Thank You for Celebrating with Me!
A few years ago I wrote a blog post about the benefits of celebrating the success of others. In it I explained how responding positively to someone else’s good
Stop Trying to Be Happy
We are obsessed with being happy. I just googled “how to be happy” and got 613,000,000 results. I admit that I share plenty of articles about happiness on
How You Think About Stress Matters
There is a lot of research showing how bad stress can be for our health. And it can be! But it doesn’t have to be. In her book, The
Writing a Book is Scary!
I remember listening to an author speak several years ago, telling the audience that you shouldn’t write a book because you want to write a book. You should write
A Sense of Wonder May Do Wonders for Your Health
On a recent trip to Philadelphia, I visited the Barnes Foundation, which has an impressive collection of Post-Impressionist and early Modern paintings. I was awed by the wonderful paintings I
Is It Helpful?
I’ve mentioned before that I am a worrier. Let’s say I’m a recovering worrier. I used to worry a lot! But since I’ve started practicing mindfulness
How to Stress Less When Making Decisions
We like knowing that we have options. That’s one reason making decisions can be so difficult. A decision is basically eliminating options. If you order the chicken, salmon is
"Summer Song" Enhances Reminiscing
As our family prepares for our summer vacation, I find myself wondering what our “summer song” will be this year. My husband always likes to pick one song or album
2 Dimensions of Well-Being
According to researchers in positive psychology, our well-being depends on more than just being happy. In Flourish, Martin Seligman explains that positive emotions are one element of well-being, but well-being
The Space Between
I recently read Search Inside Yourself, written by Chade-Meng Tang, Google’s Jolly Good Fellow. Seriously, that’s what it says on his business card. The book describes a mindfulness-based
Love is Good for Your Health
Since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, I thought I’d dedicate this blog post to the topic of love. Barbara Fredrickson, who first peaked my interest in
Keep Your Mood Sunny When the Weather is Dreary
Most of you know this is my first winter in Northern Virginia after having lived for 8 years in Arizona. Fortunately, it’s been a mild winter so far, but
Act in Spite of Your Fear
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot
How you Frame Things Matters
Most of you have probably seen this picture of U.S. gymnast McKayla Maroney after winning a silver medal in the vault competition at the 2012 Olympics in London. She
Positivity can Enhance Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence has a strong positive impact on job performance. In fact, it is estimated to be twice as important for performance as IQ. So what exactly is emotional Intelligence?
Think You Can Predict Your Emotions? Think Again!
Human beings are future-oriented. Our ability to think about and plan for the future is what makes us unique. In thinking about the future we often set goals because we
Smile Because it Happened
“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss We recently returned from a fabulous summer vacation. We visited beautiful places and spent quality time with
Positivity Puts the Brakes on Negativity
Negative emotions are bad for us. When we experience stress, anger or fear our body generates chemicals that have harmful effects on our body. The health risks of negativity include
How to be Happy
Small positive actions can add up to make a big difference in the happiness you feel. Below is a video that covers a whole list of little things that you