The Hope Blog

Autumn (Fall in North America) provides the perfect example of how change occurs. It involves the letting go of the old to make room for the new.

Research shows that reducing our exposure to news and social media can reduce stress levels, increase productivity, and make us less prone to negative mental states. Here are some exercises to help you turn off the noise.

Bhikkhu is the title for a fully-ordained monk in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, and can be translated as ‘one who lives on alms’. The idea is that by getting support from lay people, the monks will not need to work. They can then focus all of their attention on their spiritual practices in pursuit of enlightenment.

Forgiving isn’t about saying that the behaviour was ok, or accepting excuses for the way people may have treated us and then letting them do it again and again. By forgiving those who have hurt us the first thing that happens is we no longer need to carry that hurt within ourselves.

It’s not outside events that cause our feelings and behaviours, but rather our thoughts about them. Here we look at some of the most common thinking traps that can get us into trouble.

Substance abuse may be a conscious or unconscious attempt to self-medicate for Attention Deficit Disorder. Here we look at some of the reasons for why this happens and what can be done about it.