Dr. Diana Hill
Psychological Flexibility Guide
Learn evidenced-backed, contemplative ideas and practices to help you develop your psychological flexibility. If you want to put your efforts into what you care most about, this twice-monthly Wise Effort newsletter is for you. Join the Wise Effort newsletter community!
Are you tired of the daily grind?
Dear Reader, Every morning, my husband grinds his coffee by hand. While grinding away, he chats with my 11-year-old son, who is packing his lunch. He turns on the light to wake up our teenager, walks to the garden to check on the chickens, and gives me a morning kiss. Grind, grind, grind! This is a different type of morning grind than most of us experience, and I know you are thinking, “Who has enough time to hand grind their coffee?” Shout out to my husband, who roasts it every Sunday, too...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Worried self-compassion makes you lose your edge? Read this!
Dear Reader, I’m a late adopter of a lot of things. It took me years to get an iPhone, a lot of convincing to wear AirPods (which I still call "ear pods" despite my son’s cringe), and it took me even longer to drink the “self-compassion” Kool-Aid. (I guess I drank it because I wrote a book on how to practice Self-Compassion Daily!) Why such reluctance? I believed three things about self-compassion that you may believe too: Self-compassion is selfish You’ll lose your edge It’s hokey But these...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Am I going to get through this?
Dear Reader, "I am not sure I can make it through this," is what I wrote in my journal at the beginning of this month. It's a line I hear a lot from clients as well. Can I do this? Am I going to be ok? Will I make it through? How do we hold our own when the world and our lives feel a bit shaky? I see only one good answer to these questions: whether you ask it of yourself or another person asks it of you, it's to offer compassion. I am here for you. I’ve got your back. Self-compassion is the...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Four Ways To Help You Build a Better 2024
Put your energy where it matters most. Dear Reader, My son has a habit of telling me, “It’s not that deep, Mom.” When setting goals for the New Year, I’d have to agree. It’s not that deep. What is “deep”? The inner resources needed to sustain those goals. On the podcast this week, you’ll learn four practices to develop the inner resources you need to make 2024 better. 1. Stress Better: Stress is part of living a values-driven life. These science-backed mindsets will reduce the wear and tear...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Why you should go on a retreat
Put your energy where it matters most. Dear Reader, I rarely use the word “should,” but there is a time and place for it—like when I tell my teenage son, “You should take a shower.” Or when I remind myself, “You should stop scrolling now.” Lately, I’ve been telling clients, “You should go on retreat.” I put retreats in the “should” category because I see them as part of your physical and mental hygiene in our modern world, like showers or limiting phone use. (Note: If money, time, or travel...
5 months ago • 3 min read
Are you flying by the seat of your pants? That’s a good thing. Here’s why.
Put Your Energy Where It Matters Most Dear Reader, I often feel like I’m flying by the seat of my pants. I’m still figuring out how to be a good parent, and I am in a never-ending process of learning how to be a better therapist. We are all winging it in some way or another. There’s a Buddhist principle I find useful when riding my growth edge: Knowing and Not Knowing. First, get to know yourself. Familiarize yourself with your unhelpful patterns. Learn to spot the thoughts that pull you off...
5 months ago • 1 min read
How to evolve, for the better, together!
Put Your Energy Where It Matters Most SAVORING IN SEDONA Dear Reader, Last week in Sedona, Arizona, at my week-long ACT Experiential retreat for therapists, we savored the warm sun on rocks, knowing that shorter, crisper days were coming. Research out of UC Berkeley shows that when we acknowledge that life is unpredictable and changing, we are more likely to savor it. Savoring helps us better cope with uncertainty, builds stronger relationships, and increases creativity and overall...
6 months ago • 3 min read
Want to grow wiser? Build these two things within yourself.
Dear Reader, I wanted to be many different things when I grew up: a snail (age 5), an aerobics instructor on a cruise ship (age 13), and a psychiatrist (age 17). Now, what I want to be is WISE. Wisdom is the number one quality I look for in podcast guests–humble, inquisitive, open-minded, and innovative folks who’ve gotten out of their own way so they can serve others. And it is the quality I aim to support my clients to develop. There are many different definitions of wisdom in psychology...
8 months ago • 2 min read
7 signs it’s not a waste of your time.
Dear Reader, Every year, I throw a “last hurrah to summer” ice cream party. Neighbors, kids, dogs, and friends of friends show up for a scoop. So this week, in my productive procrastination of back-to-school paperwork, I’m collecting eggs, pulling carrots for carrot cake ice cream, and bugging my husband to roast more coffee (his favorite flavor). Making each flavor takes about two days, and I aim for 12 (do the math). If you ask me why I put in all that effort, I would say, “Because it’s...
8 months ago • 2 min read
5 Practices to Bring You Joy in the Here and Now
Dear Reader, It felt nearly impossible to pull out of our busy family life and head to Plum Village Monastery in France. As is often the case, doing the impossible is what makes life magical. Here are some of the lessons I want to share with you upon our return. It’s available to you right now. Here’s how: 1. Look for The Path, Not The Pill Plum Village is full of walking paths—paths through plum orchards, aspen trees, and even tiny paths between meditation cushions. Unlike pills which make...
9 months ago • 4 min read
Learn evidenced-backed, contemplative ideas and practices to help you develop your psychological flexibility. If you want to put your efforts into what you care most about, this twice-monthly Wise Effort newsletter is for you. Join the Wise Effort newsletter community!