Wise Mind Living Archives

3 Essential Tips to Improve Your Relationship

Relationships are complicated and can cause emotional stress—to be successful they take work.

Here are three simple strategies I teach all of the couples I work with that you can use to improve your relationship today.

Put the other person first.

Deep down you know that you should put your partner first—but it’s hard to do because it makes you feel vulnerable.

You worry that if you don’t put yourself first you won’t get your needs met. But take a look at any successful relationship you admire and I bet you’ll see that they put each other’s needs first.

This is the issue […]

2021-08-27T04:13:39+00:00By Erin Olivo|Improve Your Relationships, Wise Mind Living, Forgiveness|Comments Off

Why I Wrote Wise Mind Living

Today is an exciting day for me: my first book, Wise Mind Living: Master Your Emotions, Transform Your Life, has officially launched.

I wrote this book because I believe most people have the wrong idea about what stress is, which is why they aren’t very good at managing it.

What we need to do is learn how to manage our distressing emotions—because that’s what stress really is.

Wise Mind Living is an owner’s manual to your emotions. As a clinical psychologist with 19-years experience treating patients, I realized that most people have no idea how […]

2021-08-27T04:13:39+00:00By Erin Olivo|Wise Mind Living|Comments Off

The Best Ways to Cope With Negativity

Have you ever had one of those days where your exposure to negativity is overwhelming?

I had one this week. After a long day at the office, I turned on the evening news and heard about the shooting in Ottawa, the ongoing fear of the Ebola virus, and the continuing ISIS attacks.

Whew – sometimes it feels like the world is going crazy!

It’s hard to not let the negatives around us become negatives inside us. But you don’t have to let the bad news ruin your day or make you anxious.

Here are three tips to help you shake off the […]

2021-08-27T04:13:39+00:00By Erin Olivo|Be Happier, Wise Mind Living, Anxiety Relief, Gratitude, Acceptance|Comments Off

Why Mindfulness Meditation Improves Athletic Performance

Whether or not you’re a basketball fan, you’ve probably heard of Phil Jackson, the “Zen Master” who led Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, and then Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, to a record-setting 11 NBA championships.

He’s currently the president of the New York Knicks and just announced that the team is undergoing mandatory mindfulness meditation training.

As someone who has practiced mindfulness meditation for 20 years and teaches it to my patients, I was thrilled to hear this news—but not because I’m a crazy Knicks fan. (Truth be told, as a Duke alumni I […]

2021-08-27T04:13:39+00:00By Erin Olivo|Live Mindfully, Wise Mind Living, Meditation|Comments Off

Why Spending Time In Nature is Key to Stress Reduction

Fall is officially in full swing! The lazy days of summer have been replaced with a hustle and bustle that coincided with the kids going back to school.

You can feel the energy in the air, and for me it’s even more intense this year for several good reasons.

In addition to prepping for the launch of my book and working with my patients, I just started writing for the Oz Blog! I’m very excited to be working with Dr. Oz again. You can read my first post here […]

2021-08-27T04:13:39+00:00By Erin Olivo|Stress Less, Wise Mind Living, Anxiety Relief|Comments Off

How to Reduce Your Fear of the Ebola Virus

Fears about the Ebola virus have reached an all time high since the discovery of a case in Dallas this week.

But despite the fact that experts say the chances of an outbreak happening in the US are extremely low, the current media coverage is feeding people’s fears instead of helping to minimize them.

Here are some Wise Mind Living strategies to help you avoid joining the Ebola hysteria.

1. Check the facts
Make sure you only get information from non-sensational, respected sources. And once you have it, try not to give in to emotion biased, catastrophic thinking […]

2021-08-27T04:13:39+00:00By Erin Olivo|Wise Mind Living|Comments Off

Why Hitting Kids Never Solves the Problem: Corporal Punishment & Emotion Mind

Take a moment to imagine this scene: Someone much bigger than you who also has control over your life, either hits you or strikes you with a belt or a switch.

Really try to picture this situation in your mind and then put yourself into this scene. What are you feeling?

I bet your heart is racing, you’re having trouble catching your breath, you feel shaky and weak in the knees, and you probably want to cry.

You might want to hit back and you’re certainly having trouble thinking clearly. Depending on the circumstances that led up to being hit, you […]

2021-08-27T04:13:40+00:00By Erin Olivo|Wise Mind Living, Parenting|Comments Off

13 Ways to Beat Stress in 15 Minutes or Less

Stress is a problem that has reached epidemic proportions in our society and we can all use a quick fix now and again.

Health.com put together a list of expert-approved methods to relax when your usual stressbusters just aren’t cutting it, and I was happy to contribute. Check out the link here.

And if you’re looking for more information on how to relieve stress and anxiety, check out the updated Toolkit for Stress Help and Anxiety Help.

I’ve been using Wise Mind Living strategies a lot lately as […]

2021-08-27T04:13:40+00:00By Erin Olivo|Wise Mind Living|Comments Off

Spring Cleaning For Your Mind: How To Rid Yourself of Negative Thinking Patterns

After a long, cold winter, now is the perfect time for a rejuvenating spring cleaning. But don’t limit yourself to emptying your closets and scrubbing the kitchen. Your mind needs a good spring cleaning too.

I suggest you start by de-cluttering your mind and cleaning out your negative thinking patterns to boost your emotional health.

When dealing with stress and anxiety, we tend to think in distorted ways and fall into Emotion Mind and the pitfalls of negative thinking patterns—the complete opposite of Wise Mind Living.

I’ve listed eight of the most common […]

2021-08-27T04:13:40+00:00By Erin Olivo|Feel Better About Yourself, Wise Mind Living|Comments Off

What’s Love Got to Do With It? 5 Tips to Reconnect, Repair and Recommit to Your Most Important Relationships

Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day shows up like clockwork every February 14th, and there’s nothing you can do to change that. What you can change is your attitude about this holiday.

2021-08-27T04:13:40+00:00By Erin Olivo|Improve Your Relationships, Wise Mind Living, Acceptance|Comments Off