A Mindful Practice to Fully Feel Your Anger. Early in her practice, psychotherapist Andrea Brandt, Ph.D, M.F.T, found that the clients she was seeing were able to talk about their anger. They used popular techniques such as “I” statements. They were able to articulate when they felt angry. And, yet, their anger wasn’t dissipating. Communicating their anger wasn’t the problem. For many of us, feeling our feelings is uncomfortable, especially when the emotion is anger. However, fully experiencing our emotions means they don’t get buried and we receive the important information they’re trying to give, Brandt writes in her book Mindful Anger: A Pathway to Emotional Freedom.
It also means that we can make positive changes. In Mindful Anger she shares mindfulness strategies to help readers access, process, release and resolve their anger. Below is a mindfulness-based exercise from the book, which helps you tap into your anger and any other accompanying emotions: Feeling your feelings may not be easy. Happiness and productivity: 12 quick tips for boosting your happiness and productivity at work. Every Wednesday is Tip Day. This Wednesday: 12 quick tips for boosting your happiness and productivity at work. Of course, being happy at work depends mostly on how much you like your job.
But there are also smaller steps that can boost your happiness, as well. Some of these steps are VERY small, but the fact that you’re taking steps to improve your situation itself boosts happiness. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. *Interested in starting your own Happiness Project? This Is Why Rejection Hurts (And How To Cope) I've experienced it. You've experienced it. Even U2 has experienced it. Yet every time it happens, we're reminded again how not fun it is to be rejected. Rejection knows no bounds, invading social, romantic and job situations alike. And it feels terrible because "it communicates the sense to somebody that they're not loved or not wanted, or not in some way valued," explains Geraldine Downey, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Columbia University whose research is focused on rejection.
Plus, the more people learn to expect rejection and become concerned about it, the more sensitive they are to it -- which can eventually lead to self-rejection, Downey tells HuffPost. "It makes you feel bad about yourself, and it makes you feel like nobody wants to be around you. Indeed, Guy Winch, Ph.D., a HuffPost blogger, psychologist and author, notes that many times the rejection does 50 percent of the damage and we do the other 50 percent of the damage. This same avoidance tactic can also backfire. Seven Ways to Foster Gratitude in Kids. Research has shown that gratitude plays a major role in an adult’s well-being and success, but there has been little corresponding research addressing its development and enhancement in children’s lives.
In fact, until 2005, we know of no studies that examined gratitude and well-being in young children. Then, in 2006, psychologists Nansook Park and Christopher Peterson conducted an analysis of parents’ descriptions of their children’s strengths—and found that gratitude had the strongest relationship to life satisfaction. In more recent years, two long-term studies have shown why gratitude may be particularly beneficial to youngsters.
One study linked gratitude to greater social support and protection from stress and depression over time. These results suggest that gratitude not only helps people form, maintain, and strengthen supportive relationships, but it also helps people feel connected to a caring community. 1. Our children want to be like us. 2. Another way to spell love is T-I-M-E. 5 Daily Habits That Will Make You A More Positive and Happy Person. When was the last time someone said that you were too positive? Never. The reason is that we can’t be. The key to success in anyone’s life is how happy we are. We may be the wealthiest person on our street, but if we’re miserable, we are far from successful.
The problem most of us face is getting caught up in the daily grind of life and becoming worn out, overworked, and over caffeinated stress cases. Of course with all of life’s little (and big) stresses comes the tendency to blame, criticize, and generally take a negative outlook on life. Unfortunately, there is no way possible to live to our potential or even close to it by being a negative person. Attitude is a decision. Everything that happens in our lives is just a series of events. Think about the following example: We’re driving down the highway when we notice a car tailgating us. This will usually put us in a sour mood and we might even let this episode ruin our entire day.
Would we still be upset at them? 1) Reduce negativity. 15 Things You Must Give Up to Be Happy Again. Email Giving up doesn’t always mean you’re weak; sometimes it simply means you are strong enough and smart enough to let go. Last week Angel and I received a new thank you email from a reader named Kevin. He said our blog and book helped him and his wife Laura maintain a positive, intentional mindset as they struggled and grew through one of the most difficult periods of their lives. Certain sections of his email made my jaw drop: “After injuring my back, losing my job because of it, being evicted from our apartment, moving in with Laura’s parents, nursing my five-year-old through a nearly fatal bout of strep throat, I was sitting on the front porch feeling sorry for myself when my old college buddy called me crying and said, ‘Mel-Mel-Mellisa, my baby girl, just died in a car wreck.’
