Practical Wisdom with Dr. Rick Hanson

Anxiety is a normal human experience — we all feel anxious or afraid sometimes — but excessive or chronic anxiety can wear us down and be detrimental to our long-term happiness and health. Plus, many of us are anxious about things that we don’t actually need to be anxious about.

In this talk, I shared some ideas on how to prevent and release needless anxiety.

Some key points that I covered are:

It’s easy to feel hurt, frustrated, or reactive when others let us down — or when we’re caught in old patterns of resentment and blame. But we actually have the power to influence how we see, feel about, and respond to other people. So this week I explored how to “love at will,” make positive deposits in our emotional memory bank, and draw on timeless Buddhist wisdom to live with more kindness, integrity, and peace — even when others are difficult.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks—for free—by signing up here. We always...

In these turbulent times, it’s natural to feel shaken. Together, we can return to what is truly reliable—our present moment, our good intentions, our capacity to love, the steadiness of awareness, and the enduring ground of nature and the universe. These refuges give us strength, clarity, and peace, even amid uncertainty.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks—for free—by signing up here. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can list...

In this talk, I explore what it’s like for us when we get triggered—those moments when, all of a sudden, something takes over and we’re flooded with a strong, often old, emotional reaction. We’ll walk through how to recognize we’re triggered, pause to let the full story come into view, bring compassion and kindness to ourselves, and mobilize a kind of grounded strength on our own behalf before we act or speak. Throughout, I’ll touch on how these very human reactions connect to larger forces around us, encouraging us to take skillful action rooted in wa...

So often we get caught in worry, strain, and the constant pressure to do more — to fix everything, to control what we simply can’t. In this talk, I explore how to let go of what’s beyond our power, how to do the “next right thing” even when life feels overwhelming, and how to find balance between striving and simply being.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up here. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience...

So often we struggle with life’s challenges—reacting with stress, craving, or grasping—only to find ourselves adding suffering on top of difficulty.

In this talk, I explore the Buddha’s essential teachings on dukkha (suffering), sukha (well-being), and tanha (craving)—and how to navigate them skillfully so we can live with greater resilience, peace, and joy.

We’ll look at how pain becomes suffering, how pleasure can sometimes backfire, and most importantly, how to find the kinds of happiness that don’t depend on craving or clinging.

You’re welcome to join me live eac...

We can’t stop life from bringing pain—loss, disappointment, aging—but we can stop piling extra suffering on top of it. 

In this talk, I explore timeless Buddhist wisdom and practical psychology for meeting life’s “golden winds” without being blown away by them. Learn how to recognize the difference between pain and the suffering we create, work with craving and clinging, and rest in the natural state of peaceful, openhearted happiness that’s already within you.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up here. We always start...

Feeling isolated, burdened, or unseen? In a world that often feels fragmented and exhausting—with anxiety, stress, and a subtle sense that you’re not quite enough—you may long to feel more supported, connected, and grounded.

So this week I invite you to shift from striving to be loved to being carried by love—not imaginary, but foundational. This kind of living transforms ordinary experiences: the events of your day might stay the same, but how you feel through them—and how they affect you—can change dramatically. In this talk, I share:

So often, we feel torn between striving for change and surrendering to what is. We can get stuck trying too hard, or give up entirely. 

So this week, I explore how to find a wise balance between deliberate intention and choiceless awareness, and how to grow lasting inner strengths like compassion, kindness, joy, and equanimity. These are qualities we can practice—not just admire.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up here. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening...

Life can feel like it’s coming at us from all sides—relationships change, plans fall through, our bodies age, and the world keeps shifting under our feet. It’s totally normal to feel uneasy or anxious in the face of all this unpredictability. But what if we could relate to change in a different way—not as something to fear, but as something we can move with, and even find peace within?

This week, I explored one of the Buddha’s most fundamental insights: that everything is in a state of constant change. And not in a dry or p...

When life feels uncertain, chaotic, or painful, our minds scramble for answers. We try to make sense of things we may never fully understand. We cling to being right, to figuring it out, to knowing for sure… but what if real freedom comes from loosening that grip?

