Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Feelings come first today, quite literally, as you'll probably be swimming in them all morning. The moon enters its home sign of soft and sensitive Cancer during the wee hours, but immediately squares off with illusive Neptune. Is it intuition or anxiety? It's hard to say when you're surrounded by Neptune's disorienting fog. Grab a cup of coffee, ground yourself in reality, and trust your gut.

I have completely lost it. Bruised, battered, beat, and busted down, I've created such a fortress around me that I don't even let kindness in, that is if I even see it at all. But when I do see it, you can be sure it feels odd, and I even shut myself off to it because I'm so numb to giving or receiving kindness.

At the top, I lay down on my back, in what felt like complete silence. A few minutes later, I began to notice the sounds emanating from my own body. A cup of coffee sloshing around my stomach. The whoosh of blood circulating around my skull. After 15 minutes, what sounded like a helicopter flew over my shoulder. It turned out to be a hummingbird, which began hovering three feet from my face, the sound of its wings almost comically loud.

These kinds of thoughts can sneak in when you're tired, overwhelmed, or having a particularly hard day. One thing goes wrong, then another, and suddenly you're not just having a bad moment, you're spiraling into a brutal internal monologue. It's the opposite of a pep talk. It's a judgment talk. And it's exhausting. That harsh inner voice doesn't make you stronger; it drains you.

Next time that happens, try calming yourself down with a soothing round of " resonance breathing." This technique, popular on TikTok and beyond, is about breathing in and out at the same frequency. Instead of gasping for air, holding your breath, or breathing unpredictably, you inhale for five seconds, exhale for five seconds, and focus on maintaining a rhythm. Sometimes called "coherent" or "resonance frequency breathing," the method is just that: taking equally slow and more even breaths, says Chloë Bean, LMFT, a somatic trauma therapist in Los Angeles.

There's a particular kind of heartbreak that happens when you realize some of your prayers are going nowhere. There's a painful silence that follows unanswered calls. Yet, despite the ache, I can still feel the pull to pray to the God outside of myself-that old reflex to place faith in something bigger, some invisible force in the sky, who, apparently, can make things happen magically here on Earth. But it doesn't always go that way, does it?

Between now and the winter solstice, write down 13 things you'd like to see happen in 2026. Don't write them down as "I wish," "I want," or "I'd like," but rather "I have" or "I am" statements, she specifies. You might do one or two a week, making sure they feel true to you and are things that hold meaning. When you're done writing one down, fold it and hold onto it.

We all struggle with self-doubt at times. Maybe it shows up as a nagging voice that says you're not good enough, or as a harsher self- bully. And it can especially be a problem for highly sensitive people who tend to turn against themselves. But these messages of inadequacy don't have to control your life. By bringing mindful attention to your inner thoughts and feelings, you can begin to open more fully to your struggles, ultimately nurturing greater self-understanding, self-empathy, and self-compassion.

In a city where stress levels run high and phone screens rarely go dim, New York college students are getting an unlikely new therapist this week: cats. From October 8-10, Purina Cat Chow is parking a roving "Therapod" around Manhattan campuses to mark World Mental Health Day-and give students a reason to put down their phones and pick up a purring feline instead.

How do you navigate difficult conversations? During these divisive and tumultuous times, it can be hard to communicate productively with others, especially with those whose perspectives differ significantly from our own. Whatever the topic, whatever our viewpoints or theirs, there's typically nothing easy about these discussions. And often the parties walk away feeling unheard, along with some mixture of feeling frustration, anger, sadness, resentment, grief, defensiveness, loss, overwhelm, or other uncomfortable emotions.

Early this morning, the moon shifts into passionate Aries before linking up with idealistic Neptune, setting the stage for emotional and confusing exchanges. In your haste to express yourself or share an inspired idea, be wary of making assumptions or crossing a firm boundary. This afternoon brings calculated and intense energy as mindset-ruling Mercury wades into sharp and probing Scorpio.

"Shoshin" means both beginner's mind and heart. It's often difficult to give up "expert" status at a later age. Comfort can keep us locked in old, unhelpful patterns.

For many of us, the workplace in recent years has been dominated by anxiety. How will we keep our people safe? How will we adjust and adapt to hybrid work? How will we continue to be productive and profitable? How will I prove myself indispensable in the age of AI and keep my job? In this high- stress and high-stakes environment, some of this worry is a positive motivator, encouraging us to anticipate and prepare for future challenges.

Though not scientific, this exercise was representative of the body's fight response: In a tightened, constricted pose, we tend to feel boxed into our discomfort, like a suitcase packed too tightly or a cup filled to the very brim. When we experience anxiety, our body's natural, automatic response is to shift immediately into a tightened, constricted state, much like an animal bearing down to protect itself from an attack by a predator.

