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Positive Psychology Articles
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- Take Heart - by Submitted on Aug 08, 2022 from Rick HansonIt takes heart to live in even ordinary times. By “taking heart,” I mean several related things: Sensing your heart and chest Finding encouragement in what is good both around you and inside you Resting in your own warmth, compassion, and kindness; resting in the caring for you ...
Views: 3 - A Mystic’s Midsummer Musings: “Once You Get a Taste for the Real Soul Food, Junk Food Loses Its Flavor” - by Submitted on Aug 01, 2022 from joan pancoeTo view all images and activate all links (recommended): https://joanpancoe.com/2022/07/26/a-mystics-midsummer-musings-once-you-get-a-taste-for-the-real-soul-food-junk-food-loses-its-flavor/ Let body needs dwindle and soul decisions increase. Diminish what you give your physical self. Your ...
Views: 9 - Trust Yourself - by Submitted on Aug 01, 2022 from Rick HansonAs I grew up, at home and school, it felt dangerous to be myself - my whole self, including the parts that made mistakes, got rebellious and angry, goofed around too loudly, or were awkward and vulnerable. Not dangers of violence, as many have faced, but risks of being punished in other ways ...
Views: 8 - The Truth About Sex, The Real Deal About Erectile Dysfunction - by Submitted on Jul 27, 2022 from Shubham SardaIntroduction: Sex is a hot topic these days, and that’s a shame. We all know there’s more to sex than just getting it on. In fact, sex is something that should be taken seriously, especially if you want to have healthy relationships. But what do we really know about sex? Is it good for us? Is it ...
Views: 16 - Be at Peace With the Pain of Others - by Submitted on Jul 25, 2022 from Rick HansonHumans are an empathic, compassionate, and loving species, so it is natural to feel sad, worried, or fiery about the troubles and pain of other people. (And about those of cats and dogs and other animals, but I'll focus on human beings here.) Long ago, the Buddha spoke of the "first dart" of ...
Views: 15 - Be Amazed - by Submitted on Jul 18, 2022 from Rick HansonHere are my top five inner practices for helping this year be a good one for you and others (click the links to see the first four): Drop the stone Let it flow Learn as you go “Us” all “thems" Be amazed By “be amazed,” I mean staying open to a sense of freshness, wonder, ...
Views: 15 - Two Serious Problems We were Warned About in 1970 - by Submitted on Jul 14, 2022 from William CottringerTwo Serious Problems We were Warned About in 1970 By Bill Cottringer “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything” ~George Bernard Shaw. Are you feeling overwhelmed about the information overload and insane pace of technology ...
Views: 23 - Be Mind Full of Good - by Submitted on Jul 11, 2022 from Rick HansonIt's kind of amazing: right now, what you think and feel, enjoy and suffer, is changing your brain. The brain is the organ that learns, designed by evolution to be changed by our experiences: what scientists call experience-dependent neuroplasticity. Neurons that fire together, wire together. ...
Views: 16 - Kindness to You is Kindness to Me; Kindness to Me is Kindness to You - by Submitted on Jul 04, 2022 from Rick HansonI usually describe a practice as something to do: get on your own side, see the being behind the eyes, take in the good, etc. This practice is different: it's something to recognize. From this recognition, appropriate action will follow. Let me explain. Some years ago, I was invited to give a ...
Views: 29 - Grow a Key Inner Strength - by Submitted on Jun 28, 2022 from Rick HansonWe all have issues - including demands upon us, stresses, illnesses, losses, vulnerabilities, and pain. (As Alan Watts put it: "Life is wiggly.") Of course, many of our issues - in the broad sense I'm using the word here - are related to important sources of fulfillment, such as starting a ...
Views: 30 - How do I stop overthinking about past? - by Submitted on Jun 24, 2022 from Dada BhagwanInstead of living in the moment, we live for the most part in our minds, cluttered with thoughts. These thoughts are in fact part of our memories from the past. These memories are either pleasant or unpleasant, depending upon whether we had a like or dislike towards them when they ...
Views: 37(1 vote) - Eat Right - by Submitted on Jun 20, 2022 from Rick HansonThe easiest and usually most effective way to replenish your body is through good nutrition. Most of us have a diet that is very different from the one that we are adapted to through millions of years of evolution - a diet of mainly vegetables, fruits, nuts, and meat. Humans first started ...
