mindfulness

Feelings VII: It’s Not All About Hurt

Sep 9, 2018

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by

Ron Johnson

in appreciation, emotional maturity, happiness, mindfulness, positive psychology, relationships, self-awareness, Uncategorized

How odd it must seem to start this blog with what seems like a contradiction to the title of the previous blog, “It’s All About Hurt.” All about hurt? Not all about hurt? What am I trying to say? I am saying that both are true, however paradoxical that sounds. In Feelings 6 we talked…
Feelings 6: It’s All About Hurt

Sep 8, 2018

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by

Ron Johnson

in emotional maturity, feelings, mindfulness, positive psychology, relationships, self-awareness

We have talked about the phenomenon of hurt in previous “Feelings” blogs, primarily in Feelings: 2 (Expressing Feelings), but it behooves us to return to hurt and unpack it a bit. I will cover the following things about “hurt”: Hurt is another of the important undefinable words that we can have an understanding about without…
Mind over Matter IV: Addictions

Aug 17, 2018

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by

Ron Johnson

in emotional maturity, feelings, happiness, men’s issues, mindfulness, positive psychology, self-awareness

This is the fourth blog in the Mind over Matter series. Initially we discussed the theory of mind and brain, noting that the “mind” is a real entity but undefinable, along with the different functions of the mind and the brain. In Mind over Matter II we discussed how the brain creates anger, anxiety, and…
Mind Over Matter III: Mind Over Brain

Jul 23, 2018

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by

Ron Johnson

in emotional maturity, feelings, happiness, mindfulness, positive psychology, relationships, self-awareness, social esteem

This is the third blog in the Mind over Matter series. Previously, we discussed the theory involved in understanding the different functions of the mind and the brain. We discussed in Mind over Matter II how the brain creates anger, anxiety, and depression in order to provide safety for people. In this discussion we want…
Mind Over Matter II: Practice

Jul 23, 2018

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by

Ron Johnson

in emotional maturity, feelings, happiness, mindfulness, positive psychology, self-awareness, social esteem

In our first blog on Mind Over Matter we discussed the theory of “mind over matter,” namely the idea of getting full use of both mind and brain. We discussed several things that distinguish the operations of the mind and the brain: What is the brain? The brain is a machine, a wonderful machine at…
Mind Over Matter

Jun 27, 2018

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by

Ron Johnson

in emotional maturity, feelings, mindfulness, self-awareness

The most important thing I learned in physics is that the central ingredients of the universe are undefined. My high school physics teacher always had us write out definitions of various ingredients, like space, velocity, and weight. He also included three requests for definitions of time, distance, and mass. It took me some time…
Loving and Liking II: The Importance of Not Liking your Spouse

May 21, 2018

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by

Ron Johnson

in Connection, emotional maturity, family, feelings, happiness, marital, men’s issues, mindfulness, positive psychology, relationships, self-awareness, social esteem, Uncategorized

In our first blog on the loving/not liking phenomenon we discussed how important it is to distinguish liking and loving. Both of these phenomena are of central importance in having successful relationships as well as have an emotionally satisfying life. Simply stated: Loving is natural and often immediate. Loving is most immediate and natural with…
Who’s in Control

Apr 30, 2018

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by

Ron Johnson

in Connection, emotional maturity, feelings, marital, mindfulness, self-awareness, Uncategorized

I’ve heard a lot about “control,” most of it negative. Like, “He’s a control freak,” or “She just has to control everybody in her life.” And then there is the other side, which seems to affirm that you can’t control anything and shouldn’t try like, “What’s going to happen is just going to happen” or…
Happiness II: Pleasure and Joy

Jan 11, 2018

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by

Ron Johnson

in appreciation, Connection, Discovery, feelings, happiness, mindfulness, self-awareness

This is the second of two blogs on happiness, the first being on “Wanting and Liking.” Here I want to discuss the experiences of pleasure and joy. Know, however, that all four of these words (wanting, liking, pleasure, joy), and probably many more, are approximate ways of understanding this feeling of happiness. We know a…
Happiness I: Wanting and Liking

Jan 8, 2018

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by

Ron Johnson

in appreciation, Discovery, feelings, happiness, mindfulness, self-awareness

This is the first of two articles on “happiness”. The second one will be on “joy and pleasure.” Wanting, liking, joy, and pleasure all can lead to happiness, the seeking of happiness, and the finding of happiness. This article is on the difference between wanting and liking, which are both related to finding happiness in…