Greater Good - The Science of a Meaningful Life

When we feel stressed out (or sad or disappointed, for that matter) life offers a host of ways to not really feel those negative feelings. (For example: drugs and alcohol. Facebook. Staying really busy.)

The problem is that when we numb unpleasant feelings, we numb everything that we are feeling. So to feel the positive things in life—like love, or even just contentment—we must also let ourselves feel fear, grief, and frustration.

So today, let yourself FEEL whatever it is that you are feeling, without numbing it. Where in your body does it live? Is it in the pit of your stomach? In your throat? What, really, does it feel like?

© 2011 Christine Carter, Ph.D.

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Sleep is one of the most important happiness habit habits we know of. Lack of sleep, of course, affects our functioning and our moods in a multitude of ways. Sleep deprivation can make us depressed, reactive, and inattentive. It can also impair our memory and learning, slow reaction times, and curb creative thinking.

If you aren’t regularly getting enough sleep, get eight or more hours of shut-eye tonight! Make your room really dark, turn of the phones, and hit the hay earlier than you usually do.

© 2011 Christine Carter, Ph.D.

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Practice thinking optimistically about the future by taking some time to write down your hopes and dreams for yourself in 5 or 10 years. Where will you be living? What friends and family will be in your life? What type of work do you imagine doing? How would you like to be spending your time? (Check out Sonja Lyubomirsky’s book, The How of Happiness, for more about this exercise, or read about how to do it with your kids here.

© 2011 Christine Carter, Ph.D.

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