Rick Hanson's Blog, page 90
January 20, 2016
Compassion and Equanimity
Here is a talk from the San Rafael Meditation group with Rick Hanson. It is titled Compassion and Equanimity.
More information on the San Rafael Mediation group can be found here.
The post Compassion and Equanimity appeared first on Dr. Rick Hanson.
January 17, 2016
The Caring Quilt Creative Activity
Check out this great creative activity that will deepen and internalize your sense of being cared about – an important inner resource for resilience, happiness, and satisfying relationships, and a key part of the Foundations of Well-Being.
This 12-minute video guides you through an experiential activity in which you can explore different ways to feel included, seen, appreciated, liked, or loved – in other words, feel cared about. Deepening and internalizing the sense that you are cared about...
January 16, 2016
Let Things Change
What’s changing?
The Practice:
Let Things Change
Why?
The fifth of my personal Top 5 practices (all tied for first place) is open out, by which I mean relaxing into a growing sense of connection, even oneness, with all things. (The other four are be mindful, love, take in the good, and go green.)
“Opening out” can sound kind of airy-fairy or flakey, but I mean it in very down-to-earth ways; check out the previous JOTs about it. Here, I’m focusing on relaxing and opening into the fact that t...
January 13, 2016
Put No One Out of Your Heart
What is an open heart?
The Practice:
Put no one out of your heart.
Why?
We all know people who are, ah, . . . challenging. It could be a critical parent, a bossy supervisor, a relative who has you walking on eggshells, a nice but flaky friend, a co-worker who just doesn’t like you, a partner who won’t keep his or her agreements, or a politician you dislike. Right now I’m thinking of a neighbor who refused to pay his share of a fence between us.
As Jean-Paul Sartre put it: “Hell is other peop...
January 10, 2016
QUIZ: Are You a Self-Starter?
One of the secrets to a happy and productive life is to know how to help yourself come to want things that are good for you and others . . . that you don’t initially want that much.
Find out how good you are at motivating yourself, or nudging yourself in a kind way, rather than a self-critical one, with this short quiz from my Foundations of Well-Being program:
https://fwb.rickhanson.net/quizzes/are-you-a-self-starter
The post QUIZ: Are You a Self-Starter? appeared first on Dr. Rick Hanson.
January 9, 2016
Accept Dependence
What makes your life?
The Practice:
Accept dependence.
Why?
Want to try a little experiment?
Stop breathing. Really. For a few seconds, maybe a few dozen seconds, and see how it feels.
For me, this experiment is an intimate way to experience a deep truth, that we live dependently, relying on 10,000 things for physical survival, happiness, love, and success.
For example, within half a minute of no air, most people are uncomfortable, after one minute, they’re panicking, and after four minutes,...
January 6, 2016
Practicing with Negative Reactions to Others
Here is a talk from the San Rafael Meditation group with Rick Hanson. It is titled Practicing with Negative Reactions to Others.
More information on the San Rafael Mediation group can be found here.
The post Practicing with Negative Reactions to Others appeared first on Dr. Rick Hanson.
January 3, 2016
Bob Emmons Interview on Gratitude
I had the pleasure of interviewing Gratitude expert Bob Emmons for my Foundations of Well-Being program. Watch this clip to hear about the benefits of Gratitude and how to literally construct it at any moment in your life, no matter what your circumstances are.
The post Bob Emmons Interview on Gratitude appeared first on Dr. Rick Hanson.
January 1, 2016
Rick’s Picks: Wealth Inequality in America
Rick’s Picks is a series of posts highlighting the very best content online.
Infographics on the distribution of wealth in America, highlighting both the inequality and the difference between our perception of inequality and the actual numbers. The reality is often not what we think it is.
The post Rick’s Picks: Wealth Inequality in America appeared first on Dr. Rick Hanson.
December 30, 2015
Tune Into Others
What Are They Feeling?
The Practice:
Tune into others.
Why?
Imagine a world in which people interacted with each other like ants or fish. Imagine a day at work like this, or in your family, aware of the surface behavior of the people around you but oblivious to their inner life while they remain unmoved by your own.
That’s a world without empathy. To me, it sounds like a horror film.
Without empathy, there can be no real love, compassion, kindness, or friendship. Empathic breakdowns shake...
