Kategori: Explore

The first time I went on a self-love date, I was nervous and anxious. This was before the convenience of smartphones, leaving me face-to-face with my discomfort.

At the time, I was really good at sweeping my emotions under the rug and hiding behind a beautiful smile. To the world, I was living my best life, but the reality was that I was struggling with severe insomnia, anxiety, and low self-esteem. My struggles forced me to look inward for solutions.

That’s when I admitted to myself that I needed help and looked for professional support. In my third session with my yoga therapist, she highlighted the importance of being kinder to myself and recommended reading the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. In her book, the author suggests going on a weekly solo date. When I read this, I was terrified and postponed for weeks.

Fast forward eight years, and these solo dates have become my favorite ritual for unlocking creativity, boosting self-worth, and promoting deep rest. I’m always recommending them to my friends and clients.

What’s a Self-Love Date?

A self-love date is an intentional act of self-care—a chance to prioritize your needs, reconnect with your essence, and nurture your relationship with yourself.

It might feel daunting to carve out time for yourself, especially if you’re used to putting others first, but even the smallest step toward self-love can be transformative.

It doesn’t have to be expensive or extra fancy; you can start with going on a quiet walk, journaling, or indulging in something you loved as a child. The goal is to combine the excitement of a date with someone else with the healthy challenge of getting yourself out of your comfort zone.

Before I give you some suggestions on how to get started, let’s talk about some of the benefits I have seen in myself and my clients.

Possible Benefits of a Self-Love Date

Activities like journaling and mindful walks have been proven to reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality. A self-love date can help strengthen your relationship with yourself, reminding you to honor your needs.

For me, a solo hike recharges my spirit and often leads to breakthroughs in my work.

When my clients start taking self-love dates, I can see their transformations immediately— their sleep quality improves, and they look vibrant, younger, and happier.

How to Get Started with Self-Love Dates

I began with activities I always wanted to try on my own but never prioritized, like going to the movies or exploring an art museum. Slowly, I learned to give myself the love I once sought from others—and it felt so good.

What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t made time for? Let that be your first self-love date idea.

Try this:

1. Set a five-minute timer and write all the ideas that come up. Allow yourself to dream and write them all down. It doesn’t matter if they don’t make sense now.

2. Circle the ones that seem easiest to begin with or that immediately spark joy.

3. Choose one activity and add it to your calendar.

4. Set a way to reward yourself. Yes, double joy!

5. During your self-love date, choose another activity from your list and get it on your calendar.

6. Rinse, upgrade, and repeat.

Examples of self-love dates to get started:

• Take a walk in the park or plan a hike.

• Dance in your kitchen while cooking dinner.

• Watch a sunset or sunrise.

• Read your favorite book in a cozy coffee shop or your backyard.

• Write yourself a thank you letter and post it in the mail.

• Explore a new restaurant in town or cook a new recipe at home.

• Relax in a bubble bath, or treat yourself to a pedicure or massage.

• Take a yoga or fitness class either online or in-person.

Creative ideas to keep you going:

• Journal about what truly loving yourself means for you, then create a list of solo activities you would like to do in the future.

• Go to the movies. (This is one of my favorite self-love dates!)

• Stay for an hour at a bookstore or library browsing through the stacks, reading any book that catches your eye.

• Take a painting class or watch how-to-draw videos online.

• Attend a concert or listen to music at home with a glass of wine or cup of tea.

• Take a day trip, either to a close or faraway city.

Pro tip: You can improvise if you’re dying to take a trip you don’t yet have the time or money for. For example, if you’d like to visit Italy, your date might include taking an Italian Duolingo course, making your favorite pasta, or watching an Italian movie.

Listen to your intuition, allow yourself to explore new self-love date ideas, and let the Universe surprise you!

Reminders for Self-Love Dates

That first awkward solo date was the beginning of a beautiful relationship with myself. Now, each date reminds me that I am worth the time, money, and effort.

