I once noticed that I felt happy when I was walking through the rain on a cold autumn day. That’s illogical – I don’t like cold rain – but I accepted it as a mysterious bonus and enjoyed the happiness. The experience taught me that when I’m in a good mood it’s probably not because life got better; when I’m in a low mood it’s probably not because life got worse.
Most of us go around thinking thoughts detrimental to our own happiness, Ayya Khema points out in Know where you’re going. In other words we get lost in thoughts which repeat fears, anxieties, regrets and resentments. Very often these concern […]
“Sometimes good, sometimes bad. That’s how today, tomorrow and the next day will be. Accepting that this will be so, removes a layer of anxiety. It also allows you to get on with whatever, if anything, needs to be done […]
I developed this walk a few years ago and I’ve used it ever since. It helps both when I am experiencing unwanted feelings (gloom, say, or nervousness about a situation or challenge) and when all is well but I want […]
Does it seem unfair to suggest your mind could be a bit of a clown? Well, it’s unfair to actual clowns who make us laugh – much needed in an often grim world. On the other hand your mind behaves […]
‘No regrets’ may be a fine name for a song but it won’t work in real life. To live is to accumulate regrets. What gives regrets their sharp edges is the belief that we could have made things work out […]
I have met people who refuse to be happy because happiness doesn’t last. They have never accepted the fact that you can’t summon happiness and you can’t make stay. It comes and goes. Mindfulness doesn’t guarantee happiness. However, it can […]
We had beautiful weather for yesterday’s mindfulness morning in Malahide. Though we were inside on one of the sunniest days of the year, 50 people turned up and we got out to the sunshine at one o’clock. Lots of questions […]
In my work in the area of mental health, especially as a counsellor, I have been struck by the importance of the relationship with ourselves. Much of our preoccupation surrounds our relationships with others but the relationship with the self […]
The concept of ‘channelling’ is one I first heard of in relation to psychics transmitting the thoughts and emotions of the dead. Most channelling involves the living as well as the dead – falling into the trap of judging yourself […]
