Understanding Energy Absorption: Tips for Empaths

/ Eric Dickson / Leave a comment

Have you ever woken up feeling heavy, anxious, or unsettled — without knowing why? Sometimes it feels like the emotions in your body don’t even belong to you. For empaths and sensitive people, this is more common than you might think. We’re wired to pick up on the energy of others, and if we don’t learn how to recognize it, we can end up carrying weight that isn’t ours to bear.

The good news? You can learn to tell the difference between your own emotions and the energy you’ve absorbed from others. And with awareness comes the power to release what isn’t yours and reconnect to your true self.

Why We Absorb Energy

Humans are social beings. Our brains have what scientists call “mirror neurons,” which help us empathize by reflecting the emotions we see in others. This is beautiful — it’s what makes compassion possible. But for empaths and spiritually sensitive people, this ability is turned up extra high.

It means you can walk into a room and immediately sense the mood. It means when a friend is upset, you might leave the conversation feeling just as heavy as they do. Over time, this can blur the line between your energy and everyone else’s.

The Cost of Carrying What Isn’t Yours

When you unknowingly carry other people’s energy, you might experience:

  • Sudden anxiety or sadness without a clear reason.
  • Feeling drained after social situations.
  • A sense of being “off” or disconnected from yourself.
  • Physical tension, especially in the chest, stomach, or shoulders.

The danger isn’t just the discomfort — it’s that you can start making decisions based on emotions that don’t even belong to you. Instead of living from your authentic center, you’re living from borrowed energy.

Practices to Discern Your Own Energy

So how do you tell what’s yours and what’s not? Here are some powerful starting points:

  1. The Daily Check-In
     Pause throughout the day and ask yourself: “What am I feeling right now? When did this feeling start?”
     If you can trace the emotion back to a conversation, a crowded room, or even scrolling social media — chances are it’s not fully yours.
  2. Ground Through Breath and Body
     A few slow belly breaths with your hand on your heart or stomach can reset your nervous system. Imagine roots growing from your feet into the earth, releasing any energy that isn’t yours.
  3. Journal for Clarity
     Writing down how you feel, and what might have triggered it, helps you see patterns. Over time, you’ll notice what feelings belong to you and what you’re picking up externally.

How to Release Energy That Isn’t Yours

Once you’ve noticed what doesn’t belong to you, the next step is letting it go. Try one of these simple practices:

  • Visualization: Imagine gathering the foreign energy like smoke in your hands, then releasing it into the earth or into a cleansing light.
  • Water Ritual: A shower, bath, or even washing your hands can be symbolic of rinsing away what’s not yours.
  • Affirmations: Speak words like:
    “I return to myself. I honor my own energy. I release what does not belong to me.”

These practices don’t just protect you — they bring you back home to yourself.

Final Thoughts

Being sensitive to energy is not a curse — it’s a gift. It allows you to empathize, connect, and support others in ways not everyone can. But that gift only works if you also protect your own well-being.

The next time you feel heavy, anxious, or unsettled, pause and ask:

  • “Is this mine?”
  • “Where did this come from?”
  • “Do I want to carry this?”

Remember: awareness is power. When you learn to discern your own energy from what you’ve absorbed, you step into clarity, peace, and freedom.

You deserve to feel the difference between what belongs to you and what doesn’t. And when you release what isn’t yours, you make more space for your truth.

5 Ways to Overcome Limiting Beliefs and Unlock Your True Potential

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What Are Limiting Beliefs?

Limiting beliefs are the quiet stories we tell ourselves about what we can and cannot do. They often come from childhood experiences, societal conditioning, or painful moments that etched themselves into our minds. These beliefs shape our thoughts, actions, and even our identity.

Common examples include:

“I’m not smart enough.”

“I’ll never be successful.”

“People like me don’t get opportunities like that.”

Left unchecked, these beliefs become invisible barriers. They sabotage our growth, keep us stuck in cycles of fear or self-doubt, and block us from reaching our potential. The good news is that beliefs are not facts. They can be challenged, reshaped, and replaced with empowering truths.

Here are five ways to start breaking free.

1. Identify the Story You’re Telling Yourself

The first step is awareness. You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.

  • Ask yourself: What story am I repeating in my head when I face challenges?
  • Notice patterns: Pay attention to thoughts that begin with “I can’t,” “I’m not,” or “I always fail at…”

Once you identify a limiting belief, write it down. Seeing it in black and white helps separate you from the belief. It’s not who you are — it’s just a thought you’ve rehearsed. Naming the story is like shining a light on a shadow; suddenly, it loses some of its power.

2. Trace Its Origin

Most limiting beliefs didn’t start with you. They were planted. Maybe a teacher once told you you weren’t good at math. Maybe your parents struggled financially, and you absorbed the belief that “money is hard to come by.”

When you trace a belief back to its origin, you realize:

  • It often comes from someone else’s fear, not your truth.
  • It was formed at a time when you didn’t have the perspective or power you do now.

By uncovering the root, you begin to see the belief for what it is: an old program that no longer serves you.

3. Challenge the Belief with Evidence

Once you’ve identified a limiting belief, put it on trial. Ask:

  • Is this always true?
  • Can I find evidence to the contrary?

