Mindful Mondays #3: Effortless Edition
Mindfulness, burnout, time, relationships, and a whole new theory of mental illness.
Hello and welcome to another edition of Mindful Mondays. This week, I’ll start out by sharing an excerpt from my most recent article, an introduction to the work of author and meditation teacher Loch Kelly. If you’re interested in learning a different approach to mindfulness, one that doesn’t require long hours of sitting meditation to make progress, I highly suggest you check this out…
Effortless Mindfulness for Beginners: An Introduction to Loch Kelly
When Loch Kelly was in graduate school–way back in 1981–he received a travel fellowship to study meditation in Sri Lanka, India, and Nepal. While in Sri Lanka, he completed a number of meditation retreats in the classical, Theravada Buddhist style.
At the end of his second 10-day retreat, he remembers being very clear: “no thoughts, complete stillness, feeling calm.” Then he got on the bus home. As the bus rolled through the mountains and tea plantations around Kandy, more and more people climbed aboard. Soon, the bus was very crowded. (If you’ve ever ridden a bus in South Asia, you know just how crowded).
At one stop, a very drunk man got on the bus… (Continue reading at ChrisCordry.com)
Articles of Interest:
Burnout Is About Your Workplace, Not Your People: A recent online discussion of burnout reminded me of this 2019 article from the Harvard Business Review. Whether you’re an employee or a business owner, it’s important to realize that self-care and wellness programs can only go so far. Most burnout is actually caused by conditions in the workplace.
The Tail End: In this now-classic blog post from Wait But Why, Tim Urban makes it graphically clear how little time we actually have left with those we love most, and why we should make it a priority to spend time with them.
Text Your Friends. It Matters More Than You Think: This NYT article reports some recent research showing the value of even brief check-ins with friends. As it turns out, we tend to under-rate how much our friends appreciate our reaching out to them, even by text.
Podcast of the Week:
This one is a doozy. In this most recent episode of the Tim Ferriss Show, Chris Palmer, MD of Harvard Medical School discusses a whole new theory of mental illness, one based on “brain energy,” metabolism, and mitochondrial health, including the potential benefits of ketogenic diets for those suffering from certain mental disorders.
I should note that while the science discussed here is very exciting, it’s also very new. Please speak with your physician before making any changes to your diet or medication regime based on this information.
Quote of the Week:
“We say ‘peace of mind’ but really what we want is peace from mind.”
—Naval Ravikant
New Feature: Ask Chris
Got a question you’d like me to answer in this newsletter? It could be related to a problem or challenge you’re facing, or just something you’re curious about in the realm of mindfulness, psychology, or personal growth. Either way, reply to this email and let me know. I’ll choose one question to answer each week.
That’s it for now. As always, thanks for reading, and if you have a moment, drop me a line to let me know what you thought of this week’s newsletter. What was your favorite link or takeaway?
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Until next week,
Chris Cordry, LMFT
I enjoyed the article about Loch Kelly on your website Chris. Good to know about his work.
Nice newsletter Chris. I loved the Naval quote!