Margaret Forde featured in Irish Examiner aritcle on happiness
“Joy To The World: Having a happy and mindful Christmas”, published Friday 23rd December, 2022 in the Irish Examiner. From the article: …Margaret Forde suggests making time for a hobby that you enjoy. “Unhappiness can stem from overthinking things,” she says. …
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WHEREVER YOU GO, YOU BRING YOURSELF WITH YOU.
A friend of mind went for a Covid test out at the centre near the airport last week. As she described her experience, it was like a review of a first class hotel. The receptionist was very welcoming. She looked very …
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Boost Your Feel-Good Factor
Never has the symbolism of the lotus, with its roots in the muck, but its beautiful flower rising above it, been more apt.With the news that we are probably facing a few more months of lockdown, how can we rise …
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Thanksgiving Meditation
This, of course is Thanksgiving Day in the US, so I thought it might be opportune to write a few words about gratitude. In the year that we have had, it is more important than ever to make a list …
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World Meditation Day – the Path to Freedom
“All spirituality is about waking up” Anthony de Mello. De Mello was an Indian Jesuit, well versed in yoga and eastern philosophy which regards the “normal” person as being asleep, hypnotized by their past, running on automatic pilot, looking at …
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“Be like Teflon for bad stuff, and Velcro for good stuff”
This is the recommendation for mental health and wellbeing of author, Rick Hanson. He is basing his conclusion on the neuroscience of brain plasticity. It turns out that our brain changes, depending on what we focus on. A continual focus …
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Mindfulness and Flow
In all systems of meditation, the goal is to have a CLEAR mind, to be more present in our lives, rather than wrapped up in our head. The “normal” state of the mind always flitting from thought to thought , is compared to a “cage full of wild monkeys” in yoga books. The object of mindfulness is to steady the attention on one thing for a period of time.
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The Myth of Perfection : a leading cause of unhappiness?
According to Professor Tal Ben-Shahar, who teaches the most popular course ever in Harvard history, perfectionism is a leading cause of unhappiness. The pursuit of perfection is a no-win situation.
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You are your most valuable resource
The cornerstone for your future happiness and success is you-wherever you go, you bring yourself with you. How much is that bright spirit inside you up to the surface, or how much is it covered over by layers of overthinking that make it hard for that sun inside you to shine through the clouds?
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IT’S OFFICIAL : Research shows overthinking causes depression and that Mindfulness lessens overthinking
In the counselling work I do with third-level students, I have yet to meet a student with serious depression or high anxiety levels , who does not consistently overthink almost everything going on in their lives.
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