Are you trying to make positive changes in your life?  When we want to do something differently, say, to stop smoking, curb our temper or exercise more frequently, we often start with enthusiasm.  But habits are hard to change. After an initial burst of energy, it’s easy to fall back into old patterns of behavior.

What we too frequently ignore when we try to make changes is what is happening around us that either enhances motivation or encourages us to slip back into the status quo.

When you are trying to make changes, what happens as soon as you act in a particular way has an impact on whether you will stick it out.  Say, for example, you’d like to exercise more often.  We all know the long-term benefits of exercise, but what happens as soon as you make the decision to exercise? 

Mindfulness is the simple yet complex act of being present in the moment.  It is paying attention, on purpose.  Mindfulness might mean noticing the swirl of milk that rises in a freshly brewed cup of coffee or the touch of a breeze on the back of your neck.

When mindful, we do not judge. Instead we notice and observe what is. In doing so, we let go of mental clutter, are released from emotional reactivity and become immersed in the fullness of the present moment. Our thoughts become plain thoughts, not necessarily fact or reality.

Our emotions, while real, don’t require us to react.  When in the present moment, we can let go of fears for the future or regrets from the past.  We are able to be in our lives as we are living and to act with intention.

Start off the week with awareness.  These quotes inspire us live mindfully in body and spirit.

Much of the strain and conflict that causes stress in relationships occurs when your wants are consistently side-lined by your internalized sense of how you should behave.

Are you stuck “doing the right thing” while sacrificing what you want? Often, we’re stressed out not because others are expecting things from us, but because we expect them from ourselves. These internal “shoulds” may have originated in external expectations, moral codes or rules that you internalized long ago that have now become pressures you place on yourself.

In our lives, most of us have gotten stuck in worry, felt close to panic, called ourselves names (stupid, idiot or failure, for example) or had trouble focusing.  It’s painful to be stuck in negative thinking.  When this goes on for a long period of time or when it interferes with your ability to function, it’s important to find strategies to lessen this type of thinking.

Often we think of our bodies and our minds as two separate entities, but they are a part of our whole selves and as such, are closely connected.  The body and mind communicate to and influence each other.  Sometimes, the best way to change how you are thinking is to make changes to how your body is feeling.

Life can be full of uncertainty and pressure.  You might face it when you’re in college and are uncertain about such things as who you are, how you fit in, what your future is and how to best prepare yourself for it. Or you might suddenly find yourself uncertain and feeling vulnerable and as though you have no purpose while awaiting difficult news about your health or experiencing changes at work.

Stress, anxiety and depression are often consequences of the combination of uncertainty and pressure.

You may wonder what your stress response is and why it is important?

Stress, today, refers to the pressures we experience in everyday living.  These can be the pressures to earn a living, pay our bills, meet the demands of raising a family or care for aging parents.

They can be daily pressures, such as a traffic jam, disrespectful co-workers or being asked to do things we’re not good at.  They can come from the environment—poor lighting or noise—and from our minds.

We experience stress when we perceive something as threatening.  The threat may be to our life or well-being, but it can just as easily be a threat to an important relationship or our standing at work.

Today is the first day of spring.  Although there are fluctuations, in many parts of the country, in many areas, the temperatures have been spring-like.

When you work inside, have a long commute or lead a busy lifestyle, you may find that you spend little time outside.  Instead of soaking up the sun’s rays, you may spend your days primarily exposed to artificial lighting, indoor noise pollution and a controlled climate.  And rather than sitting outdoors, we are often consumed by digital media that surrounds us.

The average American spends several hours a day watching television as well as additional time with other digital media.

I had the pleasure, this week, of reading a new book on mindfulness.  Focused on participating in the present, right now, this book described how we can be more connected to our lives simply by paying attention.  It sounds so simple: pay attention right now. And maybe it sounds like it’s not that big a deal.

What difference does it make if you are aware of your actions as you pour milk into your coffee each morning or if you focus on future goals all the while losing touch with what you are doing right now?

In his new book called The Now Effect: How This Moment Can Change the Rest of Your Life, Elisha Goldstein describes just how being in the present, right now, can enhance our lives.

Depression can be a factor in the treatment of an array of different health problems.  It has an impact on the treatment of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.  Depression may not be the cause of these diseases, but it often co-occurs with them and can influence whether patients follow through on treatment recommendations.

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction training can help breast cancer survivors in their struggle with depression.

The number of women who survive breast cancer has increased in recent years.  However, side-effects of breast cancer treatment, including sleep problems and depression, can disrupt people’s lives and interfere with their treatment. According to a study conducted by Mary Jane Massie (2004), depression may impact as many as 50% of women with breast cancer.

In a recent study at the University of Missouri Jane Armer and other researchers found that breast cancer survivors’ health improved after they completed mindfulness-based stress reduction training that incorporates meditation, yoga and physical awareness.

“Meditation, mindfulness and other tools can help us avoid unwanted thoughts,” says social psychologist Daniel Wegner in this month’s edition of Monitor on Psychology.

Have you ever wanted to avoid thinking about a particular experience or topic only to find that it continually intrudes into your thoughts and activities? And the more you try to suppress the thought the more intrusive it becomes? Wegner, a Harvard University Professor, terms these thoughts “white bears” and after encountering these thoughts 25 years ago, delved into research on thought suppression.