27 Healthy Habits of Happiness

11 Simple Ways to Improve Your Memory Whether you want to be a Jeopardy! champion or just need to remember where you parked your car, here are 11 things you can do right now to turn your mind from a sieve into a steel trap. These days we’re all about things being faster. We’ve all walked into a room and suddenly realized we can’t remember why we needed to be there in the first place. If you’re having trouble remembering things at work, get a stress ball. At this point we should just accept it that science considers exercise the cure for absolutely any problem, and memory is no different. At some point in high school or college, almost everyone has tried to pull an all-nighter before a big test (or so pop culture would have us believe). We’re all font snobs to some extent. If you need to remember a piece of information for around 30 minutes, try chewing gum. But if you have a pop quiz sprung on you, leave the Juicy Fruit in your pocket. Many people like a bit of music playing while they work or study.

8 Questions You Should Ask Any Psychologist You are Considering | Portland Psychotherapy Psychotherapy is a partnership between a person and a psychologist that is designed to help a person overcome his/her difficulties. It offers a supportive environment where feelings and worries can be shared in an honest and confidential way. Professional psychologists are highly trained in the assessment and treatment of mental health concerns, addressing problematic behavior patterns (e.g., smoking, relationship difficulties, excessive worry), and the use of behavior change strategies. Professional psychologists follow a strong code of ethical standards and abide by the state’s laws that regulate their profession; however, picking the right psychologist can be tricky. There are people who label themselves as “therapists” who may not have the appropriate training and credentials to best help others. To help you find the right psychologist and to protect you from potential harm, here are 8 questions you should ask any psychologist you are considering: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

100 Excellent Art Therapy Exercises for Your Mind, Body, and Soul January 9th, 2011 Pablo Picasso once said, "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." It's no surprise, then, that many people around the world use art as a means to deal with stress, trauma and unhappiness – or to just find greater peace and meaning in their lives. If you're curious about what art therapy has to offer, you can try out some of these great solo exercises at home to help nurse your mind, body and soul back to health. If you like the experience, you can also seek out professional art therapy treatment in your area. Emotions Deal with emotions like anger and sadness through these helpful exercises. Draw or paint your emotions. Relaxation Art therapy can be a great way to relax. Paint to music. Happiness Art can not only help you deal with the bad stuff, but also help you appreciate and focus on the good. Draw your vision of a perfect day. Portraits Often, a great way to get to know yourself and your relationships with others is through portraits. Collaging Self

Can My Hardened Heart Be Fixed? Question from a Site ViewerI just read with great interest your article In What Sense Does a God of Love Harden Hearts? and I feel compelled to seek your council as this pertains to my own hardened heart. First a bit of background information is necessary. I received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior a little over 20 years ago. But since then, I have made many poor decisions in my life and I have hardened my heart against God greatly. I am now trying to get out of this hardened condition having realized my error in doing this. Can my heart recover from being hardened? Tim’s AnswerI agonize with you in your struggle. I can readily answer your question with “yes, you can recover.” The problem then is not in a God who no longer wants to have fellowship with us. I want to encourage you on this truth. I have a friend who has a young child. So it is with our spiritual lives. I encourage you to not give up on your pursuit after God. with my prayers, tim

Getting Others Mad May Be a Winning Strategy "Don't get mad, get even," may not be the best advice in all competitive endeavors. In fact, anger can sometimes help people win, new research suggests. When people are made to feel angry in a game of strength, they tend to perform better. In games of strategy, anger is a handicap. Competitors, however, seem to realize this, the new study suggests — and they take advantage of their opponents' emotions. "You shouldn't look at emotions as something irrational," said study researcher Uri Gneezy, a behavioral economist at the University of California, San Diego and authoer of the book "The Why Axis: Hidden Motives and the Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life" (PublicAffairs 2013). Test of strength In the new study, published today (Jan. 13) in the Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Gneezy and his colleagues give a world-famous example of the power and peril of anger. The case is clearly an example of anger going awry for Zidane, Gneezy told LiveScience. Game of skill

How Mood Affects Negotiators inShare7 What are social psychologists learning about the connections among emotions, negotiation, and decision making? Negotiation contributor Jennifer S. Lerner of Harvard Kennedy School and her colleagues have identified two critical themes. Second, these researchers are studying the influence of specific emotions such as happiness, sadness, and anger on decision-making. In related work, Robert Lount and Keith J. In their version, before beginning the game, Lount and Murnighan asked some trustors to write about an experience that made them happy and asked other trustors to write about an experience that made them sad. It appears that a sad mood decreases trust and negatively influences negotiated outcomes.

16 things I know are true but haven't quite learned yet There’s a difference between knowing something and living as if it were true. At the end of 2013, these truths are all lingering on that awkward threshold, for me anyway. 1) The sooner you do something, the more of your life you get to spend with that thing done — even though it takes less effort (or at least no more) than it will later. It’s the ultimate sure-thing investment and I pass it up all the time. 2) I never regret working out. 3) Whenever I’m playing with my phone I am only shortening my life. 4) Nothing makes me more productive and in-the-moment than a clean house. 5) Minute-for-minute, nothing I do is more rewarding than meditation. 6) Creative work is something that can be done at any time. 7) Acting the way you want to feel usually works. 8) Ninety-five per cent of my happiness comes from having a home, a functioning body and something to eat. 9) Our minds are geared to manage much less than we typically end up managing. Goodbye 2013, you were great. Photo by David Cain

