by Richard Amaral | Jun 18, 2022 | Change, Emotions, Lifestyle, Mind-Body Health, Stress, Thinking
I enjoy having plants around my home. It helps clean the air, adds colour to any space, and it feels rewarding to take care of something and then watch it grow. While all plants seem to grow differently and at different rates, nothing grows as tall or as...
by Richard Amaral | May 14, 2022 | Emotions, Mental Health, Mind-Body Health, Relationships, Thinking
Last week (May 2-8) was Mental Health Week, and when you visit the Canadian Mental Health Association’s website, you see the word “empathy” highlighted and emphasized on their landing page. I’m glad they highlighted this particular word....
by Richard Amaral | Apr 10, 2022 | Emotions, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Mind-Body Health, Psychology, Thinking
In last week’s post, I talked about how I build hope during difficult times. In summary, I try to do three things: Put effort into finding hope Spend time with hopeful people Embrace uncertainty In today’s post, I want to explore point #1 – putting...
by Richard Amaral | Apr 2, 2022 | Emotions, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Mind-Body Health, Psychology, Relationships, Thinking
Just as people worldwide start to return to some normalcy in life, I’m coming across headlines indicating there could be another wave of COVID infections. Added to this are continued news stories about the war in Ukraine. And let’s not forget...
by Richard Amaral | Mar 13, 2022 | CBT, Emotions, Mental Health, Mind-Body Health, Psychology, Stress, Thinking
Although my day-to-day thoughts and feelings continue to be strongly influenced by the war in Ukraine, I do find myself getting better at accepting them. The ideas I’m using to help me in this regard come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Acceptance...
by Richard Amaral | Mar 5, 2022 | Emotions, Mental Health, Mind-Body Health, Thinking
Over the last week, it’s been impossible for me not to read, watch, or think about the war in Ukraine. And when I do think about the war, it leads to dreadful thoughts and images in my mind and heavy, uncomfortable sensations in my body. But I’m sure the...
