health - ARTICLES - ContemplativeLife2024-03-29T13:58:49Zhttps://community.contemplativelife.org/articles/feed/tag/healthThe Business Case For Being Really, Really Happyhttps://community.contemplativelife.org/articles/the-business-case-for-being-really-really-happy2016-05-11T12:53:45.000Z2016-05-11T12:53:45.000ZContemplative Lifehttps://community.contemplativelife.org/members/JeffGenung<div><div class="content-list-component mt-paragraph text">
<p>If you’re not aiming to have a great quality of life along with your business success, it’s time to start. The reason: The happier and more positive you are in life, the more success you will achieve for yourself, your team and your clients.</p>
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<p>So says Shawn Achor, CEO of Good Think and an expert in the field of positive psychology. Through his research at Harvard University and elsewhere, he’s proven something remarkable:</p>
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<p>“When our brains are in positive states, the outcomes we achieve in our businesses improve,” he says.</p>
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<p>That means happiness isn’t ancillary to success — happiness actually <em><strong><a href="http://www.aesnation.com/shawn-achor-improves-peak-your-performance-levels-with-the-happiness-advantage/" target="_hplink" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"entry_text","lnid":"citation","mpid":0}}">generates and magnifies your success</a></strong></em> and the success of those around you. Achor calls this “the happiness advantage.”</p>
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<p>Example: In one of Achor’s studies, a group of physicians who were primed to be more positive before meeting with patients were 19 percent faster and more accurate with their diagnoses than another group of doctors who weren’t encouraged to be happy and positive.</p>
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<p>Here’s a look at how happiness works to create greater success in your business, and how to train your brain to get a demonstrable return on the investment you make in your happiness.</p>
<p><strong>Happiness gives us a competitive edge.</strong> Happiness has a special function. When our moods are elevated, dopamine is released in our brains and activates the brain’s learning centers. Those moments when we feel positive and happy are also the moments when our brains are most able to take in information — and adapt to challenges. When we feel stressed out, or even neutral, our brains prevent us from learning and adapting. If you are stressed out and unhappy and you change your mindset to be more positive and happy, you will achieve greater success.</p>
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<p>Some examples from Achor’s research of the results of the brain going from negative or neutral to happy and positive:</p>
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<li>31 percent increase in productivity</li>
<li>37 percent increase in sales</li>
<li>40 percent higher likelihood of a promotion</li>
<li>3X increase in identifying solutions to problems</li>
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<p>Says Achor: “Happiness is actually one of the greatest competitive advantages in the modern economy. When we compare two entrepreneurs with similar skills sets and ideas and backgrounds, the one with the positive mindset will push harder, be more resilient and creative, connect better with people, and generate more success.”</p>
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<p><strong>Happiness is a choice.</strong> Many people think they are genetically predisposed to being happy or unhappy, in general, while others believe happiness is determined by their environment. But as it turns out, 90 percent of our happiness is determined by how we view the world. Actual reality can predict only 10 percent of our happiness.</p>
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<p>Yes, genetics and our situations can set our baseline levels of happiness. But that’s not the whole story. “We have more control over those forces than we once thought. By making small conscious habit changes or small changes to our mindset, we can actually trump our genes and our experiences and raise our levels of happiness, “ says Achor. “We can choose to be better than our genes and our surroundings.”</p>
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<p>The message: Change the lens through which you view your situation, and you can boost your level of happiness — and, ultimately, your level of success in business and in life.</p>
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<p><strong>Happiness spreads.</strong> If you choose to be a happy and positive leader in your company, you actually cause the brains of the people around you to tilt toward the belief that happiness is a choice for them, too — and they start to make mindset changes that boost their happiness levels.</p>
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<p>The fact that your happiness imprints onto others has huge implications for you as an entrepreneur. Think about it: You don’t work on an island — you have partners, team members, employees, investors, clients and customers. Your happiness can have a domino effect on all of those people and significant improve your company culture and your business outcomes at every level of your firm.</p>
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<p><strong>3 steps to greater happiness and success</strong></p>
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<p>Now you know you can literally choose to be more successful by choosing to be happier and more positive. What’s more, you can steer those around you toward greater success by helping them view the world in more positive ways.</p>
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<p>Achor suggests three ways to start imprinting lasting positive patterns onto you, your team and your clients. Don’t attempt all three of these at once. Rather, choose one and implement it every day for 21 consecutive days.</p>
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<p><strong>1. List three gratitudes.</strong> Each morning, write down three things that happened in the last 24 hours for which you’re grateful. By looking for gratitudes rather than stressors, the brain builds new pathways that turn pessimists into optimists — and turn optimists into even greater optimists. Achor worked with bankers to implement this strategy, and their teams’ efficiency and effectiveness rose within three weeks and remained elevated six months later.</p>
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<p><strong>2. Journal.</strong> Each day think back over your past 24 hours for one meaningful experience you had and spend two minutes writing down every detail you can remember from that experience. This helps the brain to recognize the meaning of the various things you do throughout a day and essentially “connect the dots” between your tasks. The result is that your brain starts to look for meaning in each of the many tasks on your list — helping your brain recognize the happiness that comes from the process instead the results.</p>
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<p><strong>3. Say thank you. </strong>Social support is a huge driver of happiness and success, especially during challenging times. Yet our friends and other people close to us are often the first people we jettison when things get busy or stressful. But you don’t need to go out for dinner with people every night to maintain effective social support. Instead, when you get into work, write a quick email (spend two minutes or less) praising or thanking someone in your social support network — such as a client, coworker, partner, family member or friend. Pick a different person each day. In 21 days, your brain’s perception of your social support will skyrocket — and boost your odds of being successful in all your actions.</p>
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<p>Achor admits that none of these strategies are new. And yet, ask yourself: How often, if ever, do you do <em>any</em> of these things? The fact is, common sense doesn’t mean common action. These three action steps will actually generate an ROI that can ultimately impact your bottom line and the relationships you build and maintain with your clients and your team members for years to come.</p>
<p>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-bowen/the-business-case-for-being-really-really-happy_b_9790094.html</p>
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</div>5 Steps to Stop Stress in Its Trackshttps://community.contemplativelife.org/articles/5-steps-to-stop-stress-in-its-tracks2016-05-06T10:52:12.000Z2016-05-06T10:52:12.000ZContemplative Lifehttps://community.contemplativelife.org/members/JeffGenung<div><p></p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-large wp-image-4202" src="http://images.agoramedia.com/EHBlogImages/health-answers/2016/04/5-Step-Plan-to-Stop-Stress-in-its-Tracks-1440x810-1024x576.jpg" alt="5-Step Plan to Stop Stress in its Tracks" width="617" height="347" /></p>
<p>Photo: iStock.com</p>
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<p><strong>By Sharon Salzberg, Special to Everyday Health</strong></p>
<p>At best, stress is a constant hum; at its worst, it’s an acute and insidious pang. There are countless reasons for stress, spanning from inbox overload to more painful experiences like grief.</p>
<p>While we can’t control our experiences, we can control how we respond to them. With that in mind, here’s a quick and effective five-step plan to help stop stress from spiraling out of control.</p>
<h2>1. Recognize and Accept the Feeling</h2>
<p>Trying to deny any feeling creates resistance, and that only exacerbates pain. If stress arises, the first step is to simply notice it.</p>
<h2>2. Tune In to Your Body</h2>
<p>Where in your body do you feel stress? Is it tightness in the chest? An accelerated heartbeat? Doing a quick body scan is a great mindfulness practice and helps you be present.</p>