Your relationship with yourself sets the tone for everything else in your life. A self-love date is more than just an indulgence—it’s an act of reclaiming your time, energy, and happiness.

Grab your calendar and pick a date—just one. Try it out and see how it feels to treat yourself with the love and respect you deserve.

Take this quiz to see where you are on your self-love journey.

I turned 50 this past June. As a gift to myself (and as an experiment), I decided to give up alcohol for a year. My original thought before I turned 50 was that maybe I’d make this commitment for the rest of my life. But as I got closer to the milestone birthday, I became increasingly anxious at the thought of never drinking again. I mean, I come from the birthplace of rum, so the anxiety makes sense, right? I thought so too.

Giving Up Alcohol for My 50th Birthday

It wasn’t that I had been drinking a lot to begin with. Some weeks, it was just a beer or two while recording episodes of the podcast I’ve cohosted for years, Pub Theology Live. Some weeks I drank nothing at all; other weeks I had a few back-to-back nights (and days) of heavy drinking that I wasn’t proud of. It didn’t help that I’d also recently fallen in love with gin after decades of not being a fan—turns out I was drinking the wrong brands. (Hello, Roku Japanese craft gin and Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger gin … welcome to my life, and gone too soon.)

My motivation was more health-related than anything else. I wasn’t getting any younger, and it was taking longer for me to recover from the negative side effects of drinking. Plus, all the latest research about alcohol’s impact on the brain and body was consistently clear: It’s bad for us. Even the traditionally touted benefits of red wine are not enough to outweigh the potential long-term damage of drinking more than a single glass at a time. And who drinks a single glass at a time?

My plan was to wean myself by increasing my number of dry weeks every quarter. It didn’t go as well as I’d hoped. I always managed to rationalize a few drinks during dry weeks, so I decided, starting June 1, 2024, I’d quit alcohol cold turkey. I’m the kind of person who can will myself through anything, but it’s quite the journey for me to settle on the “anything.” What can I say? I’m a fickle beast.

The summary of this experiment so far is that I haven’t consumed any alcohol since June 2, 2024. Why not my birthday on June 1, you ask? An epic 50th birthday celebration is why. How epic, you ask? Well, I discovered that a Patrón tower is a thing.

Missing Alcohol

It didn’t take long to notice how much I missed drinking. I miss the deliciously complex and nuanced flavors of craft beer—except IPAs, which I have never liked, will never like, and will always judge those who do. I miss how a couple of glasses of chilled-just-below-room-temperature red wine complements a perfectly medium-cooked filet mignon. I don’t do winter anymore, but when I did, nothing beat the warmth of that first swallow of a neat bourbon or whiskey, or a heavy-handed pour of rum in my Christmas eggnog. I mentioned my thing with gin, right? And brunches just aren’t the same without mimosas.

The times I miss drinking the most? Crowded events where I can’t hide—alcohol served this introvert well. I attended a wedding a few months ago, and the only person I knew was one of the grooms. Making small talk without help from the bottomless open bar was torture. Social lubricant or social lifeline? Can I carry on a conversation with strangers? Of course I can. Do I enjoy it for the first hour or two when I’m completely sober? Hardly ever.

I also miss drinking during times of emotional overwhelm after I’ve sat with the pain and discomfort and grief and anxiety for a while, then consciously decided I wanted to numb myself.

My first and only real nearly-didn’t-make-it struggle with alcohol came after my wife died several years ago. It took everything I had to keep myself present enough to work and parent. Some nights—most nights, and some days—I just needed a break from the flood of feelings. I knew things were bad the time a winter storm forced me to cancel a Pub Theology Live gathering and I decided to have a dry night. It took me four hours to talk myself back from drinking before I fell asleep exhausted from the effort. I still drank the next night. Having to parent and be an example for my then-14-year-old daughter might’ve been the only thing that pulled me back from the edge.

