Category: Mindfulness & Meditation
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Happiness Sutras
On September 9, 2020, I woke to a blood orange sky that felt apocalyptic. In the midst of wildfire smoke, a pandemic, and unrest, my son handed me a journal with my “Happiness Sutras,” inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh. Reading those stories of joy shifted me from fear to gratitude. As Dr. Christine E. Dickson…
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What is Mindfulness?
Sometimes we get stuck thinking about a particular thought and it feels like we have no control over our mind. All of this brain chatter can be overwhelming and affect how we feel each day. But if we really tune into our thoughts, we’ll notice how much they wander. We might be: Thinking about plans…
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9 Cognitive Distortions and How to Challenge Them
Distorted thinking can fuel stress, anxiety, and perfectionism. Discover 9 common cognitive distortions—from catastrophizing to blaming—and learn practical ways to challenge them for a healthier, clearer mindset.
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9 Ways to Accept Reality
In a previous post, I wrote about the practice of radical acceptance. Radical acceptance is accepting life on life’s terms. It is derived from deep spiritual wisdom that goes back thousands of years. The practice of radical acceptance has helped people thrive during periods of upheaval or change, and has helped decrease symptoms of anxiety,…
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Eating Mindfully: The Cookie Meditation
Eating mindfully is a most important practice of meditation. – Thich Nhat Hanh Today, I thought it would be nice to write a post about mindful eating. Those of us who are familiar with mindful eating have heard about the cookie meditation. However, most people are unfamiliar with the origins of this meditation. It was…
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Die to the Self: A Mindfulness Meditation
Practicing a meditation to ‘die to the self’ may not be your first priority in life but it’s the only way out of anxiety and fear. Anxiety and fear in life can arise as the result of the illness of yourself or death of a loved one, loss of work, home, possessions, and short term…
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The Present Moment is Free from Fear
“When we are not fully present, we are not really living. We’re not really there, either for our loved ones or for ourselves. If we’re not there, then where are we? We are running, running, running, even during our sleep. We run because we’re trying to escape from our fear.
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Compassion for Difficult People: A Mindfulness Meditation
Dr. Christine E. Dickson shares a powerful mindfulness meditation from Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Miracle of Mindfulness—“Compassion for the person you hate or despise the most.” This simple yet profound practice helps transform anger into understanding, reminding us that compassion is the only path to freedom from resentment.
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The Pebble: A Mindfulness Meditation
Dr. Christine E. Dickson explores The Pebble, a mindfulness meditation from Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Miracle of Mindfulness. This gentle practice invites stillness and presence, helping us rest deeply in the moment—like a pebble settling peacefully on the riverbed—free from striving, thought, or distraction.
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7 Techniques for Practicing Mindfulness Meditation
This article provides a list and description of Dr. Christine E. Dickson’s favorite mindfulness meditation techniques.