Resources for Mindfulness & Managing Stress

Harvard Medical School Study “Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier”
A Harvard Health article explaining how cultivating gratitude is linked with greater happiness, improved emotional well-being, stronger relationships, and better health outcomes.

Give yourself the break of meditation by Maxine Milstein and Jill Dobriner
A Boston Children’s Hospital Discoveries article explaining how meditation works, how beginners can get started, and the mental and physical health benefits it can offer for stress, anxiety, focus, and coping skills.

Stress Busters in Challenging Times
A Kripalu Stress Busters in Challenging Times article offering five mindfulness-based steps—like expressing feelings, staying present, and self-compassion—to help readers understand and skillfully work with stress.

The Buddha, The Angry Man and The Gift
A blog post by Keith Rosen that uses a parable about the Buddha and an angry man to illustrate how emotional awareness and choice empower people to respond constructively instead of reacting impulsively.

How mindfulness changes the emotional life of our brains | Richard J. Davidson | TEDxSanFrancisco
A TEDxSanFrancisco talk by neuroscientist Richard J. Davidson explaining how mindfulness practice can reshape the emotional life of the brain and support resilience, well-being, and mental health.

What Is Mindful Walking? — Mindful Walking Meditation
An article that explains what mindful walking is, how to practice it, and the mental and physical benefits of bringing awareness to each step.

How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain
A concise summary of the core concept and benefits of mindful walking, including simple guidance on how to practice it and why it supports mental and physical well-being.

Don’t Just Set Intentions, Rewire Your Brain. Here’s How. – Generation Mindful
A Generation Mindful Mindful Moments blog post guiding readers to choose a single intention word for the year to shape how they want to show up in daily life, using mindful reflection rather than traditional resolutions.

What’s Happening in our nervous systems?
An On Being conversation with neuroscientist Christine Runyan exploring how our nervous systems process stress, connection, and trauma, and what that means for well-being and human experience.

10 Things To Remember When Going Through Tough Times
A reflective guide outlining ten resilience-building reminders to help you accept reality, draw on past strength, and navigate difficult periods with clarity and confidence.

Finding Reality Through Cartooning
A NAMI first-person account of how an artist living with bipolar I disorder uses cartooning as a therapeutic tool to “reality test” past delusional experiences and better understand and cope with the condition.

Christina Costa: How gratitude rewires your brain | TED
Christina Costa explains how practicing gratitude can rewire the brain to enhance well-being and resilience by shifting focus toward positive experiences and strengthening emotional responses.

Stress Bucket
A short educational clip explaining the “stress bucket” analogy—how daily pressures accumulate like water in a bucket and how understanding and managing different stressors can help prevent overflow and support healthier coping strategies.

Mindfully Weathering the Storm with R.A.I.N.
A Fuller Life Family Therapy article explaining the RAIN mindfulness technique—a four-step (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture) self-compassion practice designed to mindfully “weather the storm” of overwhelming emotions instead of reacting to them.

Are you still holding your glass of water?
A short motivational clip titled “Are you still holding your glass of water?” where a speaker uses the metaphor of setting down a glass to inspire viewers to let go of burdens and move forward with intention.

The Possibility of Cognitive Kindness | Karen Yu | TEDxUniversityoftheSouth
A TEDx talk by Karen Yu on “The Possibility of Cognitive Kindness,” exploring how being thoughtful and generous with others’ mental resources and thinking can foster deeper understanding and more compassionate interactions.

Yoga Can Slow Effects of Stress and Aging, Studies Suggest
A Psychology Today article reviewing research that suggests a regular yoga practice may slow the physical effects of stress and aging at the cellular level—potentially reducing inflammation, protecting DNA, and lowering biomarkers linked with accelerated aging.

Conscious breathing can reduce anxiety and depression – tips for how to do it
A The Conversation article explaining how consciously directing your breath can help lower anxiety and depressive symptoms by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system, slowing the stress response, and offering practical tips for integrating mindful breathing into daily life to support emotional regulation.

Neuroscience Says Your Body and Mind Get Stronger When You Focus on This 1 Thing
Neuroscience shows that regularly focusing on gratitude can strengthen both your mental and physical health, boosting exercise habits, reducing stress, improving sleep, and supporting emotional and cardiovascular well-being.