Cultivating Awareness as We Age

It’s so easy to find ways to numb and distract ourselves from ourselves besides drinking: recreational legal drugs, hard illegal drugs, dating, relationships, sex, kink, social media, television, food, sleep, exercise, shopping, volunteering, solving other people’s problems, spiritual practices … the list is endless, and as you can see, not everything on it is inherently bad. I personally and professionally advocate for some of them as tools for dismantling systems of oppression: Rest is anticapitalist resistance; nonmonogamy and kink disrupt patriarchy; exercise is stress relief and embodied healing; social media can be a powerful platform for anyone to speak truth to power; spiritual practices reveal more of us to ourselves. It’s never the thing—it’s how we use it.

Those who profit and benefit from oppression depend on our continual numbing and distraction. As long as we feel good—or better yet for them, feel nothing—we’ll turn a blind eye to the bad. As long as we get our online orders cheaply and quickly, we won’t have to acknowledge the layers of human and environmental suffering it took to get them to us. Is my generation the last that remembers when we had to actually go outdoors to get anything? I’m not against progress, and I acknowledge how it has benefited those who, for a variety of both mental and physical reasons, aren’t able to just get up and go out. But when the harm of progress outpaces the good, we are left with a broken system and a suffering populace.

The path to healing the world goes through us. It means facing ourselves and how we contribute to global injury when we don’t. Facing ourselves—being honest with who we are, our desires, and what we need to heal from—is one of the scariest, hardest, and most courageous things we will ever do. It’s also never too late to start. At 50, I think of myself as just beginning my middle-aged period with probably more self-work ahead of me than behind me. (FYI, I won’t begin to think of myself as old ’til I’m at least 80.) I’ve found the work best done in small increments—the single steps on a thousand-mile journey. Otherwise, it’s too overwhelming.

Accepting Personal Responsibility

I never thought I would be a get-off-my-lawn curmudgeon in my later years, if for no other reason than I know the dangers and damage wrought by maintaining lawns. Yet as I get older, I find myself becoming increasingly wary of the speed of progress—how it enables the worst of us, and how it rewards us for avoiding personal and collective healing work.

I’m already tempted to say I’ll do my part for another decade or so, then check out—I mean retire—and rest on my laurels. But as long as I’m alive, I have a responsibility to help make the world a better place while I’m still a part of it. We’re either healing or hurting the world—ourselves and others. I usually reject binaries in favor of both/and, but I don’t see another option.

Will I ever drink alcohol again? I don’t know. I’ll keep you posted. If I do, I’ll endeavor to make it about gently savoring flavors and experiences, not distracting and numbing myself. Non-alcoholic gin is a thing, so I might be able to have my cake and eat it too. The Buddha proved millennia ago that asceticism is not the path. I will still have my cake.

Discover how ditching alcohol could lead to a happier menopause

I’ve always been someone who talks fast, moves fast, and is perpetually future focused, constantly planning ahead and racing to accomplish the next task on my list. The whirlwind of activity in my mind is amplified by the constant flood of information streaming in through all my screens. Regulating my nervous system is an ongoing challenge and a top priority.

The most effective practice I’ve ever discovered for calming my mind and relaxing my body is the ancient art of qi gong. In his new book, world-renowned qi gong master Lee Holden unveils a key secret to its profound effectiveness: embracing the magic of slow.

In Ready, Set, Slow: How to Improve Your Energy, Health, and Relationships Through the Power of Slow, Holden explains that because our minds and bodies are intrinsically connected, when we slow our bodies, our minds automatically follow. Similarly, when we slow our minds, our bodies will be cued to release tension. He says, “I’ve dedicated 30 years of my life to teaching well-being through slowness, and I’ve seen the results firsthand. Miracles happen when we ease off the throttle.”

Slow Mind

Holden explains that the present moment is the only moment in which we can actually experience happiness, and to fully arrive in the present moment, we must learn how to slow the thinking mind. “Mindfulness is the art of paying attention,” he says. “When we’re mindful, we are fully here right now, living our actual lives, not the one that exists solely in our head. Meditation is like a gym for our minds. It stretches its capacity to stay present without wandering and strengthens its ability to focus and concentrate.”