<h2>3. Breathe With Intention</h2>
<p>One of the simplest ways to find balance in moments of stress is to take a few seconds to focus on your breath. Rather than allowing our energy to fly around, we cultivate concentration, making us feel calmer and more empowered.</p>
<h2>4. Get Curious and Explore</h2>
<p>Stress is often a mix of feelings, including anger, sadness, self-blame, and doubt. Take a minute to close your eyes and settle your attention inward. If a feeling or thought comes up, try naming it. Show yourself that you’re interested in your experiences rather than fighting them.</p>
<h2>5. Practice Self Compassion</h2>
<p>Often when we’re stressed, we look for every reason to blame ourselves. Even if it feels counterintuitive, times of stress are actually great opportunities to extend a little extra kindness to yourself — as though you were your own friend.</p>
<p>All of these steps are exercises in mindfulness, and together they can turn stress into an opportunity for learning new ways to relate to ourselves, our feelings, and our experiences.</p>
<p><strong>Sharon Salzberg</strong> is a meditation teacher, <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author, and expert at Happify. She is cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and has played a crucial role in bringing Asian meditation practices to the West. Sharon has been a student of meditation since 1971, guiding retreats worldwide since 1974. She is a weekly columnist for <em>On Being</em>, a regular contributor to <em>The Huffington Post,</em> and author of many books, including <em>Real Happiness</em> and <em>Lovingkindness</em>. Visit Sharon’s website at: <a href="http://www.sharonsalzberg.com/">SharonSalzberg.com</a>,<strong> </strong>and for more of her meditation tips, check out Happify.com’s <a href="http://www.happify.com/o/lp27/?tmp=37&srid=happify&fl=1&trid=50">28-day meditation track</a>.</p>
<p>http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/health-answers/step-by-step-plan-to-stop-stress/</p>
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</div>5 Practices for Daily Mindfulnesshttps://community.contemplativelife.org/articles/5-practices-for-daily-mindfulness2016-04-21T21:35:01.000Z2016-04-21T21:35:01.000ZContemplative Lifehttps://community.contemplativelife.org/members/JeffGenung<div><p><strong>A key component to a sense of peace and well-being is a consistent mindfulness practice.</strong> When I take moments each day to pause and connect to myself and the world around me, feeling the earth under my feet and noticing the sweet smile of a stranger, I feel more content and alive.  When I make conscious choices in how I fuel my body I have more energy. When I pause and take a breath before engaging in a challenging interaction, the result is inevitably more peaceful. I remember to apply the practice and I forget. That is where I am on my path. As the prolific writer and Buddhist nun Pema Chodron states, “Start where you are.”</p>
<p>The suggestions below will sound simple, and they are. It is remembering to apply mindfulness that can be difficult. Gentle daily reminders help us to stay on the path. Mindfulness can be applied to all aspects of our lives, you do not need to sit in a cave or meditate for hours on end to live a mindful life. Here are practices to help you cultivate mindfulness as you move through your day:</p>
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<p><strong>Sacred Morning Time</strong></p>
<p>Life is busy, and it is easy (and sometimes feels necessary) to jump in full throttle when you wake up. Whether you are charging into work mode, parent mode, or the obligations you have ahead of you, <strong>take a few moments first</strong><b> </b><em>just for yourself</em>. This will set the tone for the rest of your day. The duration of time is up to you. If you can take an hour that is amazing but five minutes will do the trick! This is an opportunity for personal practice, for ritual, so let that be something that nourishes your soul. The practice can literally be anything: five minutes of reading, personal writing, a meditation, breath practice, yoga, drinking lemon water, or sweeping the floor. It is about your focus and state of mind during the activity. Commit yourself to being fully present and sensually aware in whatever you chose to do. Establish a morning practice and make it consistent. A game changer!</p>
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<p><strong>Drink Lots of Water</strong></p>
<p>So simple, I told you! Staying hydrated and aware of your hydration means that you are making time to check in with yourself and your state of well-being throughout the day. Consciously drinking water means that you are nourishing your body at its most basic level. You will have more energy and feel better. Drink that water from a refillable non-plastic water bottle? Even better!</p>
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<p><strong>Thank Your Food</strong></p>
<p>Sound silly? Try it! Before you eat, take a moment to honour your food and where it came from. Acknowledge all of the time and energy required to get that food to your plate. Thank your food for fueling your body and giving you energy for the rest of the day. Notice all the beautiful colors and smells.  A bag of Doritos after that reflection? Maybe not super appealing. Fresh organic fruits and veggies? What a gift!</p>
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<p><strong>Express Appreciation, Love, and Gratitude </strong></p>
<p>This one is obvious and completely infectious! Acknowledge the people in your life. Tell them you love them and express gratitude in your relationships. Communicating your love and appreciation will only create more of the same high vibrations! This practice applies to all types of relationships in your life.  The city-worker who takes your trash away week after week; give them a wave, a smile and thank-you. The co-worker with the consistently positive attitude; acknowledge that and thank them for the inspiration.  The more specific your appreciation the better. The love and gratitude you feel for others and for the world around you is best when shared, expressed out loud, and celebrated!  Sharing your appreciation will only make you feel more connected in your relationships and community. Expressing your gratitude will make you immediately more present and aware of the love around you and accessible in every moment. Why wait?</p>
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<p><strong>Take a Reset </strong></p>
<p>A “reset” is a moment of short pause to check in with your breath.  You can take resets throughout your day. They are especially useful when switching tasks as a tool to stay present during the transition. This can be when you are in the shower, in the middle of your workday, or as your ride the bus home. Pause and take a moment. Consciously take three breaths. Feel the sensation of a slow inhale breath through your nose and feel the sensation of an equally slow exhale breath through your nose. Notice the movement of breath in your body. This will pull your mind back into your body and back into the present moment. This tool can also be applied when you feel an elevation in anger or stress. A pause to take three conscious breaths will have a calming effect on your nervous system, and it will shift your energy and ground you back into a place of connection and compassion.</p>
<p> http://www.theinertia.com/health/5-practices-for-daily-mindfulness/</p>
<p><em>This post was originally published for the Papaya Wellness Blog. For more posts like this from Carly, check out <a href="http://www.papayawellness.com/">www.papayawellness.com</a>.</em></p>
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</div>5 Ways That One Minute of Meditation Could Change Your Lifehttps://community.contemplativelife.org/articles/5-ways-that-one-minute-of-meditation-could-change-your-life2016-04-18T15:12:17.000Z2016-04-18T15:12:17.000ZContemplative Lifehttps://community.contemplativelife.org/members/JeffGenung<div><p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt;">Seriously, meditating for one minute today could change your life.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2364337?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2364337?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full" height="333"></a></p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt;">Here’s how:</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">1. Hear Your Intuition</strong></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem;">You wake up in the morning and you feel grumpy but instead of doing a grumpy day, you decide to try something new. You meditate for one minute and have an intuition that it’s a good idea to go the farmers market on the other side of town — you usually go to the farmers market on this side of town but this time you decide to go to the other side of town. At the farmers market you meet a dog that you fall in love with and the dog needs a new home and then when you take the dog home and take him on a walk, you find that there is someone else on your street with a dog and that dog needs a new owner also. Now you have two dogs. Boom — life changed.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem;">When you meditate, you might be more attuned to your intuition which can guide you in unexpected ways and in new directions.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">2. Align With the Change That’s Already Happening</strong></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem;">In all honesty, meditation will probably just get you aligned with the way that your day is already changing — so you’ll feel like you did a good job changing your day, but really you just lined up with the change that was already taking place — how cool is that?</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">3. Quiet Your Mind</strong></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem;">Have you ever wanted your mind to leave you alone? Try this. Set a timer for 60 seconds, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. If you notice yourself getting distracted, simply return your attention to the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe. That’s it. Seriously, try it.