All Smiles: Attaining Authentic Happiness

In this edition of the Practitioner's Digest, we discuss how small daily acts of kindness boost our happiness and strengthen relationships.

1. Food for Thought One of the best ways to increase happiness is through kindness to others. It can be effective even without strong relationships, and the acts of generosity don't need to be large. What really makes prosocial behavior impactful is the frequency with which we practice it. Fortunately, because small gestures towards people we don't have strong ties with can be powerful, we have ample opportunity to develop this daily habit. Plus, it helps us build deeper relationships and creates opportunities to receive kindness from others in return, compounding its impact. So, something to consider this week: What can you or your clients do to build a kindness habit?
2. Inspiring Quote “Don’t ever be ashamed of loving the strange things that make your weird little heart happy.” — Elizabeth Gilbert
3. Free Science-based Tool Fostering Appreciation by Temporary Abstinence. Through hedonic adaptation, we can grow weary of the things we enjoy. This exercise helps people overcome that tendency and develop a renewed sense of gratitude through deliberate abstinence. It's useful for clients who, through repeated exposure, have lost the appreciation for something they once found pleasurable. [Link]
4. Book Recommendation Stumbling on Happiness — Daniel Gilbert. This book isn't about how to be happy. Instead, it explores how our inability to imagine the future sows the seeds of dissatisfaction that undermine our chances of finding contentment. Through a mix of psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and behavioral economics, it sheds light not just on why happiness can be so elusive but on the human condition itself. [Link]
5. A Question For Your Clients “What are the potential long-term consequences of the choices you’re considering?”. The negative emotions we experience often result from decisions we made and acted on much earlier. This question pre-empts future problems clients may face by encouraging them to consider their current options in more detail.
6. Free Infographic

Thanks for reading. I'm curious, what made you happy lately?

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