To help return our awareness to the present, Holden offers a meditation called “Where Am I?” It’s quick and easy, and I find it to be an especially helpful mindfulness anchor during times of transition: in the parking lot at the grocery store, sitting down for a meal, or before and after a phone call.

Holden offers this version as a perfect way to begin the day:

Lee Holden’s “Where Am I?” Morning Meditation

1. First thing in the morning, sit up in bed and take a few deep, slow belly breaths.
2. Quietly ask yourself, “Where am I?”
3. Respond aloud, “I am here.”
4. Sense and feel where “here” is. Notice the sounds in the room. Notice what surrounds you. Notice the sensations on the surface of your body.
5. Turn your attention inward. Feel the breath going in and out. Notice how the air passes through your windpipe to expand your chest and belly. Stay present with your breath.
6. Slowly repeat the question and answer “Where am I? I am here” while scanning your body from the top of your head down to your face, neck, and shoulders. Feel your entire body in the space you’re in. “I am here.”
7. When you’re ready, end your meditation with a big slow in-breath and a very slow out-breath through your nose. This practice will help you start your day with a newfound sense of mindful presence.

Slow Body

We can slow down our bodies in countless ways: while walking, eating, cleaning, or washing up. Each time we choose to move more slowly, we create an opportunity to relax, be mindful, and fully savor life instead of racing through it on autopilot. An especially powerful way to access the magic of slow is through the breath.

“Human beings take approximately 20,000 breaths each day, and these breaths can either accelerate stress or help you feel calm, resilient, and energized,” Holden explains. “Breathing quickly signals to the nervous system that there is imminent danger, which activates the fight-or-flight response, making us feel tight, tense, and overwhelmed. Conversely, breathing slowly signals that you are safe and there is nothing to fear.”

“Vagal Breathing: The Breath of Joy” is one of the practices in Ready, Set, Slow that I’ve enthusiastically embraced. As Holden explains, the vagus nerve—which extends from the brainstem through the neck, chest, and abdomen—plays a vital role in regulating the nervous system. “Deep, slow breathing stimulates this nerve, activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which soothes stress by shifting the body from a fight-or-flight state to a restorative ‘rest-and-digest’ mode,” he says.

This technique can be done at any time, but it’s particularly useful whenever you need help relaxing. “Many people choose to breathe this way at bedtime to wipe the energetic slate clean and fall asleep in a calmer, more contented fashion,” says Holden.

Lee Holden’s “Vagal Breathing: The Breath of Joy” Practice

1. Find a comfortable position sitting or lying down.
2. Place a hand on your belly so you can direct the breath there.
3. Breathe in for the count of four, feeling your diaphragm move your belly outward.
4. Hold your breath for the count of two.
5. Breathe out for the count of eight, feeling your belly deflate and relax back in.
6. Hold your breath after the exhale for a split-second before inhaling again.

Repeat this sequence for several minutes. Focus on your breath while inviting yourself to relax. (Note: If you feel dizzy, try inhaling for four seconds, holding for two seconds, and exhaling for four seconds).

Slow Relationships

The quality of our relationships profoundly shapes our lives. By slowing down, we become more attuned to our heart’s wisdom and guidance, fostering deeper connections and reducing conflict. Holden says, “Relationships are our playgrounds for expressing our love, and the best type of love is expressed slowly, with care and consciousness.”

Holden offers a practice called “Mindful Relating” that I find particularly powerful. It’s meant to be done in secret, because if the other person knows what you’re doing, they’ll likely become self-conscious and alter their behavior. “Whether with a partner, child, friend, or colleague, this exercise fosters true connection, leading to deeper interactions and stronger relationships,” explains Holden.

