Health Journal Online

Category: Mental Health

Mountain-Climbing Mindfulness: The Power of 10 Deep Breaths

For the past four decades, I’d gazed out of my grandparents’ home window at the Criou mountain. It stands majestically, a proud presence towering over the valley—a real landmark for hikers, birds, and paragliders.

Nestled in the French Alps, amidst renowned summits and tales of nighttime expeditions with crampons and ice picks, the Criou may not fit the typical alpine mountain archetype. Nevertheless, in this part of France, she reigns as a true queen, and most of my memories with my grandparents feature glimpses of her.

Yet, over those fortyish years, somehow I’d never climbed the Criou.

Let’s rewind for a moment. Here’s some context: I am French-American, born and raised in San Francisco, yet I’ve spent every summer since birth with my grandparents in a quaint alpine village in Haute-Savoie. It’s indeed a privilege to shuttle between these two gems.

Moreover, spending time with my grandparents was always incredibly enriching, as their lives and stories could easily inspire books and movies. My grandfather, a true local legend, not only survived a work camp in Austria during World War II but also played diverse roles post-war. He became the 11th guide on the “French national high mountain guide registry,” directed alpine centers, created the local radio station, and relished conversation—a crucial aspect of his personality. At heart, he was a teacher and an exceptional storyteller. He would often declare, “Watch this, I’m going to talk for 45 minutes, and no one is going to interrupt me.” Then, he’d launch into captivating discussions about how he’d worked to democratize access to the mountains, on ski expeditions and rescue parties. He’d weave together a myriad of facts, and he was right—no one interrupted him.

My summers in the Alps left an indelible mark on me. Growing up hearing stories about summiting peaks, rescuing people in snowstorms, or casually beating the Austrian ski team in Chamonix, it’s no surprise I fell in love with someone who appreciated high-intensity nature moments. One of my greatest joys is that my husband spent significant time with my grandfather before he passed away at the age of 90.

Despite my grandfather’s mountain escapades stealing the spotlight with tales of skiing,
mountain climbing, hiking, rescues, and community living, none of his stories involved the Criou. To him, it was a mountain of little interest, home to only a few snakes and cows. So, even though it was ever-present in our gaze, I relegated it to a somewhat lower position in my mental mountain hierarchy—until my husband came into the picture.

Embracing the Adventure

We got together when I was 25, and for the next 15 years, whenever we were in France, I’d hear my husband leave at 5 a.m. to hike to the top of the Criou. It would take him anywhere from five to seven hours, and he always returned exhausted and exhilarated, usually after trying to beat his best time.

Strangely, for years, I never even considered accompanying him, which is slightly out of character because I also love hiking and the outdoors. Maybe it was the 5 a.m. wake-up call (I’m just not a morning person) or some strange leftover notion that the Criou wasn’t a good enough peak to bag. Whatever the case, it wasn’t until we moved to the French village of Samoëns in the summer of 2019 that I decided to go for it.

That year, we’d taken a sabbatical from our teaching jobs in San Francisco and moved our family to my grandparents’ home to live with my mom. My grandparents had both passed away, but my mom inherited their home, and it continued to be our summer escape from the fog.

At the end of that summer, we decided to hike to the top of the mountain during the first day of the new school year. Our plan: We’d drop the girls off, and then do a roundtrip hike before swooping them up for their chocolate croissant goûter. Already, I liked that it wasn’t starting at 5 a.m. and that it was ending with pastries.

So, we dropped them off for their first day at the small village school and drove to the base of the Criou. All of this was totally new to me, but my husband had already done it several times. I didn’t question anything that much because we’ve gone on countless hikes together and I really wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary. Oh, how wrong one can be.

I really wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary. Oh, how wrong one can be.

For the next two-plus hours, we zigzagged on a path in the forest, climbing steadily, our heads covered by so many trees. One hour into it, I was starting to wonder about the trail, and when we might finally emerge from this tree-covered situation. Two hours into the hike later, I was quite relieved by a change in scenery.

So far, this hike was leaving much to be desired, but as we emerged above the tree line, I stopped in my tracks. The view was glorious, overlooking the entire valley, with Switzerland and Italy a stone’s throw away. We were so high up, and could see so far. It was stunning to stand there above the trees, the sun streaming down, and to be at eye level with some hawks.

Plus, there were a couple of paragliders in the air, and I later found out that one of them was Tom Cruise! (Yes, we were on a mountain with Tom Cruise. How many people can say that?) While he was prepping stunt scenes for the next Mission Impossible movie, we were just trying to make it to the top by foot. Everyone’s on their own journey.

For the next 30 minutes, I was in pure bliss. We traversed in the grass, passed by cows, and ran into a few other people, all the while overlooking villages and seeing the paragliders go down and then get helicoptered back up. It was all amazing, as well as peaceful, sunny, and relaxing. I felt proud of having slogged it uphill under a canopy of trees and was enjoying the reward of the views, thinking we just had a little bit longer to go before reaching the giant cross at the peak.

But then, at the last section of the hike—the final 35 minutes—the trail became more vertical than horizontal. Though I considered myself in good shape, I was astounded at how hard it was.

A Grandmother’s Wisdom

As we started our ascent, this is where I slowly began to crumble, shrinking into a smaller and smaller version of myself with each step. Meanwhile, my husband, who hikes more than I do, was pulling ahead, and the gap between us was widening.

Were blisters popping up? I don’t really know, because I couldn’t concentrate on anything other than barely putting one foot in front of the other, which I was doing an awful job at. My usual go-to techniques of meditation and breathwork, which typically keep me calm during tough moments, completely failed me. Suddenly, my entire body was in total freak-out mode and I was shutting down. Just me, having a mental breakdown on top of a mountain.

With 15 minutes left to the top, I stopped. More like, I grunted, then angrily plopped down. I couldn’t believe how hard it was: to lift my foot and place it down again, to keep breathing, and to do it alone, because my husband was already at the top.

I had a private tantrum, cursing the Criou, my husband for abandoning me, and myself for not being strong enough to make it. As I sat there, I made the decision to not continue, to stay where I was sitting and wait for him to come back down. I refused to go on any longer. Like I said, I was having a real private tantrum.

That is, until I heard something that made me turn my head. And there she was, a grandmother, walking past me with her adult son. She paused, smiled, shared how they were from Nepal and loved living in the French alps. And then she continued on her way.

