Learning Package 4 - The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations.

How does one improve one’s wellbeing and attain happiness? How does one go beyond chasing the superficial, consumerist highs? Pick the brains of the thinkers and experts in this list for tips to achieve your best life.

Videos

1. There's More to Life Than Being Happy by Emily Esfahani Smith

Is there more to life than being happy? Happiness, as rightfully pointed out by writer Emily Esfahani Smith, comes and goes. But having meaning in life - serving something beyond yourself and developing the best within you - gives you something to hold onto in times of good and bad.

Source: There’s More to Life Than Being Happy (2017, September 26). TED.

2. The Surprising Science of Happiness by Dan Gilbert

We’re surprisingly more resilient than we think. Research shows that setbacks that we think would be traumatising tend to have less impact than we would expect, and that we are capable of being happy even when things don’t go as planned.

Source: The Surprising Science of Happiness (2012, April 27). TED.

eLearning videos from Lynda Library

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1. Happiness Tips
From focusing on the good in life, to building gratitude, here are some practical methods to cultivating wellbeing and happiness that you can learn in 6 minutes!

2. Arianna Huffington's Thrive 01: Discovering Meditation and Sleep
Improve your wellbeing with two simple activities – meditation and sleep!

Stories on the Internet

1. Coronavirus: How Families Can Cope with Self-Isolating Together
Francesca Gillett. Published on bbc.com on 17 March 2020.

How do you cope with your children or other members of your family as you spend more and more time cooped up together at home? Learn how experts and different families are spending their time together in this article.

2. Trendy & Easy-To-Make Recipes to Try At Home, Including D-I-Y Bubble Tea
Shazrina Shamsudin. Published on nylon.com.sg on April 22 2020.

Everyone now has the time to aspire to be a home chef and experiment with different recipes. Here are 6 that may just suit your tastebuds’ fancy should you have the ingredients at home already.

eBooks

The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want

Sonja Lyubomirsky

Call Number: English 158 LYU. New York: Penguin Books, 2008.
Hack your way into a happier life using these scientifically-grounded strategies based on years of research.
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Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein

Call Number: English 330.019 THA -[BIZ]. New York: Penguin Books, 2009.
People do not choose freely, even when they think they do. Circumstances, context and biases affect our decisions. Nudge teaches us how to steer away from bad decisions towards engineering better choices for ourselves and others.
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The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom

Jonathan Haidt

Call Number: English 170 HAI. New York: Basic Books, 2006.
Old is gold. The Happiness Hypothesis examines the world’s philosophical wisdom through the lens of psychological science, and shows how they are still relevant in our lives today.
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Man's Search for Meaning

Viktor E. Frankl

Call Number: English 150.195 FRA. Boston: Beacon Press, 2019.
We’re currently living through trying times but this is not the first time the world is facing a global crisis. Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl argues that suffering cannot be avoided. However, we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Timely words indeed.
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The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store

Cait Flanders

Call Number: English 153.8 FLA. California: Hay House Inc, 2018.
Can less truly be more? According to the author, yes. Follow Cait Flanders on her 1-year journey to get more life out of fewer things.
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Five True Things: A Little Guide to Embracing Life's Big Challenges

David Richo

Call Number: 152.41 RIC. Colorado: Shambhala, 2019.
Find peace in the midst of life’s challenges by learning and accepting five key facts of life.
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The Healthy Mind Toolkit: Simple Strategies to Get Out of Your Own Way and Enjoy Your Life

Alice Boyes

Call number: 616.891425 BOY – [HEA]. New York: TarcherPerigee, 2018.
Sometimes, we are our own worst enemy. Learn simple steps to achieve success and defeat the man in the mirror.
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First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety

Sarah Wilson

HarperCollins, 2018.
This practical and funny book encourages those with anxiety to embrace themselves for who they are, and to explore the opportunities presented by anxiety to live a fuller life.
Borrow the eBook with the app 📱 or online 💻.

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