Health Journal Online

Tag: Mindful

  • Making Space: A Mindful Guide to Processing Post-Election Emotions

    Making Space: A Mindful Guide to Processing Post-Election Emotions

    In times of deep division and uncertainty, many of us feel pressure to “move on” or “come together” quickly, before we’ve properly processed our feelings. This tendency to rush past our emotions can lead to superficial healing at best, and deeper wounds at worst. True healing—whether personal or collective—begins with creating space to process post-election emotions by feeling what we feel without judgment.

    1. Notice Your Protective Patterns

    Before we can heal, we need to recognize how we might be bypassing our emotions. Which of these patterns feel familiar?

    • Keeping Busy: Immediately jumping into “fix-it” mode or taking on extra projects when feeling vulnerable, using constant activity as a way to avoid sitting with uncomfortable feelings
    • Pretending: Maintaining a polished exterior while internally struggling, especially in professional settings or with family—often, it’s saying “I’m fine” when you’re actually not
    • Analyzing: Analyzing feelings from a safe mental distance rather than experiencing them, turning emotional experiences into problems to be solved rather than feelings to be felt
    • Distracting: Using endless scrolling, excessive exercise, or other activities that serve to redirect our attention away from our emotions
    • Numbing: Coping with alcohol or other substances, comfort eating, to dull difficult emotions and temporarily escape discomfort
    • Caretaking: Over-focusing on others’ needs while neglecting our own emotional landscape, using service to others as a way to avoid our own inner work
    • Spiritual Bypassing: Using spiritual practices or positive thinking as an escape route rather than as genuine tools for processing, rushing to “transcend” difficult emotions before fully acknowledging them

    True healing—whether personal or collective—begins with creating space to feel what we feel without judgment.

    2. Give Yourself Permission to Pause

    Now that you’ve recognized your patterns of avoiding discomfort, the next step is simple but powerful: pause. This means temporarily stepping away from our habits of constant doing, fixing, and analyzing.

    Consider this an invitation to:

    • Step away from the constant barrage of news and social media. (If you want to stay informed, set specific times to check the news.)
    • For a few moments, let go of striving to “fix” anything. Notice how this feels in your body and your mind.
    • Give yourself and others grace during this emotional time. Remember that everyone processes differently and at their own pace.
    • Trust that understanding and connection will come, but they can’t be forced.

    While pausing is essential, healing also requires active practices that engage our body and senses. Research offers clear guidance on what works.

    3. Create Space to Feel and Heal

    Find your own ways to intentionally create spaces for healing with activities that engage your sensory awareness—for example, cooking, making and listening to music, painting, writing, and other art forms. You may enjoy these activities on your own or in community.

    In particular, two evidence-based strategies to heal and manage stress are being in nature and moving our body.

    The Science of Nature and Healing

    Research shows our innate connection to nature (biophilia) has real healing effects. A landmark study found that hospital patients with views of nature recovered faster and needed less pain medication than those facing brick walls. Even brief nature encounters can reduce stress hormones and improve well-being.

    Try these science-backed nature practices:

    • Mindful Window Moments: Take 3-5 minutes to observe nature outside your window—notice the movement of leaves, birds, or clouds. Studies show even brief nature views can lower heart rate and blood pressure.
    • Nature Walking: Find a green space for a 15-minute walk. Notice the touch of the air on your face, the sound of leaves or gravel under your feet, the rhythm of your steps. Research shows walking in nature reduces rumination and anxiety more effectively than urban walks.

    Movement as Medicine

    If running, yoga, or other sports don’t speak to you, try dancing. Dance therapy research shows movement helps process emotions trapped in our bodies. Dance is known to promote emotional, social, cognitive, physical, and spiritual integration leading to improved health and well-being.

    When we feel stuck, simple movement can shift our state:

    • Kitchen Dancing: Put on an inspiring song and let your body move freely. Notice how different parts of your body want to express themselves.
    • Gentle Shaking: Stand comfortably and gently shake your body for 1-2 minutes, letting tension release. Notice areas that feel tight or free.

    Now that we’ve explored ways to pause and engage in healing practices, let’s bring it all together with a guided meditation that helps us return to ourselves, listen deeply, and begin taking mindful action.

