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Mental Health & Happiness

Life Lessons From Groundhog Day

The other day I was chatting with my brother about life in quarantine. As of this writing, we’re now five months into coronavirus-enforced social distancing in the United States. He and his wife live in California with their two young boys. Things were going fine, he said, “but it’s like Groundhog Day around here.” He was referencing the classic Bill Murray film, of course. It has probably been a while… Read More »Life Lessons From Groundhog Day

The Main Benefit of Meditation

There are loads of good reasons to meditate. According to Mark Williams, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Oxford, and Mark Pennman, Ph.D. in Biochemistry: “Numerous psychological studies have shown that regular meditators are happier and more contented than average. … Anxiety, depression, and irritability all decrease with regular sessions of meditation. Memory also improves, reaction times become faster and physical stamina increases. Regular meditators enjoy better and more fulfilling relationships.… Read More »The Main Benefit of Meditation

Strategic Stress Management: Techniques that Really Work

You’ve heard it a million times: Stress is bad for you. It hurts your performance. So you need to reduce stress. But what if that’s all wrong? What if the real story of stress is a lot more interesting than that? And I don’t know about you, but when I hear the advice to “reduce stress,” I tend to roll my eyes. For most of us, that’s just not realistic.… Read More »Strategic Stress Management: Techniques that Really Work

Predicting Your Future Emotions

So it’s last week, Monday evening, and I’m upset. The last four hours of work have been rough, and I’m feeling frustrated and anxious and burned out. I think to myself, I need to go for a walk in the park. But then I think to myself, What’s the point? I’m in such a bad mood that it won’t help. I hesitate. I waffle. And then, reluctantly, I put on… Read More »Predicting Your Future Emotions

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For over a decade, I’ve been focused on one question: How do we actually become better, in ways that last?

This blog shares the lessons, tools, and ideas I’ve found most useful—grounded in research and experience.

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