Short and insightful video on how to catch the winds of good luck.
In 11 minutes and 40 seconds Tina Seeling, who teaches innovation and entrepreneurship at Stanford, presents three ideas with vignettes that will inspire you to take steps increase your luck.
(Professional Website: http://www.BethLevineCounseling.com)
I can get very stressed and have strong emotional responses to situations. Over the years, many people have suggested that I meditate or do yoga – neither of which appeals to me. So, I was pleased to come across the work of Ellen Langer, a social psychologist and professor at Harvard University. Her research shows how to be mindful without meditating.
Here are four take-aways from watching her video (below):
I’ve started noticing new things walks with my dogs. One of the things I’ve noticed is how different each tree is from another. They’ve got their own fingerprint. I enjoy the exercise of noticing new things and it certainly get me to be in the moment. And more relaxed.
If you decide to try some of these lessons, feel free to let me know how it goes.
(Profession Website: http://www.BethLevineCounseling.com)
Walks with my dogs help me not only to get outside and get exercise, but also savor the pleasant and interesting things around me. Just this morning, I saw a baby fox looking at us from a safe distance. Often, I take a photo of what I am enjoying (unfortunately, I didn’t get a photo of the fox) which helps me amass a riches of positive feelings. Taking time to stop and smell the roses boosts my positive emotions.
In our daily lives, we are often distracted by our thoughts or tasks at hand, so it is good to purposefully take some time to notice and savor positive things around us. This is one thing we can do to increase our happiness. A trip to the Bahamas or Belize, though awesome, is not needed for us to savor the everyday beauty around us.
If you like, try taking a short walk of about 15 – 20 minutes each day, or however often works for you. Use your different senses to notice some charm in the moment. Feel the cool breeze on your skin. Notice the dramatic cloud formation. Smell the roses. Keeping a written journal or a photographic journal is an additional way to accumulate a treasure chest filled with simple pleasures.
The photos on this blog are some of the visual treats I’ve enjoyed. Most are from walks with my dogs, but some are from walks I’ve taken without Dali and Oskar. Yes, that does happen from time to time. I hope you enjoy.
And if you decide to give this “helpful hint” a try, feel free to let me know how it goes by writing below.
(professional website: http://www.BethLevineCounseling.com)
I went for a hike on both Saturday and Sunday this past weekend.
Being in nature. Hearing the birds. Getting my body moving.
I returned, energized to work on projects I’d been avoiding.
Want to create change? Pump up your energy.
Connecting with your body in a slow, gentle way is important, but so is experiencing the joy and excitement of movement.
I remember taking a dance class many years ago. We’d learn steps and then dance to pounding music. I left feeling like I could take on the world.
So walk, dance, move and experience the energy within you.
Good for your heart and good for your soul.
(professional website: www.BethLevineCounseling.com)
As I try to find the just right idea
To write about
Different possibilities float up
And some part of me bats them away
Like some expert gnat swatter
Nope, that’s not five-star
Not that one
Or that one either
In rapid succession
A firing squad to ideas
And so I sit
And sit
And sit
Not writing anything
Because nothing is
Good enough
For this Judge
Click the link below for Tips on Quieting Your Inner Critic
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/podcasts/item/quieting_your_inner_critic
(professional website: http://www.BethLevineCounseling.com)
Even if you don’t like making New Year’s Resolutions, the beginning of a new year can be a good time to reminisce on the passing year. It can be beneficial for us to highlight certain memories. Specifically, we can benefit from reflecting on:
Research shows that this exercise is uplifting because it promotes resilience and self-exploration.
You might want to take a few minutes of quiet time to come up with at least one example of each of the above situations. Maybe you would like to journal your examples. It might be fun to gather with one or two friends and share your responses. Of course, feel free to share below.
Happy New Year!
(professional website: http://www.bethlevinecounseling.com)
I was journaling the other day and wrote “He always says sarcastic things. What’s wrong with him?” And continued on my negative spiral. A few sentences later, I caught myself and realized I was in an all-or-nothing thinking trap.
All-or-nothing thinking has its roots in survival. When faced with a life threatening situation, we need to make a quick decision. Fight or flight. We don’t have time for grey areas. But most of the situations we face these days are not life threatening.
It is important to honor and understand that part of you that is acting quickly to protect you in some way.
