6 happiness tips from tal ben-shahar

In my post about natural versus synthetic happiness I mentioned psychologist and author Tal Ben-Sahar
who is one of the leading voices in positive psychology. I remembered today that I had bookmarked some of his advice to come back to later...so here they are!

6 Happiness Tips from Tal Ben-Shahar

• Give yourself permission to be human. When we accept emotions — such as fear, sadness, or anxiety — as natural, we are more likely to overcome them. Rejecting our emotions, positive or negative, leads to frustration and unhappiness.
  
• Happiness lies at the intersection between pleasure and meaning. Whether at work or at home, the goal is to engage in activities that are both personally significant and enjoyable. When this is not feasible, make sure you have happiness boosters, moments throughout the week that provide you with both pleasure and meaning.
  
• Keep in mind that happiness is mostly dependent on our state of mind, not on our status or the state of our bank account. Barring extreme circumstances, our level of well being is determined by what we choose to focus on (the full or the empty part of the glass) and by our interpretation of external events. For example, do we view failure as catastrophic, or do we see it as a learning opportunity?
  
• Simplify! We are, generally, too busy, trying to squeeze in more and more activities into less and less time. Quantity influences quality, and we compromise on our happiness by trying to do too much.
  
• Remember the mind-body connection. What we do — or don't do — with our bodies influences our mind. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, and healthy eating habits lead to both physical and mental health.
  
• Express gratitude, whenever possible. We too often take our lives for granted. Learn to appreciate and savor the wonderful things in life, from people to food, from nature to a smile.

Sounds good to me!

It is soooo beautiful in DC this week! Yesterday and today I spent a good deal of my lunch break outside! I work a few blocks from the White House so today I sat in the park across from it :-)

In school news, I got a call yesterday from Georgia State. The professor was just trying to get a sense of my fit and interest in the Master's program in School Psychology - because I had originally applied to the Counseling Psych PhD program. The convo went well but b/c my application was transferred late in the process I'm not going to get my hopes too high. He seemed pretty confident that I'd make the wait list though. We shall see...

I'm also really looking forward to an event I'm going to tonight. I'm a member of the GTown Alumni Admissions Interview Committee and this evening I'm representing GU at a local high school's college night.

And tonight also marks the start of March Madness. Go Hoyas!!



Today's big chune is (i think) the latest from one of my favorite reggae artist's - Jah Cure. Shout outs to Bex for sending it to me. Not my fav or his, but it's cool. By the way, riddim names CRACK ME UP. The song is called "Never Say Never" and it's off the Stonehenge Riddim. LOL


:-D