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">4. Relax</strong></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem;">Some people think that meditation is good for your health. I happen to be one of them. I’ll tell you why. After I meditate, I have this feeling that I’ve done something good for myself. I feel more relaxed. Aren’t there like a <a href="https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=relaxing%20good%20for%20your%20health%3F" target="_hplink" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"entry_text","lnid":"citation","mpid":0}}" style="box-sizing: inherit;">million studies</a> that talk about the adverse effects of stress on one’s health? Relaxed is the opposite of stressed so there you have it. Relax and you’re doing something good for your health. And besides, people will enjoy being around you more if you are relaxed and that’s nice too.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">5. Doing Something Small Is the First Step</strong></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem;">Have you heard that “a journey of 10,000 miles begins with the first step?” Making a small change for yourself today could be the beginning of taking better care of yourself.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem;">One minute, leads to two minutes, leads to three minutes. I’ve said before that meditation is about quality. Do what works for you. All the reading in the world about meditation doesn’t amount to a moment of experiencing the true peace of your being. If you want to meditate, go for it. Commit for one minute and get into it in a way that works for you.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem;">If you’d like somewhere to get started, here is a step-by-step process called “<a href="http://msia.org.au/how-to-meditate/" target="_hplink" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"entry_text","lnid":"citation","mpid":1}}" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Learn How to Meditate</a> in 5 Simple Steps”. Also, here is a great series of <a href="http://msia.org.au/free-guided-meditations/" target="_hplink" data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"entry_text","lnid":"citation","mpid":2}}" style="box-sizing: inherit;">free guided meditations</a>.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 1.0625rem;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">Challenge</strong><br style="box-sizing: inherit;"> Meditate for one minute and comment with your experiences.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 20.25pt;">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-whitaker/5-ways-that-one-minute-of-meditation-could-change-your-life_b_9598304.html</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div>5 Ways Meditation Improves Your Lifehttps://community.contemplativelife.org/articles/5-ways-meditation-improves-your-life2016-04-05T12:41:09.000Z2016-04-05T12:41:09.000ZContemplative Lifehttps://community.contemplativelife.org/members/JeffGenung<div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 20.5pt; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;" class="font-size-3">People who insist meditation has changed their lives likely inspire fewer eye rolls today than they used to. That’s because a growing body of evidence suggests that the ancient practice — explained simply as being aware in the present moment— can have a powerful impact on our health. <a href="http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/S0925-4927%2810%2900288-X/abstract"><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Research</span></a> suggests that a mindfulness-based stress-reduction practice can increase density in the brain's gray matter, which affects learning, memory, and more. Other <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/108/50/20254.abstract"><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">studies</span></a> show that mindfulness might stop a wandering mind and boost the body's <a href="http://gruberpeplab.com/teaching/psych231_fall2013/documents/231_Davidson2003.pdf"><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">immune function</span></a>. “We now have scientific evidence in randomized, controlled trials showing how mindfulness changes your brain,” says Dr. Judson Brewer, associate professor and director of research at the <a href="http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/"><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School</span></a>. “It’s hard to argue with that stuff, which is one reason mindfulness is moving away from the hippie stereotype.” Here, we present some of the best science-backed benefits of mindfulness:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 20.5pt; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;" class="font-size-3"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2364312?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2364312?profile=original" width="226" class="align-full" height="150"></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="color: #ffff00;" class="font-size-3"><b style="font-size: 12pt;">1. It relieves depression.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 20.5pt; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;" class="font-size-3">People who followed up 30 minutes of meditation with 30 minutes of aerobic exercise experienced fewer depressive symptoms, researchers found in a <a href="http://www.nature.com/tp/journal/v6/n2/full/tp2015225a.html"><span style="font-family: 'avenir-medium','serif'; color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">study</span></a> published online in February in<i>Translational Psychiatry</i>. Meditation and exercise are thought to affect the same parts of the brain, researchers speculated, and both have been found, separately, in previous studies to have a positive effect on alleviating depression. In the latest research, they concluded that both increase neurogenesis —the growth of new, healthy cells — the same way antidepressants do.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 20.5pt; font-family: 'avenir-medium','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; color: #ffffcc;">2<span style="color: #ffff00;">. It helps you sleep.</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 20.5pt; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;" class="font-size-3">In a <i><a href="http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/mindfulness-meditation-helps-fight-insomnia-improves-sleep-201502187726"><span style="font-family: 'avenir-medium','serif'; color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">JAMA Internal Medicine</span></a></i> study of 49 people middle-aged or older, the group that practiced mindfulness for 20 minutes a day reported less insomnia, fatigue, and depression than the control group that had undergone sleep-education class to retrain their habits. In addition, a review of existing research published in 2012 in <i><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3328970/"><span style="font-family: 'avenir-medium','serif'; color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Frontiers in Neurology</span></a></i> noted that meditation improved sleep quality.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="color: #ffff00;"><b><span style="font-size: 20.5pt; font-family: avenir-medium, serif;">3. It makes you smarter.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 20.5pt; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;" class="font-size-3">Even a brief meditation session helped people perform better than a control group on cognitive-skills tests, according to 2010<a href="http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/cc2010.pdf"><span style="font-family: 'avenir-medium','serif'; color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">research</span></a> from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, who studied the effects of four days of 20-minute meditation training on study subjects. Mindfulness was found to lessen mind wandering, improve memory, and boost reading comprehension of students taking the GRE, researchers at the University of Santa Barbara concluded in 2012. Other studies have even linked mindfulness training to improved memory for people with memory loss. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ffff00;"><b><span style="font-size: 20.5pt; font-family: avenir-medium, serif;">4. It will ease stress.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 20.5pt; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;" class="font-size-3">A <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15256293"><span style="font-family: 'avenir-medium','serif'; color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">review</span></a> of 20 studies supports the ability of mindfulness-based meditation to lower your stress levels. Its impact in this area has even been found in people suffering from chronic diseases such as fibromyalgia, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and rheumatoid arthritis, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20815988"><span style="font-family: 'avenir-medium','serif'; color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Australian researchers</span></a> concluded in 2010. Research also suggests it can improve <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3903052/"><span style="font-family: 'avenir-medium','serif'; color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">cognitive function</span></a>, including memory and ability to pay attention in the aging and people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. Finally, a writer for the <a href="http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/mindfulness-meditation-may-ease-anxiety-mental-stress-201401086967"><span style="font-family: 'avenir-medium','serif'; color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Harvard University</span></a> health blog noted that mindfulness meditation has been found to lessen symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, which include trouble sleeping, hard-to-control worrying, and irritability.