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The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness with Dr. Edward Hallowell

In this episode of Live Happy Now we talk with child and adult psychiatrist and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Edward Hallowell on the steps parents can take to help their children become happier as adults. Dr. Hallowell graduated from Harvard College and Tulane School of Medicine and was a faculty member at Harvard Medical School from 1983 to 2004. He has authored twenty books on various psychological topics including the power of the human connection, methods of forgiving others, dealing with worry, managing excessive busyness and the childhood roots of happiness. What you'll learn in this podcast: The five steps in childhood that lead to happiness in adulthood The common mistake adults make with finding happiness Strategies for creating and sustaining lifelong joy Links and resources mentioned in this episode: Free download: Five Steps to Help Create and Sustain Lifelong Joy Follow Dr. Hallowell on Facebook and Twitter Listen to Dr. Hallowell's podcast Distraction Purchase Driven to Distraction at Work Thank you to our partner—AARP Life Reimagined!

More tips on tidying up from decluttering expert Marie Kondo

Reading

Marie Kondo’s New De-cluttering Book Sparks Joy

“Only keep items that spark joy” is the basic tenet of Marie Kondo, the Japanese decluttering guru whose first book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, has sold more than 2.2 million copies. Last May, I wrote about applying the “KonMari Method” to my closet. All these months later, I’m still finding it a lot easier to get dressed. Every garment on my hangers—facing the same direction of course—is something that I enjoy wearing, and is free of wrinkles, moth holes and stains. The life-changing magic of origami underwear Now Marie has a second book out: Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up is a detailed dive into her techniques. Here, she provides diagrams of her edict to “fold clothes like origami.” The method begins with gazing intently at your T-shirt, undies or socks to “find the rectangular shape within it” and then taking the pieces on the outside of that rectangle and folding them inside it. Done properly you end up with perfectly smooth compact rectangles that you can stand upright in your drawers. Before you store the garments, Kondo advises performing a test. Place each garment upright on the floor. If it doesn’t fall over when you remove your hand, it’s ready to be stored. If it collapses—a likely outcome for the first few hundred tries—the folds need readjusting. (Between you and me, the underwear in my lingerie drawers look nothing like macaroons standing upright in a French pastry shop, as Marie describes.) Unclog the chi (energy) in your entire house In Spark Joy, Marie also offers guidance on tidying up other areas of your home and office, including kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, children’s toys, laundry supplies, books, paper and what she calls sentimental items. She can be a stern taskmaster. If you’re holding on to a school uniform from your blissful academy days, she suggests you try wearing it and “lose yourself in memories of your youth.” (It doesn’t seem to occur to the lithe Marie that you might not actually be able to fit into the decades-old uniform.) “Most of my clients who do this come to their senses and discard it,” she says. And she likewise suggests getting rid of mementos from past loves—gifts, letters, photo-booth strips—especially if you’re hoping to develop a relationship with someone new. Thank these items for the wonderful memories, she suggests, “and part with them with gratitude.” Tidying up, Marie says, is more than surface deep. It can be transformative. And you begin to really enjoy your life. Want to get started? Here are the six basic steps: 1. Commit to tidying up Marie doesn’t underestimate the amount of effort her program requires. She says it will take six hours to tidy up your desk alone. But, as she points out, the average person spends about 30 minutes a day searching for things, while the chronically messy can waste as much as two hours a day. 2. Visualize your ideal home Find a photo in a magazine that captures the kind of house you want to live in. “When you imagine your ideal lifestyle,” Marie writes, “you are actually clarifying why you want to tidy,” and it can represent a huge turning point in your life. 3. Discard first Before you begin to store anything, decide what you’re going to toss out or give away to clear out the space. 4. Tidy by category, not location Don’t think of tidying up your bedroom or office. When people work room by room, all we end up doing is shuffling stuff from one area of the home to another. Instead, gather all your clothes, books or papers from all areas of your home; discard what you don’t need, then reorganize and store the rest. 5. Go in order Go category by category in this sequence: clothes, books, paper, miscellany and, finally, sentimental items. (You don’t want to touch those old love letters and other nostalgic trinkets until you’ve perfected the art of discarding clothes, books and papers first.) 6. Ask yourself if it sparks joy This is the key to Marie’s method. Hold each item firmly in both hands and ask yourself if it sparks joy. “When something sparks joy, you should feel a little thrill, as if the cells in your body are slowly rising,” she says. “When you hold something that doesn’t bring you joy, however, you will notice that your body feels heavier.” And, remember, you’re not choosing what to discard, but what to keep. Shelley Levitt is an editor at large for Live Happy.

