A Journey with Vanessa Chiu

The healing journey continues! 

The book that has been helping me through my recovery process is called "How to Be Sick: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide for the Chronically Ill and Their Caregivers" by Toni Bernhard.

As I'm reading this book, I realize that I cause myself unnecessary suffering sometimes.  I share what I learned from Bernhard's journey that helps me with stressful and overwhelming thoughts.

In this episode, I talk about my progress in the physical, and emotional, healing journey I've been on since the car accident. 

I share what 'wise inaction' means based on the book I'm reading called "How to be sick: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide for the Chronically Ill and Their Caregivers" by Toni Bernhard.

I also talk about one of the best pieces of advice I've gotten so far this year!  

Happy 2024!  It's a new year!  Which means, a new you…right?  Not necessarily!  I believe it's more about sticking to your values with whatever choices and decisions we are making in our lives, at any point during the year. 

This episode was inspired by my friend's son who reminds me to make time for play. I talk about the benefits of play and the 8 Play Personalities identified by Dr. Stuart Brown, the founder of the National Institute for Play. You can find out more about the Play Personalities and Institute at nifplay.org.

Sometimes I feel like I'm running out of time or running behind in life.

In this episode, I share how I find happiness and contentment in this super fast-paced world we live in by practicing mindfulness.

Since it's January, let's talk about goals!

I've been reflecting on my goals and if I should've set new ones for this year.  In this episode, I share why I didn't do any New Year's resolutions and what is actually important to me when setting goals.

I'm such an overthinker!  And I notice that I do so in unfamiliar situations...especially new experiences that are important to me, which is why I pour my heart and soul into the learning process. In this episode, I share some things I do consistently to manage overthinking so it doesn't get the best of me.

Failing doesn't feel good! When you work really hard for something you want, it sucks when you don’t get it the first time. But failing the first time just means I don’t have the thing that I want, yet.

And I know I can choose how to respond to failure. In this episode, I talk about accepting and embracing failure based on the significance of water in Taoism. 

The last few weeks have been challenging for me as I notice my inner bully/voice/critic has been relentless and very loud. I've learned so many ways to manage that bully/voice/critic, and self-compassion is a huge part of that process. And I've learned that thoughts are just thoughts and they aren't always true.

In this episode, I share my thoughts on when it's okay to give up on something, and how I reframe giving up as letting go.   

The practice of letting go can be so challenging, especially when circumstances didn't go the way you thought they would. This is the fourth episode in my series about grief, inspired by the book "You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment" by Thich Nhat Hanh. I share how I'm learning to let go of control and expectations, and how grief and joy can coexist.

I'm learning and accepting that life is all about beginnings and endings. I'm also learning to reframe what endings mean to me. In this episode, I share more insights from the book "You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment" by Thich Nhat Hanh, and also from a daily mindfulness challenge I did earlier this year from Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield.

I just passed the one-year mark since I started my podcast and I'm so grateful to you for listening to my show. In this episode, I share 3 important lessons that I've learned over the last year, and they are also lessons that I remind myself of when I'm going through hard days.