For example: If the belief is “I’m not creative,” recall a time when you solved a problem in a unique way, decorated a space beautifully, or came up with a clever idea. These are proofs of creativity.

Our brains love evidence. The more proof you collect against the limiting belief, the weaker it becomes. Eventually, it no longer feels like an absolute truth — just an outdated assumption.

4. Replace It with an Empowering Belief

Nature abhors a vacuum. If you remove a belief, you must replace it with something new. Choose affirmations that feel believable and expansive.

Examples:

  • Instead of “I’ll never be successful,” try: “I am capable of learning, growing, and creating success in my own way.”
  • Instead of “I’m not good enough,” try: “I am worthy as I am, and I’m improving every day.”

The key is to phrase new beliefs in a way your subconscious can accept. If it feels too far-fetched, soften it. Go from “I can’t do this” to “I’m learning how to do this.” Over time, repetition wires the new belief into your identity.

5. Take Small, Aligned Actions

Beliefs become powerful when paired with action. To truly shift a limiting belief, back it up with experiences that prove the new belief true.

  • If your belief is “I’m not confident speaking up,” practice sharing your thoughts in low-stakes situations — a supportive friend, a small meeting, or even journaling your thoughts out loud.
  • If your belief is “I’ll never be healthy,” start with one small action: a five-minute walk, a glass of water, or stretching before bed.

Each small success creates evidence for your new belief. Action tells your brain, “See? I can do this.” Over time, momentum builds, and the old belief loses its grip.

Closing Thoughts

Limiting beliefs are not life sentences. They are just thoughts that once served a purpose but now hold you back. When you learn to identify, challenge, and replace them with empowering truths, you open the door to a fuller, freer life.

Remember: you are not the voice in your head. You are the awareness that chooses which voice to believe.

How to Decode the Hidden Messages Your Body Sends Every Day

/ Eric Dickson / Leave a comment

Eric Dickson | Mindful Mountain Wellness

Discover how to reconnect with your body’s wisdom. Learn practical steps to interpret physical sensations as emotional signals and create lasting mind-body harmony.

Your body has been speaking to you your whole life.
It whispers in subtle tightness, sighs in deep exhalations, and sometimes shouts in headaches, fatigue, or a racing heartbeat.
But in our fast-paced world, we’ve been trained to ignore it — to push through discomfort and numb the signals. What if those sensations aren’t inconveniences, but messages? What if they are your body’s way of guiding you back to balance?

The Mind-Body Bridge Explained

The “mind-body bridge” is the living connection between your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations.
Neuroscience confirms that emotions aren’t just in your head — they’re stored and expressed throughout the body via the nervous system, hormones, and muscle memory.  Sometimes, anxiety might show up as a tight chest.  Unresolved grief can feel like a heavy weight on your shoulders.  Excitement might make your stomach flutter.

When you learn to recognize and interpret these sensations, you create a bridge — a two-way channel of understanding between your mind and body.

Why We’ve Lost Touch

Many of us learned early on to “toughen up,” “walk it off,” or “get over it.”
Modern life reinforces this disconnection — endless screen time, constant notifications, and the pressure to stay busy leave little space for stillness.
We’ve been conditioned to treat symptoms instead of exploring their root cause, silencing the body’s voice in the process.  So often these days we are steered towards medications, instead of being guided to reconnect to ourselves and our bodies.

How to Reconnect with Your Body’s Messages

1. Start with Stillness

Even a few minutes of mindful breathing can quiet the mental noise and let the body’s signals emerge. Try placing a hand over your heart and breathing slowly until you feel your body soften.

2. Scan Without Judgment

Close your eyes and mentally scan from head to toe. Notice sensations — warmth, coolness, tension, tingling — without labeling them “good” or “bad.”

3. Name the Sensation and Emotion

Once you’ve identified where you feel something, ask yourself: What emotion might be linked to this? Sometimes the answer comes immediately; other times, it emerges slowly.

4. Respond with Compassion

Instead of ignoring discomfort, ask: What is my body asking for right now? It might be rest, movement, hydration, or an emotional release like journaling or talking to a friend.

The Benefits of Listening to Your Body

By reconnecting with your body, and really listening, you can reduce stress through faster recognition of tension and triggers.  It can also help to improve emotional regulation by finding and addressing the root cause of these emotions.  Taking the time to sit, scan, and listen to your body will help you gain a greater level of self-trust, and help you learn your body’s unique language.  The more you work on reconnecting with your body, you will gain better physical wellness through proactive care, instead of always dealing with crisis management.

A Simple Daily Practice

Each evening, take 2–3 minutes to reflect:

  • Where did I feel the most tension today?
  • What might have caused it?
  • How can I care for that part of my body tomorrow?

Over time, this small habit rebuilds the mind-body bridge — turning physical sensations into allies rather than obstacles.

Closing Inspiration

Your body is not your enemy.
It’s not a machine to be pushed until it breaks — it’s a wise companion with a language of its own. The more you listen, the more it speaks in clarity instead of crisis.
So pause. Breathe. Feel. The bridge is already there, waiting for you to cross.

