This was emailed to me, so posting it for future reference!...
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There is this puzzle in most Western (and some Eastern) societies
that is really confusing. See if you can figure it out – we’ll use the
United States as an example.
40 years ago…
The average house was 1000 sq feet, now it’s 2422 sq feet
A McDonald’s cheeseburger cost 30 min of wages, now it costs 3 min
There was 1 car for every 2 households, now there are 2 for every 1 household
Life expectancy has since gone up by an average of 8 years
GDP has since tripled or gone up 8.9 trillion dollars
So we live in bigger homes, make more money, and have longer lives.
If that is the case, how can we explain that in the last 40 years:
The divorce rate has doubled
Teen suicide has tripled
Recorded violent crime has quadrupled
And Depression has increased 10x – that’s right ten times.
If things are getting better, why are people getting worse? There isn't a
one line answer to this paradox, but I’m going to offer a two part theory:
(1) We have been focusing on the wrong things to make us happy; and
(2) When something is wrong (anxiety, panic, depression) we only practice
reducing the negative feelings – we ignore increasing the positive.
Guess what? Happiness doesn’t come from just reducing negative feelings.
In other words, if everything “bad” in your life were wiped away, you would
not automatically be incredibly happy. To live a joyous, fulfilled, and
meaningful life, you need to practice positivity. Yes, happiness takes practice.
One simple practice you can start with is called savoring. If you rush around
all day long from the moment you get up to the moment you hit the pillow, you
are probably not taking time to savor. Slow down and savor the good stuff.
Savoring has been scientifically researched to increase your well-being. Try
the exercise below.
Exercise: According to researcher, Fred Bryant, there are 4 effective
ways to savor:
Basking: Receiving praise and congratulations
Thanksgiving: Experiencing and expressing gratitude
Marveling: Losing yourself in the wonder of the experience
Luxuriating: Engaging in the senses fully
My request of you is that you pick one of these 4 techniques and sit
down to savor right now. Sit down for 5 minutes (if you’re busy,
even 2 minutes will do). Think about one pleasant thing that happened
today (smell, touch, sight, sound, experience) and close your eyes and
enjoy it. Reminisce about what you loved about it.
As humans we are great at doing and moving and pushing through to
the next goal; but we need to also focus on enjoying, savoring, and
just “being”. Remember, happiness takes practice, so make it part of
your day.
Love & Light,
Amelie Chance
Certified Coach of Positive Psychology
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Note: Not to sound cynical and I appreciate the advice but I wonder who certified her? Herself?
Hmm, the art of savouring. It sounds good in theory, but takes effort and a mindset to want to feel good and in the mood to appreciate the good. This is something I'm not naturally comfortable with. I'll try to savour things more often though if I remember!
Tuesday 20 November 2012
Monday 12 November 2012
The obstacles in fixing one's life - Sleep issue
I often ask myself "why is it apparently so much harder for me to do things than other people?"
It's more than a dumb, biased feeling that everyone else manages to sail through life without problems. I don't want to adopt a 'Victim mindset' and I don't want to make excuses, but it would be dumb not to factor in genuine obstacles I need to deal with or come to terms with in my efforts to progress.
One thing I read up about again recently recently was Circadian rhythm disorders. There are 4 different types- two of which resonate with me:
How Are Circadian Rhythm Disorders Treated?
Circadian rhythm disorders are treated based on the kind of disorder diagnosed. The goal of treatment is to fit a person's sleep pattern into a schedule that allows him or her to meet the demands of a desired lifestyle. Therapy usually combines proper sleep hygiene techniques and external stimulus therapy, such as bright light therapy or chronotherapy. Chronotherapy is a behavioral technique in which the bedtime is gradually and systematically adjusted until a desired bedtime is achieved. Bright light therapy is designed to reset a persons circadian rhythm to a desired pattern. When combined, these therapies may produce significant results in people with circadian rhythm disorders.
