My anger was hurting me and someone I care about, while having zero impact on the issues of concern. And it was a long way from a practice I aspire to:  'be the peace you wish to see in the world'  Martin Luther King Jr . As I read the news report, adrenaline surged. I was upset. Angry. A familiar internal rant started up. A repeat of many previous responses to the global news cycle. War. Unaccountable power and greed. Inequality. Corruption. And terrible, horrifying suffering. I can best...

In the long run, avoidance of unwanted emotions doesn’t work. In the wise words of children's author Michael Rosen, "We can't go over it. We can't go under it. We've got to go through it!" Excerpt from 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' The amygdala hijack came without warning: a sudden, undesired takeover by stress hormones. I had been sitting in a trustees' training session, feeling relaxed. The trainer was a thoughtful woman, and knowledgeable about her subject: workplace appraisal . But five...

Something different had replaced that old, harsh script: " stupid idiot! "  Ten minutes after parking in the new-to-me, cheaper car park, I was no closer to buying my ticket. I'd considered myself organised for downloading the parking app beforehand. But now I was failing, on repeat, to verify my bank card. Cue an urgent call to my partner at home to look up a password. That didn't work either. I was now late for a meeting. I felt like a failure. The many previous times I have struggled with...