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5 Ways To End Your Relationship With Stress

December 3, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Stress is not a physical thing you can go out and pick up or buy. Neither can you put it down or throw it away. Stress exists solely in your own mind as a response to things, people or actions in your environment. Stress happens when you react to a perceived threat, whether real or imagined, to your person or to resources you need to survive. You generate stress as a response to your environment, which means that it is completely within your means to reduce your stress. You have complete control over yourself and how your respond to things.

Here are five things that you can do to finally end your relationship with stress:

1. Learn To Say No

Time is a precious resource. You only have so much of it in a day, or a lifetime. Just because someone asks you to do something for them doesn’t mean you have to say yes. Saying no doesn’t mean you don’t like them or that they are not important to you. You are not saying no to them. You are saying yes to something else higher up your priority list. Saying no can be incredibly liberating and if people truly love you then they will understand when you respectfully decline. Work can be difficult to say no to because you depend on them for your paycheck. If they value you as a person and as an employee, they will understand if you have obligations outside of work that are important to you.

Saying no can be incredibly liberating and if people truly love you then they will understand when you respectfully decline. Work can be difficult to say no to because you depend on them for your paycheck. If they value you as a person and as an employee, they will understand if you have obligations outside of work that are important to you.

2. Face Your Fear

“Fear is the mind-killer, fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.” Frank Herbert knew what he was talking about when he wrote those lines. A little fear is a good thing and prevents us from doing really stupid stuff that could get us or others hurt, but fear has been used to manipulate you all your life through various forms of media. You fear not having enough money. You fear losing your job to someone else. Perhaps you fear criminals and terrorists on the other side of the globe.

Fear is the reason stress exists in the first place. Stress gets the mind and body ready to either face their fear or run from it. If you run, you will always be afraid. But if you face your fear and conquer it, then your stress goes away because now you know it cannot harm you. If you truly want to reduce your stress, then stare your fears down and deal with them before they overwhelm you.

Fear is the reason stress exists in the first place. Stress gets the mind and body ready to either face their fear or run from it. If you run, you will always be afraid. If you face your fear and conquer it, then your stress goes away because now you know it cannot harm you. So if you truly want to reduce your stress, then stare your fears down and deal with them before they overwhelm you.

3. Eliminate Negative Thoughts

Fear causes stress and negative thinking recirculates and reinforces those fears. Those negative thoughts and fears will chase each other around your head until you are overcome with panic. When you identify negative thoughts like, “I am going to fail” or “I am never getting out of this mess” you are one step closer to reducing your stress. Once you identify those thoughts, stop and call them out for what they are; irrational fears and self-doubt. Replace them with positive and courageous thoughts like, “I’ve got this.” or “I am going to get through this.” Be your own cheerleader. There are no unsolvable problems – just complex solutions. Once you look at your problems as just obstacles to be overcome instead of inescapable prisons, then your stress level will come down to a normal level.

Replace them with positive and courageous thoughts like, “I’ve got this.” or “I am going to get through this.” Be your own cheerleader. There are no unsolvable problems – just complex solutions. Once you look at your problems as just obstacles to be overcome instead of inescapable prisons, then your stress level will come down to a normal level.

4. Let’s Get Physical

Sex and exercise are both physical activities that are great at reducing stress hormones and releasing other hormones like dopamine that increase your mood. By getting physical exercise in, you can increase your heart rate and flush those stress hormones out of your body. Everyone has a different form of physical activity that works best for them. Find yours and watch your stress evaporate in a cloud of sweat.

5. Take Care of Mind and Body

The mind and the body are linked. Eating an unhealthy diet can cause physical disability or discomfort. When we are uncomfortable physically, we tend to get irritable mentally. When your body is healthy and well taken care of, then your mind tends to be more optimistic and positive in its outlook. Likewise, when you feel better emotionally, your body will be less tense, your heart rate and blood pressure will lower and your digestive tract will be more at ease. Both your mind and body have to be healthy and relaxed for your stress level to be reduced. If you want to live stress-free, then feed your body healthy food and your mind healthy thoughts.

Researchers Reveal Why Liars Keep Lying

December 3, 2016 by Lakeisha Ethans

Morally speaking, lying is a despicable action. And people hate being lied to. There’s nothing worse than talking to someone and not having the certainty that they are being truthful. As a society, we like to think we value truth. But that doesn’t reflect in how people actually behave. Even though most people know lying is condemnable, they still do it. Even though the ends can sometimes justify the means, engaging in repeated lies is still not good.

But lying is one of the most destructive behaviors people can engage in. It has the power to destroy even the strongest relationships. Once you catch someone in a lie, the trust you once had in them is broken. And it will never be the same, no matter how hard you try to mend it. Lies and deception give some people an unfair advantage over others. And we see this around us every day. We see con artists who make a living off naïve people’s backs.

