Just parenting itself is very difficult. The larger task of making a family — earning a living, maintaining a marriage, juggling schedules, managing a household, etc. etc. — is even harder. This article explores what to do individually and as a couple to keep the flame of love burning.
Rick Hanson
Author / Psychologist
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Biography
Rick Hanson, Ph.D. is a psychologist, Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times best-selling author. His seven books have been published in 33 languages, and include Making Great Relationships, Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Just One Thing, Buddha’s Brain, and Mother Nurture – with over a million copies in English alone. He's the founder of the Global Compassion Coalition and the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, as well as the co-host of the Being Well Podcast – which has been downloaded over 25 million times. His free newsletters have over 260,000 subscribers and his online programs have scholarships available for those in need. He’s lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard. An expert on positive neuroplasticity, his work has been featured on CBS, NPR, the BBC, and other major media. He began meditating in 1974 and has taught in meditation centers worldwide. He and his wife live in Northern California and have two adult children. He loves the wilderness and taking a break from emails.
Articles
Being Well Podcast: Pursuing Your Goals
Forrest Hanson interviews Dr. Rick Hanson about his personal story of motivation – including how to transform from someone who lacks a natural feeling of motivation to someone who can diligently pursue their goals.
Preserving Intimacy with Teenagers
In this column we will explore how parents can nurture an intimacy with their kids that can survive the (usually) wild ride of adolescence.
Being Well Podcast: Motivating Yourself
Learn a key aspect of motivation: how we can incline our minds to break bad habits, and want the things that are good for it.
Caring for Inattention, Restlessness, and Impulsive Behavior
In this column we will discuss things that parents and teachers can do to help children who are inattentive, restless, and impulsive.
Being Well Podcast: Passion and Stress
In this episode, we cover the topic of motivation and how to pursue goals in healthy ways – with dedication, assertiveness, enthusiasm – while avoiding an unhealthy and overactive sense of passion – with pressure, irritation, anxiety, frustration, and anger.
Working with Challenging Child Temperaments
Some children are naturally adaptable and cheerful. But many are not, so we’ve put together a package of approaches (on a foundation of loving nurturance and appropriate parental authority) that we’ve seen work in numerous families – many of which are useful for more easygoing kids as well.
Being Well Podcast: Liking Without Wanting
Dr. Rick Hanson and Forrest begin the strength of Motivation with an episode that explores how we can pursue our goals with passion and purpose, without becoming painfully attached to them.
Teaching Kids Psychological Skills
In this column, we explore how to teach basic, essential psychological skills that all children need, like being able to let go of upsetting experiences or take in positive ones.
Being Well Podcast: 7 Ways Past Anger
Dr. Rick Hanson and Forrest conclude the strength of Calm with an episode dedicated to exploring seven ways we can work with anger skillfully.
Effective Problem-Solving with Teenagers
In this column we will explore how parents can solve problems, resolve conflicts and stay out of unnecessary fights with their teenagers. That is a large subject, so what follows is a brief summary of ideas that have worked with other families which you should adapt to your own unique situation and values.
Metta for the Whole World: A Meditative Reflection
“Metta” means lovingkindness. A beautiful way to compensate for the hard-wired tendency to fix our attention and affections on mainly one person, or small group of people, is to deliberately cultivate and practice an attitude of compassion and kindness toward people in general.