Views: 30 - Turn Anger Into A Peaceful Heart - by Submitted on Jun 13, 2022 from Rick Hanson(Note: This is adapted from Mother Nurture, a book written for mothers - focusing on typical parenting situations and gender differences that are experienced by many, though not all, mothers and fathers, and by parents in same-sex relationships. Parenting is a complex subject, plus it ...
Views: 39 - Parent From the Same Page - by Submitted on Jun 06, 2022 from Rick Hanson(Note: This is adapted from Mother Nurture, a book written for mothers - focusing on typical parenting situations and gender differences that are experienced by many, though not all, mothers and fathers, and by parents in same-sex relationships. Parenting is a complex subject, plus it ...
Views: 34 - Refill Your Cupboard - by Submitted on May 30, 2022 from Rick Hanson[Note: This refill your cupboard is adapted from Mother Nurture, a book written for mothers - focusing on typical parenting situations and gender differences that are experienced by many, though not all, mothers and fathers, and by parents in same-sex relationships. Parenting is a complex ...
Views: 38 - Stay Well - by Submitted on May 23, 2022 from Rick Hanson[Note: This is adapted from Mother Nurture, a book written for mothers - focusing on typical parenting situations and gender differences that are experienced by many, though not all, mothers and fathers, and by parents in same-sex relationships. Parenting is a complex subject, plus it ...
Views: 40 - Lower Your Stress - by Submitted on May 16, 2022 from Rick Hanson[Note: This is adapted from Mother Nurture – a book written for mothers – focusing on typical situations that are experienced by many, though not all, mothers during the years before their children enter grade school. These are most commonly the years when mothers (biological and adoptive) ...
Views: 41 - Feel Whole - by Submitted on May 09, 2022 from Rick HansonWhen I look back on mistakes I've made - like dumping my anger on someone, making assumptions in haste, partying too much, losing my nerve, being afraid to speak from my heart - in all cases, a part of me had taken over. You know what I mean. The parts of us that have a partial view are driven ...
Views: 43 - Love Freely - by Submitted on May 02, 2022 from Rick HansonIn my early 20's, I went through Rolfing, a form of deep-tissue bodywork, and I nervously anticipated the 5th session, the one that goes deep into the belly. But instead of gobs of repressed emotional pain, what poured out was love - waves, and waves of love that I'd pushed down due to ...
Views: 62 - 7 Pillars of Character Power - by Submitted on Apr 30, 2022 from William Cottringer7 Pillars of Character Power by Bill Cottringer “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” ~ John Wooden. 1. Openness. I once commented on the importance ...
Views: 54 - Rest in Center - by Submitted on Apr 26, 2022 from Rick HansonGravity and entropy are powerful processes in the natural world. Gravity draws things together, toward a center, while entropy scatters them into disorder. In much the same way, in our own lives, some things bring us to the center, while others disturb and disperse us. In terms of centering, ...
Views: 43 - Do Freely - by Submitted on Apr 18, 2022 from Rick HansonMost people spend most minutes of most days doing one thing after another. I sure do. Typing these words is a kind of doing, as is driving to work, making dinner, brushing one's teeth, or putting the kids to bed. For all the "labor-saving" devices of the past 50 years - dishwashers, phone ...
Views: 52 - Choose to Love - by Submitted on Apr 11, 2022 from Rick HansonMany years ago, I was in a significant relationship in which the other person started doing things that surprised and hurt me. I'll preserve the privacy here so I won't be concrete, but it was pretty intense. After going through the first wave of reactions - What?! How could you? Are you kidding ...
Views: 54 - Separate Consciousness in the Mind, the Vital Being and the Body - by Submitted on Apr 06, 2022 from santosh krinskyDuring the Olympic games in the summer of 2021, we were able to hear about the separate consciousness of the various parts of the being. One of the premier gymnasts in the world withdrew from events by saying that she had lost, at least temporarily, the body consciousness that basically oriented ...
Views: 65 - Necessary Elements Required to Understand and Apply Techniques of Psychological Healing - by Submitted on Apr 05, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhether one is working with a professional in the field of psychology, or one is working on one’s own internally to resolve disturbances and inner conflicts, attain peace, or achieve balance in one’s life, certain basic knowledge is required. One needs to understand the complex nature of the ...
