Lack of self trust as you start something new is normal, it just means "keep going..." What follows is my blog on evidence-based tools to move forward with confidence when you struggle with self doubt.

A common refrain I hear from people when they first try meditation is that they can't turn off their brains. Have you ever tried to follow some sort of meditation, mindfulness, or breathing practice and realized just how LOUD the internal voices in your head are?

As a coach, a place I like to hang out with people is in really difficult emotions, creating the space where someone can safely “go there” into strong negative feelings without getting “lost” in them. Self-compassion researcher Kristin Neff calls striking that balance between ignoring one’s experience and accepting it the third element of self-compassion, Mindfulness vs. Over-identification.

I wanted to share some thoughts on a theme that's been percolating in my mind recently on allowing ourselves to be seen and our satisfaction in our lives

A poem about how resistance can show up in life and in the body when giving up to much of our power to outside forces and how to break free.

The way I see it, pain and pleasure are opposite sides of the same coin. They’re both urgings, guiding you to or away from something.

You know when you just can’t turn your brain off? You can’t go to sleep because you have too much on your mind, your brain is ruminating and spinning on the hamster wheel, and it’s making sleep impossible. Or you get fixated on thoughts that feel unhelpful, going over the same mental territory over and over. You could notice your mind running away at any point - when you want to relax with your child but you don’t feel present because you can’t stop thinking about what your boss said about you being late.

When you’re struggling to manage everything and it feels like you just can’t take it anymore, you may be experiencing overwhelm. One way I like to release that is by doing a practice to drop back into the body as both a regular morning practice and also as needed when I become aware of tight shoulders, holding my breath, etc throughout the day. I invite you to try this 10 minute guided meditation practice to release overwhelm.

Are you struggling with a physical ailment or disease that’s interfering with your life, but without any apparent cause? Sometimes medicine may cover it up or help a bit (or not), but it’s something that just won’t quit? There’s a unique frustration when it feels like you’ve explored every avenue to fix what’s gone wrong with your body, but there doesn’t seem to be anything “wrong.”

What if the key to helping you continue your healthy eating or exercise habits wasn’t to take the tough gym teacher approach with yourself but to practice some self-compassion?

Let’s take the proverbial example of deciding to “get healthy” or lose weight.