Sex, Love & Elephants with Dr. Cheryl

Share

How to Stop the Three Poisonous Emotions RUINING Your Life

Ep. 58

What tough emotions do you battle on a consistent basis? The more we pay attention to what incites our feelings of anger, insecurity, jealousy, and others, the more self-awareness we will gain and our understanding of how to shift our mindset. 


You may think that the situations that make us feel negative emotions on a smaller scale are completely different from the bigger situations. Just because the negative emotions may not last as long, the root emotion is often the same. We will never be able to control the external situations or circumstances that may spark us to feel negative emotions, but we ARE able to control the action we take when these emotions come up. 


Today, I am talking about the three root negative emotions from the Buddhist perspective.  You will learn what the three poisonous emotions are that are ruining your life and the intentional ways you can reframe your mind and apply the antidotes for these emotions. If you’re interested in watching this episode instead of listening, you can check out the video here. 


In This Episode, You Will Learn:

  • About the three root poisonous emotions (4:37)
  • How the Greedy Demon shows up in our lives and relationships (11:43)
  • Why our lives are full of thinking either “I want this” or “I don’t want that” (20:10)
  • To stop trying to control and micromanage external circumstances (31:07)
  • This week’s LoveByte (47:05)


Q&A:

  • What are the three root poisonous emotions? In English, the three root poisonous emotions that Buddha Dharma describes are greed, anger, and confusion. 
  • How can I stop feeling negative emotions? The antidotes for the three root poisonous emotions are love, generosity, and clear seeing. 
  • How can I stop feeling irritable? Meditation! Close your eyes, imagine that there are gray clouds covering the sun, and slowly dissolve the clouds to uncover the warmth and brightness of the sun. Many times when we are annoyed or irritable, we just need a reminder that it is in our control to stop feeling that way. 


Want to learn more about Buddhism and Love relationships? Check out my book Buddha’s Bedroom 


Resources mentioned:


Got a question or topic you’d like me to cover in an upcoming episode? Email me at cheryl@drcherylfraser.com


Let’s Connect!

More Episodes

Monday, May 29, 2023

Why a Gal Should Love a Cat Daddy

Ep. 109
When you’re scrolling through the dating apps and see a picture of a man with a dog, what comes to mind? That he’s loyal, that he can make a commitment? That he’ll make a good parent one day? Are you kidding me, people? Having a dog means you want a pet who worships you, who never thinks you're wrong, who's so excited to see you all the time… This is not what any self respecting human should be looking for in a guy. On this episode of Sex, Love, and Elephants, I’m dispelling the myth of the undateable cat daddy. I was recently contacted by a major publication to make some comments on a study. It turns out that men who pose on dating apps with dogs are more successful than those who pose with a cat. Apparently, heterosexual women tend to favor a guy with a cat far less than a guy with a dog or without any pet in his profile pictures. This is blatant pet racism, people! In This Episode, You Will Learn:I’m crazy about dogs, but any fool can have one (07:21)When I saw my now husband's dating profile pic, I was charmed, smitten, and attracted to the fact that he had a cat looking over his shoulder (10:47)Men with cats on dating sites are seen as more neurotic, less dateable, and less masculine—That is so not true (11:59)Get rid of the stories about what's dateable or not… get rid of the stories and just show up and purr (12:49)Want to learn more about Buddhism and Love relationships? Check out my book Buddha’s Bedroom Interested in the 2023 session of my Become Passion 12-week online immersion program for couples? Learn more and get on the waitlist to be notified HERE!Let’s Connect!About MeWebsite - Sign up for Weekly LoveBytes here Facebook Page  YoutubeIf you want to rate your relationship, take the Passion Quiz
Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Dr. Cheryl’s #1 Relationship Tip

