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2 days ago | 
thenewhappy.com | Stephanie Harrison
Many of us grew up learning one of two responses to our feelings:1. You learned to hide or suppress your difficult emotions, forcing yourself to feel (or appear to feel) positive, optimistic and happy. 2. Or, you learned to intellectualize your feelings, using your brains to avoid experiencing them. But there is another way: we can accept our emotions and allow ourselves to fully experience them. This is a choice that can transform our well-being.
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6 days ago | 
thenewhappy.com | Stephanie Harrison
Old Happy: "My struggles are shameful." New Happy: "Every human struggles."If you're facing a challenge right now, there are three things that I want you to remember. First, the challenge is not the only thing in your life, even if at times it feels like it is. I know it can feel so all-encompassing, so overwhelming. But when you can, try to pause and consciously look up and around to the other parts of your life. They are still there.
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1 week ago | 
thenewhappy.com | Stephanie Harrison
A healthy relationship requires a healthy balance: of giving and receiving, of listening and speaking, of giving feedback and taking it, of helping and being helped. To discern your balance, you can’t look to a single day. You have to zoom out and look at it from a broader perspective. Some days, you’ll be offering more; some days, you’ll be needing more. Some days are challenging; others are joyful.
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1 week ago | 
thenewhappy.com | Stephanie Harrison
Old Happy: "I can't mess up, and I'll be cruel to myself if I do." New Happy: "I will mess up, and I'll be kind to myself when I do."Studies show that perfectionism has significantly increased over the last two decades — and along with that, there has been a corresponding rise in mental illness.
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2 weeks ago | 
thenewhappy.com | Stephanie Harrison
The coping mechanisms that you developed to help you survive might now be keeping you from thriving. If you were hurt in the past, you might have learned that you have to isolate yourself from others in order to protect yourself. Yet doing so makes it so much harder to establish the loving, secure, and mutual relationships that will help you to be happier. Today, look back on your past and ask yourself these three questions:How did I learn to protect myself from pain?
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2 weeks ago | 
thenewhappy.com | Stephanie Harrison
Recently, one of our community members sent in a question: “I went through some really hard times in the past. I'm trying to be resilient and move on, but no matter what I do, it still feels hard. How can I move on?"This question can help us to deconstruct one of the Old Happy myths about resilience. Our society tells us that in order to be resilient, you can't feel pain or struggle. You have to be strong. You have to move on. You have to find the silver lining, immediately.
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2 weeks ago | 
thenewhappy.com | Stephanie Harrison
Old Happy: "I have to fix their problem." New Happy: "I can love them as they face their problem." It's hard to watch someone you love suffer. Sometimes, in trying to alleviate their pain (and our own distress), we end up accidentally hurting them:In ignoring their pain because we 'don't want to bring it up and remind them', we can leave them feeling lonely. In trying to problem solve, we can leave them feeling ashamed.
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3 weeks ago | 
thenewhappy.com | Stephanie Harrison
Here are twelve ways to be gentle with yourself today. Which one are you going to try? Hit reply and let me know. Remember: self-love starts with just one different choice. 1. Be gentle with your muscles: As you read this, stretch your neck out by circling it around gently, or roll your shoulders out. 2. Be gentle with your heart: If you’re feeling a difficult emotion, put your hand on your heart and say, “I know this is hard. I’m here for you.” 3.
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1 month ago | 
cnbc.com | Stephanie Harrison
Unprecedented times are starting to feel like the new normal. With stocks falling and the threat of a recession looming, many of us are struggling. No one is untouched, whether you're trying to lead a team through uncertain conditions, agonizing about whether your retirement funds could disappear, or worrying about your job security. What we need to get through these times is social support. But in order to receive it, we have to stop "surface acting," or feeling pressured to put on a happy face.
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1 month ago | 
flipboard.com | Stephanie Harrison
3 hours agoHow to Make the Right Call When Facing Workplace Insubordination Have you ever had an insubordinate, challenging employee? I know I have. Anyone who has ever been a manager has, or will, deal with such an individual. Whether it’s your first rodeo or your 100th, the circumstances of a clash with a …