Lee Holden’s “Mindful Relating” Practice

1. Begin by truly seeing the person in front of you. Don’t just notice their presence; actually look at them.
2. Take in their clothing and notice their expression. Pay attention to the tone of their voice and their body language.
3. Be fully present, listening deeply as the other person speaks. Focus on understanding their words, rather than planning your response. Appreciate the other person as you witness them fully. Emanate kindness.
4. When appropriate and with consent, share a meaningful hug, allowing yourself to fully appreciate the warmth and connection. If a hug isn’t possible, a gentle touch on the hand or arm can also express care.

“Slowing down is the quickest way to relax and come back into balance in today’s fast-paced world,” Holden says. “By embracing the magic of slow, we create space for greater peace, joy, and well-being in every aspect of our lives. In a society that is constantly pushing us to move faster, choosing to slow down is a powerful step toward a happier, more fulfilling and harmonious life.”

Join Lee Holden for a free one-hour online event, “Discover the Magic of Slowing Down,” on April 5, 2025, hosted by Myra Goodman.

A pioneer in bringing the gifts of qi gong to Westerners, Lee Holden has certified over 2,000 qi gong teachers and makes qi gong easily accessible to everyone through his PBS shows and extensive online offerings, including a 30-day challenge of seven-minute routines and class subscriptions.

Life will frequently call upon us to exercise the ability to persist and persevere in order to overcome difficulty and discouragement. Buddhist teachings are both clear and consistent in emphasizing that persistence and perseverance are vital mental, emotional, and spiritual skills required for a healthy, happy, harmonious life. Here are some innovative ways of tapping into the power of persistence … the Buddhist way.

Adopt a Mindset of Right Mindfulness

Though the Buddha does not specifically use the words “persistence” or “perseverance,” he did stress the importance of “right mindfulness,” which is the seventh “right” on the list of Buddhism’s Noble Eightfold Path. Right mindfulness means tuning your personality toward optimism rather than allowing yourself to be dragged down into negativity and self-loathing when life becomes challenging. The reality is that those who dig deep mentally and emotionally, continuing to strive toward their goals even when circumstances are less than optimal, have a much higher likelihood of experiencing success.

Consider the experience of Academy Award-winning actor Michael Caine. In his book Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: And Other Lessons in Life, he describes a time when he was utterly despondent over his acting career, writing, “I came very close to a breakdown.” Unable to survive financially, Caine was forced to ask his mother if he could move back in with her. While auditioning for small parts for little or no pay, he often had to take “dead-end jobs,” which included washing dishes, working in a steelyard, packing laundry, working pneumatic drills on roads, and working as a “night porter for a very dodgy hotel catering to a lot of couples called Smith.”

“I owed small sums of money all over London and often had to dash across the street to avoid my creditors,” he writes. Additionally, he came “perilously” close to being arrested and jailed for getting behind on his child support.

Yet during that entire time, he continued to audition for roles. “No one can succeed in the movies or anywhere else without luck,” Caine rightly notes. With considerable insight, he continues: “But I haven’t just been lucky. I’ve been unlucky plenty of times too. And I’ve never rested on my laurels. I’ve worked hard, learned my craft, grabbed my opportunities, and just kept on bloody going when others gave up.”

Infuse Persistence with Patience

“The importance of patience and persistence to the success of any endeavor cannot be emphasized enough,” noted modern Buddhist master Hsing Yun. This combination is powerful because patience helps us endure delays and disappointments, while persistence motivates us to keep moving forward toward our objective. Anytime you feel that your patience level is weak, especially when facing difficulty, inspire yourself by reading and reflecting on these types of wisdom statements.

From the ancient Chinese sage Lao Tzu: “Can you remain unmoving until the right action arises by itself?”

From Hsing Yun: “The greater your patience, the closer you are to success.”

From Alan Lokos, a meditation teacher and author: “The wonderful thing about patience, unlike commodities, is the more we use it, the more we offer it, the more we have.”

And from Buddhist writer Ker Cleary: “Patience is the capacity to calm the mind under stress so we can see our way clearly.”

