Tip of the Week: Spread Seven Smiles

This week’s tip: Give a random gift every day!

Yesterday was my 28th birthday. Birthdays are great, aren’t they? Leading up to my birthday this year, I started to anticipate the warm, happy feelings that my birthday tends to bring, and I got to wondering — why is that birthdays make us feel so good?

Is it the fact that we are a year older? Probably not. (Unless we’re under 21 — and then it’s still really exciting.)

Is it the fact that all of our acquaintances came out of the woodwork to wish us a happy birthday on Facebook? Alright, I’ll admit… that does make me feel kinda good.

Is it the fact that we receive lots of gifts? Ooh! Bingo! I like presents! 😉

In all seriousness, though — this is the perfect time of year for me to tell you from personal experience that receiving a gift can make you feel appreciated, grateful, and happy. But why do we only tend to give each other gifts on birthdays, anniversaries and special holidays? Why not spread appreciation, gratitude and happiness on a day when someone least expects it? 

Feel-Good Friday: #2!

It’s Feel-Good Friday!

Having received some positive feedback on my last “Feel-Good Friday” post, I decided it was time for another installation! It’s amazing how quickly the internet generates (and regenerates) silly memes to entertain ourselves with.

Get ready for some adorable babies, elephants, cats, dogs, and dads! And some snapchat filters. And some incredibly talented dancers. And some silliness. Here we go!

Tip of the Week: Stand at Your Desk

This week’s tip: Stand up!

Have you heard that “sitting is the new smoking”? Sure, it seems a little extreme at first, but if you read up on the research, it’s true: too much sitting can correlate with major health risks. In an informative blog post, James A. Levine, MD, PhD (of the Mayo Clinic) outlines a variety of sound reasons why sitting too much is probably impacting your overall health. Too much sitting can cause:

• Sluggish nervous systems, which can lead to fatigue
• Weakened muscles, which can increase risk of back and joint pain
• Stagnant fat-burning enzymes, which can lead to weight gain
• Poor blood sugar and blood fat levels, which can increase heart risks

Fortunately, there is no nicotine involved in your sitting habit, so it’s pretty easy to quit! For many of us, our desk jobs are the major culprit for promoting our bad sitting habits. But there is a really easy solution: just stand up!

My Creative “Genius” (… and Her Persistent Mid-night Visits)

A few months ago, my friend Macy shared a fascinating TED Talk with me about creativity. In the talk, writer Elizabeth Gilbert (author of the bestselling memoir, Eat, Pray, Love) shares her personal struggle around the fact that her “greatest creative success” may already be behind her, and give creatives the scape-goat idea that their “creative genius” may not always be available. You can watch her full 18-minute talk here, but in case you don’t have time, I’ll summarize the gist of it:

Tip of the Week: Cook with Friends

This week’s tip: Make (and enjoy!) a delicious, homemade meal with friends.

Whether it’s a one-on-one occasion to catch up with a close friend, an intimate dinner party with a small group, or a big pot-luck gathering, getting together with friends over food is a great way to boost your happiness (and depending on the food you make, maybe your health too!)

Here are five reasons to consider putting a dinner-date with a friend on the calendar:

Prioritizing Imperfection

Perfectionism can be difficult.

While on the healthy side, it can push us to excel, enhance our work ethic, and convey that we care, it can also easily tip over to the unhealthy side, causing us to feel “never good enough”, anxious, or ashamed. Being somewhat of a perfectionist myself, I can relate to the good and the bad aspects of the trait — so it is important to figure out a way to keep perfectionism in check and not let it get in the way of our happiness. 

Tip of the Week: Make the Bed

This week’s tip: Make your bed.

I was never great about making my bed growing up. So to those of you rolling your eyes at this week’s tip — I totally get it. I used to make excuses to myself like, “Why bother making the bed? I’m about to leave my room anyway and tonight I’m just going to crawl back into it!”

Deep down, I always appreciated how nice it felt afterwards to have a freshly made bed, but the struggle was in convincing myself to make the effort in the first place. Like so many good habits, it can be hard to see the benefits before the habit is in place.

So, why is making your bed so important? In case your mother never broke it down for you, I will. 😛

10 Apps That Genuinely Improve My Life

Tracking and organizing personal data with apps can make a huge difference in your life — especially if it helps you become more mindful, healthy, or productive. On top of that, many apps out there make accessing great literature, music, news, and education as easy as a tap or a swipe! Although I often talk about the importance of unplugging and connecting with nature, I won’t deny that technology can also provide valuable tools for increasing happiness, efficiency, and knowledge. It’s just all about the balance!

Here are my top 10 favorite apps that work together to enhance my personal daily life (from waking up to bedtime!)