Most students occasionally have thoughts that are unpleasant, worrisome or critical. These thoughts, of course, make us feel bad. When such thoughts occur, despite knowing that they are not helpful, we may feel powerless to control them. There is a…
Forgiveness as a coping strategy.
One kind of stressful event that we all face on occasion is the feeling that we have been offended, wronged or attacked by another person. Since it has been found that strong, positive social relationships are associated with happiness (see…
Some suggestions for getting a better sleep.
For a number of reasons, many university students, possibly the majority, have difficulties with sleep, both in terms of the quantity of sleep they get, and the quality of their sleep (e.g., trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, bad dreams).…
Become more optimistic. Work on strengthening your “sunny brain”!
Are you an optimist, looking on the bright side of things, or are you more pessimistic, always expecting that things will go wrong. Dr. Elaine Fox is a psychologist at Oxford University, who studies why different people have such a…
Please stop “shoulding” on yourself:-)
Do you compare yourself to others? Do you compare your progress or abilities with standards set by others, such as society, your parents, the media, your friends? Are you judging yourself using “should” statements? “I should be getting better grades…
Feeling down? Know that better times are ahead!
Welcome to 2019, a year, I predict, that will be a mixture of highs and lows, peaks and valleys, wins and losses, just like every year that has come before it. And I predict that, when you find yourself joyfully…
How changing one little word could make a big difference in your life.
I am a clinical psychologist. When I work with students who are looking for some help coping with the various concerns in their life, one type of therapy that frequently makes a lot of sense to me is cognitive behaviour…
Some tips for happiness over the holidays
Sonja Lyubomirsky is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside. She began studying happiness as a graduate student and most of her research career has been devoted to the study of human happiness. Among…
Don’t fall into the trap of “Black or White thinking”: Look for the shades of gray.
We tend to trust what goes on in our brains, and so we tend to believe the thoughts that we have. But the truth is “thoughts are not facts”. Sometimes what we are thinking is not only incorrect, but can…
A “grounding technique” to decrease worry during exam time.
It’s exam time. There’s a lot to do, and, in order to be able to do your best, it’s very important to stay focused on what needs to be done. But, there is a lot of uncertainty about what the…