Amy Pattee Colvin's Blog

It’s December. The holidays bring twinkling lights, the scent of baking cookies, gatherings with friends and family, and stress. A recent survey by the American Psychological Association, Stress in America, showed that even without the upcoming holidays 24 percent of adults report extreme stress. The increased social and financial pressures of this season often create […]

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A friend recently suggested I read The Strangest Secret, an essay written in the 1950’s by Earl Nightingale. In 1956 this essay was turned into a spoken word record and sold more than a million copies, making it the first spoken-word recording to achieve gold record status. From an early age Earl was curious about why […]

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    Mindfulness, Kindness, and Self-Appreciation ​How often do you find it easier to see your flaws rather than appreciate your strengths? If you answered, fairly often, you are not alone. Societal norms, educational environments, and/or family dynamics condition us to look at our failures rather than our successes. We internalize criticism and shrug off […]

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​How to breathe while meditating ​How breathing works Breathing is a natural part of life. When we’re not consciously controlling it, the autonomic nervous system controls our breath. This system works automatically, without conscious effort. Breathing is unique as compared to other visceral (e.g. digestion, endocrine cardiovascular) functions in that it can also be regulated voluntarily. Automatic breathing requires […]

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A friend recently asked me, if I could offer any quick and practical suggestions for maintaining hope during troubled times — times of polarized politics, international uncertainty,  and when determining if news stories are true or false becomes difficult.  She said she was beside herself with overwhelm and stress, and knew that I’d published a book on […]

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4 Practical Ways for Maintaining Hope in Troubled Times A friend recently asked me, if I could offer any quick and practical suggestions for maintaining hope during troubled times — times of polarized politics, international uncertainty,  and when determining if news stories are true or false becomes difficult.  She said she was beside herself with overwhelm and stress, […]

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A friend recently asked me, if I could offer any quick and practical suggestions for maintaining hope during troubled times — times of polarized politics, international uncertainty,  and when determining if news stories are true or false becomes difficult.  She said she was beside herself with overwhelm and stress, and knew that I’d published a book on […]

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How do you nurture personal development? Are you inspired by positive personal growth, extending acceptance and compassion for yourself and others?  Do you experience days when striving to be your best-self is overwhelming and you want to hide under a rock? Both of these perspectives are aspects of being human. Some days being open-hearted is […]

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Five Elements of Meditation (Infographic) All of us have heard about the benefits of eating healthfully, exercising regularly, sleeping well, spending quality time with loved ones. And, many of us are familiar with the concept of meditation but either convince ourselves that we can’t or don’t know how to do it, we don’t have time for […]

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Being at peace with yourself sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? But we know it certainly isn’t always easy. As we gain awareness of our emotions and thoughts, and as we authentically begin to believe and accept that we are enough just as we are, being at peace with ourselves becomes easier. Today let’s look at releasing […]

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