Some see politicians who steal from the people they have vowed to protect. Others see parents lying to their children, which can make them believe no one they’ll ever meet is trustworthy. And it seems like, once you start lying, you never stop. Once you get used to getting what you want through deception, this behavior becomes second nature. Some people don’t understand why this happens. But there are simple scientific explanations as to why liars keep lying, even if they get caught.

Some of the reasons are defendable. But, most of the time, liars just keep lying for their own benefit.

Five Reasons Why Liars Keep Lying

1. The Brain Gets Used to It

One of the most common reasons why people lie is because lying can easily become a habit. Most people don’t want to engage in immoral behaviors. But no one can be completely truthful every second of their life. There are contexts in which people find that they need to tell a white lie or lie by omission. Also, some people just like lying, or do it because it benefits them. And even for these people, it can easily become a habit.

A study published in 2016 shows that the world has reached a point in which dishonesty is inherent to society. This is because, as people lie, the brain is affected. Lying becomes a habit as some parts of the brain get used to it. MRI scans have shown that there are changes in the amygdala (which is responsible for primal emotions) due to lying. The participants in the study were asked to consistently tell lies over a period of time. The scans showed that the amygdala was more stimulated at first.

This means that the participants initially felt bad about lying. But, as the experiment progressed, the amygdala was less and less stimulated. Lying was normalized as the brain got used to it. This suggests that lying is a slippery slope. You start with a few small lies, which desensitize the amygdala. Over time, you begin telling bigger lies and lying more frequently. Lying becomes a habit, and getting rid of that habit can be nearly impossible.

2. Liars Are Insecure

In 2016, researchers from Indiana University and Purdue University conducted a study to find out why people lie online. The study found that an overwhelming majority, around 90%, lied because of their appearance. Even though this study was about lying online, it still shows a general trend that can be associated with society.

The main reason why this happens more often online than in real life is that it’s easier to lie online. No one can know for sure if that’s how you look or not. This phenomenon is so common, that there’s even a term for it: catfishing.

Still, this study suggests that insecurities play a big role in the decision to lie. And this covers all insecurities, not just the ones related to appearance. People will lie about their knowledge, intellect, background, and more. There are many cases in which poor kids lie about where they live or what their parents do.

That’s because they are scared others won’t accept them for who they are. While this behavior is understandable, it’s still not moral. Sure, society should stop being judgemental and putting tons of pressure on individuals. But people should still learn to own who they are.

1. Some People Lie for the Benefit of Others

Until now, we have discussed the bad things that happen when liars keep lying. But there’s a special category of lies that are actually done for the benefit of society. Deontologically speaking, these lies are still immoral, and telling them is a slippery slope. Even from a utilitarian point of view, they are still morally ambiguous. That’s because it’s hard to determine which purpose is moral and which is not. Still, in some cases, prosocial lying can be beneficial. And people do it because they want to avoid hurting others.

One of the most common types of prosocial lies is white lies. Research shows that people start telling these lies from a very young age. A study published in 2015 involved an experiment in which kids were asked to grade an adult’s drawing. If the adult seemed to be indifferent about their drawing, the kids were more likely to give an honest opinion.

But if the adults showed pride in their art, the kids tended to reassure the adult, even if the drawing was bad. This behavior usually starts developing at around five years old and it carries into adulthood. As people grow up, they learn that there are certain social norms and expectations they have to adhere to. And many times, those norms can only be respected by altering the truth.

Lies of omission

Another common type of prosocial lies is lies by omission. This type of lie is not always used for the benefit of others. Sometimes, it’s just a way through which liars get an advantage by withholding information. But it can also be used to protect someone’s feelings. For example, if a colleague made a small error, you might choose to fix it without telling them about the mistake. Even though you withheld information, you did it to not hurt their feelings.

Lastly, people can use a combination of these two types of lies to protect others from facing repercussions. This is common amongst people who care deeply about each other. Many people take the responsibility for their younger siblings’ actions so that they don’t get punished. Or parents take the blame for their children’s missteps because they know they can face the backlash.

Final Thoughts on Some Reasons Why Liars Keep Lying

As a concept, lying is despicable and immoral. And most liars keep lying just to get something. But context also matters when deciding whether a lie was really immoral or not. Modern society is built in such a way that people are sometimes forced to lie to respect certain norms. They might lie to protect others’ feelings. Sometimes, people even lie to take the blame for someone else’s mistakes.

