| It’s been a while since I’ve written and it feels good to be back. My year began with the beauty and challenges of a week-long silent meditation retreat in California, during which I sat, walked and ate, and at times found myself navigating a plethora of emotions—from grief and sadness to joy and awe. I turned inward, facing bouts of tears, moments of clarity and even hilarity…all by my silent self. Until the quiet was broken during a memorable encounter with a woman, who approached me on a hiking trail, and blurted out that there was a rattle snake up ahead. After disclosing this news, she then asked me if it was okay that she spoke to me. “Hell yes!” I replied, and continued down the trail gingerly freaking out that I may face, or worse, step on, the snake. I live to tell without incident. For those of you who may be wondering, I was not on bathroom cleaning duty this time around (described in a previous New York Times article about my first silent retreat), but joyfully and mindfully chopped veggies each morning in preparation for the day’s lunch. The days of silence were an ideal way to ground me for upcoming events, and a reminder of how much I gain from my meditation practice. I have since been on a solidarity mission to Israel, where I needed the strength and focus to bear witness and listen to the stories of 10/7 survivors. While in Israel, I learned that my beloved aunt Yvonne had passed away at the age of 94. A second mother to me, Yvonne’s passing represented the closing of a chapter in my life. I “attended” her funeral on zoom from Israel. It was profound and painful, and somehow felt just right. As I write this, I am two weeks away from marrying off my daughter, my oldest child. My heart is bursting with joy—in the midst of a world filled with suffering. How do we make space for it all? How do we hold the pain and revel in the beauty? I didn’t always know it, but good therapy and life experience have taught me—and some of you perhaps—that we simply have to feel it all in order to move through and move forward. We are so much better off reconizing the difficult emotions and allowing them to surface. Not letting them drive our behaviors, but rather choosing to be engaged in what it means to be human. And that means feeling it all.   I recently had the honor of giving a TedX Talk. It was thrilling and nerve-wracking, and felt ever-important based on the theme of the program—Unveiling the Invisible Struggle: Mental Health’s Ripple Effects on Adolescents, Families and Communities. My talk focused on the science-based tools we can choose to implement in our busy, stressful lives to improve our mental health and nourish our wellbeing. The event’s line-up, MC’d by NBC news anchor Kate Snow, included a variety of experts, psychologists, coaches, and a team of students conducting their own research—all speakers’ bios and videos are accessible here. Please watch and feel free to share with anyone you think may find it helpful.WATCH TEDX TALK  Navigating difficult emotions is a topic that never loses its importance and relevance, as I mentioned above. For this article, I covered the research, practices and wisdom shared by teachers and scientists, such as Sharon Salzberg, Daniel Goleman, Kristen Neff and Richie Davidson. Learning from grief and turning toward painful emotions are some of the insights addressed in this piece. It is never too late to explore ways to investigate our feelings, bolster our awareness and cultivating self-compassion. READ ARTICLE WEEKLY MEDITATION CLASS  MINDFUL MONDAYS GUIDED MEDITATION Please join me and the beautiful Pause community that gathers every Monday morning from 8:00 – 8:30 am ET for a calming meditation class, offered through the Pause To be Present virtual platform. Each session includes a brief introduction and a guided meditation, and will help you begin your week in a peaceful and positive way. Beginners welcome! RESERVE YOUR SPOT THE HEALING POWER OF HUMOR  Happy Mother’s Day! Wishing you peace and love… |