I looked at this old woman, with her kind face, deeply wrinkled eyes, her very slow but steady gait, and felt a moment of gratitude for this reminder to appreciate the present. Watching her pass me as she continued to climb up the mountain inspired me to stand back up. This wasn’t a race; I could do this, and I would be proud of finishing this journey with my partner.

With each breath, I felt my shoulders unwind, my frustration subside, and my mood lift.

Her gentleness and perseverance reminded me of my own grandparents. I was raised on their stories about their upbringing, the hardships they’d endured during World War II, and the hope and joy they’d found by choosing a life filled with exercise, connection, and education in the mountains. They had worked hard to create the life of their dreams, which involved sharing their passion for a mindful way of life with others, and watching this grandmother reminded me so much of them. I wanted to be like them, like her!

So, I closed my eyes and pictured my favorite bedroom in my grandparents’ chalet, where I could see the Criou through the window. I took ten long, deep breaths, inhaling deeply through my nose and exhaling slowly through my mouth. With each breath, I felt my shoulders unwind, my frustration subside, and my mood lift. I don’t know why I couldn’t do this before on my own, but something about seeing this grandmother on the mountain gave me the mental strength I needed to dig deep.

Feeling stronger, I stood up and followed in her footsteps, and made it to the top, where my husband was waiting, with his hand outstretched, holding a huge ham-and-cheese baguette sandwich for me. Was this heaven?

Finding Peace at the Peak

As I sat there next to him, feeling like I was at the top of the world, I took a moment to acknowledge what had just happened inside of me, in the hopes that the next time I was doing something hard and felt like I couldn’t handle it anymore, I would recall that beautiful smiling grandmother and hit the pause button. I’d been so impatient to be at the top already, I nearly forgot to breathe through hard things, to try and find peace in the present moment, and to sometimes just slow down.

I’ve never hiked the Criou again, but that day remains forever etched into my mind as a beautiful life lesson that I can embrace the adventure of life, try new things, test myself, and keep going. Taking 10 long, slow deep breaths is what helped change the energy in my body that day and gave me the extra push to keep going.

Since then, I’ve rededicated myself to my meditation and breathwork practice. That moment on the mountain transformed me into someone who meditates twice daily, breathes intentionally throughout the day, and even teaches these techniques to both kids and adults. I look forward to facing the Criou again someday, with a huge ham-and-cheese sandwich by my side. Fingers crossed that Tom Cruise might be there too.

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September 10, 2024
A New Chapter in Mindfulness: Relaunching Mindful Magazine

Re-introducing a revitalized version of the Mindful magazine you know and love, plus new subscription tiers to serve you wherever you are on your well-being journey.

This article is independently researched and written by the Mindful editors. However, we may earn revenue or commission if you purchase via links included.

As many of our long-time community members know, the print magazine was the heart of Mindful when our organization was founded back in 2011 and it continued that way for over a decade. Our heartful team ensured every issue was packed with insights from the world’s leading experts, the latest in the science of mindfulness, and in-depth reporting on the waves the movement was making in the broader culture. Then, in 2023, like so many other print publications in the modern media landscape, we were faced with the difficult decision to stop publishing. Well, the whole team at Mindful is thrilled to announce that it’s back. We’re relaunching Mindful magazine—and it’s all thanks to you, our loyal audience.

We’re relaunching Mindful magazine—and it’s all thanks to you, our loyal audience.

We heard you when you said that you missed receiving your new issue of Mindful magazine in the mail. We heard you when you said you valued the tactical experience of sitting down with a physical copy, deepening your mindfulness practice and self-growth journey away from screens. We heard you when you said you kept your old issues to return to again and again; to pass along to loved ones once you finished; and to share the rich resources in each book.

Your unwavering support and love of Mindful magazine is the reason it’s making a comeback—and we can’t wait to share what we have in the works. We’re filled with gratitude for our incredible mindfulness community, and so excited to bring you a fresh, revitalized edition of the magazine.

The next issue of Mindful magazine will be the 2025 annual edition and it will be bigger than any issue we’ve created before. You can expect an even greater abundance of all-new stories, science, and wisdom from renowned meditation teachers and experts. Plus, you’ll get access to a brand-new collection of guided meditations and other digital goodies to nurture your practice and enhance well-being in every area of your life.

To stay up to date on this new chapter, sign up below to receive updates about pre-orders for the magazine, exclusive offers, and more. The presale begins October 1st, 2024 and you won’t want to miss it!

We’re Expanding Our Subscription Options!

Every person’s relationship to mindfulness is unique, and we’re expanding our range of digital and print subscription options to be more flexible and better serve the support and inspiration you need for your well-being journey.

Coming October 1st, 2024, our new subscription levels will span digital and print options, as well as the Mindful Premium membership: a fully comprehensive offering that features digital and print, plus unlimited access to our full range of Mindful online courses, taught by expert teachers.

Get on our exclusive list to learn more about these upcoming opportunities to experience more Mindful — just sign up below!

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September 8, 2024
5 Minutes of Mindfulness Brings Real Benefits, According to Science

While on a mindfulness retreat, Eli Susman, a PhD Candidate in psychology at the University of California (UC) Berkeley, was surprised by the day’s schedule. The emphasis at Plum Village—the monastery of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh—is on mindful living, which is different from other retreat centers that include long periods of sitting meditation.

As the days went by, Susman felt a growing desire for a more formal practice and decided to sit in meditation under a tree. Before he knew it, three hours had passed.

Relaying this to a friend (and monk) later that day in the monastery’s tea house, the monk’s eyes widened and then he smiled. “How about three breaths?” he asked Susman. “That’s all you need to tune into the present moment.”

“That really struck me,” says Susman. “What if that’s really enough to make a difference in people’s lives?”

When it came time to launch his PhD research program, Susman decided to explore the idea of short practices, or “micropractices.” These brief interventions are designed to use the most potent elements of a practice to meet the needs of people in less time and at a lower cost. “Some of the biggest barriers to engaging with, and benefiting from, contemplative practices are developing the habit of doing it, and also having the time to do it,” he says.

Evidence suggests that when it comes to meditation, short bursts may be just as beneficial as longer stretches. One randomized controlled trial found that four shorter 5-minute mindfulness practices were just as effective as four 20-minute practices in improving depression, anxiety, and stress. Another trial found that more frequent daily life mindfulness practice (being mindful during normal activities such as exercising, working, or doing household chores) helped to buffer ongoing stress.