Views: 59 - What Is Meant By the Concept of Mental Health? - by Submitted on Apr 04, 2022 from santosh krinskyFor the most part, Western psychology is focused on treating what is considered ‘abnormal’ in order to help an individual fit into society and act ‘normally’. Much focus is put on external causes of various forms of disturbance and how the individual can adjust, adapt or respond to those ...
Views: 80 - Introduction to Living Within: the Yoga Approach to Psychological Health and Growth by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, compiled by Dr. A.S. Dalal - by Submitted on Apr 03, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhat is psychological health and growth? Western psychology tends to define psychological health as the absence of various forms of extreme disturbance or disruption. ‘Normal” levels of dissatisfaction, upset-ness, are considered to be both acceptable and part of everyday life. It is only when ...
Views: 88 - Water Your Fruit Tree - by Submitted on Mar 29, 2022 from Rick HansonMy wife and kids tease me that the title of this practice is corny - and it is. Still, I like it. If you don't nourish the things that nourish you, they wither away like a plant in dry stony ground. Looking to the year ahead for you - a year that can begin whenever you want - what's one key ...
Views: 61 - Enjoy the Freedom Not To - by Submitted on Mar 21, 2022 from Rick HansonWe're pulled and prodded by financial pressures, commuter traffic, corporate policies, technology, advertising, politics, and the people we work with and live with. As well, internal forces yank the proverbial chains, including emotional reactions, compelling desires, "shoulds," and internalized ...
Views: 61 - SPRING 2022’s BIG QUESTION: What’s Next When Your Old Storyline is Finito? - by Submitted on Mar 15, 2022 from joan pancoeTo view all images and activate all links (recommended): https://joanpancoe.com/2022/03/10/spring-2022s-big-question-whats-next-when-your-old-storyline-is-finito/ "There's been a quantum leap technologically in our age, but unless there's another quantum leap in human relations, unless we ...
Views: 70(1 vote) - Enjoy Sobriety - by Submitted on Mar 14, 2022 from Rick HansonBy "sobriety," I mean healthy self-control, a centered enjoyment of life, and inner freedom from drivenness. We typically apply this sense of balance and self-care to things like food, drugs and alcohol, sexuality, money, and risky behaviors. And if you like, you could bring sobriety to other ...
Views: 62 - Accept Difficulty - by Submitted on Mar 07, 2022 from Rick HansonSometimes things are difficult. Your legs are tired and you still have to stay on your feet another hour at work. You love a child who's finding her independence through emotional distance from you. A long-term relationship could be losing its spark. It's finals week in college. You're trying to ...
Views: 63 - The Truth Will Set You Free2 (John 8: 31-32) - by Submitted on Mar 03, 2022 from William CottringerThe Truth Will Set You Free2 (John 8: 31-32) By Bill Cottringer “The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you.” ~David Foster Wallace, author. From my research, there seem to be two main opposing sources for interpreting the true literal and the intriguing ...
Views: 87 - Feel the Support - by Submitted on Feb 28, 2022 from Rick HansonWe're all carrying a load, including tasks, challenges, worries, inner criticism, mistreatment from others, physical and emotional pain, loss and illness now or later, and everyday stresses and frustrations. Take a moment to get a sense of your own load. It's very real, isn't it? Recognizing ...
Views: 65 - Let Things Change - by Submitted on Feb 21, 2022 from Rick HansonThe fifth of my personal Top 5 practices (all tied for first place) is open out, by which I mean relaxing into a growing sense of connection, even oneness, with all things. "Opening out" can sound kind of airy-fairy or flakey, but I mean it is very down-to-earth ways; check out these JOTs ...
Views: 73 - Accept Them as They Are - by Submitted on Feb 14, 2022 from Rick HansonI admit it: whether close to home or far away, I wish some people were different. Depending on who they are, I wish they'd stop doing things like leaving cabinet doors open in our kitchen, sending me spam emails, or turning a blind eye to global warming. And I wish they'd start doing things like ...
Views: 75 - Accept it - by Submitted on Feb 07, 2022 from Rick HansonAs general clusters that each include a number of specific methods, my Top 5 types of practices (all tied for first place) are: Be mindful Love Take in the good Go green Open out The practice of “go green” helps you get out of the brain’s fight-or-flight, Reactive, “red zone” ...
Views: 83 - Grow Inner Strengths - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2022 from Rick HansonI've hiked a lot and have often had to depend on what was in my pack. Inner strengths are the supplies you've got in your pack as you make your way down the twisting and often hard road of life. They include a positive mood, common sense, integrity, inner peace, determination, and a warm heart. ...