Spirituality Without Labels: Find Your Peace

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By Eric Dickson | Mindful Mountain Wellness

What if I told you that your spiritual path doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s?

No white robes. No crystals. No yoga mat required.
Just you—and whatever helps you feel more connected, more grounded, more you.

Spirituality isn’t a checklist. It’s a relationship.
And the more we try to force it into a mold, the further we drift from its truth.

Let’s break the illusion that there’s a “right” way to be spiritual—and explore what it might look like to reclaim that word on your own terms.

Spirituality Doesn’t Require a Label

You don’t need to call yourself “spiritual” to live a deeply spiritual life.  The most important thing is to find the activities in your life when you feel most connected, at peace, and in a flow state.

Some people feel most connected when they are hiking through the woods or watching a sunset.  For others, it’s when they are creating, whether that looks like drawing, journaling, making music, or woodworking.  Sometimes it may just look like sitting silently in the morning with you coffee after doing some breath work.

You don’t need a guru, a doctrine, or a certain set of beliefs.
You just need to listen—to your own inner world, and the way life moves through you.

You Don’t Have to “Look” Spiritual

Spirituality doesn’t come with a dress code.

You don’t have to wear flowing clothes, chant in Sanskrit, or meditate for 2 hours a day.
You can be tattooed, messy, skeptical, and still be deeply connected to something greater than yourself.

You don’t need to change how you look to validate what you feel.

You don’t need anyone else’s approval, or for them to even know you are spiritual.
You don’t have to perform peace to earn belonging.

Real spirituality is lived, not displayed.

Your Practice Can Be Private (or Loud)

Some people pray out loud. Some journal. Some dance, cry, or walk barefoot in the rain.
Some never speak a word about their inner life—and that’s okay too.

Your practice doesn’t have to be public, perfect, or structured.
It just has to be authentic.

If your version of spirituality is lighting a candle and sitting in stillness for 5 minutes before bed… that counts.
If it’s blasting music and losing yourself in movement… that counts.
If it’s tending your garden or holding someone’s hand with presence… that counts.

It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of your spiritual practice, all that matters is that it feels good to you.

You Don’t Have to Be Calm All the Time

There’s this idea that being spiritual means being serene and blissed-out all the time.
But healing is messy. Awakening is uncomfortable.

You’re allowed to have bad days, anxiety, anger, grief.
You’re allowed to feel confused, lost, or doubtful.

None of that disqualifies you from being on a spiritual path.
In fact, those moments are the path.

The spiritual path of healing is not linear, it’s a spiral.  It can bring you back to tough situations and emotions, and will most likely keep bringing you back until you learn the lessons you need from those situations.

Your emotions don’t make you less spiritual. They make you human.

Your Path Will Evolve (Let It)

Who you are spiritually at 25 may look nothing like who you’ll be at 45.
And that’s a good thing.

You’re meant to grow. To outgrow. To question. To return.

Spirituality is a relationship with yourself and the world—it’s supposed to shift as you do.
You don’t have to cling to old beliefs out of obligation.
You’re allowed to let go of what no longer resonates and make space for what does.  In fact it is important to take inventory of your beliefs, and really analyze whether those are really your beliefs, or if they were taught to you before you were old enough to question them.

Trust the ebb and flow. Trust yourself.

Final Thoughts: Your Way Is the Way

There’s no handbook. No single truth. No checklist of rituals or rules.
There’s only this question:

What helps you feel connected, alive, and at peace?
Do that. Follow that. Trust that.

Your spiritual path is valid, even if no one else understands it.
Even if it doesn’t fit in a box.
Even if it’s still unfolding.

You’re not behind. You’re not missing anything. You’re already on the path—your path.

And that is enough.

5 Ways to Build a Mindful Life (Even When the World is Loud)

/ Eric Dickson / Leave a comment

In a world that never stops buzzing with constant notifications, 24-hour news, and the pressure to keep up, creating a mindful life can feel almost impossible. But it’s not. In fact, it’s not only possible… It’s essential.

Mindfulness isn’t about escaping the noise.
It’s about learning how to return to yourself within it.

Here’s how to build a grounded, mindful life even when the world feels loud.

Start Your Day Without a Screen

Before checking your phone or turning on a device, take a few moments for yourself.  A single breath. A sip of tea. A stretch. A moment of stillness.  Step outside and take a deep breath of fresh air.

The first thing you do every morning sets the tone for the day.  If the world gets your attention immediately, you will be chasing it all day.  Checking your phone or the news will immediately start to make your day feel stressful, and take all of the focus off of YOU.  But, if your initial attention for the day is on you, and self-care, you will carry that with you all day, which will help keep you centered.

Practice Presence in Small Moments

You don’t need an hour-long meditation to be mindful.  Mindfulness lives in the micro-moments within the things you already do on a daily basis, the goal is to focus more on these small moments.  This could look like focusing on the feeling of the water on your hand while you are washing dishes, or stopping and noticing the breeze on your skin when you walk outside, or even making a routing of taking three deep breaths before replying to a text.

These moments compound throughout your day. They change your nervous system. They rewire your relationship to the present.