Even though these white lies or lies by omission can be good, lying is still a slippery slope. Lying can easily become a habit. As your brain gets desensitized to lying, you might start telling lies for your own benefit. People often lie because they feel insecure and they want to seem different. To be accepted in certain groups, they might even create a whole new persona.

Or they might simply lie to get out of facing responsibility for their actions. Lying can make your life easier, so that’s why people keep doing it. It’s also important to note that some people lie simply because they are pathological liars. They don’t have a reason why they do it; they just compulsively lie. No matter what your reasons are for lying, it’s important to remember that, in most cases, telling the truth is far better.

11 Ways Men And Women Think Differently

December 3, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Men and women are different–and they think differently, too!

There are some good biological reasons for that. Studies of brain scans of men and women show that women tend to use both sides of their brain because they have a larger corpus callosum. This is the bridge between the two hemispheres of the brain and allows women to share information between those two halves of the brain faster than men. Men tend to use the left side of the brain which is the more logical and rational side of the brain.

Scans also reveal other interesting ways in which men and women do things differently or process information differently from each other.

Here are 11 ways men and women think differently:

1. Perception

Women have smaller brains that are more tightly packed with connections. This allows them to perform better at tasks involving the bigger picture and situational thinking. A man’s brain tends to perform better at spatial thinking involving recognizing patterns and problem solving with objects in a spatial environment.

2. One Track Mind

Men tend to excel better at singular tasks while women are better at juggling a number of tasks at once. This may stem from the primordial male role of the hunter who is fixated on a singular objective while the traditional female role of manager of the home forced her to juggle many tasks simultaneously.

3. Social Interactions

Women tend to perform better in social situations than men do. Men tend to excel at more abstract thinking and task-oriented jobs. Again, this may stem from the traditional gender roles whereby women had to work together to accomplish more complex tasks while men spent more time alone stalking prey.

4. Dealing With Emotions

Women have a larger limbic system in their brains which allows them to be more in touch and expressive about their emotions. Men tend to be a little oblivious with emotions that are not explicitly verbalized. Men tend to be more logical in their thinking and dismiss information that is not directly involved with the issue they are tackling. Women tend to be much more empathetic and susceptible to emotions influencing their thinking.

5. Do the Math

Men tend to have larger inferior parietal lobules than women. This area of the brain is thought to control mathematical ability and processes. Men tend to do better with math because of this. This isn’t to say that there are not women who are great at math, but that men have a small biological advantage when it comes to math and logic based skills.

6. Dealing With Pain

The amygdala is the area of the brain responsible for pain. Pain is activated in either the right (men) or left (women) hemispheres. The right side is more connected with external stimuli, while the left is more connected to internal stimuli. Women tend to feel pain more intensely than men do because of this.

7. Learn Languages

Women tend to be better at learning languages and are more attuned to words and sounds. This may be why men tend to find it harder to express themselves verbally. It may stem from the increased demand on women over millions of years to cooperate and organize in order to manage large complex tasks.

8. Women Remember Better

Women tend to have higher activity in their hippocampus, the region responsible for forming and storing memories, than men do. Studies have shown that women tend to remember faces, names, objects and events better than men.

9. Ask for Directions

Men tend to have better spatial-reasoning skills and are better at remembering geographic details. They tend to have a better innate sense of direction and remember where areas and locations are. This ability most likely stems from their days as hunters when men had to navigate long distances without the aid of a map and compass.

10. Risk Taking

Men tend to be more likely to take risks. Women tend to be more risk-averse. Men get a bigger dose of endorphins when they take risks. The bigger the risk, the larger the pleasure derived from the risky behavior. Men may be specialized to take more risks because of early human’s need to hunt down food which may be larger, stronger, and more dangerous than a single man. Hunting is also inherently dangerous as you think some predator may be stalking you while you are stalking another prey animal.

11. Sex

Men tend to be more visual in what arouses them, while women tend to be turned on by a combination of things like ambiance, emotions, scents as well as visual perceptions.

While equal, men and women have different biological strengths and weaknesses. These differences may stem from a very long period of specialization between genders. Humans have been hunter/gatherers much longer than we have been civilized farmers and tradesmen. This long period of adaptation to changing environments may be responsible in some small part for traditional gender roles based on biology and physical specialization. Men and women, while different, are complementary like a knife and a fork.

(C)Power of Positivity, LLC. All rights reserved

7 Reasons Why It’s Never Too Late in Life

December 3, 2016 by Power of Positivity

It is never too late to find happiness and fulfillment.

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another island. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” – Henry David Thoreau

Our life is limited – at least in the number of years spent on Earth. As such, many individuals try to fit in as much “living” into those finite number of years as possible. Sometimes, a person begins to take on a should’ve/could’ve/would’ve mindset. Some of these people experience a deep sense of regret, with some actually developing depression or other health conditions. Others go through temporary phases, such as the dreaded “mid-life crisis.”

