Articles

Some of my favorite writing on psychology, personal growth, and how we can become the person we want to be.

Being Well Forrest Hanson Being Well Forrest Hanson

Working with Anger

On this episode of Being Well, Dr. Rick Hanson and I explore the varied ways anger surfaces, how we can relate to it, and how in recognizing what it has to tell us we can channel its energy towards positive changes in our lives.

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Being Well Forrest Hanson Being Well Forrest Hanson

Becoming More Self-Aware

In this episode of Being Well, Dr. Rick Hanson and I explore what it takes to develop self-awareness over time, why maintaining awareness can be such a struggle, and how much of what self-awareness reveals is our natural movement towards health and integration.

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Being Well Forrest Hanson Being Well Forrest Hanson

Rumination: Disrupting Obsessive Thoughts

On this episode of Being Well, Dr. Rick Hanson and I spell out what rumination is, where it comes from, and how it functions in the brain. We then explore what practices and strategies we can use to move through it compassionately and effectively.

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Being Well Forrest Hanson Being Well Forrest Hanson

Hedonic Adaptation: How to STAY Happy

On today’s episode of Being Well, Dr. Rick Hanson and I consider the human tendency to return to the same basic level of happiness regardless of recent positive or negative experiences–also known as hedonic adaptation–and how to contend with it so we can get off the hedonic treadmill.

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Being Well Forrest Hanson Being Well Forrest Hanson

Supporting Yourself During Difficult Times

We spend this episode focusing on how to relate to the challenging emotions of fear, grief, anxiety, helplessness, and rage that come up around tragic events like the war in Ukraine, and explore some degree of how to stay engaged without becoming overwhelmed.

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Being Well Forrest Hanson Being Well Forrest Hanson

Coping with Failure, and Dealing with Disappointment

On this episode of Being Well, Dr. Rick Hanson and I discuss what it looks like to experience failure not as falling short, but as an opportunity for growth. We consider how to manage the pain of failure, adapt expectations, and develop systems of feedback to allow for a greater sense of ease and purpose.

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Embracing Uncertainty with Kaira Jewel Lingo

Dr. Rick Hanson and I share a great conversation with Kaira Jewel Lingo about how to cultivate trust and equanimity in the face of uncertainty. We discuss the somatic experience of opening to the unknown, taking action as an antidote to anxiety, and how to have equanimity both when things work out, and when they don’t.

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Creating an Abundance Mindset

On this episode of Being Well, Dr. Rick Hanson and I talk about what a scarcity and an abundance mindset is, what some sources of scarcity are, and how we can move to an authentic experience of abundance.

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Finding Your Passion and Purpose

Today on Being Well, Dr. Rick Hanson and I discuss how to identify and pursue our purpose, why it’s so valuable to have one in the first place, and some questions and strategies that help provide clarity about how we’d like to spend a big chunk of our time.

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Finding Joy in Difficult Times with James Baraz

Today we explore step four of James Baraz’s 10 steps to awakening joy: how to find joy in difficult times. We discuss how to balance a sense of equanimity with compassion for the suffering of the world, and how cultivating joy at an individual level can support healing at the collective level.

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