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Positive Psychology Articles
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- Find Your North Star - by Submitted on Dec 25, 2023 from Rick HansonI did a meditation retreat (at Spirit Rock, a wonderful place, including for workshops). One evening as we walked out of the hall after the last sit, I was feeling rattled and discombobulated. (One of the benefits of a retreat - though it can be uncomfortable - is that it stirs up the sediments ...
Views: 356 - Cling Less, Love More - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2023 from Rick HansonAs a rock climber and a parent, I know some physical kinds of clinging are good - like too-small holds or small hands! But clinging as a psychological state has a feeling of tension in it, and drivenness, insistence, obsession, or compulsion. As experiences flow through the mind - seeing, ...
Views: 373 - Pay Attention - by Submitted on Dec 11, 2023 from Rick HansonFrom moment to moment, the flows of thoughts and feelings, sensations and desires, and conscious and unconscious processes sculpt your nervous system like water, gradually carving furrows and eventually gullies on a hillside. Your brain is continually changing its structure. The only question ...
Views: 386 - Feel Good in Fall - by Submitted on Dec 09, 2023 from Janice WaldAlthough fall is almost over, it's not too late for a Feel Good Fall article. These articles are designed to boost your mood. INSPIRATION LINK PARTIES Every Monday I throw link parties that boost people's inspiration and positivity. Participants share ideas for crafts, recipes, and ...
Views: 368 - Leave the Red Zone - by Submitted on Dec 04, 2023 from Rick HansonThere I was recently, my mind darting in different directions about projects in process, frazzled about little tasks backing up, uneasy about a tax record from 2010 we couldn’t find, feeling irritated about being irritable, hurrying to get to work, body keyed up, internal sense of pressure. Not ...
Views: 376 - FIVE POTENTIAL DARKSIDES TO POSITIVE THINKING - by Submitted on Nov 28, 2023 from James MapesIn Part #1 of ‘Negative vs. Positive Thinking’, I gave you an overview of the conscious and unconscious mind and a glimpse into positive and negative thinking. Review on link below: https://www.jamesmapes.com/james-mapes-blog/negative-vs-positive-thinking-part-1/ In Part #2, we are going ...
Views: 474 - Be Benevolent - by Submitted on Nov 28, 2023 from Rick HansonBenevolence is a fancy word that means something simple: good intentions toward living beings, including oneself. This goodwill is present in warmth, friendliness, compassion, ordinary decency, fair play, kindness, altruism, generosity, and love. The benevolent heart leans toward others; it ...
Views: 435 - Make The Offering - by Submitted on Nov 20, 2023 from Rick HansonOne of the strangest and most meaningful experiences of my life occurred when I went through Rolfing (ten brilliant sessions of deep-tissue bodywork) in my early 20's. The fifth session works on the stomach area, and I was anticipating (= dreading) the release of buried sadness. Instead, there ...
Views: 405 - Don't Beat Yourself Up - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2023 from Rick HansonA previous JOT - admit fault and move on - was about our relationship with other people. This JOT applies the same practice to ourselves. Most people know they have less than wonderful qualities, such as too much ambition (or too little), a weakness for wine or cookies, something of a temper, ...
Views: 375 - Admit Fault and Move On - by Submitted on Nov 06, 2023 from Rick HansonHave you ever watched two people quarrel, or otherwise be stuck in a conflict with each other? Usually, if either or both of them simply acknowledged one or more things, that would end the fight. Recall a time someone mistreated you, let you down, dropped the ball, made an error, spoke ...
Views: 391 - Be the Body - by Submitted on Oct 30, 2023 from Rick HansonAs a kid, I was really out of touch with my body. I hardly noticed it most of the time, and when I did, I prodded it like a mule to do a better job of hauling "me" - the head - around. This approach helped me to soldier through some tough times. But there were costs. Many pleasures were ...
Views: 369 - Back to Basics - by Submitted on Oct 23, 2023 from Rick HansonIn middle school, I thought it would be cool to play a musical instrument and picked the clarinet. My wise parents rented one rather than buying it, and I started practicing. (In the garage because it sounded pretty screechy.) After a week or two of doing scales, I got bored and picked my way ...