    A Healing Meditation to Process Post-Election Emotions

    Too often, we finish a meditation session and then rush back into life without taking time to reflect and listen to our needs. Not taking this time means we’re more likely to default to our usual ways of thinking and reacting in the real world, despite our best intentions. Before we begin our interactions, it’s important to remember to return to our intentions and insights.

    Healing can’t be rushed. By creating space for our emotions now, we build a stronger foundation for whatever comes next.

    Let’s practice together, with three steps: return, listen, and begin.

    1. Return to our present moment experience (3-5 minutes)

    The first step in mindfulness meditation is to stabilize the mind by returning to an anchor, whether it’s the feeling or sound of your breath, body sensations, or sounds in the environment. For a few minutes let go of any rushing, judging, or striving. 

    Take a few deep breaths, letting your exhales be slow and complete. Now let your breath find its natural rhythm. Notice the sensation of breathing—perhaps the slight coolness of air at your nostrils, or the gentle rise and fall of your chest.

    As you sit here, become aware of the points of contact between your body and your seat, your feet and the floor. Feel the support beneath you. When your mind wanders to election concerns or other thoughts, gently acknowledge them and return to these sensations of support and breathing.

    Now scan your body slowly, noticing any areas of tension. Are your shoulders raised? Is your jaw clenched? Without trying to change anything, simply notice what’s here. Let each exhale invite a tiny bit more softening. Once you feel centered in your body, shift to the next step of listening within.

    1. Listen within and ask what you need (3-5 minutes)

    Once you feel connected with yourself, you can start to inwardly listen, becoming aware of your thoughts and emotions. What feelings are present? Perhaps anxiety, anger, fear, hope, or numbness. Make room for all you are feeling without needing to fix or change anything. 

    Notice where these emotions live in your body. Does anxiety swirl in your stomach? Does fear create tightness in the chest? Does sadness feel heavy in your shoulders? Let each feeling have space to be felt and heard.

    Now gently ask yourself: “What do I need in this moment?” Maybe it’s rest, connection, movement, or quiet. Let the answer emerge naturally from your body’s wisdom rather than your thinking mind. Trust your inner knowing. 

    1. Begin to take actions that nurture you (5-7 minutes)

    As this practice draws to a close, consider one small way to care for yourself today. Perhaps it’s taking a walk at lunch, calling a supportive friend, or setting a boundary with news consumption.

    Choose something specific and achievable. Rather than “I should exercise more,” perhaps you decide, “I’ll step outside for five minutes at lunch.” Rather than “I need to stay informed,” maybe your intention is “I’ll check news once in the evening for 15 minutes.”

    Take a moment to imagine yourself doing this one small thing. See the details—where you’ll be, what time of day, what it will feel like in your body.

    Before opening your eyes, take three slow breaths, feeling the support beneath you and your own capacity for self-care and healing.

    Remember, you can return to any part of this practice throughout your day—a few conscious breaths, a moment of listening to your needs or recommitting to one small caring action.

    Healing can’t be rushed. By creating space to process our post-election emotions now, we build a stronger foundation for whatever comes next. Start small, be gentle with yourself, and trust your path to genuine healing. From this place of inner calm and clarity we can begin the work of understanding and bridging our differences.

    The original version of this article was published at knowyourmind.training.



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  • 3 Gift-Giving Tips to Shift From Holiday Fear to Holiday Cheer

    3 Gift-Giving Tips to Shift From Holiday Fear to Holiday Cheer

    Selecting, buying, and giving gifts to people we care about is one of the most important aspects of many holiday celebrations. But here’s the open secret of this holiday season: For many of us, trying to find the “perfect” gift is an exercise in frustration and uncertainty.

    This time of year comes with oodles of pressure to get our shopping done in time for all manner of holiday gatherings. At its worst, we can unintentionally get caught up in a kind of competitive gift-giving, hell-bent on outdoing or out-spending everyone else (#festive?!). On the other hand, we may decide to opt out entirely in the name of anti-consumerism—and forgo the potential delight of these gifting rituals our ancestors dreamed up and passed down.

