Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “triggers”
Have you ever found yourself doing something and wonder “how did this happen?” It usually happens to me when I discover I’ve scarfed a full bag of white cheddar cheese popcorn. Of course, I realize it after the fact, when I’m trying to artfully hide the bag in the garbage. What happened? I developed a habit unconsciously. Some habits are …
“Oh, you’re my best friend…” The lyrics of that song by Queen have been running through my mind lately. Which is a much better choice than what usually cycles and recycles through my monkey mind at times. I heard the song a few days ago, and it caused me to ponder: what if we truly were a best friend to …
He has a brain tumor!!! My first thought as I examined the lump behind his left ear. “Did you bump into anything? Hit your head on a cabinet door? Is it tender?” I peppered him with questions, trying to identify a logical explanation for the bulge. My husband had been experiencing sharp intermittent pains in his left ear for a …
“Why is change so hard?!” This plaintive statement I’ve heard from clients (and muttered myself once or twice with added emphasis). Change is difficult because of two very important “laws” of nature. One from the world of physics and another from neuroscience. If you don’t remember Newton’s first law of motion, it’s okay. To paraphrase Newton, an object endeavors to …
I was on a padded table, head on a pillow, a cushion beneath my knees. Soothing music played in the background, and the lights were dim. The woman with smiling eyes began by lifting my ankles and holding them gently. After a few moments she moved up to my spine, placing her hands underneath my backbone, making very subtle movements. …
Last week I wrote about how easy it was to meditate in the temples and gardens of Bhutan and Nepal, and how challenging it was to maintain a practice at home with all the distractions and triggers. Creating change in our behavior is difficult at best and nearly impossible if we aren’t aware of the environment and its impact. You …
This week I’ve been struggling with doubt. Self-doubt. I was sitting in a meeting a few days ago and I wondered, “am I really contributing here?” “Am I the right person with the right skills to help? There is so much this organization needs and I feel so inadequate to help it move forward. Am I the right person? …
Over the years, I’ve worked with many clients who try very hard to contain, control, repress, or ignore their emotions. There seems to be a belief out in the ether that some emotions are not okay, too difficult, or too embarrassing to experience. Or that one shouldn’t deeply feel an emotion that is not “positive.” We may even receive messages …
Lyrics from an old song keep running through my brain, reminding me how easy it is to get hooked by an emotion. What’s the song? “Hooked on a Feeling,” sung by B.J. Thomas (and later by a group called Blue Swede. Check out their video on youtube. It made me laugh.) The words of the chorus are on a recurring …
