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Are we supposed to be Zen?
I’ve been reflecting about the connection of the parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for rest, digest and relax, sympathetic nervous system is responsible for fight or flight) and happiness. After all, most of happiness seems to be connected with relaxation. Also, positive emotions (the various forms of happy – from calm, serene to interested, joyful and…
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Find Happiness in Unlikely Situations
I met a friend for coffee. In our conversation, I mentioned that I’m now able to live on the dole (welfare payments). I casually mentioned how much that is. My friend said ‘oh, yeah, that’s not much’ and offered me toiletries she gets for free from a friend. Maybe she just made conversation but let’s…
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Competition
The European soccer championships offer a good starting point to explore competition. While the championships are entertaining, competition causes so much unhappiness. So, why do we keep comparing ourselves to others? Why competition? According to Loretta Graziano’s book Habits of a Happy Brain, herd animals (humans belong to that group) constantly measure all others around…
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Water Tank
I’m at the point where I suspect happiness has almost everything to do with relaxation. Some excitement is good but since the world causes usually lots of stress (or we do), it’s really about lots of breathing and calming the nervous system. With a calmer nervous system, it is easier to see opportunities (and act…
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Happiness is my Priority
For the last 10 days, I have been experimenting with a challenge – the Happiness is my Priority challenge. Every day, I post on Instagram “Happiness is my Priority“. I create a new post daily, not copying or recycling old posts or scheduling them days ahead. The importance lies in the intention to commit newly…
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Dropping Weight
It’s been a while. I had to drop out and do life stuff… dropping weight. How? Here it goes: First, on my last day of tutoring I made the decision to move out of my home of 11 years and become… well, homeless. After my now-ex-husband moved out 3 years ago, the rent was way…
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How to deal with shocking incidents and fear
This email is about exploring happiness, and, as a reminder my definition of happiness is embracing life with all its challenges, making as many positive moments as possible without ignoring the negative ones. We cannot avoid shocking incidents and fear, so this is a reflection about how to deal with this. So, happiness is not…
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Episode 36 – Wellbeing Government
When we think of government priorities, economic growth often takes centre stage. However, a growing number of countries are challenging this paradigm by placing the happiness and wellbeing of their citizens at the forefront. Bhutan, known for pioneering the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH), set the stage for a new approach. Instead of solely…
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Episode 34 – Jealousy
Ah, jealousy! The infamous green-eyed monster that rears its head when we perceive someone else to possess something we desire (that’s actually envy but it doesn’t matter much). While it may seem like an unwelcome emotion, jealousy actually serves a purpose in our lives. It acts as a powerful indicator, highlighting our deepest desires and…
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Episode 20 – Mindset
After introducing the Exploring Happiness Framework in the last episode, this episode is dedicated to the first pillar of the framework: Mindset. I’m diving into all the things we can influence but also those which influence us more than they should. While our thoughts can dominate us, we can also work out how to control…