There is a deep value in not knowing—not as a failure, but as a profound refuge. Certainty can become a trap, but if we can rest in openness and curiosity, and embrace “beginner’s mind”, we can bring relief, humility, and insight to our relationships with others and ourselves.

Give...

So many of us are quick to dismiss our own pain—or the pain of others. We might tell ourselves to “move on” or wonder why someone else is still upset.

But the truth is, suffering deserves respect. When we minimize pain, it often makes it worse—and avoidant patterns can keep us stuck.

That’s why it’s important to face what hurts with compassion and strength – so we can release what no longer serves, and receive the inner resources that help us heal. These include resilience, self-compassion, and the courage to stay present with what’s di...

We all want to feel seen, respected, and appreciated—but so often, we’re overlooked. Feeling unappreciated can be quietly painful—and surprisingly common. Our efforts go unnoticed, our sincerity unacknowledged, and over time it can really wear us down and even cause resentment toward those we care about.

So this week I explored the deep human need for appreciation—not as ego-stroking, but as a vital nutrient in relationships, work, and personal growth. 

Appreciation is more than just “being nice”—it’s a powerful practice that supports lasting inner strength. There's also a lot of science, psych...

This week I'd like to focus on something both personal and practical: What is a core practice that you return to when things go sideways? When you're overwhelmed, irritated, frustrated, or just worn out? What’s the thing that centers you and brings you back to who you really are?

In this episode, I explore how even our healthiest desires—those driven by love, purpose, or care—can quietly pull us away from that inner home base. We often get caught up in doing good, striving for goals, or helping others… and still find ourselves exhausted, contracted, or disco...

Let’s be honest—these days, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, reactive, and worn down. Whether it’s the relentless news cycle, a difficult interaction, or just your own mind revving up again, it can feel like calm and happiness are out of reach.

So in this episode, I unpacked some of the biological machinery underneath our stress and reactivity—and offered practical ways to work with it. I talked about how your nervous system gets rattled (it’s not your fault!), and how small shifts in awareness, social connection, and even the way you look at the world...

What does it feel like to simply be yourself—without all the striving, fixing, and fabricating? 

In this episode, I explore six key turning points in my own journey of practice, from realizing I could shape my mind, to discovering concentration, to resting more deeply in love and a growing sense of oneness. 

Along the way, I reflect on the challenges of modern life—overthinking, anxiety, emotional overwhelm—and how contemplative practice helps us come to rest in something deeper, steadier, and more peaceful. 

I talk about what it means to truly clock out, how...

When life feels heavy—when people let you down, when things don’t go your way, when the world just keeps coming at you—it’s easy to feel like you’re not strong enough, not doing enough, or like you have to hold everything together all the time.

So this week, I invite you to pause and look a little deeper. Because underneath all the noise, all the stress, all the striving... there's a quiet strength already inside you. The part of you that keeps showing up. That wants to know what’s true. That wants to help. Tha...

Life is hard—and then our mind makes it harder. We stew in old regrets, brace for future disasters, cling to how things should be, or take everything way too personally. Sound familiar?

In this talk, I dig into the Buddha’s teaching on dukkha—the unavoidable pain of life—and how we add unnecessary suffering on top through craving. 

But here’s the good news: you can practice your way out of that extra suffering. I’ll walk you through four telltale signs of craving—and four powerful shifts you can make to feel stronger, calme...

How do we connect our personal healing and awakening… to the broader world that’s hurting? This is often called Engaged Buddhism — but honestly, it’s relevant to anyone who wants to live with wisdom, compassion, and integrity, especially in times like these.

Inner peace can and should lead to outer action. The Buddha himself confronted systemic suffering in his day. What does that mean for us now, and why do our values — yes, even judgment — actually matter on the path?

In this week's episode, I explore:

Many of us are carrying pain, guilt, or resentment that we can’t seem to let go of. So this week I explored something we all face: those moments when we’re stuck — carrying old hurts, regrets, or mistakes that weigh us down.

How can we turn a corner inside ourselves? How can we let go, not by forcing it, but by choosing a new path with wisdom and self-compassion?

It’s important to recognize when it’s time to move on. It’s not about pretending things didn’t happen. It’s about giving yourself permiss...