Awareness is both pervasive and subtle. Paradoxically, it is at once everywhere and seemingly nowhere. It's everywhere because you can't experience anything outside of awareness, pretty much by definition. In every direction, everything you see, hear, and feel is happening in awareness. You can't step out of awareness to see what the world would be like from outside it. Yet, because it's so omnipresent, it's easy to take for granted and miss.

A few years ago, I caught myself doing something that made no sense. It was late evening, my kids were asleep, the house finally quiet. I'd been counting down to this moment all day-dreaming of sinking into the couch, wrapping myself in a blanket, maybe even reading a book without distractions. But when I lay down and closed my eyes, something inside me lurched.

A man in his mid-50s with a spine bent in half from multiple bullet wounds, Darryl is practically skipping from cell to cell, rousing the other detainees and encouraging them to join us for class in the makeshift studio-an otherwise unused basketball court with no nets. The gray space is windowless and aggressively lit overhead, yet free of all distractions. If you close your eyes and take a deep, deeply vulnerable breath, ignoring the security guard with a taser on his hip hovering at the door, you can imagine this is a cement sanctuary for silent contemplation, maybe even healing.

You've heard the stories about the young genius who starts a billion-dollar company in their garage. Or the dramatic video of someone quitting their job to "finally follow their passion." The world can't get enough of these tales of people breaking molds, chasing dreams, and shaking up entire industries. We've been taught to aim for loud success and take big leaps. Change the world or go home.

October is here like a comforting sip of spiced cider. Every month, I ask my tarot deck, "What do we need to know?" In the weeks ahead, you're learning what empowerment feels like. This five-card spread I created represents... Energy: Your vibe right now. Situation: What's happening around you. Obstacle: A struggle you're facing. Action: What to do about it. Lesson: What you'll learn from this.

Happy October! This month kicks off in the thick of Libra season, which is an ideal time to bring balance to your wallet and working relationships alike. Plus, the equilibrium-steadying energy of this zodiac sign is much-needed after the chaos of September's eclipses - and the astrology of October brings some big opportunities to make some serious moves. You'll want to know exactly what's on the agenda for your October money horoscope.

The late James Doty, a neurosurgeon and professor at Stanford University, wrote in his 2024 book "Mind Magic" about how meditation paired with repetition of messages can change a person's subconscious. This could look like closing your eyes before bed to relax, meditating and visualizing an intention like earning a new job title or mastering piano. Afterward, write the intention on a piece of paper and keep it nearby, reading it often.

This problem is urgent because I have seen too many colleagues and friends suffer serious health consequences in the name of productivity. A new research study in the UK and Australia reports that our behaviors are driven by habits and not conscious intention 65% of the time. We all understand that sustaining peak performance over time requires regular maintenance rests, but forming new habits and disrupting old habits will require intentionality, artistic vision, and a combination of diverse tools.

Golfers know it. Musicians know it. And anyone who's ever overprepared for a conversation knows it: Tension gets in the way of flow. When golfers try to control every variable, they often tighten up and slice the shot. But when they swing easily, trusting their preparation and instincts, the ball flies straighter and farther. In a world that glorifies the hustle and bustle, the idea of doing less to achieve more feels almost rebellious.

I want to be the slowest sitarist on the planet, Rishab Sharma says. Everyone is trying their gimmicks and playing as fast as they can but I want to provide a sense of comfort and peace when we're so busy and full of anxiety. The youngest of Ravi Shankar's sitar disciples, 27-year-old Sharma has spent the past five years transforming the ancient Indian classical instrument into a tool for wellbeing.

For years, I thought strength meant pushing through. Getting on with it. Holding it together no matter what. Not showing weakness. Not needing help. Not slowing down. Even when I was diagnosed with a chronic illness, I wore that mindset like armor. I was determined not to let it define me-let alone derail me. But eventually, it did. Not because I was weak. But because I was human. And that was the beginning of a different kind of strength.

Happy Birthday: Put your to-do list together, and pick up the pace. Eliminate what's not necessary. Get organized and ready to turn the page and move on to the next chapter in your life. Letting go is never easy, but it is necessary if you want to explore the possibilities. A lifestyle change will present a learning curve but also ignite your imagination. Embrace what excites you most. Your numbers are 6, 18, 22, 27, 33, 42, 48.

Looking ahead for myself, all I could see were broken shards, glomming and splintering, far from the awed and vibrant colors and geometric shapes that reform with the twist of the kaleidoscope in transition. I was early in my career as a counselor. More by dumb luck than prescient insight, somewhere deep within me I knew that I was vulnerable and at risk to make really bad choices. I was hurting and needed to feel better.