Views: 388 - Know You're a Good Person - by Submitted on Oct 16, 2023 from Rick HansonFor many of us, perhaps the hardest thing of all is to believe that "I am a good person." We can climb mountains, work hard, acquire many skills, and act ethically - but truly feel that one is good deep down? Nah! We end up not feeling like a good person in a number of ways. For example, I ...
Views: 376 - Drop Tart Tone - by Submitted on Oct 10, 2023 from Rick HansonI remember times I felt frazzled or aggravated and then said something with an edge to it that just wasn't necessary or useful. Sometimes it was the words themselves: such as absolutes like "never" or always" or over-the-top phrases like "you're such a flake" or "that was stupid." More often, it ...
Views: 402 - Mindful Eating: Using Quality Ingredients for Self-Improvement and Wellness - by Submitted on Oct 03, 2023 from Christopher thomasMindful eating is just a science that lets you pay attention to what you are eating and how it makes you, therefore, being mindful of what you are eating is important as it gives you the power to control your health and weight. In this process, you get to determine the results that you want to ...
Views: 424 - Feed the Wolf of Love - by Submitted on Oct 02, 2023 from Rick HansonI once heard a teaching story in which an elder, a grandmother, was asked what she had done to become so happy, so wise, so loved, and respected. She replied: "It's because I know that there are two wolves in my heart, a wolf of love and a wolf of hate. And I know that everything depends on ...
Views: 411 - Lower the Pressure - by Submitted on Sep 25, 2023 from Rick HansonThings come at us with so much urgency and demand these days. Phones ring, texts buzz, emails pile up, new balls have to be juggled, work days lengthen and move into evenings and weekends, traffic gets denser, financial demands feel like a knife at the neck, ads and news clamor for attention, ...
Views: 411 - See Beings Not Bodies - by Submitted on Sep 19, 2023 from Rick HansonWhen we encounter someone, usually the mind automatically slots the person into a category: older, younger, your friend Tom, the kid next door, etc. Watch this happen in your own mind as you meet or talk with a co-worker, sales clerk, or family member. In effect, the mind summarizes and ...
Views: 405 - The Road to Personal Development and Wellness: Navigating a Hub of Growth - by Submitted on Sep 19, 2023 from Braden LoweIn the vast landscape of personal development and wellness resources, there exists a platform that serves as a beacon of hope and transformation. Whether you're on a quest for self-improvement, wellness, or simply seeking a path to personal growth, this platform offers a wealth of tools, ...
Views: 445 - Step Into the Cloud - by Submitted on Sep 12, 2023 from Rick HansonI had a lightbulb moment recently: I was feeling stressed about all the stuff I had to do (you probably know the feeling). After this went on for a while, I stepped back and kind of watched my mind, and could see that I was thinking of these various tasks as things, like big rocks that were ...
Views: 412 - Love the World - by Submitted on Sep 05, 2023 from Rick HansonTo simplify and summarize, our brain has three primary motivational systems – Avoiding harm, Approaching rewards, and Attaching to “us” – that draw on many neural networks to accomplish their goals. Lately, I’ve started to realize that a fourth fundamental human motivational system could be ...
Views: 407 - Hug the Monkey - by Submitted on Aug 28, 2023 from Rick HansonTo simplify a complex process spanning 600 million years, your brain developed in ways that are loosely related to three major stages of vertebrate evolution: Reptile - Brainstem, focused on avoiding harms Mammal - Subcortex, focused on approaching rewards Primate/human – Neocortex, ...
Views: 424 - Feed the Mouse - by Submitted on Aug 21, 2023 from Rick HansonTo simplify a complex process spanning 600 million years, your brain developed in ways that are loosely related to the three major stages of vertebrate evolution: Reptile – Brainstem, focused on avoiding harms Mammal – Subcortex, focused on approaching rewards Primate – Neocortex, ...
Views: 401 - Pet the Lizard - by Submitted on Aug 15, 2023 from Rick HansonI've always liked lizards. Growing up in the outskirts of Los Angeles, I played in the foothills near our home. Sometimes I'd catch a lizard and stroke its belly, so it would relax in my hands, seeming to feel at ease. In my early 20's, I found a lizard one chilly morning in the mountains. ...
Views: 447 - Give Over to Good - by Submitted on Aug 07, 2023 from Rick HansonIn every moment, you and I and everyone and everything else – from quantum foam to fleeting thoughts, intimate relationships, rainforest ecosystems, and the stars themselves – are each a kind of standing wave, like the ever-changing through a persistent pattern of water rising above a boulder in ...