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ffff00;"><b><span style="font-size: 20.5pt; font-family: avenir-medium, serif;">5. It relieves chronic back pain.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 20.5pt; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;" class="font-size-3">Because letting feelings come and go in your mind without reacting to them is what mindfulness is all about, it makes sense that training your brain to respond differently to signals telling you to feel pain could work. Thirty percent of chronic back pain sufferers <a href="http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/mindfulness-meditation-may-ease-anxiety-mental-stress-201401086967"><span style="font-family: 'avenir-medium','serif'; color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">reported</span></a> less pain and improved functionality after receiving treatment that combined mindfulness-based stress reduction with talk therapy in a recent study published in <i><a href="ttp://www.eurekalert.org/emb_releases/2016-03/ghri-mme031716.php"><span style="font-family: 'avenir-medium','serif'; color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">JAMA</span></a></i>. Researchers came to similar conclusions about the power of mindfulness practices to relieve back pain in a <a href="https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_157420.html"><span style="font-family: 'avenir-medium','serif'; color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">University of Pittsburgh</span></a> study of older adults published in February. And in a study published in the<i> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26170592"><span style="font-family: 'avenir-medium','serif'; color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">International Journal of Yoga</span></a></i> last year, mindfulness-based stress reduction combined with sitting or walking meditation was found to improve quality of life and help relieve pain of chronic low back pain sufferers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #ffffcc;" class="font-size-3">http://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/articles/mindfulness-meditation-improves-your-life-w199878</span></p></div>Five Science-Backed Strategies for More Happinesshttps://community.contemplativelife.org/articles/five-science-backed-strategies-for-more-happiness2016-03-23T08:00:03.000Z2016-03-23T08:00:03.000ZContemplative Lifehttps://community.contemplativelife.org/members/JeffGenung<div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">The Greater Good Science Center has collected many <a href="http://ggia.berkeley.edu/#filters=happiness"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">happiness practices</span></a> on our website Greater Good in Action, alongside other research-based exercises for fostering kindness, connection, and resilience. Below are 11 of those happiness practices, grouped into five broader strategies for a more fulfilling life.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2364271?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2364271?profile=original" width="306" class="align-full"></a></span></p>
<div style="border-style: none none solid; border-bottom-color: #f04d2f; border-bottom-width: 1pt; padding: 0in; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 11.25pt 0in; line-height: 17.25pt; border: none; padding: 0in; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">1. Acknowledge the good</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">If we don’t feel happy, it’s tempting to look for things to fix: the job that isn’t prestigious enough, the apartment that’s too cramped, our partner’s annoying habit. But focusing on all the negatives isn’t the surest route to feeling better. Instead, a simple way to start cultivating happiness is by recognizing the good.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">In the <a href="http://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/three-good-things"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">Three Good Things</span></a> exercise, for example, you keep a journal devoted solely to the positives in your life. Each evening, you write down three things that went well and add some detail about each, including how they made you feel. For example, you might recall a heartfelt thank you from a coworker, a quiet moment drinking tea, or your daughter’s infectious laughter. Importantly, you also briefly explain why you think each good thing happened—which focuses your attention on the enduring sources of goodness that surround you.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">A <a href="http://dev.rickhanson.net/wp-content/files/papers/PosPsyProgress.pdf"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">2005 study</span></a> invited participants to do this practice daily for a week, and afterward they reported feeling happier and less depressed than when they started. In fact, they maintained their happiness boost six months later, illustrating how impactful it can be to focus on the good things in life.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Many of those good things lie just outside our doorstep, and we can practice noticing them on a<a href="http://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/savoring_walk"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">Savoring Walk</span></a>. Here, you take a 20-minute walk and observe the sights, sounds, and smells you encounter—freshly cut grass, an epic skyscraper, a stranger’s smile. Each time you notice something positive, take the time to absorb it and think about why you enjoy it. On your subsequent Savoring Walks, strike out in different directions to seek new things to admire.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">In a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805851194?ie=UTF8&tag=gregooscicen-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0805851194"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">study by Fred Bryant of Loyola University Chicago</span></a>, participants who took Savoring Walks daily for a week reported greater increases in happiness than participants who went for walks as usual. “Making a conscious effort to notice and explicitly acknowledge the various sources of joy around us can make us happier,” write Bryant and Joseph Veroff in the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805851208?ie=UTF8&tag=gregooscicen-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0805851208"><i><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Savoring</span></i></a>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">If you have trouble seeing the good that’s already around you, another strategy is to create some. In <a href="http://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/creating_and_recalling_positive_events"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">Creating and Recalling Positive Events</span></a>, you carve out time for yourself and fill your schedule with enjoyment.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">When you have a day free, don’t rush around doing chores; instead, try three different happy activities:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 18.75pt; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; color: #ffffcc;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>
<!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Something you do alone,</span></b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;"> such as reading, listening to music, or meditating.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 18.75pt; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; color: #ffffcc;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>
<!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Something you do with others,</span></b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;"> such as going out for coffee, riding your bike, or watching a movie.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 18.75pt; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; color: #ffffcc;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>
<!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Something meaningful,</span></b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;"> such as volunteering, helping a neighbor in need, or calling a friend who’s struggling.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">If your go-to happiness practice has been Netflix and a bowl of ice cream, this exercise can reconnect you with different sources of satisfaction. These three activities should offer you a sense of pleasure, engagement, and meaning, <a href="https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/43062/10902_2004_Article_1278.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">all viable paths to a satisfying life</span></a>. A <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24230461"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">2014 study</span></a> found that even psychiatric patients with suicidal thoughts found value in doing this exercise, reporting more optimism and less hopelessness afterward.</span></p>