Remember that Persistence Produces Positive Outcomes

“Persistence guarantees that results are inevitable,” notes Paramahansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi. Similarly, Sri Aurobindo, a spiritual teacher from India, says, “One has to be more persistent than the difficulty—there is no other way!”

An inspiring contemporary example is that of Chuck Norris, actor, martial artist, and author of The Secret Power Within: Zen Solutions to Real Problems. Norris was a champion black-belt karate master, holding the World Professional Championship title for six years in a row before retiring undefeated. Achieving that success wasn’t simply the result of innate talent; it was also earned through a dedication to hard work.

His path began when he joined the US Air Force. While stationed in Korea, he enrolled in a Korean karate school. Every evening after completing his daily military duty, Norris attended karate classes from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m., with just five minutes rest between each hour. For five hours he practiced kicking, punching, blocking, and partner sparring. The sessions were both tedious and challenging. Norris explains that none of this came easily or naturally to him; it was his persistence that powered him forward. “I was not in particularly good physical shape, nor was I especially well coordinated,” he writes. “But I was determined to learn, so I refused to give up.”

Replace the Negative with the Positive

When obstacles show up in our lives, we seem to have a natural propensity to view the issue in a negative light. Negative thinking is emotionally dangerous because it can block our personal growth, lead us to make bad decisions, and drive us to become the worst versions of ourselves. That’s why it’s important to do a mental reset, directing the mind away from the negative and into the positive.

In Buddhism, this perspective shift is called “right view” and is the first step of Buddhism’s Noble Eightfold Path. Right view means disciplining yourself to silence that inner negative voice, allowing optimistic and hopeful vision to emerge. According to the ancient Indian sage Patanjali, it’s not that complicated. He advises, “When presented with negative, disquieting thoughts or feelings, cultivate an opposite, elevated attitude.”

Anytime you find yourself in a negative frame of mind, acknowledge it and make a transition toward the positive. Doing so will enhance your life, says Swami Vivekananda, who writes, “Think positively and masterfully, with confidence and faith, and life becomes more secure, more fraught with action, richer in achievement and experience.”

Don’t Underestimate Small Actions

The Buddha often reminded his followers not to underestimate small steps towards progress. “Do not overlook tiny, good actions, thinking they are of no benefit; even tiny drops of water in the end will fill a huge vessel,” he shares. “Do not overlook actions merely because they are small; however small a spark may be, it can burn down a haystack as big as a mountain.”

Tapping into persistence can often mean taking things one step at a time, one moment at a time. The Buddha’s wisdom of acknowledging the importance of small, persistent actions was evident in Captain Thomas Moore, a British decorated veteran of World War II. During the Covid epidemic, Captain Tom, as he was called, raised nearly £40,000,000 for British National Health Service frontline workers by walking 100 laps around an 82-foot loop in his Bedfordshire, England garden. One particular photo of Captain Tom shows him smiling, his military medals pinned on the lapels of his suit jacket, while holding onto the walker he used for balance since breaking his hip the previous year.

Captain Tom had started the fundraising effort at age 99 in order to celebrate his upcoming 100th birthday. He initially hoped to raise $1,200, but when his efforts went viral, more than 1.5 million individual donations poured in. Queen Elizabeth II knighted Moore and promoted him to Colonel in one of her first public appearances after entering quarantine. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Moore provided the United Kingdom with “a beacon of light through the fog of coronavirus.”

Many goals and objectives can feel impossible until they are suddenly achieved. Progress can feel slow, like it is taking forever. But one day we wake up and realize it is done. Stay motivated. Keep moving. Don’t quit. Tap into your power of persistence!

Discover how to find inner peace the Buddhist way.

Spring is a season of renewal, bursting with vibrant flowers, waking bears, chirping birds, and a sense of fresh beginnings. As we shake off winter’s slumber, humans and animals around the planet embrace the changing of seasons. While many people might be focused on more popular holidays like Easter and Earth Day, another layer of festivity is available through our connections with the animal kin-dom. Two special springtime holidays in particular honor our furry and finned friends.