Love Thyself (in 20 seconds a day)

Susman was keen to investigate a micropractice of self-compassionate touch, an aspect of mindful living that he believed could have a significant impact on mental health. Evidence has shown that self-compassionate touch can lower salivary cortisol levels (a measure of stress in the body) and may be as effective as receiving a hug from another person.

In his study, Susman’s team included 135 undergraduate students and randomly assigned them to two groups. The first group was taught by video to practice self-compassionate touch for 20 seconds a day. This usually involved placing a hand on the heart space and another hand over the belly, followed by thinking kind, compassionate thoughts toward oneself.

“But they were also told they could use other forms of touch,” says Susman. “What was most important was that the method of touch supported them in feeling compassionately toward themselves.”

The second group followed the same video procedures, except the students were given different instructions that involved a finger-tapping exercise and were not told to use self-compassionate thoughts.

For the average college student who participated in the study, Susman found no differences between the intervention and control groups on measures for self-compassion, growth mindset, positive affect (the scientific term for ‘feeling good’), perceived stress, and mental health issues.

“If you meditate five minutes a day, every day, it’s a lot better than meditating half an hour once a week.” -Natalie Karneef, meditation teacher

However, among those who practiced the intervention daily (38%), the researchers found greater improvements in self-compassion, stress, and mental health relative to those assigned to the control group.

The team was very surprised by the size of the effect, which was comparable to outcomes from other trials that studied time-intensive interventions. Susman points out that short practice times do add up over weeks or months.

Why You Should Try a Mindful “Micropractice”

This finding ties in with the philosophy of “marginal gains,” often used in high-performance sports or business. The idea is that tiny margins of improvement in every step of the process can lead to larger gains over time. One meta-analysis of over 200 trials of mindfulness-based programs found that there was no evidence that larger doses are more helpful than smaller doses—it was greater frequency and consistency that appeared to provide better benefits.

Certified meditation teacher Natalie Karneef agrees with this. “I think just pausing and coming out of the hamster wheel that most of us are on during the day is a really good practice,” she says. “If you meditate five minutes a day, every day, it’s a lot better than meditating half an hour once a week.”

Karneef also feels that the compassion element of mindful living often gets left behind in a culture that she says is very uncompassionate. “The way that mindfulness is sometimes taught is a bit like a sport or a discipline. You can focus or still your mind but without compassion, it turns into another thing we’re trying to excel at,” she says.

“Meditation is not a solution for capitalism,” adds Karneef. If it’s too difficult to quiet the mind for 20 minutes a day, Karneef says this is not an individual issue that should be individually solved. “That’s a structural and systemic issue that we need to recognize as a bigger problem.”

Mindfulness alone, at any length of practice, is not necessarily recommended as a sole solution for more serious mental health issues. “Brushing your teeth is not a replacement for seeing the dentist, and doing micropractices wouldn’t replace getting more comprehensive mental health support,” says Susman.

Both Susman and Karneef point out that meditation and self-compassion are challenging for many people because of the nature of modern life. It may be unrealistic to expect that we can counter the onslaught of information and activity we face each day with any amount of sitting meditation practice, which is why regularity is key.

“Every length and type of practice is important—I really believe that,” says Karneef.

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September 6, 2024
11-Minute Breathing Practice for Awareness

Susan Kaiser-Greenland guides us through one of the oldest meditation practices called “Sit and Know You’re Sitting.”

One of the oldest meditation practices is also one of the simplest: Sit, and know you’re sitting. Let’s give this simple breathing practice for awareness a try:

1. Get comfortable, with your back straight. Close your eyes and relax. Gently move your attention away from what you’re thinking to the sensations in your forehead and around your eyes. Soften and let go of any tension. Smile a little and soften your jaw. Let your shoulders feel heavy and drop away from your neck. Relax your upper arms, your lower arms, your hands, your fingers.

2. Relax into your breath. Place one hand over your heart. Let your shoulders drop even more. Feel your breath move your hand up, then down, up down, up down. Now move your hand to your belly, soften, let go and relax. Breathing in, know you’re breathing in. Breathing out, know you’re breathing out. Let your hands rest easy on your lap and let go of any tension in your upper legs. Soften your knees, soften your lower legs, let your feet feel heavy and sink into the ground.

3. Notice the feeling of breathing. Notice how your body feels as you relax and drop. The part of your mind that is noticing—that’s awareness. It’s nothing special. You don’t need to look for it. You don’t need to do anything at all. Awareness is always here. Settle in and stay with your breathing for a few moments. Trust that your breath will find a natural rhythm. Trust that awareness is always here. Breathing in, know you’re breathing in. Breathing out, know you’re breathing out.

The part of your mind that is noticing—that’s awareness.

4. If your mind gets busy, don’t worry, that’s what it’s designed to do. To steady your attention silently, say “in” when you breathe in, silently say “out” when you breathe out. Thoughts, images, and sensations, they’ll come and go. The goal is to notice them without thinking about them. Don’t try to stop them. Don’t try to make them go away. Don’t try to change them, they’ll change on their own. No need to reflect on them now. There’s plenty of time to do that later. No need to add anything to your experience in this breathing practice for awareness. Just stay with it, when sounds appear, hear them, when sensations appear, feel them, when thoughts and images come to mind, notice them. That’s how we sit and know we’re sitting.

5. Watch what’s happening in your mind and body the way you’d watch a movie or a TV show. The storyline will twist and turn, threads of the plot will pass by, something new will emerge. You don’t need to look for this show, just settle in, relax, and it will come to you. Notice how those thoughts and sensations and images, they don’t have much heft, like the plot in a movie there’s no real substance to them. Nothing substantial to dig into or to hook onto, nothing to shut down, to push away, or to change.

6. You don’t need to do anything at all. Let go and settle back, relax your mind, smile a little bit, sit and know you’re sitting. Before we close, take a moment to notice the ever-changing, always connected web of causes and conditions that lead to this and every single moment. If someone comes to mind who has been helpful, silently say thanks.

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September 4, 2024
Encourage Deep Breathing With A Guided Meditation
Explore this introduction to belly breathing to help you relax and reduce stress.
What is Belly Breathing?

Encourage deep breathing with belly breathing, you simply take long, conscious breaths. Ideally you breathe in for a count of three and breathe out for a count of five. Repeating this cycle will trigger the relaxation response—it’s the opposite of the fight-or-flight stress response in that you engage the nervous system to tell your body to relax and your mind to be at ease.

