Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

We all have a negative voice that lives inside our heads, and it’s very challenging to perform at our best when we’re not kind and supportive of ourselves.Dr. Hanson and I began our book Resilient with a chapter dedicated to compassion, and particularly self-compassion. It’s the fundamental building block on which our personal growth rests.On this episode, Dr. Hanson and I are joined by one of the world’s leading experts on self-compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff. Dr. Neff is the Associate Professor of Human Development and Culture in the Educational Psychology Department at the University of Texas at Austin, and she was the first to operationally define and measure the construct over a decade ago. In addition to her pioneering research into self-compassion, she’s developed a program to teach self-compassion skills in daily life, co-created with her colleague Dr. Chris Germer.In the first part of our conversation, we explore the nature of self-compassion, including why it's such an essential skill for personal growth.Learn more about Dr. Neff's Mindful Self-Compassion program here.Sign-up for Dr. Hanson's new monthly meditation program here. Use the code BEINGWELL for 10% off the purchase price: https://bit.ly/2NEnVU3Timestamps:01:18: What lead you from communications to self-compassion?03:37:How do you define self-compassion differently from how we do casually?10:08: Why is self-compassion so important?12:19: How can people grow their self-compassion?15:23: How do you give yourself self compassion naturally in the course of a day?17:06: A practice of self-compassion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forrest and Dr. Hanson answer two questions from listeners related to our important relationships. In the first part, they explore how can we raise resilient children. In the second, they focus on challenging workplace relationships. If you’d like to submit a question to be answered during a future mailbag, use the form on this page. Sign-up for Dr. Hanson's new monthly meditation program here. Use the code BEINGWELL for 10% off the purchase price: https://bit.ly/2NEnVU3 Timestamps: 00:40: What can we do to raise resilient children? 18:38: How can we deal with aggressive colleges in the workplace? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intuition and personal insight can be powerful tools for determining our individual paths toward well being. But sometimes it's nice to refer to some good, old fashioned empirical evidence, and check in with what the research has to say about a given question!On this episode Dr. Hanson and Forrest are joined by Jason Marsh, the founding editor-in-chief of Greater Good Magazine, published by the Greater Good Science Center. Together they explore key, research-based insights into living a meaningful life.If you would like to receive the GGSC's newsletter, you can sign-up for it here!Sign-up for Dr. Hanson's new monthly meditation program here. Use the code BEINGWELL for 10% off the purchase price: https://bit.ly/2NEnVU3Timestamps:03:37: What do you mean by "Greater Good"?05:42: The top 5 take-aways from the research on well-being and resilience.12:53: Where do self-help trends come from?15:39: Is there a body of research that you see emerging right now that you think could be the next big thing?17:50: What areas of study should get more investigation?21:24: How have you applied the research to your own life?23:28: Do you think there are ways in which some of the research on particular topics has been misused by people?28:46: What do you think about the research into well-being being used by companies as a way to increase profitability?33:21: If you could go back in time and tell yourself one thing, what would that be? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Hanson and Forrest continue their series on “Who Am I” by exploring narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder. Specifically, how can we take in the healthy narcissistic supplies we need to become confident, effective individuals without falling prey to unhealthy narcissistic tendencies? Sign-up for Dr. Hanson's new monthly meditation program here. Use the code BEINGWELL for 10% off the purchase price: https://bit.ly/2NEnVU3 Timestamps: 01:22: How would you, as a clinician, describe the spectrum of narcissism? 04:03: What’s narcissism at the 1%, 5% or even 10% mark? 07:36: How is narcissism distinct from just being confident? 12:47: Where does narcissism come from? 27:48: How can we take in healthy narcissistic supplies without becoming narcissists? 31:32: Should people with 10% narcissism still take in narcissistic supplies? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Hanson and Forrest answer questions from listeners that explore how we can release our attachment to different experiences, and learn to let go. If you'd like to submit a question, use the form on this page! Timestamps: 1:25: Dealing with a hoarding addiction. 15:23: The difference between chemical and natural states of mind. 24:11: Should we bring pharmaceuticals into our mindfulness practice? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author and mindfulness teacher Oren Jay Sofer shares the one thing he does each day for his own well-being. Get more Just One Things from Dr. Rick Hanson here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oren Jay Sofer, an author and teacher renowned for merging mindfulness with Nonviolent Communication, shares invaluable insights. He explains the essence of Nonviolent Communication as a tool for social change, emphasizing its impact on personal awareness and presence. Oren encourages modeling integrity when engaging with difficult people and highlights the importance of authentic communication without punitive intent. He also delves into setting clear boundaries while maintaining care, offering listeners practical strategies for fostering meaningful dialogues.

During today's special mailbag episode, Dr. Hanson and Forrest answer questions from listeners related to things that can hijack our attention, specifically hysterical and violent forms of media. If you'd like to submit a question, use the form on this page! Royal Society Open Science Study Statement from the Society for Media Psychology and Technology of the American Psychological Association Consortium of Scholars Open Letter PNAS Metaanalysis Timestamps: 2:00: "I feel like our culture bombards us with hysteria. What can we do to stop it from influencing us?" 12:50: "Do violent video games, or other forms of media, cause children to become violent?" 24:45: "How much exposure to intense media would you allow your child?" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In part two of their conversation with Dr. Christine Carter, Dr. Hanson and Forrest explore the "Sweet Spot," that place of effortless effectiveness where we can be both productive and relaxed. Our relationships with other people are one of the major influences that can pull us out of that sweet spot, so they are once again a major focus during this episode.Support the Podcast: We're on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.Key Topics:0:25: What is the "sweet spot?"3:30: What pulls us out of the sweet spot?6:10: How can our important relationships pull us out of the sweet spot?8:00: How can we know when we've stuck around in a relationship too long, or, on the other hand, when we're leaving too quickly?10:00: What are things we can influence others on? And what things are unchangeable in our relationship?14:35: How we can stand up for ourselves.16:40: How fulfilling our duties fits into the sweet spot.19:30: How we can find the sweet spot.21:30: What would you say to your younger self?23:15: RecapSign-up for Dr. Hanson's new monthly meditation program here. Use the code BEINGWELL for 10% off the purchase price: https://bit.ly/2NEnVU3Sponsors:Reset and rebalance with Recess, a sparkling water infused with hemp extract and adaptogens. Take 15% off your first order by using code BEINGWELL at checkout.Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christine Carter shares the most important thing she does each day for her own well-being: finding the time to meditate and accept herself as she is. Sign up for Dr. Rick Hanson's free Just One Thing Newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices