Life in Small Bites

Pema Chodron (a rockin’ Buddhist nun) tells us we need to catch ourselves the moment we fall into old, negative patterns. Failing to do so is like pouring concrete over that (potentially) beautiful garden that is our lives.

And, well, concrete gardens pretty much suck. So, let’s not do that.

Make it a game. See if you can catch yourself right as you slip into weenie-ville. Notice your pissiness, fear, anger, anxiety, overwhelm, RIGHT when it arises and see if you can aikido that energy into something more constructive. Doesn’t matter what you do, just do ANYTHING other than the old destructive patterns.

Take a dozen deep breaths, go for a walk, sing a song, do a few pushups or jumping jacks, go for a run, whatever it takes to break the pattern and let your goodness garden bloom before you dump a ton of concrete all over it!

P.S. For the record, scientific research supports this whole concrete garden dealio. Bad mood + rumination = toxic.

Check out Sonja Lyubomirsky’s brilliant book, The How of Happiness(and/or my PhilosophersNote on it) for more goodness on that subject!P.S. Check out the mini-video for this chapter here!