elotz@westsidedbt.com

By Cheryl Jones, Aetna Mindfulness Strategy Lead, MBSR trained While mindfulness has been a hot topic, we’ve struggled with both offering an understandable definition and demonstrating its practical application for modern life. There are numerous scientific publications on mindfulness. We’ve known for a long time that mindfulness reduces stress. We now know it can change our brains. […]

By Cindy Ricardo, LMHC, CIRT, Mindfulness-Based-Approached/Contemplative Approaches Topic Expert Contributor You yourself, as much as anybody else in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” —Buddha As I write this, I can feel anxiety in my entire body; my legs are restless, my toes are tapping, and there are butterflies in my stomach twirling and diving, with some

By Leo Babauto What would it take to get your life decluttered and organized? That might be a tall order for many of us, but the truth is, we could do it in bursts and spurts, using a handful of easy-to-follow rules. This post originally appeared on Zen Habits. The other day I wrote about the idea

By Susan Shain “For it is in giving that we receive.” ~St. Francis of Assisi  If there were a magic pill that led to a 22 percent lower mortality rate and higher levels of self-esteem and happiness, would you try it? I’m betting you would. Well I’m here to share some good news: there’s no need

By Angela Avery, MA, LLPC, NCC, Obsessions and Compulsions Topic Expert Contributor Would you work a highly demanding, fast-paced job Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., take a small break, then work another job that requires intense focus both mentally and physically from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.? Let’s say the pay sucked.

 By Lisa Danylchuk, EdM, LMFT, E-RYT, Posttraumatic Stress/Trauma Topic Expert Contributor If you have studied trauma or yoga in the past decade, you’ve likely heard about the nervous system and its role in healing. Indeed, research and theory in trauma recovery has focused intensively on bringing balance to the nervous system and processing somatic impulses that become stored in the

Take a mindful moment with these simple exercises for teachers. Photograph: Alamy Mindfulness can help teachers reduce stress and boost confidence. Clinical psychologist Erin Olivo shares her handy guide for getting started… In my 20-years of practice as a psychologist, I’ve found that mind-body strategies such as mindfulness meditation are one of the best ways

By Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. Associate Editor When we’re upset, many of us do everything but cope with our sadness. We work. We shop. We eat. We drink. We clean. We run errands. We organize. We simply don’t stop moving. And we convince ourselves that we’re too busy to feel sad. We just can’t pause when there are

By Elizabeth Grasher, M.S., LPC, LMFT Embrace and make peace with life because in this very moment you are right where you were meant to be. We have the opportunity to grow and learn from the past and create an amazing future. Growing up, I never felt good enough. Not only was this my internal

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS A walk in the park may soothe the mind and, in the process, change the workings of our brains in ways that improve our mental health, according to an interesting new study of the physical effects on the brain of visiting nature.  Most of us today live in cities and spend far less time