    So how do we find a balance? How can we truly relish this season of generosity? Here are three gift-giving tips, based on mindful qualities that help reduce stress and add to the joy.

    3 Gift-Giving Tips for a More Mindful Holiday Season

    1. Enhance Empathy: When it comes to figuring out what to buy for that hard-to-buy-for person—we all know one!—an empathic approach may help. According to Greater Good Magazine editor and writer Jill Suttie, parts of our brain have evolved “to enable emotional connection with others and the motivation to care,” and we can cultivate empathy through tiny, intentional shifts in daily life.

    These days, the word empathy is often associated with feeling others’ pain or difficult emotions like our own. Yet in its broader, evolutionary form, empathy helps us understand different perspectives—to take a little walk in someone else’s shoes. This not only leads us toward other helpful qualities such as loving-kindness, it also gives us a break from our more self-focused motivations (“I don’t want to be the only one showing up to the party without gifts!” or “I’m worried someone will think badly of me if I give the wrong thing”).

    2. Offer Appreciation: Consciously thinking about the reasons you appreciate someone is another great way to shift into a more relaxed, flexible mindset around gift-giving. What’s one quality, talent, or goal this person possesses that you admire about them: Their sense of humor? Their love of learning? The ways they support their community? Their courageous attempts to veganize French cuisine? Again, this makes the process less about you and more about your relationship to the recipient. 

    A mindful approach to gifting places less emphasis on the price tag or the “wow” factor and instead draws on a sense of connection and thoughtfulness.

    A mindful approach to gifting also places less emphasis on the price tag or the “wow” factor and instead draws on a sense of connection and thoughtfulness. As Mike Rucker writes, “A gift tends to be more beneficial when it is in true alignment with the recipient’s identity and values.” We don’t have to empty the bank account in order to show someone that they’re important to us.

    3. Nurture Self-Compassion: Anyone who has ever wandered the mall (or scrolled through online stores) for hours on end knows that overthinking is the enemy of a happy holiday. Mental habits like second-guessing, demanding perfection, or thinking up worst-case scenarios can take us from overthinking to full-blown anxiety. Choosing to be kind to ourselves can take the edge off some of that tension and overthinking. 

    “Mindfulness can become an ally, fostering a compassionate relationship with our thoughts and allowing mental clarity,” writes Ashley Fletcher. If you tend to overthink your gift-shopping (or anything else), take a deep breath, acknowledge that things are tough right now, and perhaps offer yourself some grace, the same way you’d support a stressed-out friend.

    However you relate to traditions of gift-giving, this season is a fruitful time to shift our habits. Cultivating a spirit of self-compassion along with empathy and appreciation for others makes it easier for us to truly savor the most meaningful gifts: connection, laughter, and gratitude. 

    We hope you’ve enjoyed these mindful gift-giving tips. For even more inspiration, explore our 2024 Holiday Gift Guide—where mindfulness meets heartfelt gifting.

    With this year’s Mindful Holiday Gift Guide, we’re offering countless ways to share more mindful giving and joyful living this year. Discover unique, curated gift bundles, and exclusive collaborations!

    Plus, enter below for a chance to win a special prize bundle of our most beloved mindful products!

    Enter the Mindful Holiday Sweepstakes!

    Between November 1 and December 31, simply submit your email to be entered for a chance to win a premium Mindful gift bundle that includes:

    • 1 Mindful Affirmations card deck
    • 1 Mindful Premium Membership
    • 1 Mindfulness Plus+ Annual Subscription



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  • Election Day Meditation – Mindful

    Election Day Meditation – Mindful

    Follow along as Rhonda Magee guides us through a S.T.O.P. practice for focused awareness. The invitation is to be kind to yourself, take a conscious breath, and gently relate to thoughts, emotions, and sensations that arise.

    If we’ve been practicing mindfulness and other awareness practices, we know that even on difficult days like election day we’re just a moment of awareness away from a sense of greater ease and greater capacity to be with what is.