And suddenly I felt like the lucky one.” Truth be told, it happens to all of us as we grow. And it’s not easy. These experiences were brutal. But first, you have to give up… Your turn… Photo by: Zach Klein. New research sheds light on how the body regulates fundamental neuro-hormone. 11-Feb-2014 [ Print | E-mail ] Share [ Close Window ] Contact: Philippa Walkerphilippa.walker@bristol.ac.uk 44-117-928-8086University of Bristol New research has revealed a previously unknown mechanism in the body which regulates a hormone that is crucial for motivation, stress responses and control of blood pressure, pain and appetite. The breakthrough could be used to design drugs to help fight health problems connected with these functions in the future.
Researchers at the University of Bristol and University College London found that lactate – essentially lactic acid – causes cells in the brain to release more noradrenaline (norepinephrine in US English), a hormone and neurotransmitter which is fundamental for brain function. Without it people can hardly wake up or focus on anything. Production of lactate can be triggered by muscle use, which reinforces the connection between exercise and positive mental wellbeing.
Paper: [ Print | E-mail Share ] [ Close Window ] AAAS and EurekAlert! Is your left side is your best side? People pose in same position for photos because that half is 'more expressive' People have a natural tendency to pose showing the left half of their faceThis has been seen in around 60% of paintings since the 14th centuryRecent studies also found 90% of Jesus pictures show his left-hand sideWriter Sam Kean claims the left half of a person's face is more expressiveIt's controlled by the right side of the brain, responsible for emotionsThis makes the left side seem more attractive to others By Victoria Woollaston Published: 13:01 GMT, 11 February 2014 | Updated: 14:05 GMT, 11 February 2014 Many of us have a certain pose for photos, but have you ever noticed your face has a tendency to turn to the right each time? If so, you're not alone. Research of paintings dating back to the 14th century has revealed people prefer to pose showing the left half of their face - and this might be because we consider our left side to be our best side.
Research claims people have a natural tendency to pose showing more of the left half of their face. This switches the view. 192 Reasons for Happiness! | Partners in Wellness. HAPPY Saturday to YOU! Busy week, eh? Me too. February 8, 2014: Time to reflect, meditate, ruminate our REASONS for happiness aka our Reasons for hanging on and going on… and remaining Positive about our Gift of Life and NEVER, NEVER Giving up! Here we go… 192. 191. 190. 189. 188. 187. 186. 185. 11:11 aka knowing where you’re at… keeping your senses/wits/balance/not wasting time….reality check(s) keeping you decisively awake, aware & alive. “There is one who pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; There is another who pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.” 184-177 see post: 184 Reasons For Happiness! 176-169 see post: 176 Reasons for Happiness 168-161 see post: 168 Reasons for Happiness!
160-153 see post: 160 Reasons For Happiness! 152-145 see post: 152 Reasons For Happiness 144-137 see post:144 Reasons For Happiness! 136-129 see post:136 Reasons For Happiness! 128-121 see post: 128 Reasons For Happiness 120-113 see post: 120 Reasons For Happiness! 112-105 see post: 112 Reasons For Happiness! Understanding Humor Can Lead to New Psychiatric Treatments. Research led by Swiss neuroscientist Pascal Vrticka and his U.S. colleagues at Stanford University has found that, among other things, humor plays a key role in psychological health. According to the study, recently published in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience, adults with psychological disorders such as autism or depression often have a modified humor processing activity and respond less evidently to humor than people who do not have these disorders.
Vrticka believes that a better understanding how the brain processes humor could lead to the development of new treatments. This is not the first study to explore the healing force of humor. In 2006 researchers led by Lee Berk and Stanley A. Tan at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California, found that two hormones — beta-endorphins (which alleviate depression) and human growth hormone (HGH, which helps with immunity) — increased by 27 and 87 percent respectively when volunteers anticipated watching a humorous video.
