Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity… It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
— Melody Beattie
Author: Christine Carter
Is Happiness Learnable?
New video in a Greater Good Science Center series!
Happiness isn’t only determined by genetics. It’s a skill we can develop with practice. This week I discuss the skills that foster happiness in kids.
Create Happy Holidays
‘Tis the season to foster gratitude and kindness…right?
This is also when I get a lot of complaints that kids today are entitled, materialistic, and present-grubbing.
Our November theme for group coaching is Fostering Kindness and Gratitude in “Generation Me.” It’s not too late to register–Sign up now!
Join us to prepare for the holiday season:
- Learn how to reduce stress and overwhelm
- Create simple family traditions that lead to lasting happiness
- Set the stage for happy holiday memories (hint: it doesn’t involve gift wrapping)
What’s Live Group Coaching? CLICK HERE to learn more.
Like the idea of coaching, but don’t want to do it in a group? CLICK HERE for more information on individual coaching.
Combat “Sunday Night Anxiety”
Do you tend to feel more anxious at the end of the weekend? We call that “Sunday Night Anxiety” or “SNA” (pronounced snaah) in my family.
For me, SNA used to roll in on Sunday evenings like the San Francisco fog, especially when I knew I was facing a pile of undone tasks at work Monday morning.
To combat SNA, I’ve found that all I have to do is take time on Friday to update my task list and–here is the key–make a plan for how and when I will complete all those undone tasks. I learned to do this from Roy Baumeister’s review of research related to what psychologists call “the Zeigarnik effect”–the way that unfinished task items and unmet goals tend to pop repeatedly into our minds, causing stress, or SNA. You don’t actually have to complete a task for it to stop causing you anxiety, but you do have to tell your brain when you will do it.
Take Action: When you feel your mental task-list start to blink red, stop and write everything you need to get done down, even the tiny or not-urgent things (e.g. “find a recipe for kale salad”). Then, make a plan for when you will do each item. Voila! Many people feel better immediately.
Join the Discussion: Do you suffer from SNA? What makes it better for you? Comment below!
Friday Inspiration: 22 Acts of Kindness
I found this so inspirational that I’m going to do this for my next birthday! I’ll need 41 kindness activities: what do you recommend? Please put suggestions in the comments for things I can do to help others on my birthday.
Thursday Thought
To be loved, be lovable.”
— Ovid
October Podcast Round-up: Happiness Matters
Here is a list of Happiness Matters Podcasts you may have missed in October:
Bullies, Bystanders, and Really Kind Kids
Is your kid a bully? Even if you’ve taught your children right from wrong, sometimes the kids of kind and compassionate parents can still be…mean. Rona and I discuss strategies for raising children who don’t bully others.
Rona and I take another listener questions, this time from Nina, who writes: “Do you have any tips for handling ‘back talk’ from kids? We are at our wits’ end with our 8-year-old boy and not quite sure how to respond to his words and reactions. I definitely take it personally and feel like it’s my fault he [talks back to me], but he tells me he learns these things at school. Sometimes he can be a complete angel and then other times the complete opposite.”
Keeping Kids Safe—and Happy!—on Facebook
Rona and I will talk about online safety and ways to create happiness for our children in these social networks sites.
Getting Kids to Play by Themselves
This week, Rona and I take this listener question, from Anna: “I just watched your video about kids needing unstructured playtime. I have a question about how to get my 2 yr old son to play more independently of me. He will sometimes sit and play with his toys, but not for very long. He seems to prefer us to read to him or “entertain” him in some way. How can I encourage independent, imaginative play?”
Check out my podcast Happiness Matters with Rona Renner either here on the Greater Good website, or here on iTunes. Happy listening!
Registration open! Live Group Coaching
Do your kids take too much for granted–including you? You can help them by deliberately cultivating gratitude practices!
This November, I’m offering a small live coaching group to discuss how best to foster kindness and gratitude in “Generation Me.”
Live Group Coaching allows you to interact directly with me, getting expert advice about the specific issues you’re facing in your family.
Want a taste of what the coaching group has to offer? Listen to this quick 10 minute podcast “Gratitude vs. Entitlement” (this is from the series Happiness Matters).
Teach your kids to savor the moment and be thankful!
Participation is extremely limited, and the group is filling up fast.
What’s Live Group Coaching? CLICK HERE to learn more.
Like the idea of coaching, but don’t want to do it in a group? CLICK HERE for more information on individual coaching.
Friday Inspiration: Are You a Good Enough Parent?
Are you a good enough parent?
Do you sometimes feel like you are faking it at work or at home? I can’t tell you how many parents I coach that feel like they are not good enough as a parent, or that they are are just “getting by” at work. If so, I think you’ll find this instructional video from business maven Marie Forleo inspiring. Marie offers a different approach–and a quick practice–for when we feel like we aren’t enough.
Thursday Thought
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
— Mahatma Gandhi