Boost Happiness

Positive Psychology superstar, Professor Barbara Fredrikson (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill); has discovered how to make love all day long, without getting arrested or exhausted. Surprisingly, her innovative definition of “making love” means choosing to create big and small pleasures through human connections. This means we “make love” when we hug our best friend, ... Read more

Photo credit Andre Furtado Want to feel happier?  Scientists have proven that music can impact mood and change how we view the world.   Our brain builds up expectations based on experience and mood, so listening to sad music can make us feel sad, and playing happy music increases happiness. As we experience happy emotions, they broaden and build, ... Read more

You’re not alone. 110.6 million single adults (45%) may miss out on this holiday, but we can easily add more love to our days, whether in a romantic relationship or not. Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson’s innovative definition of “making love” means choosing to create big and small pleasures through in-person connections every day. This means we ... Read more

Use this blog post to wake up inspired, happy and excited every day. Skeptical? I was an uninspired morning-hater, but then I discovered a secret. It took me fifty years to discover this, plus a painful soul-search and much inspirational book reading. You can skip the epic effort because I’ll tell you the secret … Are you curious? Drum ... Read more

I took 10 years to journey from hell to HappySpree.  I wish I’d done it sooner, but a marital blizzard engulfed me.  I publically smiled my frosty smile, while my soul froze from icy words. Sadly comparing my insides to other people’s outsides created false paths lined with empty-calorie foods, alcohol, and sleeping pills. These ... Read more

My quest to find a burning desire took time and an honest soul-search (owwwwl!)  But I can’t underestimate the happiness and life satisfaction benefitsI gained.  I wish I’d done it sooner … Remember how good it feels when you dive deep into something and time melts … you might look up startled 10 hours have ... Read more

Some days you wake up to news that hundreds of people were shot while trying to enjoy a music concert. And tears are streaming down your face, because it’s personal. Maybe the people shot in Las Vegas were at a concert you almost went to see. I will never understand the mindset of killing a ... Read more

(Photo credit: jackmac34 on Pixabay) Did you ever gulp down a meal and not notice how it tasted? We all get busy sometimes, and often I eat without enjoying my food, or even tasting it. If you want to try meditation and develop a new appreciate for food, take three minutes for this Taste Meditation. ... Read more

What’s that “zzzzzzzzz” sound coming from your local high school? It’s teenagers sleeping through first period. As the mom of three teen morning-haters, I support the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement recommending that middle and high schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later.   The statement says, “Research studies of sleep patterns in adolescents ... Read more

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. –Lewis B. Smedes I grew up in the snowy mountains of Park City, Utah a perfect metaphor for my unforgiving heart. My easy childhood had minor forgiveness incidents, but I had little guidance from my parents and none from religion, and ... Read more

Dedicated to my daughter, Kira, my son, Max, and the friends that we lost. I don’t want to lose any more. My 15-year-old daughter has 5 dead friends. Two summers ago, when she was 13, three of her classmates died. What happened isn’t clear, but for sure it ended in despair. The morning of the funeral, I ... Read more

New Years resolutions are like chocolate-chip pancakes served at my daughter’s slumber party, easy to make but hard to keep. A study of 3,000 people at the University of Hertfordshire found that 88% of people that made New Years Resolutions failed.It’s why my health club is packed in January but crickets are chirping in April. ... Read more