These celebrations are not just about admiration, though—each can raise awareness for conservation efforts, encourage kindness, and provide us opportunities for spiritual connection. Whether it’s a day devoted to pets in general or marine life in particular, each event reminds us how crucial it is to compassionately coexist with the fantastic creatures that share our planet. So, add these observances to your spring calendar!

National Pet Day (April 11)

National Pet Day offers a time to celebrate the joy and companionship animal companions bring into our lives. While every day may feel like Pet Day for devoted “pet people,” this observance encourages people to go even further by doing things to improve well-being for pets, both homed and un-homed.

Get Involved:

• Integrate Ayurvedic wisdom into your pet-care routines.
• Read up on the latest pet-care techniques for anxious or fearful dogs from expert Zazie Todd or try reiki for stressed-out cats.
• Learn how to help save injured pets with pet prosthetics
  and creative orthocare.
• Support elderly, disabled, and chronically ill pets by donating to a special needs cat rescue, like Milo’s Sanctuary or Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary.
• Sponsor a sanctuary dog, cat, horse, parrot, pig, or rabbit, or gift a toy or medical care to an animal at Best Friends Animal Society’s Catalog of Kindness.
• Help animals (and their humans) find a safe harbor from domestic violence by working or volunteering for a canine care provider. Did you know that less than 5 percent of domestic violence shelters can house pets on-site? BestyBnB helps people secure safe temporary homes for pets during their people’s time of crisis.

Spiritual Practice:

Spend some extra time today with the animal companions in your home, learning to deepen your spiritual connections with them. Discover how to meditate with your dog
or learn the divine signs felines send.

National Dolphin Day (April 14)

This holiday raises awareness about dolphin conservation, focusing on protecting their ocean habitats and advocating against practices like dolphin captivity and pollution. From getting caught in fishing nets to outswimming plastic waste and avoiding underwater noise pollution, dolphins spend a lot of time dealing with the challenges humanity creates. Can we spend at least one day advocating for them? Try one or more of these starting ideas:

Get Involved:

• Learn about the challenges facing Amazon river dolphins in the 15-minute documentary Red Journey: Crimes Deep in the Amazon River, produced by marine conservation organization Sea Shepherd.
• Adopt a dolphin! Richard “Ric” O’Barry, a former dolphin trainer, has worked against the dolphin entertainment industry for over five decades, helping raise awareness of the problems dolphins face when held captive and forced to perform. His nonprofit, The Dolphin Project, centers on the Umah Lumba Rehabilitation, Release, and Retirement Center in Bali, Indonesia, which helps retire, rehabilitate, release, and retire former performing dolphins.
• Get to know more about these magnificent mammals by reading The Dolphin in the Mirror: Exploring Dolphin Minds and Saving Dolphin Lives by Diana Reiss or Behind the Dolphin Smile: A True Story that Will Touch the Hearts of Animal Lovers Everywhere by Richard O’Barry and Keith Coulbourn.

Spiritual Practice:

Bring to your mind an image of a playful dolphin pod. Offer them this blessing:

May you always glide freely through the vast blue, seeing by sound, guided by your remarkable echolocation, without the interference of human sound in the seas. May your intricate social bonds and lifelong friendships forever thrive in the oceans you call home.

Consider adding a centering prayer for cephalopods and marine mammals or learn to embrace a “blue spirituality” every day of the year.

The Heart of Animal Celebrations

Spring’s animal holidays are more than just dates on a calendar; they are opportunities to deepen our connections with the more-than-just-human world. These celebrations remind us that animals, whether domestic or free-living, are integral to our lives and our habitats. By participating in these holidays—whether through small personal actions and conservation efforts, or by simply taking time to appreciate the amazing creatures we share this planet with—we contribute to a more compassionate and interconnected habitat for all.

Want more advocacy-based spring practices? Learn more about Easter for earth lovers.