International Day of Happiness in Renton, WA

Practice

Happy Days Are Here

The joy was in full bloom as people around the globe celebrated the International Day of Happiness. More than 70 cities hosted events and activities built around Live Happy’s #HappyActs Walls, where people could post a card that explained how they share happiness. (For each card posted, Live Happy donated $1 to that area’s Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter.) From Brazil to Honolulu—and many points in between—activities including live music, student performances, line dancing, face painting, interactive art events and more helped make the day fun, whether it was in New York City, Detroit, Los Angeles, Cincinnati or Dallas. In New York City, observance of the happiest day of the year began early with a panel discussion at the United Nations on March 17 about well-being and gender equality. Following the U.N. panel, Live Happy CEO and Co-Founder Deborah K. Heisz hosted a fireside chat in the U.N. Bookshop about her new book, Live Happy: Ten Practices for Choosing Joy. And, just in time for the International Day of Happiness, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network released its 2016 World Happiness Report. The annual report, based on a survey of 156 countries, found that the U.S. had jumped up two spots in its overall happiness rankings, now landing at No. 13 worldwide. And, at celebrations all across the country, that happiness showed. Waves of happiness in Manhattan Beach Derek Edmonds, a Manhattan Beach, California, fire captain for more than two decades, knows what a joyful place this surf-side city is on sunny Sunday afternoons in spring. But even he was dazzled by the buckets of bliss he witnessed when he paid a visit in his firetruck to the Happiness Wall at the playground of the Manhattan Beach Middle School. “Look at all this!” he exclaimed. He opened his arms to embrace a scene that included brightly costumed girls from the local Le Petit Cirque troupe walking on stilts; kids gleefully slurping snow cones, riding their tricycles or having their faces painted; and families wearing oversized orange or purple glasses posing for photos in front of the wall, the youngsters clutching balloons or blowing bubbles. “I can’t imagine being anywhere else today,” Derek said. Neither could Sherri Saum, a star of the family TV drama The Fosters. “We can all use a little more happiness in our lives,” she said. “It’s a simple concept but a powerful one.” The mom of twin 2-year-old sons pledged to “fill my house with music” and “make a point each day to create a life of meaning and joy.” Jeryl Prescott, an actress who’s been a frequent guest star on hit shows like Madame Secretary, Ray Donovan and The Walking Dead, came here with her 10- and 12-year-old sons. Before she turned to acting, Jeryl had earned a Ph.D. in literature and taught at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Her happy act reflects her lifelong passion for education: “Teaching, learning and sharing with diverse populations.” After posting their Happy Acts, many thirsty celebrators, including Mayor Mark Burton, made a stop at the lemonade stand that benefited the local Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. Big Brother Jackson Marshall had pledged that he would be “smiling more at everyone and making jokes that bring laughter to others.” But it was two little girls, 8-year-old Rachel and Maren, 7, who shared what was probably the truest way to spread happiness. “Letting anyone play with me,” Rachel had written on the card she posted to the Happiness Wall. “Some people don’t have anyone to play with them,” she explained. Kids who are shunned by others are welcome to join Rachel in jump rope or four square, her two favorite games. A few minutes later, Maren wrote she would spread happiness by “including everyone.” When she sees a little girl or boy standing alone during recess, she poses a question that can stand as an example of generosity to us all: “Do you want to play with me?” Smiles for umbrellas in Cincinnati Chilly temperatures and a wet, windy day didn’t dampen the spirits of those who came out to celebrate at Fountain Square in Cincinnati. Although rains swept through the area just as the event was about to begin, the small crowd simply huddled together under tents and waited for the weather to clear. “Even with the rain and the cold, we had an awesome day of sharing and spreading happiness in Cincinnati,” said Susan Holt, wall captain and co-chair of the Cincinnati event. “Lots of smiles and laughs! I was grateful to be part of such a wonderful day.” When the rains eased to a drizzle, cheerleaders from Shroder Paideia High School performed, leading the entire crowd in a cheer, “We are HAPPY!” “Big John” Drury, the “Dancin’ Trucker,” fired up the music and led everyone in a line dance that began with Walk the Moon’s hit, “Shut Up and Dance,” then led into Pharrell Williams’ hit song, “Happy.” “It might be cold and wet, but that’s no reason not to dance,” Big John said with his ever-present smile. Who Dey, the mascot for the Bengals, joined the party, much to the delight of the crowd. He gave out hugs and posed for pictures, then he and Big John decided it was time for more dancing and took over the square to show off their moves. Judi Winall, a certified laughter yoga instructor, wasn’t about to let the weather keep the crowd from laughing. “You can’t help but have fun when doing laughter yoga, regardless of the conditions around you, because it’s about unconditional laughter,” said Judi. She led the group, including Who Dey, in a spirited and hilarious session of laughter yoga. Laughter yoga led to, of course, more dancing, and the drum line from Withrow University High School also joined in the fun, showing off their skills on the skins and drawing more intrigued passersby. While the day didn’t go exactly as planned, Susan and her co-chair, Mary Miller, agreed that they had accomplished what they set out to do: raise awareness about the International Day of Happiness and bring more joy to the city. “It was great to spread happiness, even when the weather did not cooperate,” Mary said. “That happens in life, and it is so much better to be focused on the result rather than the circumstances.”

