Happy & Healthy U: The Monthly Message

Tis the Season to be Grateful An Attitude of Gratitude is Good for Your Health This is what the psychology research shows.   Being grateful and focusing on the good things in our lives enable us to feel good and in control, even in the midst of challenging situations.   We do not have to deny the pain or difficulties that are occurring. However, when we regularly stop and reflect or meditate on those things that we appreciate; the positive things our lives; the things that are going well, we realize that not all is lost and that we can go on.   Being grateful also reduces stress and builds resilience, our ability to bounce back.   At a physiological level it promotes the increase in endorphins, our brain chemicals that enable us to feel good. Studies also show that positivity reduces physiological stress and promotes better health. Practicing gratitude is especially important during the holiday season, which for many can be stressful.   For some of us, the holidays ar

Re-Invent Yourself Professionally and Take Charge of Your Career Life Presented by Dr. Diane Kern, Ph.D., Creator of Happy and Healthy U Mental Wellness Program "Learn to Love Life and Live Well"                     A Self-Assessment, Aimed at Defining Career Direction and Needs I.     How To: Determine and Nurture Your Passion Ask yourself:   What activities do I enjoy?   What would I love to do? What activities make me feel happy, energized, successful, engaged and with a sense of    importance and purpose?   What have I dreamed of or have always wanted to do? What have I thought about exploring on more than one occasion? What this reflection reveals about what I would love to do: __________________________________________________________________ Identify and Nurture Your Strengths, Abilities and Talents Ask yourself:   What am I good at doing?   What things come easy for me?   What are the skills for which I often get praise, complimen

Are you ready to move from struggling and striving to thriving? To struggle usually entails the expenditure of much energy and pain.  This is a state of distress. To strive is to begin to conceptualize and aim for something good, a desirable state.  This is a state of hopefulness and optimism, while beginning to envision the positive possibilities. To thrive is to truly capture the momentum gained from the striving and to realize and build on the progress accomplished.  This is a state of feeling good,  accomplished and successful in one's endeavors. Research demonstrates that  the following elements are important in one's mindset in fostering the movement from struggling and striving to thriving: Self-Compassion: This is the healthy self-acceptance and self-love that enables us to  overcome and learn from mistakes, instead of internalizing and becoming paralyzed by them to feel good about our accomplishments to feel deserving of good things in our lives to ex

To Be Successful in Your Career Search and Advancement, It is Important to Self-Promote  and Advocate for Yourself Unfortunately, this is difficult for many, due to the following attitudes: Are you overly self-critical: Is it difficult to recognize and give yourself credit for the positives about yourself and /or your achievements? Are you uncomfortable publicly acknowledging or talking about your accomplishments? Is it difficult to accept compliments or positive feedback? Do you operate as a perfectionist? Do you seldom acknowledge and enjoy your achievements?  Do you feel  not __________ enough (fill in the blank; i.e. smart, pretty, nice, good, etc.)?  Do you feel that you can never do enough or well enough? Do you engage in negative, distorted patterns of thinking? Do you over emphasize your failures and mistakes and ignore or or under rate your achievements? Do you view a mistake or short- coming as never ending and / or unchangeable? Society fosters mes

Self-Compassion The month of February is over.  However, its theme of love is worthy of celebrating year round.  Healthy love begins with the self and then extends to others. Let's embrace attitudes  and treatment toward ourselves in a compassionate way that is consistent with loving ourselves in a healthy way.    Research demonstrates that healthy self-compassion is correlated with improved psychological well-being, lower depression, decreased anxiety, and increased happiness and greater life satisfaction. The psychological term, self-compassion is defined as unconditional love and self-acceptance. Here is what it looks like in practice: Being kind toward oneself   vs.   Being harsh and punitive toward oneself Example: Allowing oneself opportunities to relax and have fun  Versus  Berating oneself for taking a break or focusing on what one "should" be doing, instead  Being caring and empathetic vs.  Seeing oneself as deficient or defective  Example: When on

 Feeling Good Leads to Well Being Neuroscience has provided consistent evidence that a relaxed brain is the most efficient brain. A relaxed brain, therefore, enables us to mentally function at our best. For instance, some studies demonstrate that relaxation is related to improved learning and memory. Likewise, studies show that relaxing and reducing stress promotes physical and emotional well being and feeling good in both dimensions. Here is a short list of general ways to achieve a relaxed state and a reduction in stress. Following the list are links to websites, that provide greater descriptions and the "how to" of practicing such preventive and health promoting behaviors. 1. Get good quality sleep 2. Practice deep breathing 3. Meditate 4. Exercise at a moderate level 5. Take tech breaks (from all devices and in particular, social media) 6. Do something fun 7. Laugh and experience humor 8. Connect with others in socially pleasant ways 9. Practice a hobby eng