Erin Olivo - Mindfulness Meditation

Why Hitting Kids Never Solves the Problem: Corporal Punishment & Emotion Mind

2021-08-27T04:13:40+00:00By Erin Olivo|Wise Mind Living, Parenting|

Take a moment to imagine this scene: Someone much bigger than you who also has control over your life, either hits you or strikes you with a belt or a switch.

Really try to picture this situation in your mind and then put yourself into this scene. What are you feeling?

I bet your heart is racing, you’re having trouble catching your breath, you feel shaky and weak in the knees, and you probably want to cry.

You might want to hit back and you’re certainly having trouble thinking clearly. Depending on the circumstances that led up to being hit, you […]

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13 Ways to Beat Stress in 15 Minutes or Less

2021-08-27T04:13:40+00:00By Erin Olivo|Wise Mind Living|

Stress is a problem that has reached epidemic proportions in our society and we can all use a quick fix now and again.

Health.com put together a list of expert-approved methods to relax when your usual stressbusters just aren’t cutting it, and I was happy to contribute. Check out the link here.

And if you’re looking for more information on how to relieve stress and anxiety, check out the updated Toolkit for Stress Help and Anxiety Help.

I’ve been using Wise Mind Living strategies a lot lately as […]

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Spring Cleaning For Your Mind: How To Rid Yourself of Negative Thinking Patterns

2021-08-27T04:13:40+00:00By Erin Olivo|Feel Better About Yourself, Wise Mind Living|

After a long, cold winter, now is the perfect time for a rejuvenating spring cleaning. But don’t limit yourself to emptying your closets and scrubbing the kitchen. Your mind needs a good spring cleaning too.

I suggest you start by de-cluttering your mind and cleaning out your negative thinking patterns to boost your emotional health.

When dealing with stress and anxiety, we tend to think in distorted ways and fall into Emotion Mind and the pitfalls of negative thinking patterns—the complete opposite of Wise Mind Living.

I’ve listed eight of the most common […]

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What’s Love Got to Do With It? 5 Tips to Reconnect, Repair and Recommit to Your Most Important Relationships

2021-08-27T04:13:40+00:00By Erin Olivo|Improve Your Relationships, Wise Mind Living, Acceptance|

Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day shows up like clockwork every February 14th, and there’s nothing you can do to change that. What you can change is your attitude about this holiday.

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Why You Should Start Cultivating Mindfulness Now

2021-08-27T04:13:40+00:00By Erin Olivo|Live Mindfully, Wise Mind Living, Meditation|

Have you noticed how the term mindfulness is popping up everywhere?

It’s no longer just reserved for Buddhist retreats and Yoga Journal articles. How to practice mindfulness is the hot topic at the office for coping with stress, and the media can’t seem to get enough of it.

Time magazine’s cover story this week is on “The Mindful Revolution” and The Huffington Post has a “GPS for the Soul” section. A search on The New York Times comes up with almost 200 articles on mindfulness in the past year.

Mindfulness has clearly reached buzzworthy […]

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The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: The Downside of Change

2021-08-27T04:13:40+00:00By Erin Olivo|Feel Better About Yourself, Wise Mind Living, Managing Emotions, Acceptance|

So how’s your New Year’s resolution going? Have you made it to the gym, quit smoking or stuck to your new diet plan?

If you’re like most people, you’ve already given up on your resolution by now. Am I right?

According to researchers at the University of Scranton, only eight percent of Americans who make New Year’s resolutions achieve their goal. (Read this post on how to make resolutions that last).

Not being realistic about the goals you set is one of the biggest mistakes people […]

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5 Wise Mind Ways to Manage Holiday Stress

2021-08-27T04:13:40+00:00By Erin Olivo|Stress Less, Wise Mind Living, Forgiveness|

The holidays are supposed to be fun, right?

But most people experience some level of holiday stress . This can be caused by the demands of shopping for gifts, attending social gatherings, and coping with the inevitable memories that are brought up by the holiday season.

Here are a five Wise Mind Living tips to help you cope with stressful situations during the holidays.

1. Set realistic expectations and keep things in perspective.

Most of us find ourselves faced with too much to do, too much to buy and not enough time or money for everything we think we […]

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Happiness is a Choice

2021-08-27T04:13:40+00:00By Erin Olivo|Be Happier, Wise Mind Living, Gratitude|

I often tell my patients that happiness is a choice—it doesn’t just happen to some people and not happen to others.

Then I tell them about the difference between people who are happy and people who are unhappy. It has nothing to do with how much good stuff or bad stuff is going on in their lives.

At this point, I often get some push back or rolling of the eyes. You might even be rolling your eyes right now.

But I’m here to tell you it’s true, happiness really is a choice. It’s about how you choose to view your […]

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Welcome to Wise Mind Living

2021-08-27T04:13:40+00:00By Erin Olivo|Wise Mind Living, Acceptance|

Welcome to the Wise Mind Living blog. I’m Dr. Erin Olivo (Oh-leave-oh), a licensed clinical psychologist and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medical Psychology at Columbia University. I’m also a mother, daughter, wife, best friend, younger sister and New Yorker. Like you, I wear a lot of different hats throughout the day. I’ve been treating patients for more than 12-years, and during this time I’ve taught numerous adults and teenagers how to regulate their emotions, tolerate and manage stress, and achieve a more balanced approach to life that I call Wise Mind Living. But it’s not just my patients that need to learn this—everyone, including myself, needs to learn to live in Wise Mind!

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