Views: 411 - GAP-CLOSING - by Submitted on Jul 28, 2023 from William CottringerGAP-CLOSING By Bill Cottringer Life is all the stuff that happens in between acknowledging our gaps and trying to deal with them. ~The author. We are all confronted with problem gaps than need closing solutions in life. The differences are in the nature and priority of these gaps ...
Views: 478 - Remember the Big Things - by Submitted on Jul 24, 2023 from Rick HansonIn every life, reminders arrive about what's really important. I’ve received some myself, as I’m sure you have, too. Perhaps it was news of a potentially serious health problem, the death of a loved one, or an accident that could have turned fatal. These are uncomfortably concrete messages ...
Views: 432 - Rest - by Submitted on Jul 17, 2023 from Rick HansonThis practice is definitely a case of teaching what you need to learn: I've been working through a big bucket of tasks lately with little chance to rest. (I console myself knowing that the bucket is emptying a lot faster than it's filling with new tasks.) Sometimes you can really feel what ...
Views: 450 - Do You Think Opposites Attract? - by Submitted on Jul 11, 2023 from Marcia Naomi BergerIf you think opposites attract, think again! Just about everyone believes that opposites attract, but they don’t. Yet many relationship experts write that people seek partners whose traits complement their own. THE OPPOSITES ATTRACT MYTH It’s a myth that opposites attract, states Matthew ...
Views: 514 - Relax, You've Arrived - by Submitted on Jul 10, 2023 from Rick HansonWe spend so much of our time trying to get somewhere. Part of this comes from our biological nature. To survive, animals – including us – have to be goal-directed, leaning into the future. It’s certainly healthy to pursue wholesome aims, like paying the rent on time, raising children well, ...
Views: 416 - See Your Part - by Submitted on Jul 03, 2023 from Rick HansonIn situations or relationships with any kind of difficulty – tension, feeling hurt, conflicts, mismatches of wants . . . the usual crud – it’s natural to focus on what others have done that’s problematic. This could be useful for a while: it can energize you, highlight what you most care ...
Views: 429 - “P” Point Power - by Submitted on Jun 28, 2023 from William Cottringer“P” Point Power by William Cottringer, Ph.D. Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you. ~Aldous Huxley. Earlier on in my correctional career, an MIT math genius, Herb Gross, introduced me to an obscure engineering term, which he called ...
Views: 518 - Drop The Case - by Submitted on Jun 26, 2023 from Rick HansonLately, I've been thinking about a kind of "case" that's been running in my mind about someone in my extended family. The case is a combination of feeling hurt and mistreated, critique of the other person, irritation with others who haven't supported me, views about what should happen that ...
Views: 453 - Make Good Bargains - by Submitted on Jun 19, 2023 from Rick HansonLife is full of tradeoffs between benefits and costs. Sometimes, the benefits are worth the costs. For example, the rewards of going for a run - getting out in fresh air, improving health, etc. - are, for me, at least, worth the costs of losing half an hour of work time while gaining a pair ...
Views: 439 - Receive Faces - by Submitted on Jun 13, 2023 from Rick Hanson[Note: this practice involves our visual system, which for many people is impaired. If this is the case for you, you could adapt my suggestions to focus on the voices of others or a sense of their “energy.”] As our ancestors evolved over millions of years in small bands, continually ...
Views: 468 - Your New Start Begins Now - by Submitted on Jun 07, 2023 from Rita RockerSo what happens when we need a new start? How do we actually get through the amazing transformation our Creator has for us, going from that caterpillar to becoming the soaring, beautiful butterfly? You are definitely not alone in the unpleasant struggle. A metamorphosis is defined here in a ...
Views: 526 - Hold Wants Lightly - by Submitted on Jun 05, 2023 from Rick HansonGetting caught up in wanting - wanting both to get what's pleasant and to avoid what's unpleasant - is a major source of suffering and harm for oneself and others. First, a lot of what we want to get comes with a big price tag - such as that second cupcake, constant stimulation via TV and ...
Views: 425 - Embrace Fragility - by Submitted on May 29, 2023 from Rick HansonThe truth of anything is like a mosaic with many tiles and many parts. One part of the truth of things is that they are robust and enduring, whether it's El Capitan in Yosemite or the love of a child for her mother and father. Another part of the truth is that things bruise, tear, erode, ...