And it is important to learn ways to calm down that part of you so it doesn’t hijack you from being your best Self.
One way is to notice when we are caught in black-and-white thinking and ask yourself:
Of course the answer to these questions is “Yes”, but when you ask yourself these questions, you help slow things down, ground yourself and be more realistic in your thinking. It’s a way to untangle your Self from that part of you that can get depressed. I hope this is helpful.
*These questions come from the article called “’All or Nothing’, or ‘Black and White’ Thinking and Depression (http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/dlp/understanding-depression/all-or-nothing-or-black-and-white-thinking-and-depression/)
(professional website: http://www.BethLevineCounseling.com)
Stop trying to be happy.
Yep. That’s the key to happiness.
Of course, it’s not as simple as that, but according to Susan David, author of Emotional Agility, people who focus on being happy are less happy over time. Dr. David believes that getting to know ourselves, understanding what is really happening for us, slowing down so we can figure out how we would like to respond to our emotions are skills that help us be happier.
Here are some highlights from an interview Maria Shriver had with Susan David:
“One of the first things is showing up. Instead of trying to push our emotions aside or trying to put on a happy face—what I call bottling and brooding—instead, literally drop any struggle that you have within yourself by ending the battle. Not saying to yourself, “I’m unhappy, but I shouldn’t be unhappy.” Or, “I’m miserable in my job, but at least I’ve got a job.”
Really just open up to the fact that we have a full range of emotions. These emotions have helped us and evolved to enable us to position ourselves effectively in the world.”
Emotions offer us important information regarding what is important to us. In the interview, Dr. David goes on to say:
“It’s important to recognize that our emotions contain data. I’ve never met a mother who’s feeling guilty about her parenting who, at some level, isn’t wanting to be present and connected with her children. Our difficult emotions [point] to the things that we value.
Instead of struggling with whether we should or shouldn’t feel something, it’s important for us to say, “What is the function of this emotion? What is the value? What is this emotion trying to tell me?”
Here’s a link to the interview if you’re interested in reading further:
I know that I am not always happy and positive so reading that my happiness does not depend on me being happy and positive all the time made me happy! I hope it helps you, too.
(professional website: http://www.bethlevinecounseling.com)
Need I say more?
Here’s a 10-hour version:
And here’s an 8-minute version with a cool video:
Let me know what you think.
*https://ideapod.com/neuroscientists-discover-song-reduces-anxiety-65-now-going-viral-listen/?utm_source=Ideapod&utm_campaign=e42b384185-Neuroscientists_discover_a_song_that_red11_12_2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b72f288493-e42b384185-54776493
(professional website: http://www.bethlevinecounseling.com)
I was feeling down one recent weekend. As luck would have it, I was doing some research on what makes us happy.
Turns out, we are not very good at knowing what brings us happiness. Research by Dan Gilbert bears this out.
One of the best kept secrets on what makes us happy is doing for others. Material goods or achievements are no match for giving of ourselves in promoting our long term happiness.
A 2012 study by Elizabeth Dunn and her colleagues at the University of British Columbia shows that toddlers under the age of two are happier when giving treats to others rather than receiving goodies themselves. But the good news about our capacity for feeling good about giving doesn’t stop there. The study showed that children are happier when they give their own treats away than giving an identical treat away that doesn’t belong to them. (http://news.ubc.ca/2012/06/19/giving-makes-young-children-happy-ubc-study-suggests/)
The results of United Healthcare/Volunteer Match Do Good Live Well 2010 on-line study shows that 96% of respondents report feeling happier as a result of volunteering (http://unlimitedloveinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/ITS-GOOD-TO-BE-GOOD-2014-Biennial-Scientific-Report-On-Health-Happiness-Longevity-And-Helping-Others.pdf)
So, when my husband came home from his volunteer efforts, taking photographs of cats to increase their likelihood of getting adopted, I asked him to show me his pictures. Immediately, I felt better as I supported and encouraged him in his efforts and hobby. I discovered, firsthand, how taking the focus off of me and my ruminations and putting my energies, instead, into helping someone else is a free and easy way to get my happy on.
I highly recommend you give it a try and if you like, share your experience.
If my example didn’t inspire you, this video of Lilica, the dog, and what she does for her family surely will.
(professional website: http://www.bethlevinecounseling.com)
On Being: Lessons I Learn From Animals 