With the lack of certainty today, it is not surprising that we often don’t feel we have control over our lives. This is troublesome because a sense of control is an essential component of what it means to be human. We will go to great lengths to gain this sense of control, even if it means engaging in non-productive or unwanted behaviors. We are drawn to social media because it reduces our anxiety by giving us a temporary feeling of control (Atroszko et al., 2018). So, are we using it too much?

From the beginning, the Levelhead approach to developing a mindfulness practice was based on the assumption that people have busy lives and need to be able to practice whenever, wherever it fits their lifestyle. We realize that people are time-starved and have a limited desire for practices that require more than 5 minutes. Take a look at what recent research says about what is needed to develop a mindfulness practice…

Recently, I saw a study that captured my attention because it aimed to understand the extent to which participants could establish a habit of gratitude thinking before sleeping (Lo & Leung, 2020). The researchers defined gratitude as an inclination to appreciate and savor daily events and experiences. Here is what the researchers found.

As I recover from having COVID-19 late last year, I am stunned by how much shaming I hear and see. I'm sure I am sensitive to this because of my experience, but it seems that there is a lot more shaming than compassion and care. Let’s take a look at why people resort to shaming and what to do about it.