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Today I learned the term Emotional Hygiene. When and why has our physical health become more important than our mental health? I googled it and found a Ted Talk of a guy who talks about what emotional hygiene is and why we all need to practice emotional "first aid". When we get sick or injured, we do everything we can to heal and get better, so why don't we do the same when we're emotionally hurt? Failure, rejection, and loneliness are all real issues that create deep psychological wounds and makes us believe things that aren't necessarily true. Our minds are very hard to change once we become convinced of something, and when our self-esteem hurts we begin ruminating. Many studies show that when our self-esteem is low, we're a lot more vulnerable to the hurt of failure, rejection, stress and anxiety. Why then don't we treat ourselves with compassion in these moments of hurt? In this video, Guy Winch says to battle negative thinking by forcing yourself to concentrate on something else until the urge passes. Protect your self-esteem, change your responses to failure, and take action when you're lonely. But what if your loneliness or low self-esteem is related to some other issues such as Social Anxiety Disorder?

Greetings Happiness Friends: Starting 12/14/2019 please offer your 12 days of Mindful Happiness. You can do 1 each day or compile a list for 12 days, either way you will feel good! This is a way to reduce our holiday stress and do some self care/love. So join in....will expire 12/25/19! Be mindful, b happy,

That is a great response. Living in a capitalist society is increasing stress and making people ill. The less I worry about money and things, the happier I am.

MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) is an 8-week foundation course that provides an introduction to the practice of mindfulness and is suitable for adults who are ready to invest in their health and wellbeing. There will be plenty of opportunity for each participant to get the guidance they need to establish their own personal mindfulness meditation practice. MBSR is a certificated course that gives you the grounding for any further specialist training in mindfulness and to move on to teacher training courses if you wanted to in the future. In an effort to make the course accessible to all I am offering a sliding scale of fees, from which you can choose as fits your means without requiring any proof, we call this 'trust basis' - you pay what you can honestly afford- £195/ 225/ 255 The course will be held at the University of Dundee Chaplaincy on Saturday mornings from 10am until 12.30pm on the following dates: January 11th, 18th, 25th, February 1st, 8th, Full practice day 10am-4pm on Saturday 15th February (held in countryside location very close to Dundee) Feb 22nd, March 7th, March 14th To receive the certificate you cannot miss more than one or two sessions and you must attend the silent day of practice. Please find the application form here: https://earthworks-ecopsychology.com/mindfulness Please email Stephanie in the with your application form to begin the booking process: [email protected] and type "MBSR" in the subject line. Before making a payment please arrange a short informal chat (in person or by phone/ zoom) with Stephanie to check the suitability of the course for you at the current time. If you experience a significant challenging life event near to the time of the course start it will be important to review suitability (fees would of course be refunded if that were the case). The 8 week course is an immersive experience, each class being 2.5 hours and home practice each week of around an hour, that will gradually extend through your normal daily activities so that over the duration of the course you will have integrated mindfulness into your daily life. In addition, a full day of silent (guided) practice is included. Mindfulness Training is about ‘waking up’ to be with reality as it is, with an open, non-judging mind. Mindfulness has roots in Buddhism, however this is a non-religious course that is about opening to our own experience. This is not about trying to attain any state of relaxation, nor is it all about meditation, it is about developing an awareness of how things really are, without grasping at how we wish they were different. Stephanie Gooding is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist, HCPC registered, who has practiced mindfulness for around 20 years both for herself and professionally with clients of ages 12 to 75 and over. (This course is for adults age 18+). She has undertaken specialist training with the Mindfulness Network and Bangor University and has a background in study and practice of Mahayana Buddhism. Also see: https://facebook.com/events/568859850551838/?ti=icl

That's a really useful article Lizzie. I know several people who are unhappy in their work. I have experienced that myself, mainly due to the stress of ever-increasing workload competing with increasing family commitments. I eventually opted for early retirement as I felt unable to fulfil the expectations of my boss, and was feeling overly stressed. I felt that my peace of mind was more important than the financial gain, and although I did have initial feelings of failure, I also felt I had to look after myself. At that time I did not practice meditation and mindfulness techniques - I now find them extremely helpful in dealing with my current part time job which is stressful in a different way - not so pressurised but unrest and animosity amongst staff create an uncomfortable and negative atmosphere. I try to distance myself from the complaints and practise all the strategies outlined in the article.

