happiness

You and Time: It’s Time to DTR

You and Time: It’s Time to DTR

In an age where casual flirting, situationships, and the phrase “I just don’t feel like we need to label ourselves” are becoming more common, there comes a point when it is necessary to DTR (define the relationship). Clarifying expectations and desires can allow a budding relationship to move to the next level—or break off if it’s not going anywhere. However, many of us have yet to effectively DTR with one of our most important and impactful relationships: our relationship with time. It’s no secret that time management issues are prevalent in our society today. Ever-increasing to-do lists combined with the sense that time is passing by faster than we can keep up are often a major source of stress and burnout. Add to that the constant pull of distractions, procrastination, and misplaced priorities… you get the idea. While it is difficult to know how to combat these struggles, author and journalist Oliver Burkeman believes that he has a solution, one that can reduce anxiety and promote feelings of contentment, purpose, and relief. In his book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, he describes a new way to approach time and offers insights that are worth exploring. According to Burkeman, effectively defining our relationship with time begins with adjusting our expectations.

Finding Joy in the Melodies of Life

Finding Joy in the Melodies of Life

On a busy Friday morning at the L'Enfant Plaza in Washinton D.C., a young man dressed in a T-shirt and jeans took out a violin and began to play. For the next 45 minutes, the sounds of Bach, Schubert, Ponce, and Massenet could be heard echoing between the halls of the building. Out of the more than one thousand people who passed by, twenty-seven dropped a few dollars into his violin case, and only seven paused to listen to the music.  Unbeknownst to the crowd, that man was Joshua Bell—one of the most famous and talented violinists in the world. His violin? Bell purchased it for nearly $4 million. And just a few days prior, Bell’s sold-out concert at the Symphony Hall in Boston brought in over $250,000 in revenue. Needless to say, his street performance at the plaza, though largely overlooked by those in attendance, was a masterpiece that any classical music lover would be dismayed to have missed (Weingarten, 2007).  

Exploring the Meaning Behind Resilience

Exploring the Meaning Behind Resilience

Resilience is a characteristic that most people probably strive to master—in life, there are countless opportunities and rewards we may long for, but they aren’t guaranteed. It requires work to obtain these rewards. And, even after putting in the work, our efforts may not yield a desirable outcome. This is where resilience comes in—being able to move forward without giving up. I wanted to learn more about resilience from a scientific perspective, so I turned to positive psychology journals and found a lot more than I was expecting. Needless to say, resilience has a lot of aspects to it that I was not expecting! It helped me to understand myself better and see opportunities for growth, rather than trying to label myself as either “resilient” or “weak”. I thought it would be more meaningful to rely not only on the scientific definitions I found, but also on the lived experiences of some of the most resilient people I know.

The Importance of Love on Well-Being

The Importance of Love on Well-Being

Love, a complex and multifaceted emotion, transcends conventional boundaries and encompasses a spectrum of sentiments, ranging from affection and tenderness to empathy and connection (Vangelisti & Perlman, 2019). In the contemporary discourse, psychologists like Barbara Fredrickson have emphasized that love defies rigid categorization and flourishes in myriad forms, influencing various aspects of human experience (Fredrickson, 2019). 

Moreover, recent research underscores that love extends beyond romantic relationships to include the bonds we share with friends, family, and even strangers .These diverse expressions of love contribute significantly to individuals' well-being and social connectedness, fostering resilience and emotional fulfillment. By acknowledging and appreciating the richness of love in its various forms, individuals cultivate a deeper understanding of the complexities inherent in human relationships and enhance their overall quality of life.

The Nuclear Waste That is Toxic Positivity

The Nuclear Waste That is Toxic Positivity

How often do you hear phrases like “it could be worse” or “look on the bright side,” and yet somehow you feel worse? Although well-intentioned, phrases like these and many others can do more harm than good. Toxic positivity is the belief that no matter the circumstances, difficult or dire, all people should maintain a positive outlook and mindset. This mindset rejects all hard emotions to ensure a cheerful day and often a false facade. This kind of forced positivity is almost a compulsion to view life as a series of positive events, followed by being hopeful about the positive times to come. However, no matter how well-intended this idea is, people soon realize that life is not always rainbows and butterflies. Just like two positives make a negative — This form of forced positivity denies reality and is not helpful (Tiffany, 2023). Leaning towards a form of toxicity.

Origins of Happiness: Causes and Conditions Never Fail

Origins of Happiness: Causes and Conditions Never Fail

So how does this apply to us—individuals who may or may not be Buddhist, but who are all trying to fill our lives with a little more happiness? Well, if we accept the concept is true, then we recognize that we have no real control of most events in our lives. Just like the waves of the ocean, opportunities and challenges ebb and flow on their own time frame.

Origins of Happiness: Stoic Perspective

Origins of Happiness: Stoic Perspective

[The Stoics] observe that we all spend too much time trying to change things that we have no direct control over—the events they call "externals." For example, a worker angling for that next promotion spends all his time trying to look good in front of the boss (think of Dwight from The Office). The Stoics don't necessarily view the activities themselves as "wrong," per se. Still, they do see them as being misdirected and ultimately leading to emotional instability.

We Belong In Nature: Three Ways Nature Connection Can Help You Live a Better Life

We Belong In Nature: Three Ways Nature Connection Can Help You Live a Better Life

All living things possess an innate need to interact with their natural environments, a phenomenon that the naturalist and writer Edward Wilson calls “biophilia”. I think oftentimes we live our lives cooped up in fish tank-like environments; whether it be our homes, offices, or school classrooms, we spend a lot of time indoors.