When did you first start practicing mindfulness and why were you motivated to do so? I have been an angry person for as long as I can remember—grumpy and angry. I would go days without noticing my own body, often undernourished and in physical pain. Being in nature has always been an important experience for me—a disproportionate number of my peaceful moments have occurred there. Reading and listening to the works of Pema Chodron allowed me to realize that I could have that feeling all the time!...

** Try out one of our favorite faux hawk braid looks and see for yourself why we’re so obsessed with this style: 1. Tucked Dutch Braid Want to upgrade your basic Dutch braid? Then style it in this tucked braided faux mohawk look! You can also create a similar look by styling your hair in a French braid faux hawk. Make sure you tame any flyaways with Dove Style+Care Flexible Hold Hairspray....

Christopher Pepping and his colleagues at Griffith University in Australia conducted two studies to demonstrate that mindfulness skills help enhance self-esteem. In the first study, the researchers administered questionnaires to undergraduate students in an introductory psychology course to measure their mindfulness skills and their self-esteem. The researchers anticipated that four aspects of mindfulness would predict higher self-esteem: The four aspects of mindfulness that predict higher self-esteem 1) Labeling internal experiences with words, which might prevent people from getting consumed by self-critical thoughts and emotions; 2) Bringing a non-judgmental attitude toward thoughts and emotions, which could help individuals have a neutral, accepting attitude toward the self; 3) Sustaining attention on the present moment, which could help people avoid becoming caught up in self-critical thoughts that relate to events from the past or future; 4) Letting thoughts and emotions enter and leave awareness without reacting to them....

In the face of this global crisis—and a sudden, desperate need to get back to my home in Canada—I found myself relying more and more on practicing mindfulness. So, while I wait to hear if I get to go back home soon, I thought I’d share the five mindfulness lessons I learned recently while traveling during a pandemic. Five Mindfulness Lessons for COVID-19 Stress Five Mindfulness Lessons for COVID-19 Stress...