Sunday Snippets #15

How to be Happy by Strengthening Your Reward Sensitivity, Deodorants vs Antiperspirants, the Joy Generator, John Mayer on Quitting Alcohol and More.

Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash

Happy Sunday Morning Everyone! ☕️I hope that you find a snippet ✂️ or two ✂️✂️ this week that speaks to you! 📣 As usual, today’s snippets is a smorgasbord with a theme of Joy and Happiness. Wishing you all a week filled with just that! 😃

1. Let’s kick off today’s snippets on a note 🎵 of positivity, shall we? I am usually skeptical when I see an article that’s titled something like this…”How to be Happy” 😃 These articles are usually chock full of hokey ideas that are too much to consider if you are feeling sad or depressed. However, I recently read a New Your Times article on this topic that made SO MUCH sense to me. The article describes how we can learn to amp ⚡️ up our reward sensitivity by training ourselves to notice and savor positive emotions. It’s an approach that I use with my clients and it can be extremely valuable! Check out the article with my NYT gift link. (It’s worth the longer read)

2. While we are on the topic of Joy and Happiness, I have experienced indescribable Joy and Happiness through acts of kindness. You may recall a recent article that I wrote titled, “A Meaningful Gift Idea For A Milestone Birthday”. The gift that I received was $80 from my friend who was turning 80 along with instructions to give it to someone who would be grateful to have it. Well, I found that person in the Whole Foods cafeteria during a week long power outage. 🔌 This young woman 👩 and I spent the entire day working side by side on our computers 💻 exchanging pleasantries throughout the day and saving each other’s seats when we needed food or a bio break. When she mentioned how expensive it has been for her to eat out all week, I knew that she would be the recipient of my $80 gift. At the end of the day, I showed her my letter and told her that I wanted to give her the $80. Her eyes all welled up 🥹 and she asked me if I was sure. I said, “Definitely” and handed her the cash. 💵 She then asked me if she could give me a hug. As we embraced in the middle of Whole Foods, we both had tears running down our face. 🥲 Extending and receiving an act of kindness is one beautiful way to amp up those positive emotions and it doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. Give it a try!

3. Now that you are all feeling warm and fuzzy on the inside, let’s talk about sweat and body odor! 😰 And, where there is sweat & body odor, there are a gazillion deodorants and anti-perspirants to choose from. A few years ago, I was on a kick to find a “healthy” deodorant that actually works. This article from the Environmental Working Group does an excellent job spelling out the myths and truths about these products.

4. My Sober Summer 🥂 continues and I promise to give you a full update after Labor Day. Since exploring sobriety, my social media feed is now loaded with sober tips, NA products and stories from people who are now sober. I just love this reflection from John Mayer who gave up drinking two years ago. His honest and non-judgmental tone is refreshing. Check it out.

5. One of my fitness clients was describing to me how she felt peace and joy when painting a dresser 🎨 and listening to some music 🎼 from a favorite artist. Her description was beautiful! There are so many simple ways that we can bring joy into our lives and I love my friend’s story. I recently came across this Joy Generator that may help you to kick off the process!

   Wishing you all a week of Joy and Happiness! 🩷☮️