Read the Dalai Lama’s complete message here. The Tibetan spiritual leader had also previously sent a message to one of the children who had drawn a picture of him. The event, held at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, included speakers, art, and writing from more than 10,000 Appleton students about what compassion looks like. The panels will remain on display at the Trout Museum of Art through June. For more information about the Appleton compassion project, read Kids Explore Compassion through Creativity, and Compassion Art Project Launches Exhibition....

Roughly half of people who are addicted to opioids also suffer from acute or chronic pain. In a study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, researchers at the University of Utah and Rutgers University found that adults who received methadone treatment combined with mindfulness training were 1.3 times more effective at controlling their cravings. They also were more likely to report less stress, a more positive mood, and less pain than those receiving typical methadone treatment and counseling....

As phsychologist-coaches Susan David and Christina Congleton write for the Harvard Business Review, since there are few avenues for addressing negative thoughts and feelings in the office environment, leaders can get hooked on these feelings. From the article: The prevailing wisdom says that difficult thoughts and feelings have no place at the office: Executives, and particularly leaders, should be either stoic or cheerful; they must project confidence and damp down any negativity bubbling up inside them....

Normally, I try to be mindful during my social encounters. But somehow, when I’m behind the wheel of my car—surrounded by people of every imaginable age, race, economic class, and gender—that part of my brain shuts down. It’s not an exaggeration to say that, during most of my drive time, I’m focused on everything but the moment I’m engaged in. Except, of course, if someone cuts me off, wavers from their lane, or makes a left turn without signaling....

When this slight, bookish New Yorker from the Upper East Side launches into his “How I Fell in Love with a Fish” story, people wonder who is this guy? Is he a chef, an environmentalist, or just plain eccentric? When he talks about chasing geese around an oak forest in Spain, he sounds like a Don Quixote of the table. But he’s also rigorously analytical and a noted polemicist on the op-ed page of The New York Times....

Maybe there are limits to how much we can absorb with a screen in front of our face as opposed to just experiencing something. Psychologist Linda Henkel studies human memory at Fairfield University in Connecticut. Some of her recent studies suggest that taking photographs can impair our memory—we’d actually be able to recall details of an object or experience better if we hadn’t photographed it. Henkel cautions that this is not an “unplug” moment where we need to become luddites and abdicate all forms of human recording....

“If you tell me I’ve got to carry a camera bag and lenses and all that stuff, I bow out of that a lot,” says Bell. “So that’s really where the iPhone became so big for me.” Bell has three tips for people looking to snap better photos with their iPhone. He’s working with an iPhone 4, so some of the tips might not apply to newer phones. 1. Find a good camera app for your phone “The native camera app on the phone isn’t very good because it doesn’t give you control over focus and how you expose the picture,” says Bell....

Stories That Spark Wonder Journalist Ambar Castillo and scientist/ writer Brittany Trang are the 2022-2023 recipients of the new Sharon Begley Science Reporting Fellowship. Throughout her career, Begley was highly respected for her writing, which appeared in numerous publications, including Mindful (her Brain Science column appeared in every issue up to Spring 2021). She was also a tireless mentor to up-and-coming writers. The paid one-year fellowship, with funding raised by Begley’s husband and other donors, carries on her legacy by “diversifying the ranks of science and health journalists and fostering better coverage of science that is relevant to all,” according to STATnews....

Casualties Not all military injuries are as readily visible as those sustained on the battlefield. Yet the pain they cause may be just as deep, and it ripples through families and communities. • More than 155,000 US troops have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder over the past 24 years. • More than 26,000 military men and women were sexually assaulted in 2011, up from 19,000 the previous year. • Fewer than 20% of those who say they’ve been assaulted have formally reported the crimes....

What community-based public-health looks like Tita Angangco, pictured below, co-founded the Centre six years ago with Patricia Rockman, MD, and runs the Community Program. Pat, who was busy working with faculty and staff that morning, is in charge of all training and education, and is responsible for the Centre being the premiere place for clinicians in Ontario to be trained in mindfulness. Tita is standing in front of PARC: The Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre, where homeless and precariously housed people come for a wide variety of services, including mindfulness, a good hot meal, and some companionship....

If chasing happiness during times of hardship is this precarious, how can hardship have a relationship with joy? Begin with Presence When we allow ourselves to sit with our emotions as they arise, we sometimes realize feelings like fear, grief, or anger are necessary, and even useful. These emotions can create space for personal appraisal, which in turn opens the door for new insights to emerge. Trauma is a powerful force that’s often accompanied by strong feelings and the need to grieve or recover, and giving yourself the time to do so is essential....

The analogy helps as we understand more about the workings of mind, brain, and body together. Much human stress comes from our clumsy handling of animal drives. Whereas a horse just acts in a horse-like way, following its instincts for better or worse, we are blessed (sometimes cursed) with the cognitive capacity to reflect on what’s going on. This brings great power, as we no longer have to follow every feeling within us, but also great suffering, because our deeply-rooted drives remain strong, not easily managed by the more recently evolved skill of self-mastery....

We’re all feeling anxious right now, which is a natural (and logical) response to these crazy days. But what you and I know, and what our mindfulness practice helps support, is that it’s our essential goodness, kindness, and compassion that will carry us through. This virus has uncovered for the world something we in the mindfulness community already know: that we’re all connected on a level that we can only barely comprehend....

The mind always yearns for something more. It might desire a new experience, a pleasant feeling or sensation, or crave the acquisition of something that it feels will bring pleasure. However, the experiences, sensations, and/or pleasant feelings that we strive for don’t last and we often find ourselves wanting more. The one thing we can count on in this life is impermanence and continuous change. Here are a few examples of impermanence:...

Published by Sounds True, the book promises to show readers how to: For more information or to pre-order the book, click here. To read an excerpt from the book, click here.

Salesforce supports mindfulness for kids Software giant Salesforce has made mindfulness a central theme in its philanthropy. The company, which is based in San Francisco, has pledged $15.5 million to two Bay Area school districts to bolster computer science programs, train teachers, and support mindfulness training for students. Mindfulness lifts off You may have meditated on a plane before—either on your own or using one of the in-flight entertainment guided meditation programs offered by many big airlines including Delta, British Airways, and, as of October, American Airlines—but now the trend is really taking off....

Try incorporating this practice into your daily routine. As best you can, do this practice in a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed or distracted. This might mean closing your office door, turning off your phone, or pausing in your car in the driveway when you get home from work. You can do this practice either lying down or sitting. If sitting, aim for a posture that’s supported, balanced, and upright but not rigid....

Just going through the motions happens when you are physically doing everything you should, but mentally you are playing over the events of the day, worrying about what your best friend or your crush might be thinking, planning what you’ll do after practice or on the weekend, or any number of other possible scenarios that are anything but paying attention to your swimming. Sometimes your coaches cue you into what you should be thinking about....