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Emily PG Erickson
Emily PG Erickson

578 Followers

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I Signed Up For A Race And All I Got Was This Lousy Mood Boost

Why signing up for a race that never happened is one of the best things I’ve done for my mental health. — This April, when the health problems I’d been having resolved, I decided to sign up for the TC Loony Challenge. The Loony is a running race during Twin Cities In Motion Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend here in Minnesota. The Loony comprises 10k and 5k races back-to-back, followed by a…

Mental Health

3 min read

I Signed Up For A Race And All I Got Was This Lousy Mood Boost
I Signed Up For A Race And All I Got Was This Lousy Mood Boost
Mental Health

3 min read


Pinned

Bye-Bye Bucket List — Hello Throughline!

There’s a better way to summer. — It’s summer in Minnesota. That means it’s time for my annual attempt to convince my kids — who are 7, 4, and almost 1 — that the impossible is true: No, the sun won’t set for two more hours, but yes, you really have to head toward bed. These long…

Philosophy

4 min read

Bye-Bye Bucket List — Hello Throughline!
Bye-Bye Bucket List — Hello Throughline!
Philosophy

4 min read


Pinned

How What You Don’t Know Can Help You

Greet the edges of your understanding with awe, not angst. — Growing up, on the second Sunday in May, you could usually find my family outside, planting flowers for my mom. On Mother’s Day last year, my husband, kids, and I stuffed our in-ground planters with seedlings: basil, mint, strawberries, and tiny tomatoes you can pop in your mouth come August…

Psychology

3 min read

How What You Don’t Know Can Help You
How What You Don’t Know Can Help You
Psychology

3 min read


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Elemental

·Pinned

The Cocktail Party in Your Head

When your brain feels crowded, focus on the wisest voice — One Sunday afternoon, while walking along the river path near where I live in Saint Paul, I wandered off the pavement to a clearing where the bluffs swing out over the Mississippi. I watched the wind push a pocket of snow from its perch in an oak to the cold…

Mindfulness

3 min read

The Cocktail Party in Your Head
The Cocktail Party in Your Head
Mindfulness

3 min read


Sep 24

From Self-Judgement to Self-Compassion

Mindfulness is great. Mostly. But being aware of your thoughts can be downright painful, especially when they’re full of self-judgement. Self-compassion can help. Let me back up: I’m a meditator. I’ve been practicing off and on since 2007. The tradition I practice in is called Theravada Buddhism, which I encountered…

Psychology

4 min read

From Self-Judgement to Self-Compassion
From Self-Judgement to Self-Compassion
Psychology

4 min read


Apr 29

37 Reminders

As a former mental health researcher, here’s the emotional wellness advice I need to hear on my 37th birthday. — I love to use my birthday as an opportunity to take stock. What went well last year? What do I hope for next year? What’s important to keep top of mind? So when I turned 37 last week, I wrote 37 reminders to myself (mostly in service of emotional wellness)…

Mental Health

4 min read

37 Reminders
37 Reminders
Mental Health

4 min read


Mar 23

On The Stairs

Insights on mindfulness and compassion inspired by a toddler and a tube of chapstick. — I looked up at my toddler, who stood at the top of the hard, honey stairs. His dimpled hands balled up at his sides. One clenched a yellow cap. The other held a matching tube. A breath later, I smelled mint. “One, two, three, come with me,” I beckoned. …

Mindfulness

3 min read

On The Stairs
On The Stairs
Mindfulness

3 min read


Feb 17

This Makes It Easier To Say No At Work

How an exposure therapy hack has helped me set professional boundaries. Saying no at work feels a bit like cliff diving — something I hear can be rewarding, but wow it seems risky. I think declining professional offers is particularly difficult for me because, to do it, I have to…

Mental Health

3 min read

This Makes It Easier To Say No At Work
This Makes It Easier To Say No At Work
Mental Health

3 min read


Sep 25, 2022

How I’m Dealing With My Anxious Need To Finish Work Right Away

Mindfulness is key to unprogramming precrastination anxiety — This month I increased my freelance workload to levels it hadn’t hit since my third son was born last year. I’m working with new editors and new publications. I’m learning new systems. I’m unlearning something too. For as long as I can remember, I’ve used the discomfort of a job…

Psychology

3 min read

How I’m Dealing With My Anxious Need To Finish Work Right Away
How I’m Dealing With My Anxious Need To Finish Work Right Away
Psychology

3 min read


Feb 24, 2022

The Curiosity Cure

When you feel irritable, leverage curiosity’s effect on the brain to feel good instead. — My six-year-old is in that phase where he loves magic tricks. He learned one of his favorites from a Netflix show called Brainchild. It’s purportedly a physics lesson, but I think it’s also a fantastic psychology lesson in disguise. The trick goes like this. My son has me stack my…

Psychology

3 min read

The Curiosity Cure
The Curiosity Cure
Psychology

3 min read

Emily PG Erickson

Emily PG Erickson

578 Followers

Former mental health researcher sharing insights about psychology and parenting. www.emilypgerickson.com

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