    The acronym S.T.O.P. encapsulates how mindfulness practice can support us in making the most of opportunities for engagement in the world most especially during election day. Like all mindfulness practices, it has many different applications. For one, it is a simple tool that can support us in being here in a much more lively way with ourselves, opening up to what is coming up for us, right here, right now.

    Stop and Take a Conscious Breath

    S stands for Stop

    Stop what you are doing and if possible, perhaps take a seat. If standing, just pause where you are standing. It’s really about standing in your dignity or sitting in your dignity, to support bringing mindfulness to this moment. As you settle in, breathe in and out, allowing attention to rest on the feeling of the breath as it flows into the body, and out. Feel the nourishment of taking a moment to pause. This first step can be as short as just an instant, or as long as you like. 

    T stands for Take a conscious breath

    Now, taking one, very slow and conscious breath in, and a full complete breath out, really notice what it’s like to allow your attention to rest on these sensations of breathing. Continuing to take a few very conscious, very intentional breaths. Simply allow yourself to feature the breathing aspect of the experience of this moment, one breath at a time. 

    O stands for Observe

    What is coming up for you in this moment? The shorthand T.E.S.—thoughts, emotions, sensations—can remind you of what you might gently scan for as you observe your experience. 

    What kind of thoughts might be arising? Imagine thoughts as being like clouds, moving through the sky of your consciousness, and just note the thoughts as they come up for you. 

    Then, what emotions or feelings are present? Is there some discomfort? Some feeling of opening to joy? Whatever is arising is perfectly OK. There is no right or wrong way to feel. Mindfulness is about rolling out this welcome mat, allowing yourself to feel what’s here right now. 

    Then, notice sensations: You might feel a tightness around the shoulders, or a sinking feeling in the belly. Whatever is prominent, invite a reflection on the sensations that are coming up for you. The intention is just to create a spacious way of holding the sensations. Yes, these sensations are here right now. 

    P stands for Proceed

    Finally, when you’re ready, notice the opportunity presented in this moment to proceed, to choose how to move from this place of reflective awareness into engagement. Proceed with presence, all the while holding your experience with kindness, friendliness, and self-compassionate for your experience in this moment. 

    Notice the opportunity presented in this moment to proceed, to choose how to move from this place of reflective awareness into engagement.

    When you are ready, transition out of this practice. Feel what it was like, and any way in which that moment of practice may have shifted your experience. Bring awareness to that shift, to help you see just how mindfulness practice is for you. Many teachers use the term “YOU-ru” as opposed to “guru,” which means you can take full ownership of the great opportunity that being alive presents: to deepen your ability to meet whatever is coming up, with more steadfastness, more stamina, more resilience, and more intentionality about how you want to be during election day. 



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  • Ease Election Anxiety with 7 Mindful Strategies

    Ease Election Anxiety with 7 Mindful Strategies

    When we feel anxious we become reactive and are more likely to oversimplify life through a narrow lens. Here are 7 mindfulness techniques to combat the negative political rhetoric.

    Presidential elections in the past have been negative and hard fought, but the 2016 election was the first one in memory to have produced a recognized psychological condition. A therapist in suburban DC even coined a name for it—Election Stress Disorder—while a 2016 online survey from the American Psychological Association (APA) found that more than half of all Americans felt stressed about the election.

    Now, two elections later, 77% of U.S. adults say that “the future of our nation” constitutes a significant source of stress in their lives, according to the APA’s 2024 Stress in America survey. Are there ways of dealing with an anxious electorate short of putting Valium in the water supply?

    A collective effort to help each other lower our political anxiety is important for reasons that reach well beyond the day of the election. When people feel anxious they move into a reactive mode. Anxious people tend to be less flexible and less open to new experiences and points of view. They’re more likely to oversimplify what’s upsetting them and view life through a binary lens. In an election year that means voters will grab on to narrow, inflexible beliefs around issues and candidates as if they were life rafts: She’s smart but he’s not; he’s authentic but she’s inauthentic; they’ll run this country into the ground but we’ll build it up. Fear-based, constricted perspectives like these fuel the vitriol we see on TV and in social media.

    When people feel anxious they move into a reactive mode. As a result anxious people tend to be less flexible and less open to new experiences and points of view. They’re more likely to oversimplify what’s upsetting them and view life through a binary lens.

