The reptilian part of our human brains sometimes seems hardwired to focus on the negative. Perhaps it’s an evolutionary quirk passed along from our forebears as a means of helping us survive a somewhat undesirable and frightening world. Or, perhaps we can only attribute it to the fault in our stars. In any event, from time to time, we encounter facts that seem to contradict the obsessive, pessimistic thoughts of our inner Eeyore. Nicholas Kristof’s recent piece in the New York Times, “Why … [Read more...]
Choosing Gratitude
Gratitude is a powerful emotion that affirms the positive aspects of our lives as well as the people, community and world around us. However, consciously instilling in yourself a habit of being grateful for life’s circumstances can be hard at first. Like any habit, it takes practice. One way to start is by following the sage advice I received in the first alcohol support group I attended, which was to “Fake it till you make it.” At that point in my life, I wasn’t feeling particularly … [Read more...]