Two Basic Belly Breathing Tips

1. Breathe deeply. When you breathe deeply, your diaphragm at the base of your lungs pushes your belly out. This is belly breathing and is a natural way to breathe—you can see babies doing it.

2. As you exhale, gently press on your belly. As you breathe in, encourage your belly to expand, and as you breathe out, allow your belly to contract. You could even gently push your belly in with your hand when you breathe out to help you to do this, if it doesn’t come naturally to you.

Check Your Stress Levels with This Belly Breathing Practice

If the hand on your chest is moving but not your belly, you’re breathing in a shallow way.
1. Begin by finding a quiet place to sit or lie down. If practicing for the first time, lying down may make it easier for you to understand what barely breathing actually feels like. Remember that belly breathing is a natural way of breathing. If you look at a baby or young child, you’ll see that their belly seems to naturally expand and contract slowly and smoothly as they breathe in and out.
2. Once you’re settled and comfortable, place one palm gently around the area of your navel and the other palm on your chest. Continue to breathe normally, and just watch the movements of your hands. Does the hand on your belly move as you breathe in and out? And what about the hand on your chest? Which one moves the most, the hand on your belly or the hand on your chest?
3. If the hand on your chest is moving but not your belly, you’re breathing in a shallow way. By learning belly breathing, you’re likely to feel more relaxed and have more energy, and your body will be fed with more fresh oxygen
4. Keeping your hands on your belly and chest, begin by imagining there’s a balloon in your belly. When you breathe in, you’re inflating that balloon and when you breathe out, that balloon deflates. Now breathe in so that you fill the imaginary balloon in your belly as much as possible.
5. Hold your breath for about two seconds. And then breathe out slowly and smoothly as you can, using your mouth as if you’re blowing through a straw. Now let your breath be normal and natural again.
6. Notice how you feel. That was one belly breath. It was more exaggerated than an actual belly breath, but this technique helps to engage your relaxation response, making you counteract your feelings of stress. Just one breath in this way can help me to find some relaxation when you’re feeling tense, and you can do it at any time, wherever you are.
7. Now you can experiment with counting as you do belly breath. If you want, on your next breath, breathe deeply and smoothly, expanding your belly as you slowly count to four. One, two, three, four. Hold for a count to one, two.
8. And now slowly exhale to count six. One, two, three, four, five, six. And now breathe as you normally do. Notice how you feel this time, by extending the amount of time you breathe out compared to breathing in.
9. Encourage your body to relax and your mind to calm. Your breath has a direct link to the systems in your body that make you feel relaxed. By doing belly breaths you send signals to your body that it is safe for you to feel relaxed and at ease. Your blood pressure goes down, your muscles relax and you can think in a more creative and holistic way. You can enhance the experience by bringing the attitudes of kindfulness into the experience, by really feeling the sensations of your breathing.
10. Let the warmth of your hand against your belly represent a friendly, caring support. Allow yourself permission to be kind to yourself and not force anything too much.
11. Now when you’re ready, try counting four belly breaths in a row. One, two, three, four hold one, two.
12. And breathe out. Two, three, four, five, six, rest one, two. Belly breath in. One, two, three, four, hold one, two and breathe out again. Two, three, four, five, six.
13. Do the last two belly breaths on your own, using a pace that feels right for you. Notice how you feel now, consider how relaxed you feel. Are you more or less relaxed than when you started? If you’re less relaxed, don’t worry about it too much. You’re just starting to learn this new technique.
Use a few belly breaths any time you feel excessively stressed, to make you feel more calm and relaxed. You can even practice some belly breaths before you begin the meditation, to give you a nice relaxing start.

This article was adapted from Shamash Alidina. View the original article.
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September 2, 2024
Mindful Reading Guide: Contemporary Authors to Deepen Your Practice

Literature allows us to take time out to stop and listen to the important and diverse voices and varied perspectives on mindfulness. The following contemporary authors have woven mindfulness into their works, inviting readers into mindful reading to explore introspection, presence, and serenity. Here, I’m sharing my personal experiences with these authors’ works and how they have enriched my mindfulness journey.

Swan Huntley • Tarcher Perigee

So many of us access the same tools when it comes to cultivating a mindfulness practice, but I’m always interested in new and different ways to deepen my practice. Swan Huntley is at the top of my list when I look towards tools that invite me to embrace mindfulness through a slightly different lens. Her illustrations are reminders that keeping it simple and having a sense of humor isn’t a bad thing. As I read through her “anti-self-help” book, I find myself asking myself, How can we take ourselves less seriously?

You’re Grounded is a refreshing take on the self-help genre, offering practical advice with a humorous twist. Huntley’s witty and relatable approach makes mindfulness accessible, encouraging readers to find balance through laughter and self-compassion. One of the book’s standout moments is when Huntley writes, “Once in a while, I walk from East LA to the beach (it’s far), and every time, I think: Am I literally trying to walk away from myself right now?” Aside from reminding Angelenos of the Missing Persons lyric, “Nobody walks in LA,” Huntley addresses the flaneur in all of us. As she walks the streets of Los Angeles, she makes mental notes to improve anything that makes her feel “less than” and settles for the idea of improvement vs. the thing itself. These pages remind us of the human condition and our tendency to place obstacles on our path toward leading a more mindful life. Swan Huntley has tips for all of us to get out of our own way and embrace mindfulness with good, gentle humor.

Read Swan Huntley for practical advice about mindfulness and keeping a sense of humor and self-compassion.

Danielle Dutton • Coffee House Press

In mindfulness, where every moment invites us to experience the world with heightened awareness, literature offers us the opportunity to get lost in a narrative, and sometimes, without realizing it, we find ourselves coming away from our experience with a heightened sense of ourselves and our surroundings as a result. One such work that offers a profound exploration of this concept is Dutton’s latest book, Prairie, Dresses, Art, Other—a shimmering and perplexing collection that defies the constraints of traditional prose. Dutton, most recently known for her novel Margaret the First, shares a new series of essays and experimental writings that challenge conventional storytelling notions. Her work is not merely about conveying a narrative; it’s about capturing the ineffable—the feelings, the sensations, and the fleeting moments that often escape words. With an intellectually stimulating and mischievously playful style, Dutton’s writing invites comparison to the form-breaking thrills of authors like Anne Carson or perhaps even Gertrude Stein. Her stories are curious and help readers land someplace they’ve never been. To my mind, this is what all good writing should do.