Views: 460 - Lighten Up - by Submitted on May 22, 2023 from Rick HansonOn the path of life, most of us are hauling way too much weight. What's in your own backpack? If you're like most of us, you've got too many items on each day's To-Do list and too much stuff in the closet. Too many entanglements with other people. And too many "shoulds," worries, guilts, and ...
Views: 438 - See Progress - by Submitted on May 15, 2023 from Rick HansonThere are always things that are getting worse. For example, over the past year, you probably know someone who has become unemployed or ill or both, and there’s more carbon in the atmosphere inexorably heating up the planet. But if you don’t recognize what’s improving in your own life, then ...
Views: 448 - 5 Easy Ways to Cultivate Joy in Life Through Mindfulness - by Submitted on May 13, 2023 from Barry ShoreHappiness and joy are two of the most sought-after states in life. But sometimes it can feel like they’re just out of reach, no matter how hard you try to grab them. Fortunately, there is a way to cultivate more joy in your life: mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention ...
Views: 455 - Trust In Love - by Submitted on May 02, 2023 from Rick HansonTake a breath right now, and notice how abundant the air is, full of life-giving oxygen offered freely by trees and other green-growing things. You can't see the air, but it's always available for you. Love is a lot like the air. It may be hard to see - but it's in you and all around ...
Views: 452 - A Serious Limitation with Words - by Submitted on Apr 29, 2023 from William CottringerA Serious Limitation with Words by Bill Cottringer “Silence is the language of God, all else is poor translation.” ~Rumi. Ever since being a young acolyte in the Episcopal Church studying the Bible and doing a book report on it for English class in high school, I have always been ...
Views: 519 - Don't Rain On The Parade - by Submitted on Apr 24, 2023 from Rick HansonLet's say you've had an interesting idea or moment of inspiration, the thought of a new project, or felt some enthusiasm bubbling up inside you. Your notions are not fully formed and you're not really committed to them yet, but they have promise and you like them and are trying them on for size. ...
Views: 447 - Dangers of a Divided Mind - by Submitted on Apr 21, 2023 from William CottringerDangers of a Divided Mind By Bill Cottringer “Warning: A divided mind misses half of everything but deludes you into believing you have the whole truth. So, if you want to get twice as much done in half the time in finding the whole truth, rejoin your divided mind.” ~The Author. I ...
Views: 482 - Receive Generosity - by Submitted on Apr 17, 2023 from Rick HansonLife gives to each one of us in so many ways. For starters, there’s the bounty of the senses – including chocolate chip cookies, jasmine, sunsets, wind singing through pine trees, and just getting your back scratched. What does life give you? Consider the kindness of friends and family, ...
Views: 417 - Techniques for Positive Self-Talk After Brain Injury and Empowering Self-Talk for Individuals Living with Brain Injury - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2023 from Leon EdwardBrain injury can have a significant impact on a person's life, often leading to feelings of frustration, anxiety, and depression. But amidst all the challenges, it's essential to focus on the positive by cultivating a positive mindset. One effective way to do this is through positive ...
Views: 787(1 vote) - Springtime Follies for Seekers and Mystics: “Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys!” - by Submitted on Mar 11, 2023 from joan pancoeRECOMMENDED: To see all visuals and activate all links: https://joanpancoe.com/2023/03/08/springtime-follies-for-seekers-and-mystics-not-my-circus-not-my-monkeys/ “The expansion (i.e., projection) and the contraction (i.e., dissolution) of the universe are called lila (the divine sport) ...
Views: 556(1 vote) - Says Thanks - by Submitted on Mar 06, 2023 from Rick HansonWhat do you feel when someone thanks you for something? For a comment in a meeting, a task done at home, an extra step taken, or an encouraging word. You probably feel seen, and appreciated, and that you matter to the other person. Maybe a little startled, maybe wondering if you really ...
Views: 454 - The Dynamics of Trust - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2023 from William CottringerThe Dynamics of Trust by Bill Cottringer “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” ~Ernest Hemingway. Trust is an essential ingredient to successful resolution of the three main conflicts which we all must deal with in life: (a) us vs. life (b) us vs. ...
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