Surviving the earthquake drowning in the tsunami — why suppressing emotions is dangerous
In social circles that value self-control, those people are highly respected who remain calm in a highly provocative situation caused by another person’s outrageous behavior. [...]
When the mind repeats things we don’t want to repeat …
Suppose we try to give up an unwanted habit to indulge in some unhealthy pleasure. Unfortunately, we are often undermined and even sabotaged by the [...]
Two functions of the mind – and its two malfunctions
There is much mystery associated with the mind: what it exactly is and what it exactly does. The Bhagavad-gita's teachings offer us a three-level model [...]
Two steps to develop inner accountability
When we strive for inner change through purification, it can be a long and laborious journey with many twists, turns, and even u-turns. Sometimes negative [...]
Might mindfulness be more than just awareness?
Mindfulness is often thought of as living in the present: being aware of the various stimuli around us and experiencing life fully. And being present [...]
A mindful autopilot mode?
We often go into an autopilot mode when the things we do during our daily routines don’t require much of our conscious attention — things [...]
Three steps to mindfulness
We may want to become mindful, but may not know clearly how to do so. Here are three tangible steps that we all can adopt [...]
How to work with our mind
Even a little introspection can demonstrate to us how distracting and distractible our mind is — it gets captivated by trivial things and then makes [...]
Our mind’s attention vs our attention
Our mind is by nature fickle (Bhagavad-gita 06.34). It gets attracted to almost any and every shiny object that comes within its attention, be it [...]
Why the mind is a terrible leader
Suppose we had a colleague with a take-charge attitude who pushed us into going along with their ideas. If they didn’t really know what they [...]
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Suppose we are living with a moody person who has extreme negative mood swings — during those dark moods, they tend to be both deceptive [...]
How to focus the mind
We live in an age of unprecedented distraction. When our mind is being so fiercely targeted, how can we focus it? Here are two time-tested [...]
Why is it so difficult to focus?
When we want to do anything important, why do we often find it so difficult to focus? Due to the combined consequence of three forceful [...]
Can spirituality address all mental health problems? (Mental health series 7)
The mind exists at the junction between the body and the soul, as such the mind is affected by both. Spirituality acts especially on the [...]
How can spirituality protect our mental health? (Mental health series 6)
Mental health problems can have many specifics, yet they share a fundamental feature: a distortion in our perception of reality. When such distortion becomes so [...]
How can we improve our mental health? (Mental health series 5)
Let’s understand by considering how we improve our physical health: broadly by providing our body good nutrition and exercise, and protecting it from harmful substances [...]
Is poor mental health just a weakness of will? (Mental health series 4)
Suppose someone says they can’t do something challenging because they are not mentally healthy. Are they just weak-willed? To analyze, let’s consider a similar physical [...]
Why are mental health problems increasing? (Mental health series 3)
The alarming increase in mental health problems nowadays raises a critical question: “Beyond the specific issues afflicting particular people, are there overall societal factors that [...]
What is mental sickness? (Mental health series 2)
Mental sickness centers essentially on a significant misalignment between reality and our perception of reality. This understanding is echoed in common parlance – when someone [...]
What is mental health? (Mental health series 1)
On hearing about many people having mental health problems, we may wonder, “What exactly is mental health? How is it assessed?” To understand, let’s compare [...]
How to mentor the mind? (Managing the mind series 7)
Our mind is restless like a child (Bhagavad-gita 06.34). To help it outgrow its fickleness, we need to mentor it. Here are three ways to [...]