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Saturday, 13 January 2018

Putting It All Together: (Almost) All You Need To Know About Happiness, Well-being And A Fulfilled Life




‘There is darkness and there is light. Remember, living is an art.’
                                               Henrik Ibsen (playwright and poet)


So, my friends, this is it: With a little delay due to technical problems, this is the last post of my charity challenge and it is time to say good-bye. My year as a blogger has been a great experience, and I hope that most of you have found the information on the blog interesting and helpful.

If there is one thing to take away from this year then it is that for most of us, long-term happiness is not something, which just happens to us when we are lucky (when there is light). Neither is it helpful to directly strive for happiness. Instead, a high level of well-being and high life satisfaction appear to result from engaging with the world outside us in certain ways. The posts that I have written over the last year include (almost) everything which is currently known about how this may be achieved; they included many evidence-based simple steps, tips, suggestions and techniques on how to become better at the art of living and live a Good Life, even when outside conditions become more difficult (when there is darkness). And although the blog is coming to an end, the information will continue to be available:

The website of this blog will remain freely accessible (Google allowing!), so if you have missed any posts, you can catch up on them directly on the blog website (https://followthegoodlifecampaign.blogspot.co.uk), or through the posts on the campaign’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TheGoodLifeCampaign).

Alternatively, for all of you who would like to have an all-in-one version, which you can keep safe for future reference, I have prepared a downloadable PDF file. This contains all posts in a chronological order, together with a table of contents and index. The link for the download can be found below.

Please feel free to download, save, print and share this ‘eBook’ with friends, family and colleagues. The download is free, but if it is at all possible for you, I would greatly welcome if you could leave a small donation for one of the wonderful charities that I am supporting with this blog as there is still a little way to go to reach the target. Any amount (even if it is just one Pound or one Euro) will be gratefully received. However, please do not donate again for the download if you have already been so generous to make a donation over the last 12 months!


The supported charities are:
World Veterinary Service  (improving animal welfare and veterinary training worldwide) 
International Rescue Committee (helping people in crisis areas to survive & rebuild their lives)
Donations can be made by clicking on the links above, which will take you to my JustGiving pages (donations can be made anonymously if you prefer). If you know me personally, you can also give me the donation directly and I will pass it on.

To view and download the PDF eBook click this link: PDFeBook

Before I say good-bye, I would like to thank you once again for following the blog, sending me great feedback, quotes and tips for material for the posts, as well as supporting the charities. It has been a truly remarkable year for me. I will remain available for any questions or comments so please feel free to contact me even after the blog ends, either by leaving a comment on the website, or by emailing thegoodlifecampaign@gmail.com.
So, it is now time to put it all together and take theory into practice: I hope that the posts from the blog will continue to resonate and inspire you to find a good way through the easier and more difficult times in your life. Maybe the blog has motivated you to read up more about one of the many topics which have been discussed, to re-prioritise your life, to live more mindfully and find different ways of looking at things, or to try out new habits and hobbies. You could start by looking at the book tips and favourite websites below.
Good-bye for now and live well,
Petra

And finally:
My personal book tips and favourite websites on the topic of well-being and more…

With a little delay, I would like to share my most favourite books and websites with you, which I had originally planned to include in last week’s post. It is difficult to pick from the large number of excellent books that I have read for this blog. The following books are a shortlist of the ones that I have found most enjoyable and/or informative.

Book tips:



General books about happiness and well-being:

  1. The Myths of Happiness: What should make you happy but doesn’t, what shouldn’t make you happy but does by Sonja Lyubomirsky is a great book, giving very practical evidence-based advice on which attitudes and behaviours may be helpful in different life situations. 
  2. Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth by Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener provides a comprehensive overview of all factors which are associated with happiness. 
  3. Positivity: Groundbreaking Research to Release Your Inner Optimist and Thrive by Barbara Fredrickson is another excellent book. It explains how to harness positive emotions not only help to make our life more enjoyable, but also to make us more resilient to adversity.


An important book about meaning in life:
  1. Man’s Search For Meaning by psychiatrist Victor E Frankl a classic book on the topic, which deserves a special category. The book includes an autobiographical account of Victor Frankl’s own experiences and observations during his imprisonment in concentration camps, as well as a more objective overview of the central role that a sense of meaning and purpose have for psychological well-being.


Books about the brain, well-being and resilience:
  1. Mindsight: Transform Your Brain with the New Science of Kindness by Daniel Siegel provides a detailed but easy-to-read explanation of the processes in our brain, which are important for our well-being and optimal functioning.
  2. Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and Well-being by Linda Graham also gives lots of in-depth but accessible information on the neuroscience of well-being, together with many practical tips and exercises in order to increase resilience.
  3. Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to use the neuroscience of fear to end anxiety, panic & worry by Catherine M Pittman and Elizabeth M Karle is another well-written book about anxiety and related issues, and how to deal with them.


Books helping you to learn more about yourself and others:
  1. Personality: What makes you the way you are by Daniel Nettle is a great book for anybody who would like to find out more about our inner characteristics, and the more positive and more negative aspects of individual traits. It is well written and helps you to understand yourself and others better.
  2. How To Deal With Difficult People: Smart Tactics For Overcoming The Problem People In Your Life by Gill Hasson is a book everybody should read if they have one or more difficult people in their lives! Although it is not strictly ‘evidence-based’, it provides very wise, practical and helpful advice.
  3. Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them by Joshua Greene is a great book for people interested in the question of what lies behind our moral decision making. It goes into great detail looking at moral principles and decisions from the psychological and neuroscientific, societal, political and philosophical level.
  4. Ten Types Of Human: A new understanding of who we are and who we can be by human rights lawyer Dexter Dias is a very accessible and well-written book on the topic of human nature. The book is a fascinating collage of personal stories interwoven with neuroscience and Human Rights Law.
  5. Schmerzgrenze: Vom Ursprung alltäglicher und globaler Gewalt by psychiatrist is a highly interesting book about the causes of aggression, on an interpersonal as well as societal level. Unfortunately, it appears to have only been published in German, which is a shame because the topic is as important as ever. A hugely informative book for anybody interested into the precise causes of aggression and violence- you may actually be surprised about some of the scientific findings!


A great book about increasing your sense of control in life:
  1. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity by David Allen could be described as life-transforming. It shows up very simple but effective ways of self-organisation, to allow you to be more in control of your time and direction in life.


Books about mindfulness and meditation:
  1. Full Catastrophe Living: How To Cope With Stress, Pain and Illness Using Mindfulness Meditation by the founder of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program Jon Kabat-Zinn is a book I really enjoyed reading. It explains the principles of mindfulness really well and in much detail. (Tip: Read the chapter on stress first).
  2. Mindfulness: A Practical Guide To Finding Peace In A Frantic World by Mark Williams and Danny Penman is another great choice if you are looking for an introduction to mindfulness. The book is written as a standalone 8-week mindfulness-based intervention program to practice at home (including free audio meditation instructions).
  3. The Science of Meditation: How to Change Your Brain, Mind and Body by Daniel Goleman and Richard J Davidson is for people who are specifically interested in the evidence behind meditation. It uncovers many myths but also many truths about the benefits and effects of meditation.



Links to great websites:



Donations- https://www.justgiving.com/teams/thegoodlifecampaign
Donations are in aid of the International Rescue Committee and the World Veterinary Service






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