Self-Care

Two Nutrients You Can’t Live Without

I’m a psychiatrist, and a few years back, I changed how I practice medicine. A new class of medications was causing a series of side effects for the patients in our clinic. While these medications were often necessary prescriptions, patients began to gain weight at an alarming rate and frequently developed diabetes and high blood pressure. Healthy eating and exercise were major interests in my personal life, and I’d been a vegetarian for about a decade, but I hadn’t been talking to my patients about food and lifestyle choices. Food became a focus of my work. Increasingly curious about what my patients ate, I was also determined to find out what I should advise them to eat based on scientific evidence. The power of nutrients I started reading about the recent advances in the science of nutrition, and felt foolish as I realized that the standard advice I was offering—“don’t eat cholesterol or fat”—was both scientifically wrong and woefully inadequate. I also learned that my vegetarian diet wasn’t likely the healthiest. In my new book, Eat Complete: The 21 Nutrients That Fuel Brainpower, Boost Weight Loss, and Transform Your Health, I identify the 21 nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, plant-based phytonutrients and health-promoting bacteria) that are essential for the health of our bodies and brains. I’ve selected them based on science and on the reality that Americans are missing a number of key nutrients in their diets. The simple and scary truth is that the majority of people eat a diet lacking the most important nutrients for health. Let’s look at just two of those nutrients and why you require them. ZINC Zinc, a mineral, is key to your immune function (your body’s defense system that protects you from infections, cancer and excess inflammation). Zinc is one of the main reasons you need to eat seafood or meat to get all the 21 vital nutrients (“eat complete”). Plants contain zinc, but they hold on to it quite tightly—so tightly that you don’t absorb much. And while grains contain zinc, 80 percent of that zinc is lost when grains are refined, which is one of several reasons that you should always eat whole grains. While doctors routinely check for the levels of many minerals, they do not test for zinc because it is nearly impossible to diagnose low levels of it. Stress can cause zinc levels to drop, as can illness and heavy exercise. The symptoms of zinc deficiency are very diverse because zinc is central to so many functions—your immune system, your ability to burn fats and carbohydrates and even the ability for your cells to divide. Zinc is so crucial to your health that if you are deficient in it, you also become functionally deficient in vitamin A and folate, two of the other 21 essential nutrients, as zinc is needed for those substances to be effective. Taking too much zinc in supplement form can impair immune function and cause gastrointestinal distress—all the more reason to get the zinc that you need from the food that you eat. VITAMIN B12 (COBALAMIN) B12 is one of two vitamins that predict the rate of how fast your brain shrinks as you age. It’s a depressing thought, but all brains eventually shrink as you grow older. To slow that shrinkage, maximize your absorption of vitamin B12 by keeping the stomach and gut healthy, and eat the most concentrated sources of B12. Low levels of vitamin B12 can cause irreversible damage to brain and nerve cells at any age. And an actual B12 deficiency causes depression, anemia and even psychotic symptoms such as extreme paranoia or hearing voices. B12 deficiency is common in many populations, with vegans and vegetarians at the greatest risk as meat and animal products such as dairy are the only sources of B12. Vegans must take supplements, and vegetarians must rely on dairy and/or supplements. Deficiency is also common in people over 50, as some people produce less stomach acid as they age, and this is a crucial element for B12 absorption from food. Acid reflux medications also decrease acid production and interfere with the body’s ability to absorb B12. Listen to our podcast with Dr. Drew: Happier With Every Bite Zinc Facts Amount you should eat per day: Women, 8 milligrams; men, 11 milligrams. Insufficient dietary intake: 42% of U.S. population. Deficiency risk factors: Vegetarian diet, pregnancy and lactation, and heavy alcohol use. Diuretic medication can increase excretion by the kidney by 60 percent. Top five food sources: Oysters (413% of your Recommended Daily Allowance can be found in six oysters), steak (175% in one 5-ounce steak), sesame seeds (34% in ¼ cup), pumpkin seeds (31% in ¼ cup) and ground turkey (23% in 3 ounces). B12 Facts Amount you should eat per day: 2.4 micrograms for women and men. Insufficient dietary intake: 20% of U.S. population and 73% of vegans have blood levels that are deficient or insufficient. Top 5 food sources: Clams (1,401% of the Recommended Daily Allowance can be found in 3 ounces), beef liver (1,178% in 3 ounces), mussels (833% in 3 ounces), sardines (338% in 3 ounces), crab (127% in 3 ounces), trout (106% in 3 ounces) and wild salmon (82% in 3 ounces). Dr. Drew Ramsey is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Drew uses the latest findings in brain science to help people live their healthiest, happiest lives. His forthcoming book, due out in April, is Eat Complete: The 21 Nutrients That Fuel Brainpower, Boost Weight Loss, and Transform Your Health.