Views: 74 - Enjoy Four Kinds of Peace - by Submitted on Jan 24, 2022 from Rick Hanson“Peace” can sound merely sentimental or clichéd (“visualize whirled peas”). But deep down, it’s what most of us long for. Consider the proverb: The highest happiness is peace. Not a peace inside that ignores pain in oneself or others or is acquired by shutting down. This is a durable peace, a ...
Views: 74 - Get Out of The War - by Submitted on Jan 17, 2022 from Rick HansonBy "war" I mean here a mindset, not combat between nations with tanks and bombs. The "war" I'm referring to is an attitude of conflict and animosity toward a person, object, or condition. Parents can feel at war with a misbehaving teenager, and certainly vice versa. Neighbors quarreling over a ...
Views: 73 - Drop the Load - by Submitted on Jan 10, 2022 from Rick HansonYou may have seen the old Mickey Mouse movie in which he is working at a conveyor belt in a factory. More and more widgets come at him that he must handle, and he gets increasingly frazzled as he struggles to keep up. Do you ever feel the same way? Think about all the dishes, emails, ...
Views: 82 - 2022: The Delight of Living Dangerously Beyond, Beyond, Beyond the Beyond - by Submitted on Jan 05, 2022 from joan pancoeListen along on my YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd4gXTXPwsOuu-DCzwFtjKw/videos To view all images and activate all links (recommended): https://joanpancoe.com/2021/12/28/2022-the-delight-of-living-dangerously-beyond-beyond-beyond-the-beyond/ “I have a large seashell ...
Views: 105(1 vote) - Accept Dependence - by Submitted on Jan 03, 2022 from Rick HansonWant to try a little experiment? Stop breathing. Really. For a few seconds, maybe a few dozen seconds, and see how it feels. For me, this experiment is an intimate way to experience a deep truth, that we live dependently, relying on 10,000 things for physical survival, happiness, love, and ...
Views: 90 - Give Them What They Want - by Submitted on Dec 27, 2021 from Rick HansonResearch shows that relationships are built from interactions, and interactions are built from moments. A critical moment in an interaction is when one person wants something from the other one. ("Wants" include wishes, needs, desires, hopes, and longings.) The want could be simple and concrete, ...
Views: 86 - Transform Ill Will - by Submitted on Dec 20, 2021 from Rick HansonGoodwill and ill will are about intention: the will is for good or ill. These intentions are expressed through action and inaction, word and deed, and-especially-thoughts. How do you feel when you sense another person taking potshots at you in her mind? What does it feel like to take potshots of ...
Views: 92 - Cultivate Goodwill - by Submitted on Dec 14, 2021 from Rick HansonAs the most social and loving species on the planet, we have the wonderful ability and inclination to connect with others, be empathic, cooperate, care, and love. On the other hand, we also have the capacity and inclination to be fearfully aggressive toward any individual or group we regard as ...
Views: 93 - Come to Center - by Submitted on Dec 07, 2021 from Rick HansonI’m old enough to remember a time when people usually answered “good” when you asked them the standard, “How are you?” (often said “harya?”). These days the answer is commonly “busy.” I know what it feels like to get very busy and start to feel dispersed: juggling a dozen priorities at any ...
Views: 95 - Be Helpful - by Submitted on Nov 30, 2021 from Rick HansonI'm doing a series on my personal top five practices (all tied for first place). I have so far named three: meditate (including mindfulness, self-awareness, and, if you like, prayer), take in the good, and bless (including compassion, generosity, and love). I saw one way to bless on a trip to ...
Views: 100 - Bless - by Submitted on Nov 23, 2021 from Rick HansonLately, I've been wondering what would be on my personal list of top five practices (all tied for first place). You might ask yourself the same question, knowing that you can cluster related practices under a single umbrella, your list may differ from mine, and your practices may change over ...
Views: 99 - Some Uncommon Sense We Should Teach in Schools? - by Submitted on Nov 18, 2021 from William CottringerSome Uncommon Sense We Should Teach in Schools? By Bill Cottringer “Common sense is the simple knack of seeing something as it is and doing something as it should be done.” ~Mark Twain. During my last seven decades of living, I accidentally stumbled upon some uncommon sense which I ...
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