[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This article first appeared on Happify Thirty years ago, I moved to Toronto from the Middle East. It was a big move—from a large family to a unit of two, from afternoon siestas to a world that never stops, from the February warmth to the frigid cold of subzero...

This article first appeared on Positivepsychologynews.com It was a cold desert night in Muscat. My house helper had just come back into the house after putting out the garbage. She was evidently shaken. “I saw a maid outside who has run away from her employer. She tried to go to the Embassy,...

Have there be times when you’ve been hard on yourself and received this well-intentioned nugget of wisdom: “You should accept yourself”? Or when you’ve disliked and criticized parts of yourself, and been told the very same thing again: “Why don’t you accept yourself”! It’s perhaps...

  [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]For many of us, changing a bad habit can be one of the most frustrating experiences. This is made worse by the countless promises we see and hear every day of quick and easy solutions for everything from weight loss to finding your dream job, date, or so...

This article first appeared on Happify You didn’t get the promotion you wanted, despite having worked so hard for it. To make matters worse, the guy who did doesn’t even have your qualifications. Or maybe your presentation didn’t meet the expectations of your team, or meet the standards you...

This article first appeared on Positivepsychologynews.com It’s that time of the year. The New Year’s Resolutions we set with such passion (and some frustration), and pursued with such determination, at least for the first couple of weeks, are now losing their momentum. Willpower seems harder ...

This Article First Appeared in Happify I still remember the winters of my childhood. As cooler weather set in and the days got shorter, lives moved indoors, the focus shifted to staying warm, and we looked after our bodies so we could brave the cold months ahead. There was something very comfo...

This article first appeared on Positivepsychologynews.com Lunch-time was often a struggle for my mental capacities. Rarely did a day go by when my vibrant nine-year old, just back from school, failed to enlighten us with long and winding tales of girly social interactions. And rarely did a day go...

This article first appeared in Thrive Global Can you believe it’s February already? Time is flying past, even when it’s not the best of times. Sometimes, a day can feel so heavy, as though it’s a weight that just doesn’t move. But when we look back, weeks and months can feel like a blink ...

This article first appeared on Happify We seek advice for different reasons. Some of us look for it more than others. Perhaps we're wired to want safety over adventure. Or perhaps we've had experiences that make us fearful of losing control or facing failure or rejection. Some of us seek advic...

This Article First Appeared in Happify Sometimes, the simplest of stories are the most profound. I have a vivid memory. When I was a little girl, at bedtime, my grandmother would tell us the story of two crows. The male crow ate only the foods that people threw out because of greed and excess....

So much of our communication is about influencing others in some way or the other. Whether you're getting your child to tie her shoelaces, your partner to pick up the dry cleaning after work, or your employees to work extra hours to deliver a project on time, how you communicate with them will impac...

This article first appeared on Happify Congratulations: You survived 2020! That’s no small feat, regardless of how little or how much you were affected by its events. Take a moment to take that in. You’ll need it as you plan ahead for a year that holds both hope and uncertainty. As I ...

This article first appeared on Thrive Global What a year we’ve lived through! Like almost everyone, I’m sure you’re only too happy to put it behind you. And yet, the events that made 2020 such an “annus horribilis” (remember the Queen’s 1992 speech to describe a horrible year for h...

This article first appeared on Dr. Paul Wong's 'Positive Living' Newsletter A New Year is a time for reflection. We look back at the year that was—with or without regrets—and we make plans for the year to be. What will we achieve? How will we grow? How will we change? Our individual pursuits ...