<div style="border-style: none none solid; border-bottom-color: #f04d2f; border-bottom-width: 1pt; padding: 0in; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 11.25pt 0in; line-height: 17.25pt; border: none; padding: 0in; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">2. Add happiness through subtraction</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'MS Gothic'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'MS Gothic'; color: #ffffcc;"> </span><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Even after we identify the positives in our life, we</span><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; color: #ffffcc;">’</span><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">re still prone to adapting to them over time. A good thing repeated brings us less satisfaction, until it no longer seems to contribute to our day-to-day mood at all; we take it for granted. That’s why, sometimes, it’s a good idea to introduce a little deprivation.</span> <span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'MS Gothic'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'MS Gothic'; color: #ffffcc;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">In <a href="http://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/mental_subtraction_positive_events"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">Mental Subtraction of Positive Events</span></a>, you call to mind a certain positive event—the birth of a child, a career achievement, a special trip—and think of all the circumstances that made it possible. How could things have turned out differently? Just taking a moment to imagine this alternate reality creates a favorable comparison, where suddenly our life looks quite good. <br> <br> In a <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2746912/"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">2008 study</span></a>, participants who performed this exercise reported feeling more gratitude and other positive emotions than participants who simply thought about past positive events without imagining their absence. Mental Subtraction seems to jolt us into the insight that the good things in our lives aren’t inevitable; we are, in fact, very lucky.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">If imagining absence isn’t quite enough for you, what about experiencing it for real? In the <a href="http://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/give_it_up"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">Give It Up</span></a> practice, you spend a week abstaining from a pleasure in order to appreciate it more fully. This pleasure should be something that’s relatively abundant in your life, such as eating chocolate or watching TV. At the end of the week, when you can finally indulge, pay special attention to how it feels.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">In a <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1948550612473489"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">2013 study</span></a>, people who gave up chocolate savored it more and experienced a more positive mood when they finally ate it at the end of the week, compared with people who ate chocolate as usual. This exercise may not only open your eyes to a single pleasure (like the miracle of cacao), but make you more conscious of life’s many other pleasures, too.</span></p>
<div style="border-style: none none solid; border-bottom-color: #f04d2f; border-bottom-width: 1pt; padding: 0in; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 11.25pt 0in; line-height: 17.25pt; border: none; padding: 0in; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">3. Find meaning and purpose</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Creating and Recalling Positive Events reminds us that pleasure isn’t the only path to bliss; meaning can also bring us happiness, albeit a quieter and more reflective kind.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">In the <a href="http://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/meaningful_pictures"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">Meaningful Photos</span></a> practice, you take pictures of things that are meaningful to you and reflect on them. Over the course of a week, look out for sources of meaning in your life—family members, favorite spots, childhood mementos—and capture about nine or ten different images of them. At the end of the week, spend an hour reflecting on them: What does each photo represent, and why is it meaningful to you? Jot down some of those thoughts if it’s helpful.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Amid the chores and routines, life can sometimes feel dull and mundane. Reigniting our sense of meaning can remind us what’s important, which boosts our energy and gives us strength to face life’s stresses. In a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259525849_Through_the_windows_of_the_soul_A_pilot_study_using_photography_to_enhance_meaning_in_life"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">2013 study</span></a>, college students who completed this exercise not only boosted their sense of meaning, but also reported greater positive emotions and life satisfaction as well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">We can also boost our energy and motivation by fostering a sense of purpose, and the <a href="http://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/best_possible_self"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">Best Possible Self</span></a> exercise is one way to do that. Here, you journal for 15 minutes about an ideal future in which everything is going as well as possible, from your family and personal life to your career and health.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">In a <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17439760500510676"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">2006 study</span></a>, participants who wrote about their Best Possible Selves daily for two weeks reported greater positive emotions afterward, and their mood continued increasing up to a month later if they kept up the practice.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">This exercise allows us to clarify our goals and priorities, painting a detailed picture of where we want to be. This picture should be ambitious but realistic so that it motivates us to make changes, rather than reminding us how imperfect and disappointing our lives are now. When we reflect on our future this way, we may feel more in control of our destiny.</span></p>
<div style="border-style: none none solid; border-bottom-color: #f04d2f; border-bottom-width: 1pt; padding: 0in; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 11.25pt 0in; line-height: 17.25pt; border: none; padding: 0in; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">4. Use your strengths</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Just as we hunt for things to fix in life, we also tend to obsess over flaws in ourselves; our weaknesses loom large. But what if we put more time and attention into our strengths and positive attributes?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">The <a href="http://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/use_your_strengths"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">Use Your Strengths</span></a> exercise invites you to consider your strengths of character—from creativity and perseverance to kindness and humility—and put them into practice. Each day for a week, select a strength and make a plan to use it in a new and different way. You can repeat the same strength—directing your curiosity toward a work project one day and toward your partner’s interests the next—or work on different strengths each day. At the end of the week, synthesize the experience by writing about what you did, how it made you feel, and what you learned. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">In a <a href="http://dev.rickhanson.net/wp-content/files/papers/PosPsyProgress.pdf"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">2005 study</span></a>, participants who engaged in this exercise for a week reported feeling happier and less depressed, and that happiness boost lasted up to six months. Use Your Strengths may help us transfer skills between home and work—applying our professional creativity to our children’s school assignments or our domestic kindness to our co-workers—and give us a confidence boost all around.</span></p>
<div style="border-style: none none solid; border-bottom-color: #f04d2f; border-bottom-width: 1pt; padding: 0in; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 11.25pt 0in; line-height: 17.25pt; border: none; padding: 0in; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">5. Connect with others</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">The practices above invite us to turn inward, tinkering with our attitudes and the way we view the world. But <a href="http://condor.depaul.edu/hstein/NAMGILES.pdf"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">decades of science</span></a> also suggest that turning outward and connecting to the people around us is one of the surest routes to happiness.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">As a first step, you can try an adapted version of the <a href="http://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/best_possible_self_for_relationships"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">Best Possible Self exercise for relationships</span></a> to give you insights into what kinds of social connection you desire. In an ideal life, what would your relationships with your spouse, family, and friends look like?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">One way to feel an immediate boost of connection is through <a href="http://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/random_acts_of_kindness"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">Random Acts of Kindness</span></a>. Random Acts of Kindness don’t have to be flashy or extravagant; they can be as simple as helping a friend with a chore or making breakfast for your partner. You can also extend your circle of kindness to strangers and community members, feeding a parking meter or offering a meal to someone in need.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">In a <a href="http://sonjalyubomirsky.com/wp-content/themes/sonjalyubomirsky/papers/LSS2005.pdf"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">2005 study</span></a>, participants who performed five acts of kindness on one day a week for six weeks reported increases in happiness. (This didn’t happen when they spread out their acts of kindness across the week, perhaps because a single kind act may not feel noteworthy on its own.) Researchers also suggest varying your acts of kindness over time to keep the practice fresh and dynamic.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Some of your acts of kindness may involve giving, and the <a href="http://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/make_giving_feel_good"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">Make Giving Feel Good</span></a> practice helps ensure that giving does, indeed, bring happiness. Researchers <a href="http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_make_giving_feel_good"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton</span></a>, among others, have found evidence that being kind and generous does make us happier, but they’ve also found that acts of giving are most effective when they meet these three criteria:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 18.75pt; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; color: #ffffcc;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>
