There is a special field of research in psychology called “positive psychology” that studies the “science of gratitude.” Positive psychology has been around for a while, but recently it has gained credibility under the scrutiny of science. Scientists have made important discoveries about thankfulness. Research has actually shown that practicing thankfulness decreases depression and anxiety! Its all explained in a book by Robert Emmons called “Thanks!: How the new science of gratitude can make you happier.” Continue
Mental Health
Taking something for granted means that you assume it will always be there. On the whole it’s very easy to take several things for granted living in the United States; running water, telephone service, electricity, food on the store shelves and the like. Even other “developed” countries can’t always keep these services going like we do in the U.S. Because we consistently have so many amenities, there is an assumption they will always be there when we need them. So then if the electric goes off for several hours, we can panic and think we can’t survive without it – but before the electric went off we weren’t even thinking about electricity and how easy it makes life to live. Continue
Long ago, the founding fathers who wrote the Declaration of Independence established a government that gave us the right to “…life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This is great. Most of us exercise our right to live life in freedom. Some of us, however, seem to be in the pursuit of misery rather than happiness. Have you ever noticed that being happy is easier for some people that it is for others? The ease with which some find happiness has little to do with privileges and income, and a lot to do with attitude and perspective. Continue
Many people have previously seen a mental health counselor of some kind. Have you? If so, for what? (votes are confidential) Continue
Based on research and experience, it’s not just Aretha Franklin that wants R-E-S-P-E-C-T, its every one of us! We are wired to be social. In social relationships, there is an essential human need to feel loved and respected. A theory developed in 1958 by Will Schutz really spells out these needs in practical terms. This model for relationships is called the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation, or FIRO for short. I have found this model to be very useful for helping people transform troublesome relationships into more satisfying ones. Continue