    Mindful Strategies to Ease Election Anxiety

    Mindfulness techniques can help quiet our fear and anxiety, which allows the nervous system to settle down. Then our perspectives can broaden and we are more likely to look at the issues and candidates with an open mind. Major magazines and newspapers have been asking therapists to weigh in on this issue and it’s no surprise that many of them recommend mindfulness to turn this vicious cycle around. To cope with election-related angst experts suggest a few mindful practices like:

    Basic Mindfulness Strategies to Quiet the Noise

    Had someone told me a couple of decades ago that I should use mindfulness to ease my election worry I would have seen it as naïve at best. I was a pragmatic corporate lawyer just learning to meditate and I didn’t yet understand the importance of teaching people to view interpersonal experiences through the lens of the nervous system.

    But the relentless negativity and divisive discourse of this election drives this point home, even to skeptics: We need to teach people basic strategies to quiet the noise in their heads so that we can actually listen to each other. Meditation can jumpstart the process but it’s not the only way to achieve this goal.

    There are mindfulness-based strategies that beat back overwhelming emotions and broaden people’s perspectives that require no meditation at all. For example:

    • If someone makes you mad, think of three things the two of you have in common.
    • If something upsets you, remember there’s good in your life too and name three good things.
    • If you’re stressed by this election, remember this: In the end, too much worry can be a prison. It hijacks the mind and limits its bandwidth.

    You can’t think as clearly or respond as flexibly when your mind is agitated as when it is calm. So what’s the key that will unlock the door? Look outside of yourself and towards the world. Get out there and do something. Read stories about people who inspire you. If you’ve got the time, volunteer. If you’re busy, help an elderly person cross the street. Connect and participate. But most important, vote!



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  • Why Emotional Self-Control Matters – Mindful

    Why Emotional Self-Control Matters – Mindful

    Releasing anger and frustration can actually help you regain control over a hectic day or win back productivity after feeling frazzled. But you have to do it with awareness.

    On the surface, these three people live worlds apart:

    • Stefan works as a family practice nurse practitioner/manager in a busy urban clinic in the American Midwest.
    • Angelique turned her talent for design into a thriving business using recycled textiles to create clothing she markets throughout southeast Asia.
    • Avery directs a large non-profit organization focused on improving access to nutritious food in poor communities in northern England.

    Beneath the surface, they’re closer than you’d think:

    • Stefan’s grief about his marriage ending distracts him, making him less available to his patients and coworkers.
    • Angelique can barely suppress feelings of rage whenever she sees email messages from a former supplier who is suing her.
    • Avery’s intense anxiety about upcoming funding cuts leaks out as overly critical interactions with staff members.

    In different industries, on different continents, these three leaders have this in common: their inability to manage distressing emotions hurts their effectiveness at work. They each lack emotional self-control, one of twelve core competencies in our model of emotional and social intelligence.

    What is Emotional Self-Control?

    Emotional self-control is the ability to manage disturbing emotions and remain effective, even in stressful situations. Notice that I said “manage,” which is different from suppressing emotions. We need our positive feelings—that’s what makes life rich. But we also need to allow ourselves the space and time to process difficult emotions, but context matters. It’s one thing to do it in a heartfelt conversation with a good friend, and entirely another to release your anger or frustration at work. With emotional self-control, you can manage destabilizing emotions, staying calm and clear-headed.

    Why Does Emotional Self-Control Matter?

    To understand the importance of emotional self-control, it helps to know what’s going on in our brain when we’re not in control. In my book, The Brain and Emotional Intelligence, I explained:

    “The amygdala is the brain’s radar for threat. Our brain was designed as a tool for survival. In the brain’s blueprint the amygdala holds a privileged position. If the amygdala detects a threat, in an instant it can take over the rest of the brain—particularly the prefrontal cortex—and we have what’s called an amygdala hijack.

    During a hijack, we can’t learn, and we rely on over-learned habits, ways we’ve behaved time and time again. We can’t innovate or be flexible during a hijack.

