We look forward to this season as “the most wonderful time of the year” and yet we may privately dread the disruption of our normal routines as well as the heightened demands and expectations (shopping, cleaning, decorating, cooking, gathering, entertaining) inherent in the holiday season. Isn’t it ironic that a holiday rooted in religious traditions […]
The Thanksgiving holiday, which we’re celebrating in the US this week, has always been a favorite of mine. Not only is it less commercialized than other holidays, but it invites peaceful reflection and giving thanks for the good things in our lives. We often offer our thanks around a dinner table with family and friends. […]
I’ve long been interested in understanding happiness and, consequently, have stayed abreast of this body of research over the last several years. Now I want to share what I’ve learned from the science of happiness (as well as share a number of tips to be happy). According to science, our happiness can be attributed to […]
As I’ve shared before, being grateful is more highly linked to mental health, happiness, and well-being than any other character trait. And the good news is that we can cultivate gratitude through deliberate practice. So, here are a few of my favorite quotes on gratitude: “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” Anonymous “Be thankful […]
Research tells us that people who have grateful hearts are happier, less depressed, and less stressed than those who are less grateful. They report a greater sense of purpose, more control over their lives, greater self-acceptance, and more optimism. They are more empathetic, more forgiving, less materialistic and have more positive ways of coping with difficulties.
I’m very mindful, as I sit at my computer this morning, of the utter horror of last weekend’s shooting in Las Vegas. My emotions vacillate from shock to anger to sadness that something so inhumane can happen, yet again, in America. Such events occur all too frequently and effect each of us deeply as we search […]
A couple of years ago I started on a journey to understand happiness. It’s a concept that has been well studied in the past fifteen years. Social scientists have learned a lot about the mental strategies of happy people, strategies which can be used by anyone who wants to increase their happiness and well-being.In particular, […]
Here is a message from some good friends, Mark and Lisa Sabey, who have a son at Arapahoe High School in Colorado, location of last week’s tragic shooting. Friday, Dec. 13–Our son Daniel and his Arapahoe Singers group were dressed in their knickers, sweaters and winter scarves as they caroled through the high school halls. […]
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not.” –Epicurus I love the Thanksgiving holiday. It is noncommercial, a break in the middle of the week, a chance to be together with family and friends, a day of feasting. Most important, it is a day of gratitude. A Day of Gratitude As […]
You have a hundred million receptors in your eyes to enjoy the magic of a leaf, a snowflake, pond, child, cloud, star, rose. Twenty four thousand fibers in each ear vibrate at the laugh of a baby, sound of the wind, the waves upon a rock, the call of a robin, children at play. You […]
