Why you need to stop thinking so much Alia E. Dastagir, USA TODAY
Ali Stroker book offers representation, empowerment
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When psychotherapist Nancy Colier decided to write a book about addiction to thinking, people told her the premise was absurd. One person called it ridiculous. Another said, “Nothing is possible without thinking!” A friend asked mockingly, “So then, I should face a blank wall and hum Om for the rest of my life? Life is short . I want to be in it!”
It was, Colier writes, as if people thought thinking was life. Can t Stop Thinking: How to Let Go of Anxiety and Free Yourself from Obsessive Rumination (New Harbinger Publications, 160 pp.) isn t an anti-thinking book, she said, but an effort to help people liberate themselves from the obsessive rumination, catastrophizing and negative self-thoughts that have plagued many of her clients over her 25 years in practice.
(l-r) Nicki Breuer and Catherine Ellsmere
Thirty years ago, when Catherine Ellsmere and Nicki Breuer co-founded Odin Books in Vancouver, the idea of a mental-health bookstore was considered provocative. âThe Scientologists werenât that happy with us,â Ellsmere says, recalling arguments with customers who demanded she stock L. Ron Hubbardâs
Dianetics. âWe are very clear that we have evidence-based resources in our store.â
Though the culture has largely realized the importance of psychological wellness, Odin Books is still one of the only bookstores in Canada focused on normalizing conversations around mental health. With the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating a broad range of mental-health issues, Ellsmere has found a new clientele that is grappling with such dilemmas for the first time. She spoke to
Practice Mindful Kindness
There are two components of mindful kindness:
1. Consideration and action regarding the social conditions, practices, and policies that prevent employees from finding the good in human nature.
2. Random acts of kindness conducted in mindful ways that are sensitive, inclusive, and equitable.
Both of these components focus on treating everyone with mutual care and respect:
·   Practice honesty with consideration. Brutal feedback is not kind. Be clear, direct, and compassionate.
·   Show you care with unconditional acceptance. While you might not like or accept certain behavior, separate the action from the person.
·   Step through fear to do what is right, right now. Be courageous, and practice justice and compassion for all.
The Need for Kind Leaders From:
Is your organization led by kind leaders?
This year has been like no other. Most leaders and managers are eager to put it behind them. Yet, we re not out of the woods. A culture of kindness will make it easier.
Researchers have found that kindness is associated with better and stronger physical and mental health; relationships, teams, and communities; life satisfaction, and even economics. According to researcher and psychologist Dacher Keltner, PhD, The science of human emotion, kindness and goodness are not to be taken lightly, they are actually good for our bodies and minds.