    The hijack captures our attention, beaming it in on the threat at hand. If you’re at work when you have an amygdala hijack, you can’t focus on what your job demands—you can only think about what’s troubling you. Our memory shuffles, too, so that we remember most readily what’s relevant to the threat—but can’t remember other things so well. During a hijack, we can’t learn, and we rely on over-learned habits, ways we’ve behaved time and time again. We can’t innovate or be flexible during a hijack.

    … the amygdala often makes mistakes…. while the amygdala gets its data on what we see and hear in a single neuron from the eye and ear—that’s super-fast in brain time—it only receives a small fraction of the signals those senses receive. The vast majority goes to other parts of the brain that take longer to analyze these inputs—and get a more accurate reading. The amygdala, in contrast, gets a sloppy picture and has to react instantly. It often makes mistakes, particularly in modern life, where the ‘dangers’ are symbolic, not physical threats. So, we overreact in ways we often regret later.”

    The Impact of Distressed Leaders

    Research across the world and many industries confirms the importance of leaders managing their emotions. Australian researchers found that leaders who manage emotions well had better business outcomes. Other research shows that employees remember most vividly negative encounters they’ve had with a boss. And, after negative interactions, they felt demoralized and didn’t want to have anything more to do with that boss.

    How to Develop Emotional Self-Control

    How can we minimize emotional hijacks? First, we need to use another emotional intelligence competency, emotional self-awareness. That starts with paying attention to our inner signals—an application of mindfulness, which lets us see our destructive emotions as they start to build, not just when our amygdala hijacks us.

    If you can recognize familiar sensations that a hijack is beginning—your shoulders tense up or your stomach churns—it is easier to stop it.

    If you don’t notice your amygdala has hijacked the more rational part of your brain, it’s hard to regain emotional equilibrium until the hijack runs its course. It’s better to stop it before it gets too far. To end a hijack, start with mindfulness, monitoring what’s going on in your mind. Notice “I’m really upset now” or “I’m starting to get upset.” If you can recognize familiar sensations that a hijack is beginning—your shoulders tense up or your stomach churns—it is easier to stop it.

    Then, you can try a cognitive approach: talk yourself out of it, reason with yourself. Or you can intervene biologically. Meditation or relaxation techniques that calm your body and mind—such as deep belly breathing—are very helpful. As with mindfulness, these work best during the hijack when you have practiced them regularly. Unless these methods have become a strong habit of the mind, you can’t invoke them out of the blue.



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  • 5 Mindful Reasons to Lean In to Self-Love

    5 Mindful Reasons to Lean In to Self-Love

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

    Even today, the idea of loving ourselves often gets a bad rap. Won’t that make me egotistical? we might think, or, Shouldn’t I spend my time and energy caring for others first? Or, we seek love and acceptance exclusively from other people, forgetting that we can always find them within ourselves.

    Both mindfulness teaching and scientific studies show that, far from leading to self-indulgence, a daily practice of self-compassion can have powerful benefits that extend beyond ourselves. As leading Mindful Self-Compassion researcher Kristin Neff writes, “We can learn to embrace ourselves and our lives, despite inner and outer imperfections, and provide ourselves with the strength needed to thrive.”

    Benefits of Self-Love

    With inspiration from our community of mindfulness teachers and experts, we’re sharing five reasons for everyone to cultivate self-love.

    1. Loving yourself supports improved mental health and well-being, as well as positive habit change. Many of us were brought up to think that being kind to ourselves is equivalent to being complacent or lacking the drive to “better” ourselves. Whole sections of the self-help industry have made millions off this assumption that we need “tough love” to force ourselves to change. Fortunately, current research shows that the reverse is true.

    As clinical psychologist and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy trainer Diana Hill shares, “Self-criticism lowers your self-confidence and increases anxiety and depression, undermining your ability to take steps toward change. In contrast, self-compassion motivates you to make healthier decisions and care for yourself.”

    2. Self-love is part of healing from hurt and trauma. Once thought to be a result of living through catastrophic events such as wars or natural disasters, trauma is now more broadly understood by researchers as “normal reactions to abnormal circumstances.” Whether or not a person experiences trauma after going through something difficult depends on a complex set of factors, including available coping mechanisms, access to the resources needed to bounce back, and community response.  

