Authors observations from Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom by Dr. Rick Hanson and he shares some very interesting and important points that I want to pass on to you.
* When you change your brain, you change your life.
* Only humans worry about the future, regret the past, and blame ourselves for the present. We get frustrated when we can’t have what we want, and disappointed when what we like ends.
* To make any problem better, you need to understand its causes.
* Compassion for yourself helps reduce your suffering.
* Find refuge in whatever is a sanctuary and refueling station for you. Potential refuges include people, activities, places, and tangible things like reason, a sense of your innermost being, or truth.
I often hear clients state that they are trying to be more balanced and live healthier, but they prefer to leave the “messy” stuff out. I am sure it will be easier to try to pretend like negative emotions, hurtful situations or unhealthy people did not impact our lives, but in reality, these people and situations help to shape us in some way.
When searching for balance, it can be worthwhile to think about the connection between your mind and body as you aim to increase positive behavior. In his book, Dr. Hanson provides practical and educational points to encourage his readers to find happiness, while being mindful of vicious cycles.
In searching for balance, I encourage clients to consider these things:
* what does balance look like? how would you describe it?
* who will benefit the most from your balanced life?
* is there anything that needs to be increased or decreased in your life?
* who can help you on the journey towards finding balance
* how will you know when you are in a state of balance?
* what safety measures can you put in place in the event that your balance gets disrupted?
The search for balance may be long, hard and frustrating for some. For others, it is a simple and easy process. Whatever the situation, making the connection between your mind and body can play a very significant role in achieving a balanced life.
How are you demonstrating a balanced life?
