How to deal with addiction like a stoic
Stoics were always very concerned with the motives that would lay behind anyone’s actions, especially their own. Men should not let the desires of worldly life like beauty, fame, power and fortune, among others, guide their steps. Epictetus once said that we’re slaves to the desires we cannot…
Motivation for Achieving Goals
What is Motivation? Motivation is what causes us to act, whether it is going to sleep to reduce fatigue or dancing to music to lift our mood. In everyday language, motivation is frequently used to explain why someone does something and is closely linked to our goals. There…
How to be assertive
Communication is more than just words. It is a skill that requires practice for it to be effective. Firstly, an individual needs to be clear on what they are thinking, feeling, and wanting or needing to effectively communicate this in a concise, open, and honest way. Effective communication…
Effective Communication Skills
As a psychologist, I get asked about how to improve communication skills at least once a day. This is because communication is a fundamental rolling stone in many mental health issues and concerns. It plays a key role in relationships, workplaces, studies, every day interactions, and our perception…
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Have you ever had a stiff neck or tensed fists when you were anxious or stressed? When we’re anxious or stressed, our body tends to respond to this stress with muscle tension. Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a relaxation strategy that helps to relieve that tension. PMR relieves…
Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy?
Religion and Buddhism Religion today represents a group of dogmas (unquestionable truths) and rituals. To be part of a religion a person must believe in a certain belief system which drives him to behave in a certain expected way. Buddhism on the other hand is not a religion.…
The path to Enlightenment: How do we awaken?
“The Buddha taught that the unenlightened human being lives in a state that may be compared to sleep or to a dream. Through the clear light of wisdom, and completely unaided, the Buddha is the one who has awakened from that dream to the true nature of existence.…
Mindfulness and Letting Go of Worry
Much of our stress comes from thinking about the past or worrying about the future. When we live in the present moment and our attention is focused on what we are doing right now, there is no room for anything else to enter into our thinking. There’s little…
Top tips for using self care to manage your emotions
Self care is paramount to our overall mental and physical health. Without taking time out for ourselves we may become lost, frustrated, and hopeless. There are many basic self-care and lifestyle strategies that can help increase emotional health. As they say “put your own oxygen mask on first…
How to Set Your Goals
Effective goal setting is a skill and requires a fair bit of practice to get the hang of it. When setting goals, it is useful to make sure that they are SMART goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Resourced, and Time-limited. Here’s a breakdown of each of…