Self-Care

How to Give Advice

I was recently at lunch with a group of friends when one of them mentioned that her struggle to balance work and family was leaving her unhappy and grumpy. Specifically, she realized she had started taking her frustration out on her husband and children. At this point in the conversation, it seemed clear that she needed some advice on how to better reduce stress and find balance. Because I’m a psychotherapist and relationship expert, I chimed in. As I began to make some suggestions, she brushed me off in an insulted tone and told me that the way she was handling the situation (being chronically grouchy to her family) was just fine. That moment was very awkward, as we all got quiet at the table. After lunch, a few of us exchanged a flurry of text messages, trying to figure out what had happened. Sometimes we want to give our friends good advice, but deciding whether or not to offer it and how far to push it is a challenge.We do not want to offend our friends by telling them what they are doing wrong in a situation, yet we do not want to sit by and watch them make a mistake that could be harmful to themselves or others. Advice etiquette How does one determine whether or not to offer advice? In my opinion, there are a few factors that need to be weighed: How close is your relationship with that person? How much damage will be done if you do not try to step in? How open is the person to receiving advice? It is also important to keep in mind that adults are entitled to make their own decisions and that sometimes we will not agree with those decisions. If you are in a sticky advice-giving situation, try following the plan suggested by a researcher named Bo Feng at UC Davis. Feng conducted a study in which he determined that Americans, as a culture, are in need of support and reassurance if they are to successfully receive advice. Specifically, he found that those of us who want to give advice need to 1) show emotional support to the recipient, and 2) provide justification for the advice. He found this to be particularly true if the advice was not asked for by the recipient. Rethinking the situation If I were to follow his method, here's how I would have handled the situation differently with my friend at lunch: I would make a plan to talk to her privately and let her know how much I care for her and her family, and that I realize how difficult it is to juggle work and home life (this is the emotional support part). I would then let her know that I had been thinking about our conversation at lunch and realized that, even though she felt like her husband and kids could handle her treating them in a less than kind way, it is not healthy for any of them. I would let her know that she would be better off relieving her stress by taking a walk, giving back to others, joining a gym or engaging in a favorite hobby. Her family would be more supportive and understanding of her if she did not take her problems out on them (this is the justification part). I would then hope that my advice would make a positive impact. If she were still not open to my suggestions, I would default to the following list of suggestions: 1. Offer support Let her know that, if at any time she wants my support, advice or help in anyway, I will be there. 2. Be empathetic Let her know that I understand how she is feeling and do my best to relate to her emotional experience. (Sometimes people will realize that they need to change how they are thinking if someone is there in a supportive way.) 3. Share Sometimes if you share a similar experience, that person is more likely to hear what she is doing incorrectly. 4. Try not to run an agenda Keep in mind that this is her life, not mine. What might be right for me may not be right for her. 5. Stay connected She is still my friend, and I will continue to be there for her. *** If none of these strategies work, there are times when you simply need to walk away. Not everyone is open to our advice, no matter how expert or helpful it may be. Stacy Kaiseris a licensed psychotherapist, author, relationship expert and media personality. She is also the author of the best-selling book,How to Be a Grown Up: The Ten Secret Skills Everyone Needs to Know, and an editor-at-large for Live Happy. Stacy is a frequent guest on television programs such asTodayandGood Morning America.