<!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">It’s a choice:</span></b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;"> Give because you <i>choose</i> to, not because you feel pressured or obligated to.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 18.75pt; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; color: #ffffcc;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>
<!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">You connect:</span></b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;"> Giving can be an opportunity to make connections with the people you’re helping, so choose activities where you get to spend time with recipients, like helping a friend move or volunteering at a soup kitchen.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 18.75pt; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; color: #ffffcc;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>
<!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">You see the impact:</span></b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;"> If you’re donating money, for example, don’t just give and move on. Find out what your money will be used for—like new classroom supplies or a cooking stove.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">In a <a href="http://dunn.psych.ubc.ca/files/2010/11/Investing-in-Others-Prosocial-Spending-for-ProSocial-Change-2012-Updated-June-2012.pdf"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">2011 study</span></a>, participants were offered a $10 Starbucks gift card to use in different ways: They either gave it to someone, gave it to someone and joined them for a drink, or used it on themselves while drinking with a friend. The ones who gave the card away <i>and</i> spent time with the recipient—connecting with them and seeing the impact of giving—felt happiest afterward.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Of course, the pursuit of happiness isn’t all sunshine and rainbows and mugs of tea and smiling children. Sometimes we need to tackle our insecurities and weaknesses, and we can’t just ignore our draining jobs and nagging relatives. But the practices here represent the other side of the coin, the one we often neglect: seeing, appreciating, and mobilizing the good.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc; mso-no-proof: yes;">http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_science_backed_strategies_for_more_happiness?utm_source=Newsletter+Mar+16,+2016&utm_campaign=GG+Newsletter+Mar+17+2016&utm_medium=email
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; line-height: 13.5pt; border: none; padding: 0in; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">About The Author</span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Kira M. Newman</span></b><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;"> is an editor and web producer at the Greater Good Science Center. She is also the creator of The Year of Happy, a year-long course in the science of happiness, and CaféHappy, a Toronto-based meetup. <a href="http://twitter.com/kiramnewman"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">Follow her on Twitter!</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> </span></p></div>Dangers of Meditationhttps://community.contemplativelife.org/articles/dangers-of-meditation2016-03-21T09:24:08.000Z2016-03-21T09:24:08.000ZContemplative Lifehttps://community.contemplativelife.org/members/JeffGenung<div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">A few years ago, after I discussed the benefits of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/meditation" title="Psychology Today looks at meditation"><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">meditation</span></a> in one of my workshops, a student said to me: “Well, what you’re actually saying here is that meditation is great, and does not have any dangers or side effects.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">That comment made me realise how easy it is to highlight the bright side of meditation while disregarding its potential dark side. </span><a href="http://www.awarenessisfreedom.com/2014/12/mind-the-gap-in-mindfulness-research/" target="_blank" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Psychological research</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">(link is external)</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">, as well as our personal experience, has shown how valuable meditation is: it reduces our </span><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/stress" title="Psychology Today looks at stress" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">stress</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">, deepens our meaning in life, eases our pain, and makes it easier for us to </span><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/sleep" title="Psychology Today looks at sleep" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">sleep</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2364322?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2364322?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full" height="193"></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">However, it is also important for us to recognise the potential hazards of meditation, which might arise during practice. This is especially relevant to beginners, who might experience one of the challenges discussed below and think that there is something wrong. It is also vital for meditation and yoga teachers to be aware of these potential dangers, as their students might encounter similar challenges, and need support. I believe that, if we could bear in mind that these possible perils exist, we would be able to deal with the challenges in a healthy manner, instead of halting meditation practice.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">The “right” way of meditation</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Some teachers or books contend that their way of meditation is the “right” way, and go as far as to dismiss as wrong other techniques and approaches. This is a dangerous area, where everyone needs to be extremely cautious. One of the most beautiful things about meditation is that it could be practised in numerous ways and techniques. There are many approaches to meditation, and you would need to seek the one that is right for you. Flexibility and openness are the name of the game, and claims that there is only one effective way to meditate are just restricting. Practising a wrong meditation technique could be a harmful experience for you; if you try a meditation method for a while, and still it doesn’t feel right, you would need to switch to a different one.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Facing your buried emotions</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">The most profound interaction you experience in meditation is the interaction with yourself. As part of that, you would get in touch with buried and supressed emotions. Meditation could trigger waves of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/anger" title="Psychology Today looks at anger"><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">anger</span></a>, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/fear" title="Psychology Today looks at fear"><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">fear</span></a> or <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/jealousy" title="Psychology Today looks at jealousy"><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">jealousy</span></a>, which had been sitting deep within you, and that would make you feel uncomfortable. This is a natural and healthy dimension of meditation practice, and these emotions will gradually subside. However, if unaware that meditation could bring those buried sentiments out, the practitioner might feel that something is wrong and avoid meditation, under the uncontrollable impact of the emotional wave.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Seeing “the white light”</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">You might have heard stories about people who say they see a white light or feel flying as a free spirit, when they meditate. Although this might be an experiential side effect of meditation, seeking such experiences is unhelpful. You would be frustrated, when you don’t get the experience you were hoping for. Meditate, and let everything else take its natural course.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">The “perfect” practitioner of meditation</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">You might have expectations of yourself in relation to meditation: Sitting still for a long time, feeling calm after meditation, and not being angry; the list is long. This is where the danger of expectations lies. We are human beings, and as such we have times in our lives when it is more difficult to sit and meditate, or feel calm. It is perfectly natural.