A client of mine was experiencing anxiety over a major decision she had to make. She was going back and forth, gathering endless facts and combing over the pluses and minuses, not to mention asking everyone’s opinion. She entered our session sleep-deprived and anxiety-ridden.

“What is your intuition telling you?” I asked.

“Intuition? I don’t know what you mean,” she said. “I tend to look to experts for insights, then analyze my options.”

I asked her to think back to when she was a child. “How did you decide what you wanted to do?”

“I did things without thinking about them,” she answered. “Now I obsessively think, become anxious, and wind up stuck!”

Analytical thinking allows us to perceive, understand, and problem-solve to make decisions. Our current educational system encourages us to cultivate this skill. But falling prey to overthinking can lead to worry, apprehension, and doubt, all which results in anxiety that paralyzes us. We then tend to default to the choice that makes the most logical sense only to ultimately find ourselves feeling unfulfilled. That’s because we weren’t listening holistically.

Anxiety cuts off access to subconscious insights that a more instinctive approach to decision-making can offer. In other words, our mind can get in the way of our ability to recognize our best course of action. We need to allow space for the desires of our soul and innermost feelings to emerge.

Instinctive thinking is an innate and automatic process that draws on intuition or gut feelings. Intuition can provide immediate understanding without the need for conscious reasoning and can be a powerful tool for making decisions. We are not generally encouraged to cultivate our instinctive thinking, which could be critical to balancing our analytical mind and, at times, even overriding it.

5 Benefits of Breaking Out of Analytical Thinking

Our intuition is a form of unconscious cognitive activity that allows us to access our subconscious mind. Accessing our subconscious is important because it stores deeply ingrained beliefs, memories, emotions, and desires that can provide insight into what we need to feel fulfilled on a soul level. Tapping into our instincts and intuition can deliver the following five benefits, which will help to reduce the anxiety inherent in decision-making.

Creative Breakthroughs

Intuiting allows for rapid, associative thinking and idea generation without the constraints of logic. This often inspires breakthroughs and innovative solutions that can help us approach life with fresh eyes.

Soul Satisfaction

Considering our emotions, subconscious knowledge, and gut feelings results in more balanced decisions that are aligned with our unique life path. This will result in greater satisfaction with life on a soul level.

Self-Awareness

Becoming aware of negative thought patterns and limiting beliefs enables us to recognize and potentially change them. This will support a more expansive life experience.

Confidence

Learning to trust our instincts means no more second-guessing our decisions or defaulting to the opinions of others. Confidence radiates into all areas of our lives—the result is peace and better sleep.

Improved Health

The mind, body, and spirit are interconnected and influence each other. Thereby, uncovering and recasting subconscious beliefs can improve our holistic health and well-being.

5 Ways to Practice Instinctive Thinking

Our mind will always try to step in. This is its nature. In order to reduce any anxiety produced by overthinking, we need to develop our intuition. This requires practice and space. These five methods can help deepen the connection to our intuition.

Mindfulness

Practices like meditation, yoga, tai chi, prayer, and forest bathing actively direct our attention to the present moment. Presence disengages us from the habitual patterns of thinking and rumination that belong to the analytical mind and opens the door to intuitive insights.

Journaling

This practice allows us to empty our minds onto paper, thereby releasing the mental weight of our thoughts. The result is space for new ideas and realizations to emerge. Ask yourself how you feel and what you want, and write your thoughts, ideas, and impressions as they come to mind without analyzing or judging them.

Silence

Silence removes external stimuli that activates the brain, allowing for a more introspective state. The mind quiets down and experiences deeper self-reflection and relaxation.

Play

Play engages the brain in a more spontaneous and open state because the prefrontal cortex responsible for focused attention and conscious decision-making is less actively engaged. Creativity flows.

Inner Focus

Making a habit of tuning into our intuition before seeking the opinions of third parties encourages a more instinctive approach to life. After some practice, we will begin to regularly receive welcome revelations.

Discover how to swap anxiety for joy.