At its core, Dutton’s book explores how stories can transcend their textual boundaries to offer something far more moving—a sense of presence, a way of looking or knowing, and a space wherein we can fully attend to the world at hand. Through these essays, she poses questions that deeply resonate with the mindful reader. How can a story embody a specific way of seeing? How might we write about something that isn’t meant to be read but felt? The questions that arise feel reminiscent of those asked of the reader in John Berger’s Ways of Seeing. How does our perspective influence the narrative? Or does it?

How does our perspective influence the narrative? Or does it?

Through its genre-bending structure, Dutton’s book becomes more than just a collection of essays; it’s an invitation to engage with the text mindfully, considering how words move us and how a narrative can help us shift our perspective. For those who read with a mindful eye, this work offers a different opportunity to explore the intersection of life and language by examining the collage of art, literature, and consciousness that Dutton has artfully curated in these pages.

Read Danielle Dutton for her attention to detail and a keen eye for observing people, objects, and art, a la Gertrude Stein, while keeping us engaged through different writing styles and spaces of experience.

Ocean Vuong • Penguin Press

Embracing mindfulness through literature involves examining how stories affect us—how they evoke introspection, empathy, and compassion. Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous showcases the true healing power of storytelling. His exploration of identity, memory, and trauma is delivered with lyrical grace. One striking excerpt from Vuong’s work is, “In the body, where everything has a price, I was a beggar. On my knees, I watched, and watched, but could not see. Only through words could I be.” A curious mind is only one of the necessary ingredients for a good writer. Vuong is an excellent storyteller, and the vulnerability he taps into to share his story helps the reader reflect on their stories and find solace in self-expression.

Vuong’s depiction of desire as a vehicle for “failing forward” is particularly fascinating. He frames much of his narrative as a meditation on failure and its stigma, suggesting it is a necessary tool for success, both as a human and a writer. He states, “In this country, we shame failure. When people fail, we cast them aside, but for queer folks, failure becomes a necessary practice towards success, so we fail forward. I think I wanted the book to keep returning to failure until it triumphs despite its bumbling.” Vuong echoes Samuel Beckett’s call to “Fail Better,” an idea requiring significant awareness and mindful action. By engaging with Vuong’s work, readers can cultivate mindfulness, allowing for failure as part of their journey toward personal growth and understanding.

Read Ocean Vuong to witness the transformative power of language and the act of writing as a form of mindfulness.

Renee Gladman • Dorothy, A Publishing Project

To After That by Renee Gladman is a contemplative exploration of the writing process. It combines equal parts memoir and fiction in a manner that deeply resonates with the principles of mindfulness. Gladman invites us on a journey to complete an unfinished novel, inviting us into her thoughts and struggles as she grapples with the act of creation. This introspective narrative is not just about writing but about the experience of being present with one’s thoughts, emotions, and insecurities.

Gladman’s work emphasizes the importance of vulnerability, asking us to embrace the moment, a core tenet of mindfulness. Her reflections on the challenges and joys of writing mirror the mindful practice of observing without judgment. She shows how the writing process, like mindfulness, requires patience, acceptance, and a willingness to sit with discomfort. And if you’ve ever sat down to write anything, you will also have experience with the harsh inner critic that emerges.

The writing process, like mindfulness, requires patience, acceptance, and a willingness to sit with discomfort.

Through her poetic and fragmented prose, Gladman captures the ebb and flow of inspiration and doubt. To After That is a compelling recommendation for those interested in mindfulness, as it illustrates how integral mindfulness is to our creative process. What happens when we are attentive and present? How does our creative process help enrich our understanding of ourselves? Keeping a sense of “don’t know mind” allows for anyone creating to do so from a genuine place of authenticity.

In one passage, Gladman writes, “To write is to trace the contours of thought, to follow the meandering path of the mind.” To be mindful is to pay attention to what’s happening when we sit, just as a writer does when they sit down to write. Being curious is the connective tissue where mindfulness and creativity are concerned, and Gladman’s innovative approach to narrative encourages readers to do just that. When we embrace the unpredictability of life, we are better able to find meaning in the journey.

Read Renee Gladman for a meditation on the creative process, filled with fragmented thoughts and reflections that echo the complexities of the mind.

John Freeman • Copper Canyon Press

When I’m looking for ways to ground myself, I often look toward nature. Sinking my toes into the sand on Santa Monica beach is always my go-to when I want to connect to the earth. But when I can’t get to the beach, I look to John Freeman’s poetry to help me find my center. Freeman has authored three poetry collections. His latest, Wind, Trees, explores the intersection of nature and humanity. His poems are infused with a sense of wonder and reverence for the environment, making them a perfect companion for mindful reflection. One of Freeman’s most moving observations, “The trees teach us patience, standing tall through seasons of change. In their stillness, we find our own,” captures the essence of mindfulness, encouraging readers to learn from nature’s quiet strength.

John Freeman’s poetry, particularly in poems like “The Park” and “Maps,” offers profound insights that invoke a need to look more closely at our surroundings and our emotions. Cultivating inner awareness seems like a natural by-product of Freeman’s poetry. His ability to draw wisdom from the natural world encourages a reconnection with nature and a search for stillness in its quiet strength. As Freeman writes in “The Park,” “Everywhere I turn, the earth reclaims us, the leaves of time falling softly.” His poems lead readers on a contemplative journey through both external landscapes and inner terrains, inviting a profound reconnection with the natural world and their inner selves.

Read John Freeman for his attention to detail and evocative imagery that encourages readers to pause and appreciate the present, fostering a mindful awareness of life’s transience.

The Way Forward

Yung Pueblo • Andrews McMeel Publishing

Yung Pueblo‘s latest book, The Way Forward, is the compelling conclusion to his profound trilogy on mindfulness and personal growth. This third installment invites readers to delve deeper into the journey toward authentic living and harmonious relationships. With his signature poetic style and profound simplicity, Pueblo guides us through the complexities of our emotional landscape, offering practical tools for healing and transformation.

In The Way Forward, Pueblo expands on the themes of his earlier works, Inward and Clarity & Connection, exploring the evolution from self-love to unconditional love, the power of letting go, and the profound wisdom found in true self-awareness. He eloquently captures how intense emotions shape our behaviors and shows us how to release the past for genuine growth.