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Meditation is not a <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/therapy" title="Psychology Today looks at therapy"><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">therapy</span></a></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Mediation is a long-term journey, which is healing and nourishing. However, if someone is facing difficulties and seeking help, meditation might not offer the support they are hoping for. It might be that they need to see a therapist to feel heard and understood.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;"><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/self-esteem" title="Psychology Today looks at Self-compassion"><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Self-compassion</span></a> in meditation</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">When we engage, as part of our meditation practice, with uncomfortable feelings and sensations within us, we have an obligation towards ourselves: to be self-compassionate. A peril lies here in pushing too far, too much, beyond the capacity of our heart and soul, at that given moment. It is important to be able to sit still with whatever is moving within you, but you would need to be able to take a step back from the feeling or sensation, if it is too much.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">The danger of non-<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/attachment" title="Psychology Today looks at attachment"><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">attachment</span></a></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Non-attachment is one of the building blocks of meditation. It is the skill of taking a step back from whatever happens, or whatever we feel, acknowledging that it is transient, and accepting that it will soon change and transform. This quality of non-attachment is important, as it helps us not to get carried away with the “drama” of life, and to remain calm and peaceful.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">However, such non-attachment does not mean avoiding, repressing or disregarding anything. We should not detach ourselves from the people and activities we <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/relationships" title="Psychology Today looks at love"><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">love</span></a> and enjoy, nor should we become passive or inactive. Non-attachment simply changes the quality of the relationship with life: it allows you to make conscious and peaceful choices, because you relate to people, events and yourself, in a non-attached manner.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mindfulness-wellbeing/201603/dangers-meditation</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">Dr. Itai Ivtzan is a positive psychologist, a senior lecturer, and the program <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/leadership" title="Psychology Today looks at leader "><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">leader </span></a>of MAPP (Masters in Applied <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/positive-psychology" title="Psychology Today looks at Positive Psychology"><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Positive Psychology</span></a>) at the University of East London (UEL). His work is focusing on Positive Psychology, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/mindfulness" title="Psychology Today looks at Mindfulness"><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Mindfulness</span></a>, and <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/spirituality" title="Psychology Today looks at Spirituality"><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Spirituality</span></a>. You can find his workshops, books, and scientific work <a href="http://www.awarenessisfreedom.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">on his website: www.AwarenessisFreedom.com</span><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">(link is external)</span></a></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .25in; line-height: 19.5pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffffcc;">His <a href="http://www.awarenessisfreedom.com/meditation-and-mindfulness-teacher-training-certificate/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">online Meditation Teacher Training</span><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">(link is external)</span></a> offers an in-depth discussion and practice of meditation and mindfulness, including the topics debated in this article. You can follow Dr Itai Ivtzan on <a href="https://twitter.com/AwareIsFree" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">Twitter</span><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">(link is external)</span></a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Itai-Ivtzan-878467798887550/?ref=hl" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ffffcc;">Facebook</span><span style="color: #ffffcc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">(link is external)</span></a>.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #ffffcc;"> </span></p></div>Can you teach well-being?https://community.contemplativelife.org/articles/can-you-teach-wellbeing2016-02-29T16:44:37.000Z2016-02-29T16:44:37.000ZContemplative Lifehttps://community.contemplativelife.org/members/JeffGenung<div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #515151;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; line-height: 15.6pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: yellow;">An American professor, Martin Seligman, has pioneered positive psychology, inverting the traditional focus of his profession on distress</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">One of the great imponderables of human society is how much of our religion, psychology, philosophy and art through the millennia has been dedicated to the understanding and amelioration of suffering rather than the promotion of happiness.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">Thinkers such as <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/search/search-7.1213540?tag_person=Sigmund%20Freud&article=true"><span style="color: #ffff99;">Sigmund Freud</span></a> and <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/search/search-7.1213540?tag_person=Arthur%20Schopenhauer&article=true"><span style="color: #ffff99;">Arthur Schopenhauer</span></a> have held that the best human beings can hope for in life is “not to suffer”. Such an understanding of human nature is “empirically false, morally insidious and a political dead end”, according to Prof Martin Seligman from the University of Pennsylvania, the pioneer of positive psychology.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">“Human beings want much more in life than not to be miserable,” he says. “They want wellbeing.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">Seligman’s theories about wellbeing and positive psychology have made him one of the world’s best-known and most popular psychologists – his lecture in the <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/search/search-7.1213540?tag_person=Edmund%20Burke%20Library&article=true"><span style="color: #ffff99;">Edmund Burke Library</span></a> at <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/search/search-7.1213540?tag_organisation=Trinity%20College%20Dublin&article=true"><span style="color: #ffff99;">Trinity College Dublin</span></a> last month was a ticket-only affair and was oversubscribed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">Authentichappiness.org, the website Seligman established to promote positive psychology, has four million followers and attracts 2,000 new subscribers every day.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">He first came to public prominence in the 1970s with his theory of “learned helplessness” – the theory that, because of trauma or conditioning by failure, people are unwilling to believe they are able to succeed at something even if ways to succeed are available.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">Introducing Seligman in Dublin, TCD professor of psychology <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/search/search-7.1213540?tag_person=Ian%20Robertson&article=true"><span style="color: #ffff99;">Ian Robertson</span></a> escribed him as a “polymath” engaged in nothing less than “a movement which is creating a paradigm change in how humanity thinks about itself”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">Seligman described himself as a self-confessed pessimist and depressive who tries out his own techniques first on himself before expanding them to his own family and then his students.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">He was a relatively late convert to the concept of wellbeing and happiness. As a psychologist, he recalls, happiness was regarded as the “froth on the cappuccino”, immeasurable and irrelevant to his profession.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">“Thirty years ago there was no theory of wellbeing which distinguished it from suffering and no interventions that built wellbeing. That has changed over the past 30 years.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">It might seem obvious given the recent emphasis on wellbeing and happiness, but the focus of psychology and psychiatry was, for so long, on alleviating suffering and examining mental illness rather than the pursuit of happiness.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 15.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">Flourishing He defines well</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">being as what “non-suffering, non-oppressed people choose to do”. It pertains not only to individuals but also to corporations and even nation states. British prime minister <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/search/search-7.1213540?tag_person=David%20Cameron&article=true"><span style="color: #ffff99;">David Cameron</span></a> is a fan of his theories.