Reading

7 Books to Spark Your Career Reboot

We spend so much of our lives at work. When you dread your job and you find yourself clock-watching, that unhappiness can easily spill over to life outside of work. Whether you are in need of a career shift or a complete makeover, here are seven amazing books to change your work life. Turn your passion into your profession. Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business By Charles Duhigg Journalist Charles Duhigg explores how you can get more done without having to sacrifice what you care about most. Strengthen your internal locus of control (self-accountability). Researchers have found that this sense of personal responsibility is correlated with academic success, higher self-motivation, lower incidences of stress and depression and a longer life span. Practice this learned skill by taking actions that put you in control and express your values. Are You Fully Charged? The 3 Keys to Energizing Your Work and Life By Tom Rath Create meaning with small wins each day. Your greatest potential for growth and development lies in the area where you already have natural talent. Double down on your talents and spend your time doing what you can do better than anyone in the world. Practice, build your skills and your knowledge. Create positive experiences with the people who mean the most to you. How you eat, move and sleep are all essential to having more energy throughout the day. Make sure you are doing all three well in order to be your best for work, your family and your friends. The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant To Do By Jeff Goins Live a life that matters by discovering what you were born and meant to do. This book will help you get on the path to your life’s work. Jeff writes that knowing our passion is just the beginning, and that figuring out your purpose is also about where your interests intersect and connect with the needs of the world. We can live for a larger purpose when we are brave enough to try. Do Over: Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work, and Never Get Stuck By Jon Acuff Need a career do-over? Whether you are 22 or 62, you already have everything you need for an amazing career. Jon Acuff writes that all great careers have four elements in common: relationships, skills, character and hustle. Find out how to amplify each of these areas to reinvent your work and get unstuck. You can even rescue your Mondays as you discover how to work toward the job you’ve always wanted. The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Control of Your Life By Bernard Roth Discover how to use design thinking to fulfill goals and overcome obstacles that hinder you from reaching your potential. Achievement can be learned. It’s a muscle, and once you learn how to flex it, you’ll be able to meet life’s challenges and fulfill your goals. Build resiliency by reinforcing what you do rather than what you accomplish. Soon you will say goodbye to excuses, and see yourself as a doer and achiever. Workplace Wellness that Works: 10 Steps to Infuse Well-Being and Vitality into Any Organization By Laura Putnam Discover how to promote an overall culture of well-being throughout your organization. Based on the latest research using real-world examples, this guide provides employers with the tools to make a difference in their employees' health and happiness. Learn how to assess your organization's needs and craft a plan that actually benefits employees by empowering them to make better choices. Love Your Job: The New Rules for Career Happiness By Kerry Hannon Learn how to identify the little things that make work enjoyable and engaging. You won’t have to watch the clock anymore to get through workday doldrums. Kerry Hannon focuses on the little things that can make a big difference in how we feel about work. Invigorate your day by challenging old routines, learning new habits and changing your thought patterns. Celebrate small successes and get an entrepreneurial mindset. Possibilities await you. Sandra Bilbray is a regular contributor to Live Happy and the founder and CEO of TheMediaConcierge.net.

Reading

Write Your Way to Insight

Try these 5 writing exercises to prime yourself for action, empathy and optimism. Research shows the simple technique of “expressive writing” (see the feature article in the June 2016 issue of Live Happy magazine) can make you happier, healthier and more resilient. But that’s not the only way to create a more joyful life story. Here are five writing assignments to try when you want to spark your creativity, reimagine your future and shake up your present. 1. Describe yourself in 24 words Experts recommend you start with 24 words, then narrow it down to 12 words, then to six, to three and, finally, to a single word. Writing workshop leader Amber Flame includes this exercise in the classes she leads at the Washington Corrections Center for Women. Inmates might begin with a list that includes words like “cook,” “brown skin,” “curly hair,” “mother,” “guilty” and end up with a single word like “survivor.” “It’s a good beginning exercise for people who are uncomfortable writing,” Amber says. “Anybody can do it. But simple as it is, it’s also profound and helps us zero in on how we define our life.” Amber says she does the exercise herself every few months “as a spiritual check-in” and finds the words she chooses change each time. 2. Imagine your best possible self Picture a future in which everything has gone as well as it possibly could. You have worked hard and succeeded in achieving all your life dreams. Now, suggests psychologist Timothy Wilson, author of Redirect: Changing the Stories We Live By, write down what you’ve just envisioned. “Be sure to include how you realized your goals (say, by going back to school for a graduate degree). By focusing your story on the practical steps you took, “you might become more optimistic about your future and cope better with any obstacles you encounter.” 3. Write a “joy letter” about someone important in your past or current life In this gratitude exercise, integrative health coach John Evans, Ed.D., suggests that you devote 20 minutes to describing your relationship with the person you are celebrating, including joyous, wonderful experiences you have shared. “Recall how you felt, what you thought, what you said, what others said to you and where you were,” John says. “How do you feel about that person now? How do you wish to feel about them in the future.” The letter is for you only; don’t worry about sending it unless, after rereading the letter a few days later, you think it would be beneficial for you and the other person. 4. Pose the “if”question In 2008, Seattle police officer Kim Bogucki began asking the inmates at the Washington Corrections Center for Women a critical question: “If there was something someone could have said or done that would have changed the path that led you here, what would it have been?” The women’s responses were raw and affecting: "If someone would have told me that I was special.” “If someone had stopped the abuse.” “If someone had told me I’d never see my kids grow up.” As women wrote and shared their “What if” essays, they were able to experience compassion for themselves and for each other and to begin to heal. You don’t need to be in prison, of course, to benefit from this exercise; it’s never too late to identify the “if” that was missing from your life and find ways to provide it for yourself or seek it from others. (Look for the documentary “The IF Project” on the Logo TV network this summer.) 5. Write about something that’s troubling you from the third-person By switching from the “I” voice to he or she, you’ll gain distance, perspective and insight into a conflict—a recent argument with a friend—or your frustrations in trying to find a new job or a relationship. Adopting the voice of an impartial narrator may feel awkward at first but stick with it. The exercise can lead you to feel empathy for someone else’s point of view and can help you see your own behavior with more objectivity. Shelley Levitt is an editor at large for Live Happy.