    While it is important that anyone seeking to heal from trauma be supported by a mental health professional, beginning to cultivate self-love is one powerful tool for a healing journey. When we offer ourselves care and compassion, this helps create a sense of inner safety and acceptance, instead of (in many cases) blaming ourselves for something that happened to us. Ali Smith, Atman Smith, and Andres Gonzalez, who work with youth in disadvantaged communities in West Baltimore, summarize this by saying: “Trauma closes all of our hearts. Self-love practices can open them.”

    3. Self-love creates more thoughtful, resilient leaders. All types of leaders risk burning out, whether they are responsible for a committee, a company, or a classroom. Leaders often care so much about the work itself—and about the people they are leading—that they neglect their own well-being. While genuine care for others is a leadership asset, it isn’t sustainable if we never take the time to fill our own cup. 

    CEO and leadership consultant Georgina Miranda suggests several ways that we can incorporate small habits of self-love and self-care into our leadership style: “When the world feels heavy and overwhelming, we can take a pause and ask ourselves: What would actually be helpful in this moment?”

    4. Self-compassion makes us braver, more mindful communicators. Most of us prefer to avoid what Mitch Abblett calls “the muck of difficult interactions—the blame, shame, resentment, and anxiety,” if we have the option. Even if we are willing to talk about the problem, humans are neurologically wired to slip into reactive habits such as blaming, bias, or defensiveness.

    When the time comes for a tough conversation, a foundation of self-love is our ally. Self-compassion practice allows us to stay grounded and present in the moment, so even if things start to get heated, we are able to engage with respect and consideration for all involved. Abblett says, “Bringing more flexible awareness to discomfort seems to open pathways to communication, even when it’s quite challenging.”

    5. Last but not least, loving yourself affirms that you are already enough. One reason we often seek love from others instead of ourselves is that we want someone else’s approval and acceptance–things we often don’t feel we can give to ourselves. We may spend years chasing accomplishments and accolades, and yet still feel unfulfilled. External “wins” are wonderful, but if we can’t accept ourselves as we are, it will never feel like enough. 

    Jenée Johnson offers this reminder that self-compassion empowers us to release perfectionism and realize that we are already worthy of acceptance and love: “You are a unique and perfect expression of life. No one before you and no one after you, is like you. Your journey is composed of experiences and the things you think, do, and pay attention to with consistency. You are enough.”

    Practice Self-Love With Mindful Affirmations

    Meet the Self-Love Affirmations Deck: A collaboration between Mindful and Mindfulness.com that reminds us all to fuel our heart and mind with the deepest kindness.

    Each of the 52 cards in this brand-new deck draws on the time-honored wisdom of mindfulness teachers and traditions, whispering notes of self-love, optimism, and inner courage and strength, so you can take on whatever comes your way.

    Guiding your journey on this path, each card is also embedded with a QR code. Simply scan it with your phone’s camera to access a special collection of 25 guided meditations from beloved teachers, curated specifically to enhance self-kindness and self-care.

    These cards are perfect for those of us who want:

    • Increased self-esteem: Choosing to love yourself, no matter what, can boost your self-worth and confidence, enabling you to approach life’s challenges with a positive and resilient mindset.
    • Reduced anxiety and improved mental well-being: Having a self-compassionate perspective helps in managing stress and anxiety, promoting a sense of inner peace and calm and nurturing emotional balance.
    • Self-care for all: Using Self-Love Affirmations makes it easy to bring mindfulness and self-compassion into your daily life, wherever you are on your journey.
    • Beautiful practice tools: The Self-Love Affirmations cards are created to last and, most importantly, to be enjoyed. Featuring a matte finish, silky smooth texture, and sturdy cardstock, you’ll want to bring them everywhere you go.
    • Versatility in our practice: Ideal for personal reflection or as a meaningful gift, the cards can be used in various settings, including personal meditation, family bonding time, or group activities in educational or professional environments.



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  • A New Chapter in Mindfulness: Relaunching Mindful Magazine

    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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  • Mindful Reading Guide: Contemporary Authors to Deepen Your Practice

    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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