“True healing begins when we allow ourselves to feel the full spectrum of our emotions, and through that process, we uncover the strength within.”

Yung Pueblo

Pueblo’s prose is both accessible and profound, making mindfulness a tangible practice for everyday life. He beautifully articulates, “True healing begins when we allow ourselves to feel the full spectrum of our emotions, and through that process, we uncover the strength within.” This book is an enduring support for anyone seeking to navigate life’s challenges with grace and cultivate lasting inner peace

Read Yung Pueblo to read the things on paper you already know in your heart to be true.

All of these authors have varied voices and unique perspectives that have allowed me to deepen my mindfulness practice. I constantly call upon these works when I need to reflect, both as a writer and a human, on what it means to be present with what’s on the page and in my own day-to-day life. Life typically leads us down a long and winding road, which makes these contemporary voices all the more critical when we look for guidance and inspiration in the pages of their books.

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August 31, 2024
Q&A: Mindfulness and Racial Healing with Tovi Scruggs-Hussein

How mindfulness can support us all in racial healing and coming together with compassion, learning, and unlearning.

Welcome! This article is a follow-up to our series on Mindfulness for Racial Healing by healer, leader, and one of the 2021 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement, Tovi Scruggs-Hussein. Explore the rest of the series here.

1. Can you say more about the role of meditation in racial healing? Meditation feels like an individual well-being practice. What is its role in this context?

Our society has branded meditation to be an individual well-being practice, but we also have the option to engage in meditation as an act of service. Initially, yes, mediation can create a sense of individual well-being, yet it is also a tool for liberation and empowerment. We’ve continued to see in the research that meditation supports empathy and compassion; these are both qualities and ways of being that go beyond personal well-being and truly support the way we engage with others and ourselves, not so much because we feel good, but because we have the capacity and competence to engage from a more heartfelt place. Racial healing is dependent upon empathy and compassion. In order to heal, we must learn to connect to the emotions of racialized experiences and take action based on those emotions to create a more just and liberated society. Meditation supports racial healing and racial healing supports justice, each building on the other.

In order to heal, we must learn to connect to the emotions of racialized experiences and take action based on those emotions to create a more just and liberated society.

2. In your “Mindfulness for Racial Healing” article, you write about the importance of honoring our connection to ourselves in order to honor our connection to each other. What does that mean? Why does honoring our connection to ourselves come first?

Racism is a sign of disconnection to ourselves and to others. In fact, all of the “isms” are a sign of deep disconnection from our compassion and of the inability to see our shared humanity. When we are disconnected from that sense of humanity, it’s easier for us to dehumanize others. Racism is dehumanization. The atrocities of slavery and genocides stem from this sense of disconnection. Once we are connected to ourselves, we can deepen our connection to others, but it doesn’t happen unless we connect to ourselves more deeply first. Your embodiment of compassion and mindfulness first gets engrained in yourself and then it is felt outward.

Meditation and its importance in racial healing also connects to nonjudgment—and by definition, part of meditation is the practice of nonjudgment. When we are in a state of practicing nonjudgment, we can be more equanimous and not put things or people, including ourselves, into categories of “right or wrong” or “good or bad.” When you deepen your connection to your own worth without judgment, you can begin to do the same for others. Neuroscience supports this growth as a competency that is built over time as you deepen your meditation practice—and we must always begin with self, starting within. Consider the wonderful quote by Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” You must embody it first.

3. You talk about the importance of understanding. Can a White person ever really understand the experience of a Black, Indigenous, or Person Of Color (BIPOC)? For allies, does that matter?

I love this question! And I love that I did not have to grapple with responding to this one alone—I have dedicated, racially-conscious White allies in the work who took the lead on responding:

Sally Albright-Green, a leader in Racial Healing Allies offers this:

White people can and should be about the business of actively listening to the voices of BIPOC, centering those voices in any conversations about systemic racism and anti-racism and working hard to understand. In the end, it’s important to shift the focus from words like “ever” and understand the nature of lived experience. Can anyone ever truly understand the experiences of another?

We are all still unlearning the things we were socialized to believe about racism and learning the truths we were never taught.

We are all still unlearning the things we were socialized to believe about racism and learning the truths we were never taught. Becoming a White ally really involves asking different sorts of questions based on years of working hard to learn about the world through the lens of someone who is not White. Understanding what it means at a deep level to be White—and the impact white dominance and oppression have had on BIPOC—is the understanding that White allies work towards. When that deep level of cultural humility is reached, then one can say a White person has become anti-racist and works to understand the history of racism so they can interrupt it in our systems and practices. When one can truly work beside BIPOC to interrupt racist practices, and demonstrate that they are motivated to work hard for the good of humanity, recognizing the depth and breadth of BIPOC struggles beyond a standpoint of white saviorism, then they will be close. It’s about recognizing that the work is more about learning the facts and working hard to repair the damage than it is about understanding what it is like to be a BIPOC.

Grace Helms-Kotre, a leader in Racial Healing Allies, offers this:

A White person will never fully understand what it means to be a Person of Color. That is not the goal. It’s not like a box we can check or a competency we can achieve. We’ll never have the lived experience of being targeted by systemic racism, so we cannot know fully. But we can engage in the lifelong practice of deepening our understanding by bringing presence and empathy to our interactions with BIPOC and with other white folks. To bring awareness to our racial experiences and systemic racism as it functions in every area of our lives.

For allies, what matters is that we are showing up with curiosity and humility again and again.

For allies, what matters is that we are showing up with curiosity and humility again and again. We are not going away. We are staying in the discomfort of racial awareness in order to challenge White supremacy culture in all its manifestations, through us and around us.

4. What does cultural-responsiveness mean? Where does mindfulness come into play here?

Cultural-responsiveness means: practicing learning from, valuing, and relating to people from different cultures with respect. To take it a step further, I view it as having an awareness and ability that allows us to engage with and honor the backgrounds, values, customs, and norms of groups different than our own. Again, this can be applied beyond race. Meditation and mindfulness support us in growing our awareness of ourselves, others, and our impact. Meditation and mindfulness invite us to practice pausing before responding so that our response can be skillful rather than habituated. The practice is not allowing our triggers to take hold of us, and connecting to others from a place that honors who they are. My heart swells with gratitude for a practice that can be done in both isolation and community to provide deep individual well-being as well as deep connection so that the future of humanity is held in love.