Podcast

The Mindfulness Edge with Matt Tenney

In this episode of Live Happy Now, we discover why mindfulness can be considered the ultimate success habit. Matt Tenney is author of The Mindfulness Edge: How to Rewire Your Brain for Leadership and Personal Excellence Without Adding to Your Schedule. Through keynote speeches and training programs, Matt works to develop highly effective leaders who achieve extraordinary, long-term business outcomes and live more fulfilling lives. What you'll learn in this podcast: How to realize greater happiness by enriching relationships How to take advantage of each moment How to enjoy the chaos of a busy mind How to realize unconditional happiness Links and resources mentioned in this episode: Download a free chapter from The Mindfulness Edge Follow Matt on Twitter Purchase a copy of The Mindfulness Edge Thank you to our partner—AARP Life Reimagined!

Self-Care

Floating Toward Happiness

When Trey Hearn’s brother, Chris, told him about floating, it sounded like a great way to offset back pain. But the brothers, both Air Force veterans, soon discovered there were many other benefits. “I had never been in a place where I had no outside stimuli to distract me,” Trey says. “Floating isn’t just about what it does to your body, it’s what it does to your brain. “I walked out of there completely different than when I went in.” Using a darkened tank filled with skin-temperature water and hundreds of pounds of salt, floating creates a complete sensory deprivation environment—and it’s getting a fresh look from both brain researchers and the medical community these days. The salt creates buoyancy to simulate a zero-gravity environment, and free of light, sound and other distractions, supporters claim it provides physical, mental and emotional rejuvenation. Studies show it lowers cortisol levels, decreases blood pressure and is successful in treating chronic pain. “I call it the ultimate ‘reset’ button,” says Justin Feinstein, Ph.D., clinical neuropsychologist at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “All the technology and this 24/7 connection we have today actually increases our levels of stress and anxiety. Floating is a great way to disconnect.” Justin, who specializes in treating anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, has seen such positive results from floating that he spearheaded the creation of the Float Clinic and Research Center at the brain research institute. The float center, which opened last year, is the first in the world to use fMRI technology to study how the brain reacts to floating (an fMRI detects metabolic changes in the brain, whereas the MRI basically detects anatomical changes). Currently, Sweden leads the world in floating research, where it is studied not only for anxiety and addiction but for depression and long-term, stress-related pain. One recent Swedish research project showed that patients who floated enjoyed better sleep, felt more optimistic and showed increases in the hormone prolactin, which bolsters the immune system and helps regulate metabolism. Other studies show it can reduce phobias, and there are reams of both scientific and anecdotal evidence about its relaxation benefits. Right now, we’re seeing a resurgence in float centers, but I’m one of the only (U.S.) scientists actively researching it,” Justin says. “What we need is a lot more science to show what it’s doing for the brain, because the outcomes are there. I hope in five years it has its own medical journal.” A new look at old science The idea of floating actually goes back to the mid-1950s, when a neuroscientist and psychoanalyst named John C. Lilly created isolation tanks to study the effects of sensory deprivation. His experimentation often overlapped his personal drug use, which Justin says compromised his validity to the scientific community. Scientists picked up the research again in the 1970s, with Peter Suedfeld and Roderick Borrie of the University of British Columbia conducting experiments on the therapeutic benefits of flotation tanks. They introduced the term Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy or REST, and today Peter continues researching and speaking on the positive effects of REST. Around the same time, Thomas Fine of the department of psychiatry at the Medical College of Ohio (now University of Toledo) began his research into floating, and in 1978 he co-created a Floatation REST research program at the college. He has since published numerous research papers on the benefits of flotation therapy, focusing primarily on the psychophysiological and endocrine changes related to floating and its effects on stress-related disorders. Thanks to the influx of new research, floating enjoyed moderate popularity in the 1970s and ’80s, then faded. Justin says a changed public consciousness, backed by renewed scientific awareness, is responsible for the current resurgence. “It’s only been in the last couple of years that public interest came back,” he says. “If I had to speculate, I would say that is because we are in the midst of a mindful revolution. This is part of the wave of present moment awareness and the desire for mindfulness. This is an extreme form of mindfulness.” An end to anxiety? Floating sessions are typically 60 to 90 minutes long, and during that time, the lack of sound, light and even tactile sensations allows the brain to completely relax. In that relaxed state, it moves from the busy Beta state to Alpha and, finally, begins producing low-frequency Theta waves, which are the brainwaves produced during REM