Protect Your Inputs

Your attention is sacred — treat it that way.  The news, and especially social media, can steal your attention, and wreak havoc on your nervous system.  Technology itself can be very detrimental to your mental health if you aren’t conscious of how you are using it.  One of the easiest things you can do is curate your social media feed to be uplifting, positive, or motivating.  Unfollow accounts that drain or distract you, and start following artists, creators, and people that will motivate you, and bring you happiness as opposed to stress.  The second thing you can do is turn off all non-essential notifications on your phone.  These notifications will distract you from your day, and keep you focused on your phone and not the real world happening right in front of you.  The third major thing you can do is take intentional breaks from news and media.  Set a time period within the day to not look at your phone or any media.  Over time, you can even set an entire day to unplug from technology and let your mind really refresh.


Mindfulness is easier when your nervous system isn’t in a constant state of alarm.
Choose peace over urgency where you can.

Create Anchors Throughout Your Day

Creating anchor points help you return to yourself.  Doing this multiple times throughout your day can help you keep from getting overwhelmed, and give you a moment to refresh and regain some positivity.  One example of an anchor you can use is to set reminders on your phone throughout your day with just a simple reminder to “breathe”.  An anchor can also look like a crystal bracelet or an object you carry in your pocket.  Every time you feel stressed or overwhelmed, you can touch that object, take a breath, and mentally recenter yourself.  This could also look like having a journal check-in after lunch, and using that brief journaling time to refocus on what you need to make the day positive and productive.

Think of these like spiritual bookmarks that pull you back to presence.

Make Peace with Imperfection

You won’t always be mindful. No one is perfect.  That’s part of the practice.  The goal is not to eliminate all stress, distractions, and negativity.  The goal is mentally condition yourself to better deal with situations and prevent things from ruining your entire day.  Imperfection is part of the process, and an important part of life.  Its important that we normalize:

You’ll lose your cool.
You’ll scroll for too long.
You’ll forget to breathe.

The win isn’t in never drifting — it’s in noticing that you have, and choosing to return.

Mindfulness isn’t about perfection.
It’s about coming home, again and again.

Final Thoughts

The world may stay loud. But your inner world doesn’t have to match its volume.

You have the ability to slow down, to soften, to root into presence — even in chaos.

Building a mindful life isn’t about escaping the world.
It’s about learning how to stay whole inside of it.

Share a comment with your go to mindfulness activities so others can benefit from them.

Return to your breath.
Return to your truth.
Return home.

Creating an Evening Routine for Better Sleep

/ Eric Dickson / Leave a comment

Wind Down with Intention and Wake Up Rested

How you end your day sets the stage for how you experience the next one. Yet many of us stumble into sleep — overstimulated, under-nourished, and still mentally tangled in the noise of the day.

A calming evening routine doesn’t just help you fall asleep faster — it creates a rhythm your nervous system can rely on. When you treat your evenings as sacred transitions instead of leftovers, you reclaim your nights for healing, not just recovery.

Today I want to talk about 7 proven practices that will help you wind down with intention and sleep more peacefully.

Dim the Lights and Disconnect from Screens

Your body has a built-in clock called the circadian rhythm, which responds to light and dark. Blue light from screens delays melatonin production — the hormone that tells your brain it’s time to sleep.  Luckily, there are many different ways to prevent this interruption in your melatonin production, here are a few you can try:

  • About 60–90 minutes before bed, start dimming overhead lights and turning off unnecessary electronics.
  • Swap your phone or TV for soft lighting: Himalayan salt lamps, candles, or amber bulbs are ideal.
  • Use blue-light blocking glasses if you must use a screen after sunset.
  • Avoid scrolling or consuming content that triggers emotional or mental stimulation.

If you follow these, it will help you fall asleep faster and improve your body’s ability to naturally regulate sleep hormones, making it easier to stay asleep and wake refreshed.

Practice Breathwork or Meditation

When your body is in a stress state, it activates the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). Breathwork and meditation help shift you into the parasympathetic state (rest and digest), lowering cortisol and calming your mind.  Here are four different options to help you calm your nervous system before bed:

  • 4-7-8 Breathing: Inhale through your nose for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale slowly through your mouth for 8. Repeat 4–8 times.
  • Box Breathing: Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4 — excellent for anxiety.
  • Body Scan Meditation: Slowly bring awareness to each body part, starting at the toes and moving upward, releasing tension as you go.
  • Use a guided meditation app if needed (Insight Timer, Calm, or YouTube).  I have also created multiple meditations that I have posted on my YouTube channel to help you wind down peacefully.

Helps reduce physical tension, quiet the mind, and signal safety to the body — making it easier to fall and stay asleep.

Create a Wind-Down Ritual You Look Forward To

A consistent sequence of calming activities becomes a neurological cue for your body: “It’s time to sleep.” Rituals also add a sense of intention and nourishment to your night.  By building a routine that you can follow every night, you are letting your body and mind know that it’s time to rest.  This routine is something that you can make based on whatever feels right to you, but here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Choose 2–3 relaxing actions and do them in the same order every night: e.g., make tea → wash your face → read → stretch.
  • Keep it simple and enjoyable. Think of it as “closing the tabs” of your day.
  • Light incense or diffuse essential oils, play soft instrumental music, or read a calming book.