Chronotherapy is something I've naturally learned to do myself. I naturally seem to have a 25 hour day, so when I keep going to bed an hour later and getting up an hour later each night to the point where I'm sleeping at 8am and waking at 5pm, I know it's time to do something about my current sleeping pattern! I commit to what I call "going around the clock". Basically it's a case of trying to stay up later and later each day until bed time goes from 8am to 11am for day 2, to 3pm for day 3, to 6pm for day 4 and so on. It's a gradual thing that takes at least a week to sort out. In the mean time going to a place of work, enjoying a social life or arranging day-time appointments is very difficult if not impossible. Not only is it very disruptive to day-to day living, but it's hard work staying awake, and feeling happy when your body is crying out for sleep for 4 or 5 hours towards the end of each day!
I obviously suffer from the symptoms of a Carcadian Rhythm disorder. Perhaps if I can adopt a long term habit of sleeping and waking at the same time each day it's something I can overcome completely?
- I would probably need a regular 9-5 job, or at least a solid work routine which I don't deviate from unlike I have done for the last 10 years!
Until then, it's something I need to deal with, factor into my life and hope other people around me can understand this condition. I fucking hate the thought of people thinking bad of me- that I'm lazy for feeling tired and unmotivated instead of offering understanding and sympathy.
I'll add CRD to my list of ailments!
It's more than a dumb, biased feeling that everyone else manages to sail through life without problems. I don't want to adopt a 'Victim mindset' and I don't want to make excuses, but it would be dumb not to factor in genuine obstacles I need to deal with or come to terms with in my efforts to progress.
One thing I read up about again recently recently was Circadian rhythm disorders. There are 4 different types- two of which resonate with me:
- Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS): This is a disorder of sleep timing. People with DSPS tend to fall asleep very late at night and have difficulty waking up in time for work, school, or social engagements.
- Non 24-Hour Sleep Wake Disorder: This is a disorder in which an individual has a normal sleep pattern, but lives in a 25-hour day. Throughout time, the person's sleep cycle will be affected by inconsistent insomnia that occurs at different times each night. People will sometimes fall asleep at a later time and wake up later, and sometimes fall asleep at an earlier time and wake up earlier.
How Are Circadian Rhythm Disorders Treated?
Circadian rhythm disorders are treated based on the kind of disorder diagnosed. The goal of treatment is to fit a person's sleep pattern into a schedule that allows him or her to meet the demands of a desired lifestyle. Therapy usually combines proper sleep hygiene techniques and external stimulus therapy, such as bright light therapy or chronotherapy. Chronotherapy is a behavioral technique in which the bedtime is gradually and systematically adjusted until a desired bedtime is achieved. Bright light therapy is designed to reset a persons circadian rhythm to a desired pattern. When combined, these therapies may produce significant results in people with circadian rhythm disorders.
Chronotherapy is something I've naturally learned to do myself. I naturally seem to have a 25 hour day, so when I keep going to bed an hour later and getting up an hour later each night to the point where I'm sleeping at 8am and waking at 5pm, I know it's time to do something about my current sleeping pattern! I commit to what I call "going around the clock". Basically it's a case of trying to stay up later and later each day until bed time goes from 8am to 11am for day 2, to 3pm for day 3, to 6pm for day 4 and so on. It's a gradual thing that takes at least a week to sort out. In the mean time going to a place of work, enjoying a social life or arranging day-time appointments is very difficult if not impossible. Not only is it very disruptive to day-to day living, but it's hard work staying awake, and feeling happy when your body is crying out for sleep for 4 or 5 hours towards the end of each day!
I obviously suffer from the symptoms of a Carcadian Rhythm disorder. Perhaps if I can adopt a long term habit of sleeping and waking at the same time each day it's something I can overcome completely?
- I would probably need a regular 9-5 job, or at least a solid work routine which I don't deviate from unlike I have done for the last 10 years!
Until then, it's something I need to deal with, factor into my life and hope other people around me can understand this condition. I fucking hate the thought of people thinking bad of me- that I'm lazy for feeling tired and unmotivated instead of offering understanding and sympathy.
I'll add CRD to my list of ailments!
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