sleep. Typically, it takes years of meditation practice to reach this state while awake; in floating, it normally occurs after about 30 minutes. “There are interoceptive paths that give our brain a quick readout of the state of our body,” Justin explains, adding that individuals with PTSD or anxiety show disruptions in the normal pathways of the brain. Essentially the amygdala, that part of the brain responsible for the “fight or flight” response, makes a habit of remaining hypervigilant and producing feelings of fear and anxiety. To correct those disturbances, Justin found, “we had to remove the distractions of the external world.” For many years, Justin tried teaching meditation to PTSD patients as a way to calm the mind and begin correcting disrupted brain paths, but he found it unsuccessful because patients were easily distracted. When he discovered floating, he realized he had found the perfect environment. The dark, quiet tank allows patients to reach the deep state of meditation required to begin correcting disrupted brain processes. Floating’s calming effect substantially diminishes anxiety, and repeated studies have shown that the effect remains even after the session has ended. One recent study indicates that four months after concluding a series of 12 float sessions, patients maintained a significant reduction in stress and anxiety. “Anxiety is nearly twice as common as depression, and 40 million Americans suffer from some form of it,” Justin says. “This is an incredible way to bring the brain back to normal function.” Giving back to veterans Trey and Chris Hearn became such firm believers in the benefits of floating that they opened Float Brothers Float Spa in Florida in January. Two of the four float pods are geared specifically to military clients, and those who present a documented medical diagnosis of PTSD are allowed to float free of charge. “Being part of that community, and knowing so many people who are affected by PTSD, we wanted to see what we could do to give back to them,” Trey explains. “Our hope is that, considering all the research that’s being done on it, it will become a certified therapy that psychiatrists and doctors can write a prescription for. Based on the amount of medical research that is being done, I truly believe that’s where we’re headed.” Floating for wellness Not everyone who floats does it to treat anxiety or other disorders, of course. Floating is emerging as a spa experience that allows clients to disconnect, decompress and recharge, as well as a clinical experience for those who have specific physical or emotional challenges they want to address. It has gained favor with celebrities including Susan Sarandon and former Fear Factor host Joe Rogan, the latter of whom claims that floating has made him a “totally different human being” and now airs podcasts touting its benefits. The Australian Institute of Sport, a sports training institution for high performance athletes, uses a flotation tank to aid in recovery as well as promote relaxation and sleep for its clients. The Epsom salt alone has many medical benefits; the National Academy of Sciences reports that most of us are magnesium-deficient, and soaking in the salt lets your body absorb magnesium. Improved levels of magnesium boost the body’s ability to use insulin and regulate electrolytes—and also help relieve stress, improve circulation and ease muscle pain. Unleashing creativity Many centers around the globe now promote floating as part of corporate wellness programs, citing such benefits as greater relaxation, increased productivity and enhanced creativity. While it has proved helpful for the busy business mind, musicians, writers and artists also find that floating helps get their creative juices flowing. Many experience vivid imagery during their float sessions, and Eric Camper, a computer animator who opened Float Source in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2014, compares it to “dreaming in high definition.” He is presently organizing a project with other animators to see how floating affects their work. Good Floatations, a float center in Boise, Idaho, even started the Floating Artist Project to study how floating affects artists’ creativity, not only in the tank but afterward. A study by the research team of Deborah Forgays and the late Donald G. Forgays of the University of Vermont used three different measurement tools to study the effect of floating on creativity. Their work showed a dramatic increase in creativity scores among a group that floated, while a control group of non-floaters who were left in a dark, quiet environment showed no change. The complete solitude of the tank, combined with the weightlessness created by the high salt content and the silent darkness, allows the brain to temporarily disengage from everyday thoughts and stimuli and deeply relax. With no signals from the brain to be active and “on call,” the body quickly follows suit. Referencing other studies that “provide positive evidence for the enhancement of the creativity process,” Deborah and Donald also observed that floating not only increased the subjects’ creativity scores, but lowered their levels of anxiety, tension, depression and fatigue—all of which are known creativity zappers. “It puts you in a brainwave state that enhances creativity,” explains Alex Ziegler, co-owner of the Northwest Float Center in Tacoma, Washington. “The great thing about floating is, across the board, it just has so many benefits. Once people try it, they tend to fall in love with it.” Paula Felps is the Science Editor for Live Happy.