By creating your own routine, you train your brain and body to relax on cue. Over time, your sleep onset becomes smoother and your nights feel more sacred and less chaotic.

Avoid Heavy Meals, Caffeine, and Alcohol Late at Night

Digesting a large or spicy meal can keep your body alert.  It can also prevent you from getting the rest your body needs, instead of resting and repairing, your body is still doing work to digest your food. Caffeine (even as late as 2 p.m.) can disrupt your ability to fall asleep, while alcohol may make you feel drowsy, it interferes with REM sleep later in the night.  Here are some basic guidelines to help you on your path:

  • Finish large meals at least 2–3 hours before bed.
  • Avoid caffeine after lunch (coffee, energy drinks, some teas, chocolate).
  • Swap alcohol for a calming herbal tea like chamomile, lemon balm, or valerian root.
  • Light snacks before bed (if needed) can include a banana, oatmeal, almonds, or tart cherry juice — all support melatonin or serotonin.

By following these guidelines, you can experience improved sleep quality, fewer overnight wake-ups, and more consistent energy the next day.

Reflect with Gratitude or Intention

Our minds often replay the stressors of the day when our heads hit the pillow. Gratitude and intention-setting shift the mind away from worry and create a peaceful emotional state before sleep.  Embracing gratitude can help you break away from the stress, and bring a better level of relaxation before you go to sleep.  Here are a few ways you can incorporate gratitude into your evening routine:

  • Keep a small journal by your bed. Each night, write down 3 things you’re grateful for — big or small.
  • If you’re feeling tense, try asking yourself or journaling about: “What’s one thing I did well today?”
  • Or, set a gentle intention: “Tomorrow, I will meet the day with calm presence.”
  • No need to overthink it — a few sincere sentences go a long way.

Ending your day with gratitude improves mood, reduces anxiety, and builds emotional resilience over time. You’ll sleep with a lighter heart and wake up with greater clarity.

Embrace Soothing Sounds or Scents

Sound and smell bypass the logical mind and directly influence the nervous system. Gentle sensory cues can signal your brain that it’s safe to relax and release.  Sound has been used for centuries by cultures all over the world to help heal and alter mental states.  Here are some quick easy ways that you can add sound into your nighttime routine:

  • Use a white noise machine, nature sounds (rain, waves, forest), or calming frequencies like 432 Hz or 528 Hz.  Insight Timer is an amazing app for finding this kind of sound healing.
  • Diffuse essential oils like lavender, bergamot, cedarwood, or Roman chamomile.
  • Light incense or use pillow sprays if diffusers aren’t available.

Sensory associations help anchor your routine, calm the body, and deepen relaxation — which can be especially helpful for busy minds or anxious sleepers.

Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule (Even on Weekends)

Your body craves rhythm. When you go to bed and wake at the same times every day, your internal clock (circadian rhythm) strengthens. This helps regulate energy, mood, digestion, and hormone cycles.

  • Set a regular bedtime and wake-up time that allows for 7–9 hours of sleep.
  • Try to stick to this schedule within an hour, even on weekends.
  • Pair it with your wind-down ritual so your body associates those times with rest and ease.

This may seem difficult or strange at first, but stick with it, it’s worth it.  Over time you will start to see better sleep efficiency, less grogginess, and improved focus, mood, and immune health.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need a 10-step checklist or a perfectly optimized schedule. What you need is consistency, intention, and a little space to care for yourself at the end of the day. Your evening routine isn’t just about sleep — it’s about teaching your body that it is safe to let go, to soften, and to rest.

So tonight, start small. Dim the lights. Take a deep breath. Write one thing you’re grateful for. And return to yourself.

You deserve to end your day in peace.

The Art of Letting Go: Embracing Non-Attachment for a Free Spirit

/ Eric Dickson / Leave a comment

We all know what it feels like to hold on too tightly. To ideas. To people. To expectations. To outcomes we can’t control.  We also know the pain of losing these things, whether it’s a sentimental item that gets lost or broken, losing a loved one, or even losing your own assumed identity.

It’s human nature—we want security, certainty, and connection. But sometimes, this tight grip becomes the very thing that causes us pain.

Non-attachment isn’t about not caring. It’s about caring wisely.

What Is Non-Attachment?

Non-attachment doesn’t mean you stop loving, dreaming, or trying. It means you release the need to possess or control what isn’t yours to hold.

It’s the art of being fully present with what is, without demanding it stay the same.

Non-attachment says:

“I can love you and still let you go. I can want this outcome without being destroyed if it doesn’t happen.”

It is appreciating things while you have them, knowing that nothing lasts forever.  People, possessions, who we are in this moment, they all come and go from our lives.  Non-attachment is understanding that we do not have total control or possession over anything.

Why Letting Go Frees You

When we let go of clinging or attachment, we free up space in our minds and hearts.

We let go of any resentment we may have over something not working out the way we wanted it to.  We can let go of the fear of losing the things we have.  We can eliminate the exhausting need to control everything.

What replaces this attachment? Peace. Openness. Room to receive new blessings.

