Love Mindfulness Blog

Expectations! How we create our own world - and add extra suffering

It was a battle to compete with the wall of sound, and we were the losers. It wasn't what I'd expected! The lack of response stung. Looking back, I saw that my expectations of the occasion had been unrealistic. In fact, they were the main cause of the hurt I felt. In my mind's eye, the party guests were going to pause their conversations and gather around. As we donned our guitars, a respectful hush would fall. Everyone would be keen to hear the three songs my friend and I

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Jan 14 min read

Calm amid the Festive Frenzy: four micro-practices for staying sane

Take a moment to mentally step back. Ask yourself, 'how important would this issue look six months from now? ..A few years on?' I find that in most cases, the answer is 'not important at all'. Sometimes, this flags up what is important. Often, this is to do with our relationships. It matters how we treat people, including ourselves. By this time of year, hedgehogs, dormice and bats have tucked themselves away for the winter. Hibernation is nature's way of surviving the co

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Nov 30, 20253 min read

Can I Feel Safe in an Uncertain World?

The nervous system does not differentiate 'social' threat from bodily threat. We all meet risk in our lives. Even if we do not practice extreme sports or live in a war zone, we still have to negotiate busy roads. Yet, for most of us, times when we are at physical risk are few. More often it is not a physical threat but everyday interactions that seem to present danger. Here, the sense of threat arises in relation not to the body, but to one's idea of oneself . Most of us li

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Oct 31, 20253 min read