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August 29, 2024
The Importance of Creative Expression and How to Get Started
Tony, age 50, is by far the oldest on the church stage during the flute recital. Surrounded by elementary-aged kids wearing frilly dresses and shiny shoes, Tony stands tall, wearing a red bow tie, and proudly holding his flute. He’s willing to weather the looks of surprise as he towers over the other musicians, and is uplifted seeing the look of pride on his wife’s face in the crowd as he plays.

It hasn’t always been this way, though. Tony faced a lot of self-doubt in picking up the flute again after 50 years. He carried its case with him in every move, but was hesitant to open it. He didn’t want to be reminded of how long it’s been since he had practiced. It seemed too hard to pick up again. He didn’t know if he had the lung capacity anymore and was afraid of calling a flute teacher who might criticize him the way his high school band coach did. Tony also thought he didn’t have time to play. He was too busy working and taking his wife to doctor’s appointments, his wife who recently was diagnosed with cancer. Playing the flute and creative expression felt secondary to more important things.

What Keeps Us Stuck

What about you? I imagine you have creative activities that are lurking in the background that you keep putting off.

You tell yourself you don’t have enough time, that it’s too late, or that you are too old. Or, maybe you hold back because you think you aren’t good enough. You too have a box of art supplies, an instrument case, a list of classes, or a good idea that you have been lugging around for years. Or, maybe you are already doing it, but only doing it half way.

If you made a list of all the ideas you’ve had but never pursued, the activities you loved but put on the back burner, or artistic pursuits that you’ve always wanted to try, but never had the courage—what would rise to the surface?

Let’s find out. Grab a sheet of paper or open your note-taking app and make a list of any activities and pursuits that come to mind. When you’re done, read it over. Notice what you’re feeling and where in your body you feel it.

You might feel a sense of grief or regret. Maybe some confusion. Maybe frustration. Or, maybe you just feel resigned that this is just the way it is.

If you’re feeling stuck and you’re curious about how to move forward, let’s look at a few of what I call Wisdom Building Questions that can draw out your creative courage and expression. These can make an excellent journaling exercise.

1. What Do You Value Most?

Early in our therapy together, I asked Tony about activities he used to love to do, but has put on the back burner because of the stress and the business of life. The first thing he said was playing the flute. And he lit up while talking about it.

I followed his energy and asked more questions.

Tony described how he loved playing the flute as a teenager. It was a way to express himself when she couldn’t with words, and it felt good in his body to breathe out a long, slow breath during times of stress. Plus, music connected him to his mother, who passed away two years ago, and whom he was still grieving. His father loved classical music, and when he played his father’s favorite pieces, he could feel a connection. It soon became obvious that flute playing wasn’t secondary to other important things: it was what revitalized him, de-stressed him, and connected him when he needed support.

With just a short exploration of his values, Tony was motivated to open that flute case and start playing again—not just for the fun of it, but for the psychological richness and depth the creative expression could offer him.

What about you? When it comes to your creative expression, what do you value most?

2. What Are You Avoiding, What Are You Clinging To?

When you hit writer’s block or keep canceling that jiu-jitsu class, it’s likely because you are caught in avoidance or gripping.

Recall that avoidance involves running away from discomfort, even if it means running away from what you really want. And that gripping involves holding on to beliefs about yourself, things staying the same, or attaching to a certain product at the expense of letting the process evolve.

For Tony, gripping looked like comparing herself to a younger, better flute player. And avoidance looked like opening up his emails instead of opening that music case.

Here are some quick ways you can identify clinging and avoiding:

Are You Gripping?
- Are you believing unhelpful thoughts that are getting in the way of your creativity, such as, “I can’t keep a tune,” “I’m too short,” or “I don’t have enough time?” What are they?
- Are you attached to an identity like, “I’m a guy, I can’t learn to knit” or “I’m a mom, I can’t belly dance”? What identity are you attached to?
- Are you holding tight to an outcome you can’t necessarily control like hitting the bestseller list for your book, getting chosen to be in a show for your art, or gaining a certain number of followers? What outcome keeps you rigid and bound up?
Are You Avoiding?
- Are you giving up when it gets frustrating, hard, or it feels like it’s going nowhere? What feelings make you quit?
- Are you hiding your work, not showing it to others, afraid of feedback? What do you fear people will think?
- Are you packing your schedule so there’s no time to create or scheduling over the times you set aside to create? What are you afraid will happen if you prioritize creativity?
- Do you cancel plans, opt out, distract yourself? What’s so hard about showing up?
- Are you only putting in half effort? What do you fear would happen if you were all in?
3. Are You Stuck in A Story?

After reading through your answers, see if you can uncover the big picture story that is keeping you stuck. Here’s Tony’s:

I am too old to play the flute again, it’s going to be too hard, and it’s humiliating to get on a stage with a bunch of kids. Everyone will laugh at me. Plus my wife needs me. It’s selfish and not worth my time.

What might your story be? And what might you gain by being willing to let it go?

If you see yourself in Tony’s story, and you can identify the lines you might be telling yourself over and over again that are keeping you scared and stuck—your job here is to face that story head-on and start to unravel it, so that you can open up your energy to move your creative expression up and out. This is how you begin to create an environment that will support your bold move.
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August 27, 2024
Embracing Our Neurodiversity: 12 Minute Meditation
This week, Sue Hutton guides us in a unique breathing practice designed to foster awareness of our senses, honoring our neurodiversity while strengthening our mindfulness practice.
We live in a neurologically-diverse world. We are all wired with unique minds and bodies, and each of us has a unique sensory constitution. For instance, someone who experiences sensory overwhelm when they pay attention to direct sensations inside the body may find a body scan practice overwhelming instead of centering. Similarly, someone who is blind isn’t going to use physical vision as a meditation tool. But there are ways to practice mindfulness and embrace our neurodiversity at the same time.

Breath practice, often considered a simple tool for calming the mind, can be a more complex and nuanced experience for many neurodivergent meditators. For some, paying close attention to the rise and fall of the breath can bring about feelings of discomfort or even anxiety, as thoughts about the breath’s role in sustaining life may become all-consuming rather than calming.

This practice is about finding the right approach for you and honoring our neurodiversity. We will cover different ways to engage with the breath that accommodate our diverse sensory needs, offering alternatives that can help each of us find a sense of calm and ease. Whether it’s focusing on the sensation of air moving in and out of your nostrils, the sound of your breath, or even the rhythm of your breath as you feel it in different parts of your body, there are multiple pathways to mindful breathing.