Letting go is not giving up. It’s giving yourself permission to be free.  It’s always important to remember, we are born with nothing, and we die with nothing.  The more we obsess over having things while we are here, the more pain we experience when we lose them.  If we can make peace with the fact that these things are only in our lives temporarily, we will not only mourn them less, but learn to appreciate them more while we have them.

Signs You’re Holding On Too Tightly

Here are a  few questions that you can ask yourself to assess if you you are too attached:

Am I obsessing over outcomes I can’t control?

Do I get anxious when things don’t go exactly my way?

Am I afraid to lose people or things—even if they no longer serve me?

Do I replay past hurts or disappointments?

These can be gentle cues that it’s time to loosen your grip.

How to Practice Letting Go

Letting go is a practice—not a one-time decision.  Use these 5 steps to start your journey to non-attachment.

1. Become Aware
Notice what you’re clinging to. Notice the things that you feel you need to control. Awareness is the first step toward freedom.

2. Feel Your Emotions
Letting go doesn’t mean suppressing. Allow yourself to grieve, rage, or cry if you need to.  Suppressing your emotions will only lead to more pain later on, they will either resurface as more extreme emotions, or turn into a physical illness.

3. Reframe Your Perspective
Ask: What lesson is here for me?
Instead of loss, see it as an invitation to grow.  It could be an opening for you to receive something new that may even bring you more joy.

4. Use Breathwork or Meditation
Ground yourself in the present moment. Techniques like deep breathing, guided meditation, or HeartMath coherence exercises can help calm the mind.

5. Trust the Process
Letting go is an act of trust. In yourself, in life, in the unseen possibilities waiting for you.

It is something that takes practice.  It is easy to start with small things like personal items you own but know you don’t really need.  A good first step is to go through your living space and find things that maybe brought you joy at one point, but you never really think about anymore.  Try to sell or donate these things, and be at peace knowing that at one point, that thing brought you a lot of joy.  Be happy that you had it in your life, but recognize that it is time to give it up.

Closing Reflections

Non-attachment isn’t cold or indifferent. It’s a deep act of love.

It says: “I trust life enough to let it unfold. I trust myself enough to handle whatever comes.”

When we let go, we make space.
For peace.
For joy.
For the unexpected gifts of life.

May you find the courage to release what no longer serves you and embrace the freedom of a truly open heart.

If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

How do you practice letting go in your own life?

Feel free to share in the comments or connect with me. Let’s walk this mindful path together.

Unlocking the Power of Genuine Gratitude

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By Eric Dickson | Mindful Mountain Wellness

We’ve all heard it: “Just be grateful.”

It’s one of those well-meaning suggestions that can sound a bit shallow, or even irritating, when you are struggling.  But real gratitude-embodied, felt, lived gratitude-is so much more than polite manners or a throwaway “thanks.”

It’s not just a social nicety.  It’s an energetic state that changes us at the deepest levels of mind, body, and spirit.  Today, let’s go beyond the surface and explore why gratitude has real energetic power, and how you can begin to truly experience it in your life.

What Do We Mean by “Energy”?

When I say energetics, I’m not talking about anything necessarily mystical or woo-woo.  Although it can feel spiritual, it’s really just biology and science.

Think of it this way: everything is energy.  Our emotions are really just a form of energy that flows through us.  Our thoughts not only influence our mood, but also our entire biology.  Even our posture and our breathing can change the energy we carry into a room.

We have all felt it before, whether it’s walking into a room and feeling tension in the air, or coming home and feeling instantly relaxed once we enter our own personal space.

Gratitude isn’t just a word, it’s an energetic frequency you can learn to tune into.  When you hold gratitude in your body, your nervous system, your heart, you’re literally shifting your state of being.

The Science of Gratitude’s Energy

Let’s talk practical.

Research shows that gratitude lowers your stress hormones, like cortisol.  Being in a state of gratitude can also increase the levels of dopamine and serotonin our body produces, which are the chemicals that make us happy and feel good.  It has also been clinically proven to improve your heart rate variability, which is an indicator that your nervous system is in balance and functioning properly.

This isn’t magic.  Its biology responding to emotion.  When you truly feel gratitude, your body moves into a state of safety and connection.  Your heart rhythms smooth out, your breathing slows, and your brain shifts out of hypervigilance.

Gratitude isn’t passive, it’s an active shift in your internal landscape.

More Than Words: Embodying Gratitude

Here’s the thing.

Just saying “thank you” without feeling it doesn’t create this energetic shift.  We can autopilot through those words all day and never change how we feel, or the energy we give off.  But when we slow down enough to embody gratitude – to feel it in our chest, our breath, our whole being – something changes.

It’s like your heart says “I see this gift.  I let it in.”

That moment of genuine receptivity has a vibrational quality.  It radiates outward.  People can feel it.  You can feel it in yourself. It creates a sense of comfort.

Practices to Access the Energetics of Gratitude

You don’t need anything fancy to start.  Here are a few simple ways to move from thinking gratitude, to feeling it.

Pause and breathe.  Place a hand on your heart.  Take a long slow inhale, and an even longer exhale.  Let yourself settle, gratitude needs space.

