Personal Essays

First-person stories about what mindfulness looks like in real, messy, everyday life. These essays are honest, personal, and often funny - written by people who've found that paying attention changes everything.
Two figures pushing against opposite sides of a broken heart.
Learn
When Mindfulness and Racism Intersect 

Point of View Podcast Episode 7: Exploring how we’re missing out on the joys of our rich human community, and how mindfulness can help us dismantle the subtle patterns and habits that separate us from each other. Read More 

  • Barry Boyce
  • March 21, 2018
A person sits under a rain cloud holding an umbrella.
Depression & Grief
The Tyranny of Relentless Positivity 

When we ignore difficult emotions, they end up controlling us. Here's how embracing emotional agility allows us to deal with the world as it is. Read More 

  • Mindful Staff
  • February 2, 2018
illustrations of cogs and arrows
Creativity
Is Your Life Designed for You? 

Waiting and hoping for a “perfect” opportunity won’t get you any closer to the life you want. According to two renegade designers, you already have the tools to create that life—from wherever you are right now. Read More 

  • Hugh Delehanty
  • February 1, 2018
Graceful woman dancing in cloud of dust. purpose in life
Magazine
How to Find Your Purpose in Life 

Are you struggling to discover your purpose? That may be because you feel isolated from other people. Here are six ways you can overcome that. Read More 

  • Jeremy Adam Smith
  • January 30, 2018
woman in vintage fur coat sitting on bench
Magazine
Keep On Moving 

We don’t have to like everything life throws our way. If we can learn to truly accept—not ignore or resist—the hard stuff, it won’t feel as hard. Read More 

  • Holly Rogers
  • December 1, 2017
Ad for a mindfulness app with meditations, articles, and a section sidebar, shown on a phone held in hand.