Self-Care

90 Days Later

After months of intensive coaching on a variety of issues, Live Happy staffers check in to share how things went. Like pretty much everyone, we staffers at Live Happymagazine saw the 2016 New Year as a time to swap bad habits for good ones. Kim struggled with anxiety that put a damper on her otherwise sunny personality. Shelley’s insomnia had been undermining her energy for far too long. Donna, hardworking and conscientious, couldn’t unplug—she was looking at emails when she stopped for red lights! Chris felt like he was drifting along without a clear sense of his priorities and goals. And I was puzzling over how to communicate with a rebellious teenage daughter. None of us knew how to begin to tackle our problems, but we knew that where there was challenge there was opportunity. We realized that if we reached out to experts and asked them to coach us for an intensive three months, we could not only help ourselves but also our Live Happy readers. Are you just now learning about our “90 Days to a Happier You” project? Not to worry: Both we staffers and our coaches blogged about our progress and setbacks all along the way, and if you have any of the issues we did—with anxiety, sleep problems, unplugging, goal-setting or communicating with a loved one—you can get amazing advice from some of the country’s top experts. Meanwhile, here’s how the five of us from Live Happymagazine are doing. Challenge 1: Unplugging From Work Who: Donna Stokes, executive editor Coach: Christine Carter, Ph.D., sociologist and senior fellow at University of California, Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center; author of The Sweet Spot: How to Find Your Groove at Home and Work Donna, the executive editor of the magazine, can get hundreds of emails in just a few hours. Christine taught Donna to change her habits and set boundaries so that Donna could feel less overwhelmed and more able to relax. Learning to stay away from email for a set three-hour stretch of her workday (from 1 to 4 p.m.) enables Donna to do the in-depth editing work she so enjoys. Donna used to eat lunch at her desk while she worked; Christine urged her to go to our break room and leave her phone in her office (now we editors and designers eat together thanks to Donna’s initiative). Most importantly, on the weekends, Donna is spending more time with her husband and on their favorite hobby—hang gliding! Challenge 2: Anxiety Who: Kim Baker, art director Coach: Karen Cassiday, Ph.D., president of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America and managing director of the Anxiety Treatment Center of Greater Chicago With Karen’s help, Kim discovered that most of her anxiety was coming from her perfectionism. When our deadline crunch time approached, she would spend so much time trying to make the art for just one story flawless that the work piled up and sent her into a spiral of anxiety. Karen put Kim through a series of exercises that helped her challenge her perfectionist thinking and now Kim is less stressed both at work and at home. At the end of the 90 days, Kim had gained confidence in her ability to manage her worry without the wise counsel of either her friends or Dr. Google. Challenge 3: Setting and Reaching Goals Who: Chris Libby, section editor Coach: Caroline Miller, MAPP, author of Creating Your Best Life: The Ultimate Life List Guide Chris wanted more time for exercise and for his wife and young daughter, but it was tough because of the demanding jobs both he and his wife have. Thanks to Caroline’s coaching and Chris’ commitment, he is now getting up earlier three days a week to run—and he will reach his goal of running a half marathon this month! Because he is exercising early in the morning, he feels more energized at work and relaxed at night with his family. Chris also set 10-year goals and now has a blueprint for a happy future. Challenge 4: Communicating With a Loved One Who: Me (Susan Kane), contributing editor Coach: Michele Gravelle, MA, communications strategist with Triad Consulting Group, founded by members of the Harvard Negotiation Project Teenagers push your buttons. I knew that, but I also knew deep down that my 13-year-old daughter, Coco, loved me just as I loved her. I thought I was doing a good job staying fairly calm no matter how rude or dismissive Coco was to me—so why did things seem to be getting worse rather than better? My coach Michele asked: Was it possible I was saying things with my body language and tone that I wasn’t saying with my words? I realized that my anger was, in Michele’s words, “leaking out.” Also, when I argued with Coco, Michele asked, was I stopping to think about things from Coco’s point of view? As Michele and I worked together over the months, I reflected often on how lost and sad and angry and rejected and scared I had felt at Coco’s age. When you love someone who is behaving hurtfully toward you, you can lash out. Or you can make another choice—because, as Michele said, “part of choosing happiness is choosing a different way to respond.” I stopped “leaking” toxic emotions. I started listening with my heart, not just my lizard brain. And though we still fight—we’re mother and daughter, after all—we are closer than ever. Challenge 5: Poor Sleep Who: Shelley Levitt, editor at large Expert: Michael Breus, Ph.D., board-certified sleep specialist and author of The Sleep Doctor's Diet Plan: Lose Weight through Better Sleep Shelley used to be up more hours of the night than she slept, and was constantly tired and irritable during the day. Michael told her that her internal body clock, or circadian rhythm, was out of sync with her natural sleep drive. To fix it, Shelley endured a difficult couple of weeks where Michael limited the hours of sleep she could have so that when she did conk out, she experienced the kind of deep, unbroken, restorative sleep she hadn’t had for years. Next, Michael had Shelley keep a detailed log of her daily and nightly habits until Shelley was practicing what sleep experts like Michael call “good sleep hygiene.” Going to bed and getting up at around the same time every night is key, as is limiting caffeine and—very importantly—dimming lights and turning off ultrabright television and computer screens well before bedtime, as these hyper-stimulating lights suppress melatonin, the brain chemical that allows us to snooze. Shelley is now sleeping through the night, and it has been a game changer for her. Susan Kane is a contributing editor for Live Happy.

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90 Days Later

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