One thing, deeply felt.  Choose one thing you’re grateful for.  Not ten, just one.  Close your eyes and really see it, think about what it feels like, or smells like.  Notice how it makes you feel.  Warmth?  Relief?  Joy?

Let it land in the body.  Where do you feel this gratitude?  Chest?  Belly?  Face?  Breathe deeply into that area.  Allow it to expand.

Daily ritual.  At the end of the day, ask, “What today felt like a gift?”  Don’t rush, let it land before you move on.

Gratitude is less about listing blessings than about letting blessings change you.

Why This Matters

We live in a world that encourages constant wanting, comparing, and consuming.  Gratitude disrupts that cycle.  It says, “This is enough.  I am enough.”

That simple energetic shift has ripple effects:

  • Better health
  • Calmer mind
  • Deeper relationships
  • Greater creativity
  • A sense of meaning

You’re not just being polite when you practice gratitude.  You’re rewiring your nervous system.  You’re tuning yourself to a state of receptivity, connection, and peace.

Closing Invitation

Gratitude isn’t about ignoring what’s hard.  It’s about finding what is still good, even in difficulty.  It’s not a denial of pain, It’s a widening of perspective.  I invite you to try it – not as another task to check off, but as a gift to yourself.

Breathe.  Feel.  Let it in.

Return to your breath.  Return to your truth.  Return home.  You always have a place here on the Mindful Mountain.

If this resonated with you, I’d love to hear about your own gratitude practices or experiences.  Share in the comments, and let’s support each other in living more deeply, more energetically, and more gratefully.

7 Easy Self-Care Tips You Can Actually Do Every Day

/ Eric Dickson / Leave a comment

The world is a crazy place right now.  Life is busy. Stress is real. And let’s be honest—self-care can feel like one more thing on the to-do list.

But the truth is, self-care doesn’t have to be fancy. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It just has to be intentional and consistent.

Here are 7 simple, realistic self-care tips you can start weaving into your daily life right now—no spa day required.

Start Your Morning with Stillness

Before you grab your phone, before you check the news, give yourself 2-5 quiet minutes.

Sit in silence.
Take a few slow, deep breaths.
Set an intention for the day.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just give yourself permission to arrive before the world demands your attention.  These few moments of silence to yourself will help your mind stay clear and focused, and give you the ability to start your day without being bombarded by media and society.

Drink Water Like You Mean It

It sounds too easy, right? But hydration is foundational self-care.

Keep a water bottle nearby.
Drink a full glass first thing in the morning.
Use herbal teas if you need variety.

Your body, mind, and mood all function better when you’re hydrated.  Use these water breaks as a pause in your day.  Intentionally stop everything you are doing and focus on that water break.  Feel the coolness of the water.  Notice the taste.  This is an easy way to add some quick mindfulness into your day.

Move Your Body (Even a Little)

You don’t need a gym membership or a 60-minute routine.

Take a walk around the block.
Stretch while your coffee brews.
Do ten squats before you shower.

Movement helps clear mental fog, reduces stress, and reminds you that your body is your partner—not just a machine.  Moving your body throughout the day will also help keep your joints healthy, and prevent soreness from sitting at a desk all day long.

Create Small, Sacred Pauses

Schedule tiny moments of calm throughout your day.

A mindful minute at your desk can make a huge difference in your day.  Set an alarm, and take just one minute to close your eyes and take some deep breaths.  This can help you reset your mindset when you are starting to get stressed or overwhelmed.

A quick walk outside can get your blood flowing, prevent soreness from sitting all day, and help dissipate mental fog.  Be mindful with your walk, notice the sights, sounds, and smells around you.  Use this time to remember you are not your job, you are human.

Listen to a song with your eyes closed.  Music is one of the most powerful and quickest ways to change your mood.  Put on your favorite band and relax and just enjoy the music.  This can also help lower levels of cortisol that are produced by the stress of a busy day.

These mini-breaks help you reset and respond rather than react.

Speak Kindly to Yourself

Notice your inner voice.  Pay attention to how you talk to yourself.  Your body listens more than you know.

Would you talk to a friend the way you talk to yourself?

Replace criticism or negative self-talk with compassion.
Try affirmations or gentle reminders:

 “I’m doing my best.”
“I deserve care too.”
“One step at a time.”

Nourish Your Body Without Rules

Self-care is feeding yourself well without punishment or guilt.  Just because you grew up eating three meals a day at specific times, doesn’t always mean thats what is right for your body or situation.

Listen to your body’s cues.
Make meals that feel satisfying and nurturing.
Eat regularly.

Food is not just fuel—it’s comfort, culture, and connection.  Pay attention to how different things you eat make you feel.  Food should not make you feel heavy and sluggish, food should energize you, and help you keep going.

End the Day with Gratitude

Even on the hard days, find one thing you’re grateful for.

Write it down. Say it out loud. Hold it in your heart for a moment.

Gratitude shifts your focus from what’s lacking to what’s present. It’s a simple practice that rewires your brain for hope and possibility.

If you want to take it a step further, keep a gratitude journal by your bed, and every night spend 5 minutes writing down everything you are grateful for.  This is a huge step in changing your mindset, and helps curb the desire of always wanting more and more.

