The moment you can sit in stillness and silence, and actually allow your body and mind to become fully at rest, and be able to completely relax the same as if it’s been 1 minute or 1 hour; that is the moment that everything in life will come alive to you because you are at peace with nothing.If we search for happiness in something outside of ourselves, whether by drugs…
A lot of people think spirituality means that monks who renounce everything are the most spiritual, and the rest of us are doomed to suffering. I myself have found great peace in letting go of possessions and bad habits. I have discovered the freedom that comes from practicing minimalism and asceticism.But don’t get me wrong, I love all the pleasures and comforts of life. I used to love them too…
Q: Dear Todd, I was a minimalist when I was using cannabis every day, and later drinking and smoking cigarettes every day. I felt satisfied with those escapes plus daily meditation and exercise. Then I stopped drinking and within a year started collecting toys. It's an addiction replacement. I get a high from making the purchases, but honestly, having the toys gives me little to no joy. Once in a…
Hello beautiful soul,It took me 10 years of not drinking alcohol to finally realize that during my 10 years of drinking I was without a doubt a total alcoholic. I didn’t think I was. But one day it dawned on me, when alcohol touches my lips, I will drink it until I pass out. It’s the darndest thing.For ten plus years of heavy functional drinking, I was drinking because I…
Getting Rid of Your Unhealthy HabitsWhen we turn our attention inward, insights, ideas, wisdom and understanding arise. We allow space for ideas to enter.We also become experts in how our mind works. We no longer fall for the trap of neurosis because we are highly aware of its delusion. We no longer feed negativity because we now notice the patterns and can predict when it will come. We no longer…
Q: Dear Todd, I view smoking and vaping as negative habits and don’t want to be around people who do that, and don’t want to view them positively. I find these habits trigger me and make me pull away. Any suggestions?Todd Answers: That is very understandable. It's always difficult to see our loved ones or people we care about doing something harmful whether it's vaping or doing even more harmful…
Smartphones are like refrigerators on steroids. Remember the old days? We’d go to the fridge, open the door, and be so overwhelmed with all of the stuff inside that we forgot why we went to the fridge in the first place. Who hasn’t spent 5 minutes staring at the inside of a fridge, completely lost in a daze?With smartphones, instead of 30 food items we have 50 notifications, 60 apps,…
1. Just like the body is constantly eliminating toxins, the mind needs to as well. We need to give it time to rest, reflect, and find peace in the present moment. 2. Life will sometimes be exciting, and sometimes it'll be uneventful. Both of these are just parts of life. We can either escape life, or we can embrace it. 3. When we are mindlessly taking our phone out, then…
How to Get Rid of Bad Habits When There is Unprocessed TraumaAll addiction stems from unprocessed trauma. We feel some kind of pain, lack, discomfort or discontent in our body, and we seek out pleasures to provide relief. When we rely on that relief as a crutch to end those negative thoughts, it becomes an addiction.Every time we repeat a bad habit we strengthen those neural pathways in our brain,…
This is the story of how I cured my ADHD with meditation. When I was 13 years old, being a bit impulsive and a bit of a dreamer, neither of which was too pleasing to my school teachers, my parents took me to a place with many doctors and experts in lab coats who specialized in diagnosing children with various behavioral disorders. I didn’t really understand what was going on…
“I thought my biggest fear was growing old and dying in prison. In truth, my biggest fear was growing old and not knowing myself.”
- Rick Smith, Albama inmate
Path to Peace - A newsletter not just for your mental health but also for your spiritual health.