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">“The goal of good government is not just the alleviating of misery but the building of wellbeing,” says Seligman, who has developed the notion of wellbeing to include the notion of “flourishing”, where human beings are conditioned to make the best of themselves and their circumstances.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">Seligman has created a model for well- being made up of five building blocks summed up in the acronym Perma: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. These five concepts together represent a definition of wellbeing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">Positive emotion is feeling happy or comfortable in a situation, what we think of when we think of happiness.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">Engagement is the process whereby a person is absorbed by something, whether it is their work, pastimes, making the dinner, and so on. Seligman talks about the concept of “flow”, which occurs when an individual is totally absorbed in what they are doing. Greater “flow” brings greater happiness.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">Relationships relate to positive and not negative relationships – the ones that bring us benefit. Human beings are “hive creatures”, he says, not just selfish individuals.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">Meaning is the idea of belonging to and serving something that you think is bigger than yourself, for instance, a union, church, charity or some club. “The more meaning people have at work, the more productive they are,” he says.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">Accomplishment would appear to be self-evident, he states, but it is startling how self-discipline trumps talent. It is twice as important as IQ for predicting academic success, he says.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">He advocates simple techniques that will enhance one’s sense of wellbeing – one of which is to write down “three good things” that occur during the day.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">“It turns out that when people do this, six months later they are less depressed and have higher positive emotion compared with a placebo.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">What works for the individual also works for larger organisations. Seligman pointed to research in the <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/search/search-7.1213540?tag_location=United%20States&article=true"><span style="color: #ffff99;">United States</span></a> that showed a startling correlation between the type of language used on Twitter and incidences of fatal heart attacks.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">One would seem ostensibly to have nothing to do with the other, but there was an unerring correlation between negative language used on the social media platform and increased risk of heart attacks.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">“I think this is causal,” he says. “If you change the way people think and talk about the world, you can change things like the heart attack and death rates.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">The critical question, Seligman says, is whether Perma can be taught. Can happiness be improved? Do these techniques work? Can the success or otherwise of such techniques be measured? He maintains the answer to all these questions is yes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 15.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">Teaching wellbeing Studies in <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/search/search-7.1213540?tag_location=Bhutan&article=true"><span style="color: #ffff99;">Bhutan</span></a> have shown marked differences in schoolchildren to whom well</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">- being was taught against a placebo group that was not taught wellbeing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">Bhutan has made national wellbeing a goal as distinct simply from gross national product. Children who were taught the techniques of positive psychology halve the rate of depression and anxiety as adolescences, Seligman says.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">Similarly, Seligman was employed by US army chief of staff <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/search/search-7.1213540?tag_person=George%20Casey&article=true"><span style="color: #ffff99;">George Casey</span></a> to teach positive psychology to drill sergeants. Casey wanted an army that was mentally as well as physically fit and has spent €150 million teaching resilience psychology to soldiers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #ffff99;">The result has been a notable decrease in incidences of suicide, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder. Governments should follow suit, Seligman says.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #ffff99;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #ffff99;">http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/can-you-teach-wellbeing-martin-seligman-thinks-so-1.2544072</span></p>
</div>The Mental Health Benefits Of Meditation: It’ll Alter Your Brain’s Grey Matter, And Improve Memory, Sense Of Selfhttps://community.contemplativelife.org/articles/the-mental-health-benefits-of-meditation-it-ll-alter-your-brain-s2016-02-21T15:16:30.000Z2016-02-21T15:16:30.000ZContemplative Lifehttps://community.contemplativelife.org/members/JeffGenung<div><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: yellow;">It appears that scientific evidence of meditation’s powers continues to add up. Meditation, in a way, is like exercise for our brains: it’s been shown to assist in mental health maintenance, improve our memory, empathy, and sense of self — similar to how exercise boosts our resilience, muscle strength, cardiovascular health, and blood pressure/cholesterol.<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2364230?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2364230?profile=original" width="660" class="align-left"></a></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: yellow;">Perhaps one of the most fascinating<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/01/eight-weeks-to-a-better-brain/" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">studies</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>published on meditation is one from several years ago — but one that is good to keep in mind if you’re interested in mental health and brain plasticity. The study, led by Harvard researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), found that meditating for only 8 weeks actually significantly changed the brain’s grey matter — a major part of the central nervous system that is associated with processing information, as well as providing nutrients and energy to neurons. This is why, the authors believe, that meditation has shown evidence in improving memory, empathy, sense of self, and stress relief.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: yellow;">“Although the practice of meditation is associated with a sense of peacefulness and physical relaxation, practitioners have long claimed that meditation also provides cognitive and psychological benefits that persist throughout the day,” Dr. Sara Lazar, a Harvard Medical School instructor in psychology, said in the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/01/eight-weeks-to-a-better-brain/" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">news release</span></a>. “This study demonstrates that changes in brain structure may underlie some of these reported improvements and that people are not just feeling better because they are spending time relaxing.”</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: yellow;">In the study, 16 participants took a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program for 8 weeks. Before and after the program, the researchers took MRIs of their brains. After spending an average of about 27 minutes per day practicing mindfulness exercise, the participants showed an increased amount of grey matter in the hippocampus, which helps with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection. In addition, participants with lower stress levels showed decreased grey matter density in the amygdala, which helps manage anxiety and stress.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: yellow;">“It is fascinating to see the brain’s plasticity and that, by practicing meditation, we can play an active role in changing the brain and can increase our well-being and quality of life,” Dr. Britta Holzel, an author of the study, said in the press release.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: yellow;">Another recent<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.medicaldaily.com/mind-over-matter-positive-thinking-mindfulness-meditation-shown-have-measurable-314662"><span style="color: yellow; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">study</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>examining the health benefits of positive thinking found that mindfulness exercises like meditation or yoga actually changed the length of telomeres in breast cancer patients — which works to prevent chromosomes from declining. And in the past, researchers have found that people who practiced meditation actually had different brain structures than people who didn’t.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: yellow;">Indeed, the notion that meditation can foster improved sense of self, compassion, happiness, and focus is thousands of years old, but it’s only now that science has begun backing it. If you want to learn more about how the brain changes during meditation, watch this informational video<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.medicaldaily.com/pulse/benefits-meditation-power-silent-mind-over-body-318952"><span style="color: yellow; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">here</span></a>.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: yellow;">http://www.medicaldaily.com/mental-health-benefits-meditation-itll-alter-your-brains-grey-matter-and-improve-319298#.VsRlNPPETbw.twitter</span></p></div>