7 Smart Ways to Deal with Toxic People Don’t let toxic people rent space in your head. Raise the rent and get them out of there. Surviving the ups, downs, and lightning storms of other people’s moodiness can be quite a challenge. It’s important, though, to remember that some moody, negative people may be going through a difficult stage in their lives. They may be ill, chronically worried, or lacking what they need in terms of love and emotional support. But there’s another type of moody, negative behavior: that of the toxic bully, who will use his or her mood swings to intimidate and manipulate. I’m a firm believer that toxic mood swings (like chain letter emails) should not be inflicted on one person by another, under any circumstances. 1. If you know someone who insists on destructively dictating the emotional atmosphere, then be clear: they are toxic. When you delete toxic people from your environment it becomes a lot easier to breathe. 2. Constant drama and negativity is never worth putting up with. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

The Little Book of Procrastination Remedies | zen habits Post written by Leo Babauta. Procrastination is one of those topics that, it seems, I can’t write enough about. There isn’t a person among us who doesn’t procrastinate, and that’s a fact of life. It’s deep within us. If our current self can’t beat procrastination, why will our future self do it? I thought I should cover some of the best procrastination-beating strategies, in light of my recent book, focus. Here’s a quick guide. Why We Procrastinate Let’s take a quick look at what makes us procrastinate. 1. 2. 3. 4. Four Powerful Solutions Now that we know the problems, the solutions aren’t that hard to figure out. 1. 2. 3. 4. A Different Mindset Three other things that must be said about procrastination: 1. 2. 3. —Read more about focus and getting great things done in Leo’s book, focus.

Top 10 Most Important Personality Development Tips | Infinityfast Blog Personality development is a term which is often misunderstood to be self development and or just limited to enhancing one’s own looks. So it becomes necessary to get a clear picture on what is personality development and what is self development. Personality development is something which is considered as improving the way we think, feel, behave and carry ourselves. In other words, it is not confined to the improvement of a single aspect of an individual; rather it is about improving an entity or a cluster of qualities which helps in achieving and presenting oneself in a better way. Well, if you are wondering how to improve your personality, here are a few tips which could help you improve your personality. Positive approach and confidence: Positive approach and confidence are two different terms but are interrelated in many sorts. Listen with intent: Listening with intent results in a better understanding of the core point of what you listen to. Be good in learning: Be yourself: Manners:

Mental Enhancements The perfecting of one's self is the fundamental base of all progress and all moral development. Confucius Transhumanists are interested in metaprogramming, rewriting the programs of our minds so that we become more efficient, dynamic, positive - you name it. There is plenty of snake oil out there, and it is important to carefully test claims, not just accept the hype because it sounds so good. Sections General Mental Transformation Short Term Goals Long Term Transhuman Goals General Methods Specific Methods and Problems Other Sites Books See Also General Mental Transformation Short Term Short term mental transformation, i.e. optimizing the minds we currently have. David Riklan and Michelle Weintraub's Self Improvement Web Guide. BigDreams. Alt.self-improve FAQ. Nucleus Inc. Programming and Metaprogramming in the Human Biocomputer by John C. Human Performance Research: An Overview by Monica J. Long Term Transhuman Goals The Hedonistic Imperative by David Pearce. General Methods

21 Ways Rich People Think Differently | teremity World’s richest woman Gina Rinehart is enduring a media firestorm over an article in which she takes the “jealous” middle class to task for ‘drinking or smoking and socializing’ rather than working to earn their own fortune. What if she has a point? Steve Siebold, author of ‘How Rich People Think’ spent nearly three decades interviewing millionaires around the world to find out what separates them from everyone else. It had little to do with money itself, he told Business Insider. “[The middle class] tells people to be happy with what they have,” he said. Average people think MONEY is the root of all evil. “The average person has been brainwashed to believe rich people are lucky or dishonest,” Siebold writes. That’s why there’s a certain shame that comes along with “getting rich” in lower-income communities. “The world class knows that while having money doesn’t guarantee happiness, it does make your life easier and more enjoyable.” From Steve Siebold, author of “How Rich People Think”

How Goals and Good Intentions Can Hold Us Back Join a gym and one of the first things the instructor does is talk about your goals – what exactly do you hope to achieve by hoisting weights and pounding the treadmill? Apply for an educational course, and you find yourself bombarded with promotional literature. Here’s the future you: suited, booted and smug. What they’re doing – the gym guy and the marketing department – is highlighting end results. A new study by a pair of researchers at the University of Chicago and the Korea Business School shows that this approach has some benefits. Ayelet Fishbach and Jinhee Choi started out by recruiting over a hundred students at a university gym, just as they were about to start a session. Describing the goals of working out boosted the students’ intentions to exercise. Fishbach and Choi think that staying focused on our goals detracts from the inherent pleasures of the activities we need to pursue to achieve those goals. –What’s Your Take?

21 Things Lucky People Do Differently Get Healthy Living Newsletters: Did you ever look at someone and think, "He is so lucky. He has money, he's in a great relationship and wow -- what a great career, being able to travel like that?" I've done it too. I wasn't so lucky. But as I grew in my career and in my life and by meeting lots of people from all over the world in so many walks of life, I made this profound realization: Sure, we can be born into it and fall into it. As I thought about my own journey of learning to deal with uncertainty these days, I realized that in the absence of luck being granted to us by the lottery of birth, we all can get a chance to get lucky. Here are 21 reasons why some people get lucky in life: Lucky people... Work hard... quietly.