Tag Archives: optimism
Learning to forgive as a means of managing your anger
Posted on 20. May, 2013 by Julia Barnard.
You’ve worked like a trooper for years in your current job. You feel loyal to the company. Over the years you’ve put in long, hard hours, sacrificing time with your family and the odd public holiday. Even your pay rises have been minimal – you know you could get more if you left. But you [...]
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Using the VIA character strengths to write a cookbook: it started with a carrot
Posted on 30. Apr, 2013 by Julia Barnard.
In 2012, I wrote and published a cookbook: Vegetarian Tapas. Until that point, all I had written about was in the area of wellbeing and happiness. The idea for the cookbook was first vaguely conceived a number of years ago when I went looking for a vegetarian tapas cookbook and did not find one. My [...]
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Ten good habits for the brain
Posted on 21. Feb, 2013 by Julia Barnard.
I’m sure you’ve heard it before: the brain is like a muscle. So the more you use it the stronger it gets. If your brain cells (neurons) aren’t used they will wither and die. However you can build up a good reserve and develop new pathways. What follows are things you can do in your [...]
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Fruit and veg boost your optimism
Posted on 07. Feb, 2013 by Julia Barnard.
What you eat can have a great impact on both your physical and mental health. Now research conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health suggests you can increase your optimism through what you eat. It seems optimistic people tend to have more carotenoids in their blood. Carotenoid is a plant compound and one type [...]
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Optimism may benefit the heart
Posted on 07. May, 2012 by Julia Barnard.
A recent review by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health of over 200 studies indicated people who are happy and optimistic have a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke. This finding remained even after accounting for age, weight, socio-economic status and smoking behaviour. the study also found that optimistic people were more likely [...]
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Positive bias of the brain
Posted on 06. Feb, 2012 by Julia Barnard.
A UCL study has found the brain remains optimistic about future events, despite the actual likelihood of the event happening being greater than believed. Fourteen people’s optimism levels were tested before and after they were tested whist being connected to a brain scanner. During testing, participants had to rate the likelihood of a negative event [...]
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October: A Whole Month of Happiness and Wellbeing
Posted on 01. Oct, 2011 by Julia Barnard.
October is the tenth month of the year and is from the word octo, meaning eight as it was originally the eighth month of the year in the old Roman calendar. World Mental Health Day takes place this month, its aim being to promote good mental wellbeing and to highlight important issues that need addressing. [...]
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June: A Whole Month of Happiness and Wellbeing
Posted on 01. Jun, 2011 by Julia Barnard.
Welcome to June! June is the sixth month of the year and is most likely named after the goddess Juno. As the goddess of marriage, it became popular to marry in June, a trend that continues today, particularly in the northern hemisphere. Relationships and relationship satisfaction therefore will be our first theme this month. What [...]
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Understanding Loneliness and Being Alone
Posted on 07. Dec, 2010 by Julia Barnard.
Have you ever felt lonely? It doesn’t feel so good does it? You feel separated from others both physically and mentally. Because you do not have to be alone to feel lonely. You can be surrounded by others, yet anything they say or do does not matter. It’s like they’ve ceased to exist. If your [...]
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Guidelines for Children’s Edition
Posted on 22. Sep, 2010 by Julia Barnard.
Each Happy Mail has accompanying notes for your reference. These will give you some thoughts on the content of that Happy Mail. It will also let you know where supervision of certain activities may be needed. It is up to you and your child to decide how you want to complete the Happy Mails. The [...]
Online Counselling: A Guide For Therapists