A Guided Meditation for Embracing Neurodiversity Through Breath Awareness
1. We all benefit from learning different ways of meditating on the breath. So let’s try out three different ways of feeling the breath in the body, and you can determine which one works best for you.
2. Remember, you don’t need to push yourself to experience anything that’s overwhelming. If there’s any kind of sense experience you have that is particularly uncomfortable, just take a break and you can come to another way of practicing the breath.
3. Come into a posture that’s comfortable for you. Bring yourself to a spirit of alertness and energy to help you concentrate. At the same time, give yourself permission to relax and soften.
4. The first practice I’d like to try is sound breathing. Some people really find this more comforting than focusing on the feelings of the breath inside the body.
5. To practice sound breathing, hold a hand up in front of your mouth and just exhale on the palm of your hand. You’ll notice you have to increase the exhalation a little bit, so there’s enough volume to hear the breath and to feel it on the palm of your hand. Once again, exhale on the palm of your hand and listen. Now continue to breathe in and out, but with the mouth closed. Keep the same volume, so there’s enough sound to allow the breath itself to be an anchor through the sound. Breathing in and out, focus on the sound of your breath through your nose. Relax the body on the outbreath in a way that’s comfortable for you, focusing on the sound.
6. Next, we’ll try a kinesthetic way of experiencing the breath that I call “lotus breathing.” Take one hand or two hands, whatever’s available for you, and allow the fingers to come to a close, just touching each other. Then, open the hand up again, like a flower opening in the day and then closing again, with the fingers coming back together again. Breathing in, the hands open, breathing out, hands close. Try that for a few moments and see how closely you can synchronize the rhythm of your breath with that gentle movement of your hand.
7. Lastly, let’s try a movement-focused breath. Place a hand on the belly and a hand on the chest. Allow yourself to soften. You’ll feel that nice, compassionate warmth of the hands resting on the body.
8. You can notice this from the outside, if that’s comfortable—feeling how the hands rise up when you breathe in. And as you exhale, the hands rest back down with the belly in the chest.
9. Alternatively, you can choose to pay attention to the mechanism inside the body of the belly rising and falling. So breathing in, notice the feeling wherever it’s comfortable for you, of the rising and the falling on the exhalation. Then, fully let go on the outbreath. Give yourself permission to release and soften and relax every time you breathe out.
10. Now try experiencing the breath with the anchor that works best for you. Experiment with which tool you prefer, or combine them if you want. Remember, you’re the boss of your meditation. As long as you’re bringing your full awareness to the experience and you keep guiding yourself back to the present moment, you have the freedom to connect with the breath in the way that it works for you.
11. Remember, make your breath your own when you do the practices. Be gentle. Be compassionate with yourself. You are perfect as you are and finding the tools that help you to come into the present moment. The best is your own personal journey.
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August 23, 2024
How To Stay Calm Under Pressure
In high-stakes scenarios, we can panic and underperform. Here’s why that happens, and how to stay calm under pressure.
A star athlete misses a penalty shot in overtime. A famous singer bungles the national anthem. A great actor forgets their lines on stage. We’ve all witnessed someone choke or struggle to stay calm under pressure.

And while it may seem like a high-profile phenomenon, it can also happen to us in everyday life—whether we’re trying to nail a job interview, pass an important exam, impress a new date, or give a successful presentation.

So how can we stay calm in high pressure situations? And why do we panic in the first place?

In this video from TED-Ed, educator Pen-Pen Chen explains why pressure makes managing stress more difficult, and how we can regain control.

Choosing Where You Place Your Attention

One of our main enemies when struggling to keep it together under pressure is perhaps the most obvious: distraction.

“Performance suffers when the mind is preoccupied with worries, doubts, or fears, instead of focusing its attention on performing the task at hand,” Chen says.

The reason for this is deceptively simple. When we’re too busy focusing on our panicked thoughts—Did I arrive too early? What if I shouldn’t have said that? Do they like me? How much time do I have?—we can’t concentrate on more important things, like the speech we’ve memorized. We excel when we’re able to choose where we place our attention (or where we don’t place our attention).

“Performance suffers when the mind is preoccupied with worries, doubts, or fears, instead of focusing its attention on performing the task at hand.”

“When relevant and irrelevant thoughts compete for the same attention, something has to give. The brain can only process so much information at once,” Chen says.

Getting Out of Your Own Way

Another reason we panic is we’re constantly monitoring our progress during a task—in other words, we over-analyze.

“Tasks we do unconsciously seem to be most vulnerable to this kind of choking,” Chen says.

For example, one study looked the performance of competitive golfers, for whom putting is a skill they perform so regularly they don’t have to think about doing it. The study found that when told to consider the detailed mechanics of their putting stroke, the golfers performed worse than when they were simply instructed to hit the ball accurately.

“The logic goes that once a skill becomes automatic, thinking about its precise mechanics interferes with your ability to do it,” Chen says.

Three Ways to Stay Calm Under Pressure

Feeling nervous before a big event is often inevitable. But that doesn’t mean you’re destined to forget the words to your speech, or embarrass yourself in front of a date. Explore these three ways to remain calm:
1. Learn to be with discomfort. If you know you have a high-stakes event coming up, one of the best things you can do is lean into difficulty instead of pulling away from it. One way you can do this is by becoming familiar with feeling pressure, and learning to work through it. Need to give a presentation to coworkers? Rather than practicing on your own, try out your speech on a couple of friends. Do you have to write a qualifying examination in under an hour? Instead of studying cue cards, time yourself answering questions.
2. Establish a pre-performance routine. Whether it’s deep breathing, finding a quiet space to regroup, doing some light stretching, or having a quick phone call with someone you trust, spending your last few minutes doing something active before a big event will prevent you from spiralling into worry, so you can perform confidently. Sometimes it’s the littlest things that help us overcome challenges and reduce stress.
3. Use mindfulness to focus your attention. To avoid over-analyzing your situation, try shifting your attention away from your worries and towards the task at hand. Mindfulness can help you regain a sense of calm and focus your attention, so you can avoid being caught off guard by your anxious thoughts. You can see it for what it is, and choose to direct your attention elsewhere. Explore this nine-minute meditation to focus a busy mind in times of stress or overwhelm.
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August 19, 2024