Owning My Naivete
Daily Mindfulness Lab
If you could have a conversation with yourself back when you started your career in healthcare, what would you say? What does that person need to know in order to sustain their mental health over the arch of their career? Would you talk to them about naivete? Or how to approach one's naivete as it comes up in their career? Consider where you're at today in your career. Would you be willing to talk to yourself about owning your naivete? After 12 years of working in a large hospital setting, in outpatient mental health and substance use disorders clinics, I can admit that I naively behaved and...
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In Memoriam | Honoring Rachel
Daily Mindfulness Lab
If you’ve listened to this podcast for a while, you’ll know that I hold a belief that there’s still someone out there who I haven’t met yet, that will change my life in profound ways. This episode is an attempt to honor someone who left a lasting impact on my life. In April 2019 during my lengthy stay in the hospital, I was privileged to have a very special person care for me. Her name was Rachel Petersen. Rachel was a nurse at the Anschutz Medical Center, in Aurora, Colorado. Sadly, Rachel passed away recently. The news was devastating to read about, and my wife and I are still trying...
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Getting to Live | A Mindful Reframe
Daily Mindfulness Lab
We all have to do things. Some things we are excited about. Other things, not as much. Rarely do we consider what we get to do in our lives, taking it for granted. In this episode I offer a quick mindfulness reframe to help you shift your perspective to living with more presence and gratitude. Because when we get to do something versus have to do something, we show up more completely and openly. . Looking to further your mindfulness practice? Check out the Mental Events mindfulness journal. It’s dedicated to examining the workability of the mind’s proposed solutions to problems, and offers...
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Subtracting Self-Care | Moving Toward What Matters
Daily Mindfulness Lab
Should self-care always mean you get to feel calm? Should self-care be limited to feeling good? Let’s reimagine self-care for a moment. Instead of adding things to your life in the name of self-care, consider what you could subtract in order to practice better self-care. Continually adding activities of self-care could become exhausting, and may make you feel worse. What could you let go of today to make room for your health and well-being? . Looking to further your mindfulness practice? Check out the Mental Events mindfulness journal. It’s dedicated to examining the workability of the...
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Post-traumatic Growth: Celebrating Year Two with Gratitude and Joy
Daily Mindfulness Lab
What doesn't kill us, can make us stronger! On the two-year anniversary of a near death experience, I invite a friend of the podcast, John Evans to sit down for an extended conversation about post-traumatic growth. Post-traumatic growth refers to the positive psychological changes that a person can experience as a result of adversity. John and I cover a lot of ground in this episode, referencing Stephen Joseph's book, What Doesn't Kill Us, Judith Herman's book, Trauma and Recovery, and Stephen Pressfield's book, The War of Art. . If you're wondering how to move through feeling stuck, and...
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After Violence: Reflections on Boulder
Daily Mindfulness Lab
So often we feel hopeless and powerless after tragedy and trauma. I know I've felt that way recently with the tragedies in Atlanta and Boulder. Both events serve as reminders of how violence can devastate community, trust, and desecrate the ideals, values, and freedoms we hold as sacred. In this week's episode, I discuss what moral injurious events are, and offer a mindful approach to touch feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness. . Looking to further your mindfulness practice? . It’s dedicated to examining the workability of the mind’s proposed solutions to problems, and offers an...
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Healthy and Unhealthy Discomfort
Daily Mindfulness Lab
Life serves up discomfort to us in many ways. At times we've all avoided challenges in order to escape the stress that goes with feeling uncomfortable. This week's episode examines how our struggle against discomfort can cause additional suffering in our lives. . Think of unhealthy discomfort as something you do to avoid coming into contact with what doesn't feel good. Healthy discomfort on the other hand tends to be a more open, willing, and engaging way of managing what is already present. . Looking to further your mindfulness practice? Check out the Mental Events mindfulness journal....
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Box Breathing
Daily Mindfulness Lab
“Just breathe.” Depending on how stressed you might be, hearing those words may not be well received. Enter box breathing! It's a proactive breathing exercise aimed to help you regulate your nervous system. . Box breathing is a common breathing technique used by Navy Seals, mindfulness practitioners, and recovery programs. During my time as the lead facilitator of the mindfulness group at the Veterans Administration, I would lead the group through box breathing. . If you can envision drawing a box in your mind, and follow your breath to the count of four, then you can do box...
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The Just World Belief
Daily Mindfulness Lab
Do good things only happen to good people? Do bad things only happen to bad people? And are all honorable actions eventually rewarded? The Just World Belief states that your actions are inclined to bring morally fair and just consequences to you, or others. But what happens when something unexpected and traumatic happens to you? . To be honest, I'm not so sure where I fall with this belief/hypothesis? Nonetheless, in this episode I try and make sense of the Just World hypothesis, while leaving you with a few thoughts to ponder. . Looking to further your mindfulness practice? Check out the...
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Natural and Manufactured Emotion
Daily Mindfulness Lab
There are two kinds of emotions. The first kind of emotions are those that happen naturally. We often experience natural emotions as they unfold after something happens. The second kind of emotions are the manufactured type. They're not based on the facts of an event, but on your interpretations of it. . Push play to learn more about how you might be manufacturing emotions, and how to stop adding kindling to the fire! . Looking to further your mindfulness practice? Check out the Mental Events mindfulness journal. It’s dedicated to examining the workability of the mind’s proposed solutions...
info_outlineWe all have to do things. Some things we are excited about. Other things, not as much. Rarely do we consider what we get to do in our lives, taking it for granted. In this episode I offer a quick mindfulness reframe to help you shift your perspective to living with more presence and gratitude. Because when we get to do something versus have to do something, we show up more completely and openly.
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Looking to further your mindfulness practice? Check out the Mental Events mindfulness journal. It’s dedicated to examining the workability of the mind’s proposed solutions to problems, and offers an opportunity to step back from giving over your life to negative thoughts.
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Wanting to integrate mindfulness into your life? Sign up to receive my free Mindfulness Framework video.
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Watch this video to learn more about Mental Events Therapy.
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Watch this video to learn more about the benefits of online therapy with Mental Events.
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As always, we’d like to hear from you. Send your questions via email - [email protected].
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Connect with Mental Events on social media:
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