Final Thoughts

Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s survival. It’s how we remember that we’re human—not robots.

These tips aren’t meant to be another checklist to stress over. They’re gentle invitations to come back home to yourself, one small moment at a time.

Because you deserve care. Every single day.

If this resonated with you, let me know in the comments—or share your own favorite self-care rituals. Let’s keep the conversation going.

“Build a Grounded, Uplifting Morning Routine”

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By Eric Dickson | Mindful Mountain Wellness

Mornings set the tone for everything that follows. A chaotic start often leads to a scattered day. But a mindful, grounded, and energizing morning routine can shift your entire trajectory — from the way you feel in your body to the choices you make and the energy you carry.

Creating a morning routine isn’t about rigid rules or waking up at 4:00 AM (unless that lights you up). It’s about building a flow that feels nourishing, empowering, and aligned with your truth.

Here’s how to design a morning ritual that doesn’t just get you out the door — it brings you back home to yourself.

Wake With Intention, Not Reaction

Before checking your phone, emails, or to-do lists, take a few moments to just be. Feel your body in the bed. Notice your breath. Set a gentle intention. Even a single sentence can shift your mindset:

“Today, I choose peace.”
“I give myself permission to start slow.”
“I trust the rhythm of my own energy.”


This tiny pause invites mindfulness into the very first breath of your day.

Grabbing your phone the moment you wake up floods your brain with dopamine, noise, and external input before you’ve even taken a conscious breath. Instead of starting your day grounded in your own energy, you’re immediately reacting to messages, news, and social media — often triggering stress, comparison, or urgency.

That early scroll teaches your nervous system to be on alert, rather than at ease. Over time, this becomes an addiction, and can increase anxiety, decrease focus, and disconnect you from your intuition.

Choosing presence over notifications — even for just the first 10 minutes — creates space for a calmer, more intentional start to your day.

Hydrate and Stimulate Your Body

After hours of sleep, your body craves hydration. Start your morning with a full, large glass of water (bonus if it’s warm with lemon).  Consider also adding some electrolytes to your water, to help you stay better hydrated throughout your day. Consuming water right away helps wake up all of your organs.  We are electrical beings, and staying hydrated helps all of the systems in our body to work more efficiently.

Do some stretching or get some light movement (even 2–3 minutes helps).  This doesn’t mean you need a full workout right when you wake up, but gentle movement helps wake up your body and invite energy in on purpose. 

Take a few minutes to do some deep breathing or simple breath work to help oxygenate your system.  A few deep breaths in the morning signal to your body that it’s safe to slow down. They clear mental fog, and anchor you in the present moment — helping you start the day calm, focused, and grounded.

Ground Yourself With a Centering Practice

The world can wait. Give yourself a moment to root down before rising up. Choose one grounding practice that speaks to your energy. 

Meditation in the morning helps quiet mental chatter, centers your energy, and creates space to respond to the day with clarity instead of reactivity.

Sitting in silence with a warm cup of tea or coffee invites presence, stillness, and a moment to simply be before the world rushes in.

Morning journaling clears mental clutter and helps you connect with your thoughts before the noise of the day begins. Putting pen to paper in the morning creates space for clarity, intention, and emotional release — before the world asks anything of you.

Starting your day grounded — with bare feet on the earth or a grounding mat — which helps regulate your nervous system and reconnect you to the present moment.

Even five minutes of stillness can create an anchor point that steadies you all day.

Activate Your Energy — Gently or Boldly

Some mornings call for stillness, others for momentum. Honor your rhythm. There are many different ways to invite positive, activating energy into your morning.

Listening to uplifting music can shift your mood, raise your vibration, and infuse your morning with energy and joy before you even leave the house.  Music can be one of your most powerful tools when it comes to changing your mood.

A short dance session gets your blood flowing, lifts your mood, and shakes off stagnant energy — no choreography required. Moving your body with joy in the morning reconnects you to your vitality and reminds you that not everything has to be so serious.

Lighting a candle and speaking your intentions out loud creates a powerful moment of presence — turning thought into energy, and energy into action.  Just make sure your blow it out before you leave the house, you don’t need the stress of wondering all day whether your house will still be standing when you return.

Visualization in the morning primes your mind and body to move toward the reality you want to create — it’s a mental rehearsal with energetic impact. Seeing your day in your mind’s eye before it begins helps you step into it with confidence, clarity, and calm intention. 

Let your routine meet you where you are — not where productivity culture says you should be.

Choose One Nourishing Thought to Carry Into the Day

Our minds love something to anchor to. Pick a single thought, mantra, or affirmation that resonates today.

A few examples:

“My energy is sacred. I choose how to spend it.”
“I carry peace with me.”
“I move through the world with clarity and kindness.”

Repeat it aloud, write it in your journal, or simply hold it in your heart.

Final Thoughts

Your morning routine doesn’t need to be perfect — it needs to be yours.
Start with just one or two elements that make you feel more present, energized, and grounded. The magic lies not in complexity, but in consistency and intention.You are worthy of beginning your day with care.
You deserve to greet the morning not as a checklist, but as a chance to return to yourself.