well-being

Creativity and Well-Being: Why Making Art is Good for You

Creativity and Well-Being: Why Making Art is Good for You

Think about the last time you were feeling down or mentally unwell. In that moment, what did you do to make yourself feel better, if anything at all? I remember one of the last times I felt down and a little lost in life; it was during the Covid pandemic, just after we had been told that we could not go back to school and needed to stay home, away from all our friends. I was devastated that my senior year had taken such an unfortunate turn. I was looking forward to my last semester of high school, my one and only prom, and of course my graduation. These events were no longer promised to me, and I my mental well-being was suffering. I remember feeling this way, but instead of throwing myself a pity party, I decided to try and make myself feel better. My youngest sister is an arts and crafts connoisseur so I asked her if she would teach me a craft that I could do with her. We ended up painting with watercolor and making friendship bracelets for several days and these activities made me feel so much better.

Yoga Pranayama: The Art of Breathing

Yoga Pranayama: The Art of Breathing

Life can be tough, and at times, it can feel like too much to handle without healthy coping strategies. One of my personal go-to methods is simply pausing to take a breath. A deep, slow inhale and a long, heavy exhale always helps me take a step back and reconnect with my body. Breathing is invaluable for improving our well-being, especially when combined with practices like mindfulness, gratitude, savoring, self-compassion, and yoga. In the realm of yoga, this practice of breath control is referred to as pranayama. Also known as yogic breathing, it serves to deepen the connection between body and mind, furthering yoga's goal of unity.

Yoga: A Comparison Between Yoga and Mindfulness Practices

Yoga: A Comparison Between Yoga and Mindfulness Practices

Recently in my yoga class, I've noticed numerous conceptual similarities between the practice of yoga and mindfulness meditation. As the teacher guides us through the session, it resembles the structured mindfulness meditations that I’ve grown to love. At the start of each class, she prompts us to introspect and decide on a focus for the day. Throughout the session, she directs our attention to our breath, synchronizing our inhales and exhales with our movements. When we engage in "binds" — positions where our limbs intertwine — we reflect on the symbolic binds within our minds that may impede our progress. Towards the end of every session, we recline into savasana, also known as corpse pose, and concentrate on clearing our minds, breathing deeply from the diaphragm, and scanning our bodies for any areas of tension. 

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.

Digital Well-Being and Happiness: Navigating the Digital Landscape for a Fulfilling Life

Digital Well-Being and Happiness: Navigating the Digital Landscape for a Fulfilling Life

Undeniably, social media has become deeply ingrained in our lives, making its presence often inescapable. Faced with this reality, the question becomes: how can we transform our digital landscape into a positive and enriching space? Instead of fixating on the permanence of social media, a more constructive approach involves actively seeking ways to find balance and foster tranquility within the vast expanse of the digital world. This shift in perspective allows us to navigate the online realm intentionally, making choices that contribute to a positive and fulfilling digital experience, even amidst the complexities of our interconnected lives.

7 Practical, Healthy Ways to Find Comfort While Grieving

7 Practical, Healthy Ways to Find Comfort While Grieving

Everyone encounters grief at various points in their life, even though each person's circumstances are unique. Although grief is a universal experience, no one has quite figured out the best way to navigate through it. That's because grief is an impossibly complex response to losing someone or something you held in great value. In other words, grief – while painful – is necessary, and one of the cornerstones of being human.


While there’s no easy method for dispelling grief, there are a number of strategies that can allow you to grieve in a more healthy, productive manner. As you process your own loss, try to make use of the following grieving tips from My Best Self 101 that have helped so many others before.

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.