Even if we can’t flatten the pandemic curve we can flatten the panic curve
When the world is caught in a pandemic, the government may impose social distancing or even lockdown. We can and should do our part in [...]
The mind makes us depressed and then makes us depressed that we are depressed
Life by its very nature is characterized by both good and bad. And when bad things happen, we naturally feel disappointed. But our mind starts [...]
If we start dwelling on whatever our mind is thinking, our thinking starts stinking
Suppose something is stinking in our home. We will immediately find and remove it. We need to do the same when our thinking starts stinking. [...]
When a long-awaited good thing happens be grateful that it happened not resentful that it happened so late
When a long-awaited good thing happens be grateful that it happened not resentful that it happened so late Suppose someone who had a longstanding disagreement [...]
The mind is a persecutor who pretends to be the persecuted
Few things stimulate human sympathy as much as the sight of someone being persecuted. We naturally want to do what we can to stop the [...]
To deal with fear, focus not on what if, but on what is
To deal with fear focus not on what if but on what is Suppose we hear about an acquaintance getting a heart attack. We may [...]
Self-pity makes feel-bad seem feel-good
Self-pity makes feel-bad seem feel-good Suppose we are in physical pain. We will naturally do whatever we can to free ourselves from that pain as [...]
Resilience comes when we accept what is unchangeable, but don’t accept that everything is unchangeable
Resilience comes when we accept what is unchangeable but don't accept that everything is unchangeable What makes some people resilient and some people weak? It’s [...]
The night after a quake, the stars still shine in the sky – don’t let the misery of your life blind you to the beauty of life
The night after a quake the stars still shine in the sky - don't let the misery of your life blind you to the beauty [...]
Complaining is no one’s birthright – and it has made no one’s birth right
Complaining is no one’s birthright – and it has made no one’s birth right Some people are chronic complainers. They self-righteously justify their negativity, irritability [...]
Everything in history is not in memory; everything in memory is not in history – intelligence means to know what belongs where, and to keep it there
History and memory are both records of the past. Yet they can differ significantly. Let’s see how. Everything in history is not in memory: Because [...]
See memory not as an exhaustive guide to the past but as a constructive guide from the past to the future
See memory not as an exhaustive guide to the past but as a constructive guide from the past to the future We usually think of [...]
Accepting our weaknesses takes courage – and so does accepting ourselves with our weaknesses
Accepting our weaknesses takes courage – and so does accepting ourselves with our weaknesses Life’s battles often expose our weaknesses. Accepting those weaknesses can make [...]
Worrying about the world’s problems is often an excuse for not working on our own problems
Worrying about the world's problems is often an excuse for not working on our own problems Many people worry constantly about world problems such as [...]
Even if we have a million reasons to be resentful still resentment remains utterly unhelpful and can be horribly harmful
Even if we have a million reasons to be resentful still resentment remains utterly unhelpful and can be horribly harmful Life is tough. People let [...]
We can never start in our life unless we start with our life
We can never start in our life unless we start with our life Suppose we wanted to walk somewhere, but somehow took several wrong turns [...]
To keep fighting battles that are already lost is to be lost
To keep fighting battles that are already lost is to be lost Suppose in a cricket match a batsman had a great opportunity to score [...]
To put something behind us, we need to put something ahead of us
To put something behind us we need to put something ahead of us When some misfortune befalls us, our mind tends to keep replaying that [...]
We don’t know the future but neither does our mind – its fears don’t forecast the future
We don’t know the future but neither does our mind - its fears don’t forecast the future Our mind often fills us with fears about [...]
Don’t pack what is back – the past – in your backpack
Don’t pack what is back – the past – in your backpack Suppose we are going trekking with just a backpack. We will carefully decide [...]
We feel stressed not so much because we are over-worked as because we are over-worried
We feel stressed not so much because we are over-worked as because we are over-worried Stress is rampant in today’s society. Why? One common explanation [...]