Ep. 108
I don't know if you've ever noticed, but relationships are a hard gig! Love, sexuality, long term passion… These are not easy. They don't come naturally all the time, but they do tend to come naturally when we're falling in love; when it's simple, when it feels fluid, when things are cooking. The question is, how can we recapture that feeling after the honeymoon is over?On this episode of Sex, Love, and Elephants you’ll hear the number one tip from my Become Passion online couples’ immersion program—and it’s definitely not what you’re thinking.Today, I’m teaching you all about the Three Breath Hug, AKA my holy grail tip for couples. When we hug our sweetheart with a three breath hug, we’re re-grounded… even when we're disconnected and angry, annoyed or upset with each other. It lets our bodies drink in the ease of each other in, the safety of each other, and the bigger, higher self of each of us. In This Episode, You Will Learn:How to do the Three Breath Hug (03:51)Anytime is a great time to practice the Three Breath Hug (05:31)One of the best times to use the Three Breath Hug is when you least want to because of hurt, anger, or frustration (07:59)Today’s LoveByte (13:21)Take my May challenge! Kiss your partner every day this month and win a prize - email hello@drcherylfraser.com to be entered!Want to learn more about Buddhism and Love relationships? Check out my book Buddha’s Bedroom Interested in the 2023 session of my Become Passion 12-week online immersion program for couples? Learn more and get on the waitlist to be notified HERE!Let’s Connect!About MeWebsite - Sign up for Weekly LoveBytes here Facebook Page  YoutubeIf you want to rate your relationship, take the Passion Quiz
Monday, May 15, 2023

Kiss More, Kiss Often

Ep. 107
Think of your first kiss with your current partner. (And if you're unpartnered, think of the first kiss with a previous partner—even if  the relationship didn't end so well.)? How did that first kiss  feel?First kisses can be pretty powerful, pretty exciting, and sometimes almost orgasmically explosive. Today’s episode of Sex, Love, and Elephants is all about the kiss. You’ll hear all about my origin story with my now-husband and why our first kiss changed everything for our relationship. Kissing is a funny thing. When we first start out in a relationship, we put so much energy, so much mindfulness, so much focus and so much eroticism into the act… But then something happens. You get years into a long term relationship and kissing starts to seem like an almost trivial act—but it is so much more than that.In This Episode, You Will Learn:When I went on my first date with my now-husband, I had no intention of being partnered (02:29)My honey reacted with only positivity when I told him about my 90-day meditation retreats and that’s when I knew he was different (13:53)An amazing kiss can be an erotic, emotional, spiritual, energetic movement of energy through your entire body (17:56)First kisses, for almost all of us, are incredibly exciting because of the anticipation (19:23)Today’s LoveByte (21:04)Take my May challenge! Kiss your partner every day this month and win a prize - email hello@drcherylfraser.com to be entered!Want to learn more about Buddhism and Love relationships? Check out my book Buddha’s Bedroom Interested in the 2023 session of my Become Passion 12-week online immersion program for couples? Learn more and get on the waitlist to be notified HERE!Let’s Connect!About MeWebsite - Sign up for Weekly LoveBytes here Facebook Page  YoutubeIf you want to rate your relationship, take the Passion Quiz
Monday, May 8, 2023

Relationship Reality Check: Your Expectations Are Making You Miserable

Ep. 106
The source of all of your unhappiness is in your own mind. Excuse me, Dr. Cheryl?! It may sound harsh, but it’s true. Our expectations about how we think things should be, how we want things to be, how we believe things should go in our life… Those are expectations, not reality. And reality is a bitch. It’s one of the toughest aspects of being alive. Today on Sex, Love, and Elephants I’m talking about your expectations vs the real world - and how much this can hurt your relationship! Have you ever noticed that your expectations and reality often clash in a major way?  It can be difficult to accept that things won’t always go your way—in fact, I still have to work on it myself sometimes. We all  have expectations, we all have plans,  and we all have desires… There are ways we want things to go and reality often has other ideas. You can be angry and vindictive all you want, but in the end, you’re only prolonging your own suffering.In This Episode, You Will Learn:I recently had an airplane trip from hell - my expectations were certainly not met! But…I adjusted to relaity and made lemonade from the lemons…(02:12)Be nice to the people who just happen to be bystanders when reality fails to meet your wishes (10:23)Be kind to yourself, your mind, and your partner when reality isn’t going your way (14:27)You can always change the story you’re making up about your partner and change your expectations  (16:58)Happiness or unhappiness is completely up to us (21:26)Today’s LoveByte (22:07)Take my May challenge! Kiss your partner every day this month and win a prize - email hello@drcherylfraser.com to be entered!Want to learn more about Buddhism and Love relationships? Check out my book Buddha’s Bedroom Interested in the 2023 session of my Become Passion 12-week online immersion program for couples? Learn more and get on the waitlist to be notified HERE!Let’s Connect!About MeWebsite - Sign up for Weekly LoveBytes here Facebook Page  YoutubeIf you want to rate your relationship, take the Passion Quiz
Monday, May 1, 2023

