Have you ever had one of those days where you just can't seem to get a break? 

You wake up late, spill your coffee and hit every red light... each unfavorable incident seems to propel another. 

1) Recognize you are in a negative spiral; 

2) Once you catch yourself, STOP, take a breath;

3) Try the non-toothache meditation inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh. 

Thich Nhat Hanh would often remind us that when we are experiencing a toothache “we know that not having a toothache is a wonderful thing. Yet when we don’t have a toothache we are still not happy.” 

When experiencing something unpleasant like a toothache we often focus only on getting relief. Once we get that relief - unless we’ve engaged in a lot of mind training - we are likely to shift focus onto something ELSE that's unpleasant.

The non-toothache practice involves being intentionally grateful - focus on the fact that it feels good to "not have a toothache." The essence of the practice is about cultivating that same sense of relief in your body when you no longer have pain. We can use this practice with anything difficult or unpleasant. 

There are two ways I like to practice this: 

1) Deliberately and regularly taking time to write down what is "not wrong" and what is good in my life - focus on each thing and feeling it fully in my body. 

2) In-the-moment practice - noticing that I’m in a negative spiral and need to shift. Then simply taking a deep breath and shift focus on what is good and what is not wrong right now. 

Try to feel the pleasure of not having a toothache or whatever other pain comes up that may be absent and try to hold it for at least 30 seconds. 

No one needs to know what you are up to and these are powerful ways to shift - often when it matters most!

Of all the good things in my life right now what brings me the greatest fulfillment is community and connection. Thank you for being part of my life!

As always, I'm sharing resources and events below. I hope we continue to cross paths on our journeys.

PS 

In celebration of summer, I'm offering a huge discount on the SEL Every Day Courses. There are even greater discounts for multi-users and you have the option of earning 3-6 Graduate Credits.

• Nurturing friendships and community with like-minded parents and groups can reinforce your values of quality time over screen time - I was blessed to meet Sam at a Bay Area Educator Sangha gathering over 20 years ago!