Breathing exercises are an excellent way to deal with anxiety. Box breathing is a particularly potent one. In fact, it’s so effective that Navy Seals use it – and they certainly find themselves in, shall we say, slightly unnerving and stressful situations.

Politics and bad news can be a wonderful opportunity to practice being non-reactive, being mindful of (negative) emotions, as well to become more aware of what your values are and what’s the best way to live and communicate them.

One way to look at forgiveness is as the process of clearing space, removing the debris from an open wound so that you can attend to it properly.

Psychotherapy can reshape the self profoundly; life coaching will help you polish it further as if the self were a work of art. And meditation? Well, meditation – if done right - will take your entire self and throw it in trash.

My theory about affirmations is that they work, just not for those people that need them. Therefore, they are effectively useless. To put it in slightly more complex psychological terms – they suck.

Try out my FREE equanimity meditation. This meditation is geared towards beginners, although everyone can benefit from it.

Here’s an idea for a mindfulness exercise if you have a hard time sitting still.

Reflecting on death and other seemingly unpleasant topics, we reinforce our agency, our ability to choose, that creative force that gives meaning to our life. Not so that others can celebrate it once we’re dead, but so that we can enjoy it while we’re alive.

Irony gives you more space. For one, it is more forgiving. An ironist knows that her view of the world is not an accurate representation of the world, but merely her construction.

Let’s look at the basics. Self-compassion is about reducing suffering. The mantra for self-compassion is an obvious one but so impossibly difficult to put into practice: it’s better to suffer less than more. We may be tempted to avoid what causes us suffering, but that leads to avoidance which is a level of suffering in its own right. How to deal with this conundrum in everyday life?

Acceptance sounds simple but it’s a tough skill to master. It requires us to swallow many bitter pills. Here’s how you can bring more acceptance into your life using mindfulness.

What can mindfulness bring into your life? Here’s how you can think about your mindfulness practice and the fruits it bears.

Meditation can be a profoundly transformational experience. Learn some of the basic lessons that you can learn from sitting and meditating daily.