“Be happy in the moment; that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.”

We all waste so much energy fighting against what I would consider and define as “the flow of life”. These are the things we do not like to accept in our life: certain weaknesses and flaws in ourselves, in others and in the world. You can name concrete examples in your life. May it be the body odor of your partner after workouts, the horrible humour of your inlaws, Canadian winters or the fear of death.

Mahatma Gandhi once said,

“A man/woman is a product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”

Science backs this up. According to a recent study by Massachusetts General Hospital, consistent mindfulness literally changes the neurons in your brain.

So if you practice mindfulness in moments of anxiety or depression – and you take positive actions such as listing 5 great things you have going for you – your brain will transform your experience on a chemical level.

I love this Serenity Prayer (which is usually attributed to American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr) is a wonderful touchstone for exactly this purpose:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change

The courage to change the things I can

And the wisdom to know the difference