Spring into Love: Cultivate a Generous Mind

Ep. 105
When you're feeling irritated toward your partner or you’re anxious about something that you think is just not working in your relationship, do you notice that it can feel as though your heart is closed down? As though you’re a little bit guarded and trying to gain a bit of protection? Most of us don't do it deliberately, but subconsciously a protective mechanism can kick in. And that’s a problem…In the last chapter of my 3-part Spring into Love series, I’m rounding out our talks on kindness and gratitude by teaching you all about generosity and the incredible power it has in our relationships.  And I’m not talking about giving gifts - I’m talking about thinking generous thoughts.Do you consider yourself a generous person? How do you personally define generosity? You may be a perfectly giving person in your day-to-day life, but what about when it comes to your long-term romantic relationships? How generous are you really to your sweetheart?In This Episode, You Will Learn:A quick thought experiment about generosity (05:57)When we cultivate generosity about our partner, we will feel more at ease. We will feel happier, we will feel a softening in our heart. (11:13)How you cultivate generous thoughts towards your partner is 100% up to you. Happiness is all in your own head (14:54)It’s up to us to interpret the data—it’s up to us to choose kindness and generosity (15:59)Today’s LoveByte (17:19)Want to learn more about Buddhism and Love relationships? Check out my book Buddha’s Bedroom Got a question or topic you’d like me to cover in an upcoming episode? Email me at hello@drcherylfraser.comInterested in the 2023 session of my Become Passion 12-week online immersion program for couples? Learn more and get on the waitlist to be notified HERE!Let’s Connect!About MeWebsite - Sign up for Weekly LoveBytes here Facebook Page  YoutubeIf you want to rate your relationship, take the Passion Quiz
Monday, April 24, 2023

Spring into Love: Be Grateful for your Partner, dammit!

Ep. 104
Do you have a mind that's always looking for what's not working? Maybe you’re really good at picking out things that are wrong or incorrect and it might make you a terrific accountant or a skilled surgeon or a fantastic editor. Of course there's nothing wrong with being bright—but what about when our bright little minds bring that same critical energy to our relationships? That’s when the love trouble can start. In this 3-part Spring into Love series on Sex, Love, and Elephants I’m talking about  three deceptively simple things that each of us needs to nurture in order to have an extraordinary relationship: Kindness, Gratitude, and Generosity. Today, I’m covering gratitude. There are a number of scientific studies that show that people who practice gratitude have a better overall state of mental well being. They feel calmer and they tend to have a more optimistic outlook on things. Gratitude isn't some trend—when we train our mind to look for what's right instead of what's wrong, we achieve a more positive emotional state. Especially when we do it toward our partner.In This Episode, You Will Learn:As humans, we’ve evolved to have a mind that looks for what’s wrong (09:45)There are things you are grateful for even on your worst relationship day (11:50)When you cultivate gratitude in your mind by looking for what's right in your relationship , you'll feel more at ease (16:07)ACTION STEP - Ideally in person,snuggled up in bed together, share with your partner one thing you're grateful for. Because if you don't take action, nothing ever changes (17:28)Today’s LoveByte (18:46)Want to learn more about Buddhism and Love relationships? Check out my book Buddha’s Bedroom Got a question or topic you’d like me to cover in an upcoming episode? Email me at hello@drcherylfraser.comInterested in the 2023 session of my Become Passion 12-week online immersion program for couples? Learn more and get on the waitlist to be notified HERE!Let’s Connect!About MeWebsite - Sign up for Weekly LoveBytes here Facebook Page  YoutubeIf you want to rate your relationship, take the Passion Quiz
Monday, April 17, 2023