Rosa, I have also been suffering from depression, so I completely understand how debilitating and lonely it can be. One of the things that keeps us in depression is the constant negative dialogue in our heads - it’s not easy to start feeling better when that voice in our heads keeps reminding us that we are failures or unworthy; that constant rumination tends to focus our attention on reliving hurt or regret from the past - or worrying and fearful about the future; it’s a bit like having your mind hijacked by an incessant, negative voice intent on keeping you locked in a depressed state. Recently, I learned about ‘mindfulness’ and it is making a huge difference for me. Here, on the Happiness.com website, there is a free 8 week, online course you can do called MBSR (mindfulness based stress reduction), which teaches you how to quieten that negative self talk. MBSR has been extensively studied by neuroscientists and it has been shown to have a physical impact on our brain’s neural pathways - helping to alleviate both depression and anxiety. When I first started, I was horrified at the thoughts that ran rampant in my mind. It is helping me to be more present in the ‘now’, while changing that dialogue into one of love and self compassion - for me, just becoming aware of the pattern of thinking and being able to now interrupt it, is a victory! At the top of the screen, you will see a tab called ‘Academy’, click on that and choose the option MBSR. I would also suggest getting the book ‘Full Catastrophe Living’ by Jon Cabot Zinn. He actually developed the MBSR program and the book is required reading as a part of the course. best of luck darling!

A month ago, on the New Moon, I decided to take my Health into My Hands. Had been going to doctors on / off for 15 yrs when arthritis started to show up in my body. first doc said not much to do... So I did my own research & changed my diet a little & took supplements. Things were better for a few years, than stress took its toll on my body & a year ago arthritis went into my back.. All docs could / would offer me was 3 types of pain killers that did not help at all. By chance on the last New Moon I came across the Keto / Fasting plan & Bingo I am off ALL tablets & look forward to getting my Life Back..

Hi Maggie, So good to hear that you took matters into your own hands. I had similar experiences with doctors and just didn't feel the heart connection or a genuine care. Often there was just a lack in seeing or even questioning the bigger picture, but to me it didnt make sense to just treat symptoms without really knowing what caused them. After leaving a few hospitals with such a feeling I began to rely more and more on my own research and reasoning. We are the closest to our own bodies and deep down we notice every little change and the body knows what is good and bad for it, we just have to learn to listen. Especially since the majority of all diseases are preventable lifestyle diseases,I found using my own body as the laboratory to just experiment with different choices to be very effective. In my case there were also several stress and gut related issues that lead to various other symptoms. By learning more about my gut microbiome and how to treat it really well, most of these symptoms disappeared and my overall mental and physical well-being is steadily improving. Now I am not fighting symptoms with harmful medications anymore, but take them as a clue as to where I am out of alignment with my body, mind and soul. Instead of being in a war with my body, I listen and care - that is such a game changer.. Since you mentioned arthritis, I found this paper on the correlation between osteoathritis and the gut microbiota very insightful and interesting: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6330556/ Thanks for sharing and all the best to you, Julius

My experience in sitting meditation at first it was hard to do it alone but by practicing over and over again, you'll get used to it. I can focus more if l am doing it in my bedroom. I started last year and it really help me concentrate with my studies and it is good stress reliever too. When I meditate, I choose the time when my roommate and neighbor is at work. When they make noise, it will take time for me to focus. Time and place is very important for me to do my meditation.

Hi, Everyone! This looks like a great place to be! I am not on or do not trust Facebook, or Twitter anymore. I keep finding out that there are too many harsh people on those. I want to be with other happy folks. I even tried some Senior forums; I am 53 ? they are not that great either loll. I don't feel 53 at all. I still love cartoons, comic books, etc. my inner child:-). I love doing Art acrylic, watercolor painting, drawing, and multimedia art. I love writing, movies, books, computers, and outdoor activities and animals. I have an awesome cat I adopted named Ginger:-). It's starting to snow which I love. All seasons are awesome! I am happy to see a friendly forum. I am a very spiritual person, also. I have had a lot of stress in my life as well and am doing a lot of letting go. Not always easy, but it's a balancing we are all doing and helping each other and our beautiful planet. So lovely to meet everyone! Lots of love, light, and hugs! This is one of my paintings, I do acrylic pouring also this is my latest. ?

