Self-Help

John Stevens Sensei, a Buddhist priest, and 7th Dan visited our dojo, Bay Marin Aikido for a weekend of training. Stevens, a  foremost authority on Aikido has penned more than thirty books on Buddhism, Aikido and Asian culture. The experience brought new dimensions to our taijutsu, body skills or body arts. Read More

I’m working on my Happiness Project, and you could have one, too! Everyone’s project will look different, but it’s the rare person who can’t benefit. Join in -- no need to catch up, just jump in right now.

One of my favorite resolutions, because it’s so much fun to keep, is Read at whim. Instead of trying to be very targeted about my reading, as I once tried to be, I let myself read whatever I want to read. Read More

This week, I finished the audiobook for The Happiness Project. As I’d expected, it made me very happy to learn to do something new and to get a glimpse into the unfamiliar world of sound recording.

It was also thrilling to learn that none other than Jim Dale had sat in the very same seat that I was using, when he was recording Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It took him three weeks! And they had top, top security.

What surprised me most about the recording process was how emotional I became while reading certain parts of the book. I literally choked up and had to take a drink of water and a deep breath before I could continue (quite embarrassing). Read More

"If you can't sleep, get out of bed and do something else"-this is advice we hear all the time. Not for me: when I get up and turn on the light, I'm up for the night. I do much better listening to a recorded book, which lets me lie quietly in the dark but gets my mind onto someone else's story. Read More

This week, I had the honor of speaking with experts from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the organization behind November 21's National Survivors of Suicide Day. Read on for the interview and look for one more interview from a psychologist tomorrow on how you can help a loved one. Read More

To successfully manage stress and anxiety, you must learn to recognize and neutralize you habitual emotional reactivity. Mindfulness Meditation offers the tools for doing this, and you can learn mindfulness meditation therapy online through a personalized email correspondence course. Read More

From time to time, I post short interviews with interesting people about their insights on happiness. During my study of happiness, I’ve noticed that I often learn more from one person’s highly idiosyncratic experiences than I do from sources that detail universal principles or cite up-to-date studies. I’m much more likely to be convinced to try a piece of advice urged by a specific person who tells me that it worked for him or her, than by any other kind of argument. Read More

Stepfamilies are under extra stress as the holidays--with their pressure cooker of "family" expectations--get underway. While they now outnumber first families in the U.S., many stepfamily members report feeling second-best and misunderstood when our thoughts turn to turkey, yultide, and latkahs. Read More

The difference between the autumn term of this academic year and that of last year seems to embody my recovery more fully and vividly than anything else. But my thesis still remains an insidious thread connecting the two. Read More