Spring into Love: The Importance of Kindness

Ep. 103
For so many of us in long term relationships, we start to take each other for granted. Complacency creeps in on its sneaky little feet—we get bored, we cease to find our partner exciting, we no longer romance them. Sometimes, we even stop being kind to them and wind up treating thembadly- unkind tone, sharp words - instead of treating them like a good friend.For the next three weeks on Sex, Love, and Elephants it’s all about springing into love. I’m talking about  three deceptively simple things that each of us needs to nurture in order to have an extraordinary relationshi - Kindness, Gratitude, and Generosity. Today is all about kindness.In these short, powerful episodes I'm teaching you and your honey about some subtle yet profound aspects of developing great emotional and psychological intimacy. I also talk about the three aspects of what I call the passion triangle: ​​intimacy, thrill, and sensuality—the cornerstones of every extraordinary relationship.In This Episode, You Will Learn:Very few couples are strong in all three key relationship areas (04:40)Medical testing has shown that the feeling of falling in love is very similar in the brain to actual obsession (06:28)We often need a reboot for our long term relationships—we become lazy at the things we were good at in the beginning (09:23) The critical importance of simply Being KindDo better. Bit by bit, moment by moment (16:02)Prevention is key. Vow to prevent some of the unkind words, vow to prevent some of the unkind tone of voice (17:53)Today’s LoveByte (21:19)Want to learn more about Buddhism and Love relationships? Check out my book Buddha’s Bedroom Got a question or topic you’d like me to cover in an upcoming episode? Email me at hello@drcherylfraser.comInterested in the 2023 session of my Become Passion 12-week online immersion program for couples? Learn more and get on the waitlist to be notified HERE!Let’s Connect!About MeWebsite - Sign up for Weekly LoveBytes here Facebook Page  YoutubeIf you want to rate your relationship, take the Passion Quiz
Monday, April 10, 2023

Best Of Sex, Love, and Elephants: The Sex You’re Not Having

Ep. 102
Today, you’ll hear one of my favorite Classic SLE episodes on love, relationships, and the sex you’re not having. If you’re in a long-term relationship, how often do you and your partner have sex? Having a temporary dry spell is different than being in a sexless marriage - which is when you are having sex less than 6 times a year. If this sounds like the current state of your partnership, then it’s time to start talking about the sex you’re not having. You’re thinking, “But isn’t it normal for couples to stop having sex as they get older?” This is a HUGE myth that too many couples have normalized in order to avoid addressing the lack of sex in their partnership. It’s possible to return to the sexual beings you were at the beginning of your relationship, no matter your age.I’m talking about what a sexless marriage is and how to begin talking about the sex you’re not having with your partner. I share stories and lessons learned from the couples in my Become Passion course, in which part of what I help them with is reigniting the sexual aspect of their relationship.In This Episode, You Will Learn:What defines a sexless marriage and the statistics & myths associated (06:09)The first step for addressing ANY problem - not just lack of sex (10:41)An example of how to acknowledge the lack of sex with your partner (11:52)It takes time and commitment to go from sexless to sexual (23:09)This week’s LoveByte (26:53)Want to learn more about Buddhism and Love relationships? Check out my book Buddha’s Bedroom Got a question or topic you’d like me to cover in an upcoming episode? Email me at hello@drcherylfraser.comInterested in the 2023 session of my Become Passion 12-week online immersion program for couples? Learn more and get on the waitlist to be notified HERE!Let’s Connect!About MeWebsite - Sign up for Weekly LoveBytes here Facebook Page  YoutubeIf you want to rate your relationship, take the Passion Quiz
Monday, April 3, 2023

Everything Is Okay: A Dharma Talk with Dr. Cheryl

Ep. 101
When you've had a hope or a plan and that hasn't played out the way you thought—you’ve been disappointed or angry or deeply hurt—it behooves you to be a good scientist. Ask yourself: When do I get upset when things change? When am I more at ease when things change?In today’s episode of Sex, Love, and Elephants, I’m giving you a front row seat to my most recent Dharma talk. I’m teaching you the importance of rolling with the punches and staying at ease when your plans don’t meet your original expectations, and I’m also exploring the journey of aging with a treasured companion and ultimately working toward letting them go at the end of their life. Tune in and learn that whether it’s a burnt casserole, a rain-drenched hike, or a profoundly broken heart, we all have the choice to manage our reactions. In This Episode, You Will Learn:I recently had an incredible opportunity to spend two weeks housesitting in Hawaii with my dear friend (03:17)You can’t let plans gone awry ruin your beautiful day (06:00)Think of a time when you were deeply disappointed—how did you react? (12:45)We've got the ability to choose and to work with our reaction (18:55)In the present moment, there's no pain, there's no sadness, there's no clinging and wanting things to be different (26:26)Look at the waves in life and realize that this is only temporary turbulence (36:27)This week’s LoveByte (01:01:27)Want to learn more about Buddhism and Love relationships? Check out my book Buddha’s Bedroom Got a question or topic you’d like me to cover in an upcoming episode? Email me at hello@drcherylfraser.comInterested in the 2023 session of my Become Passion 12-week online immersion program for couples? Learn more and get on the waitlist to be notified HERE!Let’s Connect!About MeWebsite - Sign up for Weekly LoveBytes here Facebook Page  YoutubeIf you want to rate your relationship, take the Passion Quiz