2002) state in The Brain and the Inner World, our brain is the unique, enigmatic organ that gives us that sense: “The brain…is the seat of the mind, somehow producing our feeling of being ourselves in the world right now”.

And pediatrician and analyst Donald Winnicott (1986) writes in Playing and Reality that we must have that experience of “just being” before we can act, create, explore, relate, or do. Winnicott’s “false self”—rigid and inauthentic—will emerge if an infant has to adapt to her care¬giver’s needs. The false self covers over the true self—which is fluid and authentic—if that’s what’s needed in order for the child to keep her mother’s love.

Buddhist thoughts about the self contrast with Western ones, as described above. As Mark Epstein (1995) tells us in Thoughts Without a Thinker, Buddhist scholars write that it is only when we stop trying to find a true self that we experience life in a real way: “In the Buddhist view, a realized being has realized her own lack of a true self”.

excerpt from The Joy of Parenting by Lisa W. Coyne Ph.D. and Amy R. Murrell Ph.D.

Take a moment to think about the relationships in your life that are most important to you—those in which you feel closest to someone else. What is it about those relationships that you most value? Take a few moments and jot down your thoughts about this in your parenting journal. If you’re like many parents, one of the valued characteristics you listed may have been “feeling heard.” When we’re very lucky, we find ourselves in relationships in which people “get” us—they have a solid understanding of our wants, desires, and dreams. They communicate that understanding in how they behave around us—by calling our attention to things we care about or being thoughtful without being asked and without expecting anything in return. Because these things are important to you, you won’t be surprised that these same attributes are probably what your child most values and trusts about her relationship with you. Taking time to nurture a relationship like this with your child is important. After all, you’re the “base” from which your child ventures out into the world. You ensure his safety and offer a lens through which he will view other important relationships throughout his life. You show your young child how to be in the world by the way you relate to and behave with him. And that is an enormous responsibility—as well as an exquisite gift. In order for your child to feel heard, it’s important to be “attuned” to your child. Attunement means having a rich, detailed understanding of your child. As you become more attuned to your child, you’ll be able to empathize with her thoughts and feelings, respond to her wishes, and facilitate her goals. You will also be able to better predict what your child will do next and to take in new information about your child as she grows—even when it might be inconsistent with your past experience of her. In short, attunement means openness to your child, and this capacity will help you to respond in a sensitive, caring way to her needs. Mindful awareness is an extremely helpful way to become fully present to your child and to enhance your attunement to her. Find some time—about fifteen minutes—for the exercise below, in which you’ll explore some ideas for nurturing your relationship with your child.

excerpt from Disarming the Narcissist

1. The Art of Mutual Respect

    

   Mutual respect entails acknowledging differences between yourself and others without negative labeling. This is the gift of generosity. You accept the narcissist’s different point of view or preference without becoming critical, defending your position, or discarding your own opinions, even when he is clearly off on the wrong foot. You know that, while there is hardly a challenge when you see things eye to eye, differences can set the stage for a long, drawn-out drama. You are aware that understanding something does not necessarily mean agreeing with it. You are committed to understanding, compromise, and mutual respect for one another’s thoughts, beliefs, and desires. You expect the same in return.

excerpt from Let's Be Friends by Lawrence E. Shapiro Ph.D.

Giving Compliments

For You to Know

Giving sincere compliments is a sure way to make other kids feel good, and it can also make you feel great!

What you say to others has a big impact on them. If you give someone a genuine compliment about something they have accomplished, something they do well, or something they’ve been trying hard to change, you can make them feel good for the rest of the day.

Sometimes giving a compliment can be tricky. Imagine you have a shy friend who is trying out for the school play and comes to you for encouragement. Even if you don’t think your friend is a great actor, you can still find something to compliment. You might simply compliment your friend for being brave enough to try something new.

Huffington Post feature by Carolyn Coker Ross, MD, MPH, author of The Binge Eating and Compulsive Overeating Workbook

There are many reasons why you may overeat. You may be a classic emotional eater -- someone who finds comfort in food and eats when happy, sad, angry or at anytime you feel emotional, or you may overeat when under stress. If your boss yells at your or you are working under a deadline, having a doughnut, milkshake or bag of chips makes the stress go away -- at least temporarily.

No matter what your reason for overeating, you are using food as a coping mechanism. This may be a habit you learned early in life when you didn't have knowledge or experience in using other methods of coping. Just like Pavlov's dog, now your body and mind are trained to grab a loaf of bread or a bag of cookies when you feel tense, anxious or stressed. So part of the secret to avoiding overeating is to recognize the benefit of using food to cope.