Tag: awareness
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Dopamine, Desire, and the Middle Way
We learn this pattern early. The holidays make it obvious. We stretch anticipation on purpose, counting days, hiding gifts, building suspense. Excitement lives in the waiting. There is warmth in that. But there is also a lesson absorbed quietly: happiness is something that comes later.
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Retirement as a Gateway to a New Way of Living
No matter how complicated life feels, nothing is happening outside those six doors. Stress arises when we forget this and try to manage everything at once. Attention scatters. The mind races ahead or loops backward. Life feels noisier than it actually is.
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Is the Pursuit of Wisdom on Your List?
As a culture, we rarely elevate wisdom. We celebrate knowledge, but more often we reward what is visible, measurable, and marketable. “Sexiest Man Alive.” Wealth. Productivity. Achievement. Influence. Followers. Titles. There is a prize for nearly every external marker of success.
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OCD as Meditation Practice: When a Compulsion Becomes a Mantra
In the case of tracing a pattern in the carpet, the mind settles almost naturally. By meeting the movement with awareness rather than resistance, I can deepen my practice in real time. I am not pulled toward the experience or pushed away from it. The internal commentary quiets. What remains is direct contact with the…
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The Flip Side of Life
What happens when we stop replaying the same old tune Before streaming and playlists, we bought music on 45-rpm vinyl singles. The hit song lived on the A-side. The B-side wasn’t something you stumbled into. It didn’t play automatically.You had to physically flip the record over to hear it.And most of us rarely bothered. Yet…
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Your Mind and Unwelcome Guests
“The mind is not attacking us. It is doing exactly what it was built to do, rehearse old pain in the hope of preventing new pain. The freedom comes when we finally realize we do not have to invite every thought inside and give it the run of the house.”
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What if Beatles sang ‘Let it Go’ instead of ‘Let it Be’?
How different would the world feel if the Beatles had written Let It Go instead of Let It Be? Picture it: Paul at the piano, eyes closed, singing earnestly,“Let it go, let it go, let it go…” The song still tops the charts, but the message shifts.A generation grows up believing peace requires action, that…
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Zen and the Art of the Scroll
Slow Your Scroll – Wise Social Media Habits You open Instagram for inspiration. Just a quick look, you tell yourself. Ten minutes later, you’ve compared your writing, your breakfast, and possibly your entire life to three strangers with better headlines and a cat who somehow has better engagement. You’re not angry at yourself, just amused…
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The Science of Staying Awake While Trying to Sleep.
Or, “I Thought I Was Practicing Self-Care. Turns Out, I Was Practicing Insomnia.” For years, I believed I had the perfect bedtime ritual. TV until 10. Phone until 11. Fireplace blazing like a luxury lodge. Weighted blankets, flannel sheets, and a room warm enough to grow orchids. Two dogs, two cats, one husband, and a…
