Our thoughts have everything to do with our life from how we manage difficult situations to how we cope with ordinary life challenges to the extent we keep our peace when faced with a crisis to how we handle mundane daily tasks. Most of us do not realize: Our thoughts can make us powerful or…
Author: Dr. Christine E. Dickson
I am a psychologist specializing in mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy and private practice consultations. My offices are located in beautiful downtown Pleasanton, California and the redwood forest of Mill Valley, California, but if you live out of the area I also conduct video conferencing.
Changing Emotions by Acting Opposite
Most of us are controlled by our emotions but do not realize it. Take a moment to think of an example when your emotions stopped you from doing something you really wanted to do or made you avoid a person or situation. Maybe you wanted to sing karaoke with your friends but you were too…
Change your Thoughts, Change your Life
The reason most of us feel stressed in life is because of the way we think. Our thoughts have everything to do with how we feel each day. For example, if you think negative thoughts, you will feel negative. If you think positive thoughts, you will feel positive. What if it was possible to use…
Increasing Positivity and Optimism in Analytical People
For analytical people, it’s easy to develop a pessimistic attitude. We review, study, and examine our circumstances to figure out the best course of action. We take pleasure in thinking and analyzing. However, if we are not careful, our amazing, analytical mind will encounter worried thoughts and fixate on problems and challenges. Once we solve…
7 Ways to Improve the Moment
Strong emotional reactions are an unavoidable part of life. From time to time, we will experience strong emotions due to stressful situations in our life. It could be anything from getting bad news to having an argument with a loved one. Strong emotional reactions are normal but most of us don’t know how to cope…
Compassion for Difficult People: A Mindfulness Meditation
In an earlier post, I wrote about a mindfulness meditation called, “The Pebble” by my favorite author, Thich Nhat Hanh, an elderly Vietnamese Monk. Hanh is a practical Zen teacher who has written many books on how to apply mindfulness to daily life. If I had to recommend one of his books to you right now,…
The Pebble: A Mindfulness Meditation
One of my favorite authors of all time is Thich Nhat Hanh, an elderly Vietnamese Monk. He is a practical Zen teacher who has written many books on how to apply mindfulness to our daily life. Two of his books that are always on my night stand are called, “Anger” and “Fear.” But if I…
