How to Be Happy Growing Older

Arthur C. Brooks writes “Next to one’s birthday, the passing of the calendar year induces us to reflect on the march of time in our life. This is not a welcome subject for many—which is perhaps why a lot of people simply redefine old age virtually out of existence. When Americans were asked in 2009 what “being old” means, the most popular response was turning 85. Yet the average life span in the United States in 2022 was only 76. Apparently, then, the average American dies nine years before getting old.

The impulse to define old age as “older than I am now” is not surprising, given all the ways our culture worships youth—its beauty, vitality, and entrepreneurial energy—and offers us any number of options for spending time and money to stop or slow down the clock of aging. And as if the adulation of youth weren’t enough, the stigmatization of seniors is always at hand, through overt discrimination, ageist stereotyping, and crass “OK Boomer”–style contempt.

Continue reading “How to Be Happy Growing Older”

Filter Bubbles Aren’t Just Online, They’re Also in Your Head

Just like on the internet, your brain is selectively distorting your reality. Source: Filter Bubbles Aren’t Just Online, They’re Also in Your Head

How Your Thinking Creates Your Reality

What cognitive science has to say about how we experience life. Source: How Your Thinking Creates Your Reality

Heuristics

A heuristic is a mental shortcut that allows an individual to make a decision, pass judgment, or solve a problem quickly and with minimal mental effort. While heuristics can reduce the burden of decision-making and free up limited cognitive resources, they can also be costly when they lead individuals to miss critical information or act on unjust biases. Source: Heuristics

When Things Have to Change: How to Find the Willpower to Achieve Your Goals

If you’re feeling discouraged & unmotivated to create change, these five strategies may help you increase your willpower & achieve your goals. Source: When Things Have to Change: How to Find the Willpower to Achieve Your Goals

How To Tell A Genuinely Kind Person From A Manipulative Love-Bomber

I’m curating this article by Alyssa Dineen, NYC’s best dating coach, because I have been thought of as a manipulative love-bomber in the past. There are, however, two clear differences between a love-bomber and a genuinely nice person that help guide people toward healthy, supportive love…

Are we sabotaging ourselves out of relationships with great, authentic people because of that faint whisper of they are too good to be true, they must be love bombing me echoing in our ears?

So, what is love-bombing?

“”Love bombing” refers to when a person you’ve just started dating begins showering you with attention, affection, and gifts. Nice, right?

Not necessarily!

Continue reading “How To Tell A Genuinely Kind Person From A Manipulative Love-Bomber”

The house of belonging

This is the temple of my adult aloneness and I belong to that aloneness as I belong to my life.

David Whyte: The house of belonging – David Whyte – Mindfulness Association

Can You Trust Research on How to Become Happier?

A new article suggests there are serious limitations in how we study happiness. Source: Can You Trust Research on How to Become Happier?

Do You Have Free Will?

A new book by Robert Sapolsky argues that we’re not in control of or responsible for the decisions we make. Source: Do You Have Free Will?

What our brain chemistry says about free will

In his new book, Stanford professor Robert Sapolsky argues that free will is a myth. Source: What our brain chemistry says about free will

Is Living Apart Together Better Than Living Together Apart?

Can you be single while in a relationship? Source: Is Living Apart Together Better Than Living Together Apart?

Curating What Fills Your Mind Can Shape Your Resilience

The author writes “Being resilient means you have already come through “many dangers, toils and snares.” Hopefully, you will become stronger, more mature, and compassionate. Being resilient means you have successfully broken through the darkness you confronted.

This means you have light to offer others, too. You have insights to share that can help someone else avoid an error you made yourself. Maybe you can calm someone’s fear as they face a procedure you had yourself.

Share the light. Share the wisdom life has taught you. You may well be someone’s answered prayer.”

That is the very purpose of this website — to share the light and wisdom through curation and occasionally, creation. I could just bookmark this content and keep it to myself by I share it here (and automagically to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X) in hopes that just one other person might stumble upon it and benefit from it. Go to the source: Curating What Fills Your Mind Can Shape Your Resilience

The Dark Days of the Pandemic Are Behind Us

Can we use the lessons we learned to create a brighter future? Source: The Dark Days of the Pandemic Are Behind Us

Why Asking “Why” Might Not Always Be a Good Idea

As human beings, we are naturally curious creatures, constantly seeking answers to the questions that arise in our minds. One of the most common questions we ask is the simple yet profound word “why.” However, sometimes asking “why” may not be the best approach to finding answers or navigating certain situations. In this blog post, we will explore why asking “why” might not always be a fruitful endeavor.

Continue reading “Why Asking “Why” Might Not Always Be a Good Idea”

Who Wears the Pants, You or Your Reptilian Brain?

The brain plays a crucial role in influencing the decision-making process. Source: Who Wears the Pants, You or Your Reptilian Brain?

How could the most magical time of year be so full of loneliness, anger and stress?

Sixty-six percent of people report feeling lonely during the holidays, while 64% of people with mental illness say that the holidays make their condition worse. Source: Could the most magical time of year be so full of loneliness, anger and stress?

What Is Fragile in Your Life?

Dr. Rick Hanson writes “Sometimes we overestimate the fragility of things, as when we don’t recognize the deep wells of inner strength in ourselves and others. But I think we are more likely to deny or downplay the true extent of fragility: it’s scary to realize how delicate and vulnerable your body is, or the threads that bind you to others—so easily frayed by a single word—or the balance of climate and ecology on our planet. It’s scary and humbling, neither of which people like, to face the underlying frailty of the body, how easy it is for a relationship to go awry, the ways that so many of us are overextended and running on fumes, the rickety underpinnings of the global financial system, the deep fissures within many nations, or the unpredictability and intensity of Mother Nature.

But if we don’t recognize fragility, we’ll miss chances to protect and nurture so many things that matter, and we’ll be needlessly surprised and upset when things do inevitably fall apart. We need to embrace fragility—to see it clearly and take it into our arms—to be grounded in truth, peaceful amidst life’s changes and endings, and resourceful in our stewardship of the things we care about.” Go to the source for more: What Is Fragile in Your Life? | Psychology Today

How to Create a Holiday Emotional Support Plan

You can create an emotional support plan to ease holiday stress and aggravation. Source: How to Create a Holiday Emotional Support Plan

 

10 Ways to Balance Life’s Losses With Its Gains

A new measure shows how life’s gains can equal or outweigh life’s losses. Source: 10 Ways to Balance Life’s Losses With Its Gains

 

The Surprising Antidote to Holiday Stress and Loneliness

How small acts of kindness transform your mood. Source: The Surprising Antidote to Holiday Stress and Loneliness

How to Find Your Truth

Finding your truth is a deeply personal and transformative journey. Source: How to Find Your Truth

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