I was first directed to the VIA Character Strengths Survey in the course of taking Dr. Laurie Santos’ class, The Science of Well-Being, which is the most popular course ever offered in Yale’s 300-year history. As part of an initial happiness assessment, Professor Santos directed us to this character strengths test as part of a […]
getting to know yourself
Spiraling Thoughts? Try This Genius Hack
Spiraling thoughts are easily identifiable as any obsessive, repeat, or circuitous thoughts that grip your attention in a negative way. You become obsessed, and can’t stop thinking about that thing. This is a thought spiral, and they usually weigh you down. Spiraling thoughts make it so that it’s hard to focus on anything else, and […]
“Self-Care” vs. “Self Comfort” (And Why You Need Both)
Here’s a novel idea: consider that self-care alone might not be enough to truly resolve your inner feelings of stress and wellbeing. This is because many wellness experts talk about “self-care” when what most people really need is the ability to “self comfort.” Self-care is all the usual stuff— diet, exercise, meditation, time with friends, […]
Watch Lady Gaga, Oprah Talk “Radical Acceptance” in Mental Health
Oprah’s 2020 Vision Tour is a series of conversations between Oprah and various innovators and change makers in society. In a recent candid interview with Lady Gaga in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the two spoke about Gaga’s career and also her focus on mental health. They also spoke about spirituality, and an innovative dialectical behavioral therapy […]
9 Inspiring Books That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity
Everyone loves a good poolside read– and nothing says comfort quite like curling up with an inspiring book before bed. The art of this simply luxury is merely in choosing which books to read– an act that has become increasingly daunted when books are expensive, there are so many options, and not all of them […]
The 12 Stages of Burnout, and How You Can Recover From It
So many young people suffer from low-grade burnout– a feeling of being totally overwhelmed with a To-Do list or work obligations that never seem to end. Often, this feeling is accompanied by a sense that you will never escape this feeling. This is because anxiety, stress, and burnout are all related– fix your anxiety, and […]
A 5-Step Method for Identifying Misplaced Emotions
I believe that ~60% of the emotions we feel on daily basis aren’t really what we think they are. Often, these feelings are better classified as misplaced emotions. For example, “You’re not really hungry; you’re procrastinating.” Or, “You’re not a mean person, you’re just feeling vulnerable and pushing your partner away”. Or, “You’re not interested […]