Der Ruhestand sollte eine Zeit sein, in der sich Senioren entspannen und amüsieren können. Aber allzu oft kommt es zu Stress und Isolation. Für einen gesunden Ruhestand ist es deshalb entscheidend, Körper und Geist aktiv zu halten. Das geht auf verschiedene Arten. Was sind deine Stressfrei-Tipps im Alter, welche Pläne sollen deinen neuen Lebensabschnitt prägen?

Unter einer guten Work-Life-Balance stellen sich die meisten einen gesunden Ausgleich von Arbeitsleben und genug Zeit für Privatleben, Freizeitaktivitäten und Familienzeit vor. Work-Life-Balance kann aber für jede Einzelperson etwas anderes bedeuten. Bei Familien beispielsweise bedeutet eine gute Work-Life-Balance genug Zeit für die Kinder zu haben. Andere möchten Zeit für pflegebedürftige Angehörige haben, für wieder andere steht das Ausüben von Hobbys und Sport im Vordergrund. Was alle gemeinsam haben, ist der Wunsch, genug Erholungsphasen und weniger Erschöpfungssymptome durch zu viel Stress und zu hohen Anforderungen im Arbeitsleben zu haben. Mehr und mehr kommt der Trend zu einem simplen Lifestyle auf, der eine bessere Work-Life-Balance ermöglicht. Die Idee ist ganz einfach: Je weniger konsumiert wird, desto weniger Geld wird für das tägliche Leben benötigt. Die Kosten lassen sich senken und es muss weniger gearbeitet werden. Letztendlich träumt jeder von einem dynamischen Gleichgewicht zwischen Arbeits- und Privatleben. Wünschenswert wäre es doch, die Arbeit zu tun, die einen erfüllt und glücklich macht, aber eben noch genug Zeit für sich selbst, die Familie und soziales Engagement zu haben. Eine gute Work-Life-Balance – was meinst du? Schwierig, oder machbar? Wie setzt du das um?

I tend to do that too and it can be such an energy thief. I think I have the same technique, I try to busy myself spending time with friends or going to the gym. I think exercising is a great way to take a break from any stress or negative thoughts, and it really clears my head. Sometimes it can also be good to vent with a friend just to get it out of your system. In some cases it feels like nothing works, and then I guess you just have to put yourself in rice ??‍♀️

Das ist ein gutes Thema. Klamotten kaufe ich am liebsten slowfashion. Noch wichtiger find ich aber seinen eigenen Stil zu finden und nicht mit irgend einer Mode mitgehen. So ist man nicht gezwungen zu konsumieren. Ich lebe seit über 20 Jahren Fleischlos, da ich unter anderem die Massentierhaltung nicht unterstützen möchte bzw. mir damit bewusst machen möchte wo denn mein essen herkommt. Aber ich muss dazu sagen, dass ich aus praktischen Gründen manchmal Fisch esse. Gerade wenn man unterwegs ist oder eingeladen wird, ist es oft einfacher wenn man die Auswahl hierfür hat. Ähnlich ist es bei mir beim Plastikkonsum. Ich versuche oft darauf zu verzichten, aber der Alltag ist ganz ohne schon sehr schwer, wenn man kaum Zeit hat. Bestes Beispiel Jogurt, den ich gern für meine Kinder kaufe. Der aus richtigen Gläsern ist viel viel teurer und zum selber machen bin ich bislang noch nicht gekommen. Die meisten plastikfreien Alternativen sind für mich derzeit mit einem erhöhten Geld oder Zeitaufwand verbunden und das bringt mich oft in einen gewissenskonflikt, bei dem ich mich manchmal frage: ist das gesund? Also gerade plastikfreier zu leben setzt mich schon teilweise echtem Stress aus. Kennt das noch jemand? Ich weiß manchmal nicht wie ich damit umgehen soll.