What Tibetan Buddhism Can Teach Us About Happiness. One of the most geographically isolated cultures in the world may contain the secrets to happiness that the rest of us have been looking for. Perhaps in part because of the country's remote location, the Tibetans have become the guardians of a deep, well-preserved wisdom tradition that modern science is only now catching up to. But with the "mindful revolution" spreading in the West and a growing amount of research funding being dedicated to the study of contemplative practices and the science of compassion and altruism, the secrets of this ancient tradition are finally being recognized globally. "Tibet has probably the greatest treasure trove of ancient contemplative knowledge, science and wisdom about how to influence the mind from the inside out," Joe Loizzo, founder of the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science, told The Huffington Post.
"The Tibetans have an unbroken lineage of oral knowledge and technical expertise ... both in medicine and in psychology. " You Must Confront These 4 Uncomfortable Truths About Trust. No one disagrees that trust is an indispensable ingredient of strong, healthy relationships. In the workplace, high levels of trust increase productivity, efficiency, innovation,and profitability. When trust is low or absent, people avoid risk, decisions are questioned, bureaucracy increases, and productivity and profitability diminish. However, there are some uncomfortable truths about trust we must confront. These difficult areas often hold us back from fully trusting others and enjoying the personal and corporate benefits of high-trust relationships. Four Uncomfortable Truths about Trust 1. If you are risk-averse and slow to trust others, take baby steps to increase your comfort level. 2. The truth is we really don’t have as much control as we think we do. 3. 4. It’s human nature to prefer comfort and safety, but trust is anything but comfortable and safe.
Via @leaderchat Share this: Like this: Like Loading... Why we have negative emotions … and what to do about them. For many years I had asked myself the questions: What is the real source of our negative emotions? Why do so many things cause fear in our lives that aren’t inherently scary? And why do some people experience negative emotions while other people don’t in similar situations? About eight years ago I wrote a paper for myself on the source of negative emotions. Today’s post is a summary of that paper. I think you’ll find some fascinating material here and I’m excited to get your responses and start a conversation. What is an emotion? An emotion is the experiential, chemical, and neuro‑physiological response a conscious being has to a stimulus. (I am concerned here only with negative emotions in human beings.) If specific emotions were created by specific stimuli, then a particular stimulus would produce the same emotion in every person.
In fact, different people have varied emotional responses to the same stimulus. Then what does cause emotions? The Cause of Specific Negative Emotions. Negative emotions - How do we create them? Why do we experience troubling, disrupting, and often self-limiting, emotions? For example, anxiety – probably most of us experience it to some degree, at some times. But it isn’t the same as being afraid of something tangible like falling from a thrill ride. Or is it? Morty Lefkoe explains, “An emotion is the experiential, chemical, and neuro-physiological response a conscious being has to a stimulus. “If specific emotions were created by specific stimuli, then a particular stimulus would produce the same emotion in every person.
In fact, different people have varied emotional responses to the same stimulus.” He goes on to describe how “negative emotions are the result of interpreting events as a threat to our mental/emotional well-being” and that more awareness of the dynamics of emotion can help us deal with them more constructively. See his article Why we have negative emotions … and what to do about them. Neurobiology Related: Our High Sensitivity: Both A Gift and Vulnerability to Anxiety. How To Take Care of Yourself When You're Depressed. So much of depression can be linked back to forgetting to take proper care of ourselves. And the more depressed we feel, the less energy we have for anything beyond basic survival. What does taking care of yourself look like, particularly when you are depressed? While it varies from person to person, there are certain basic habits that help everybody, no matter who they are: drinking enough water, eating whole foods, getting 8 hours of sleep, etc. but people are individuals, and what works for one person won’t work for another.
What is necessary for one person may only be nice (but entirely optional), or even detrimental for someone else. It’s up to us to figure out what we need and to make sure we get it. Let’s start by listing everything that sounds remotely appealing to you. Ready? First, eliminate everything from that list that you have never actually tried. Look for any themes that may tie a few activities together into something truly critical. Look at your list. Where Your Body ‘Feels’ Emotions Revealed In New Study. In Brain Wave Experiment, Whoever Feels the Strongest Emotion Wins.