But what does this type of thinking ever accomplish? It’s natural that we experience regret from time to time; however, the hard truth is that the past is unchangeable. Sure, we can change ourselves as a result of the past. We can maybe even mitigate the damage done a little bit.

We cannot add or subtract years from our life…we can only live for the moment and try to make the best out of it. With that said, we segue into the topic of this article.

7 Reasons Why It’s Never Too Late in Life

1. All that exists in the present

Think about this for a moment. How many of us get so wrapped up in what was done in the past, and what we’re going to do in the future…all the while abandoning the present? How many of us really live in the moment anymore?

Some prolific scientists have posited that time – as a construct, along with its finite nature – is an illusion. Whether it’s an illusion or not, most of us agree that life is just a series of events, or moments, that we experience.

So why not focus on the only thing we can truly experience right now…the present moment?

2. We can change one thing at a time

There is one blunder that many of us make as we experience regret later in life. Instead of concentrating our efforts on changing one aspect of us, we instead dwell on everything we perceive to have done wrong. As a result, we are overwhelmed and experience “analysis paralysis.”

When we’re too busy thinking about the things we need to change, it’s impossible to take constructive action. When we focus on one thing about us to improve, it’s much, much easier.

We don’t need to address everything at once…we just need to focus on one thing and do our best!

3. We can take baby steps, it is not too late

Sure we may be a bit older now, but that doesn’t mean that we need to change everything overnight (remember that whole ‘moments’ thing?) Not to mention, when we try to progress too quickly our results suffer. What’s the point of rushing in this case?

Much better to slow down and really change what you want! You’ll be much happier with the results.

4. The future is uncertain

Of course, nobody knows what will happen in the future! Think about how much better life would be if we lived each day like it was our last…

While it may seem that we’re rehashing a bit of what was discussed earlier, it is very important to remind ourselves of this fact. This is especially true if one is trying to make positive changes in life.

5. We still have our will

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way!” How many times have we heard this? But how true it is. Without our will, we are nothing.

If you’re breathing, your will is active and ready to be put to use. One could argue that our will is one of the most important human elements of being human… perhaps second only to the soul.

You have your mind, you have your soul, and you have your will…act on them!

6. Self-improvement doesn’t expire

Almost without exception, some of the regret experienced later in life is a result of not “achieving” something. When one feels that haven’t fulfilled their true potential, it can leave a painful mark. But the ability to improve oneself does not expire.

But perhaps this point is better explained with one woman’s story. Doreetha Daniels, an elderly woman with vision and hearing problems, and a multiple-stroke victim – received her college degree at the age of 99 from College of the Canyons in Santa Clara, California.

One faculty member said: “Doreetha is a living testament to the saying ‘if there is a will, there is a way…”

7. It’s never too late to change you legacy

Ah yes, then there is the matter of what we leave behind. How will future generations think of us when we’ve long departed this Earth? Will they be inspired and heartened by your life? Or will they be neutral…maybe even a bit disappointed?

It’s quite surprising that few people think of legacy until very late in life. But what we leave behind for our descendants is one of the greatest gifts we can give.

Once again, we go back to a quote about 99-year old Doreetha Daniels:

“She is truly an amazing woman who has impacted my life and I feel so fortunate that I was able to experience her journey alongside her.”

In essence, this faculty member is discussing Daniels’ journey…her inspiration…and her legacy.

Will we be able to say the same? It is not too late.

10 Things You Should Do Every Day Before 10PM

December 2, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Do you hit the bed around 10pm with the feeling that you did not complete all that you should have?

Days are busy with work and family obligations, and it’s increasingly harder to get everything done within those 24 precious hours. We get up, get the kids dressed for school, prepare breakfast and lunches, get ourselves ready, go to work, pick up the kids from school or soccer practice, make dinner, clean up, get ready for bed, and hope we sleep well enough to do it all over again the next day. Nighttime is sacred; it’s a time for rejuvenation, relaxation, and restoration. So, before you hit the sack tonight, make sure to attend to a few things first.

Here are 10 things you should do before 10pm:

1. Clean Yourself

You are exhausted and you feel like crap. We get it. One of the signs of emotional pain is that you start neglecting personal hygiene. It is easy to skip the shower and collapse onto the couch. Getting a shower and washing from head to toe will clean your body and rinse off your soul. Let the warm water soak into you and refresh your mind. This small act of devotion to yourself can work wonders on your perspective. Besides, who wants to go to bed dirty? Jump in the shower real quick. You will feel better.

2. Make a To-do List

Make a shortlist of the things you want to get done the next day. It doesn’t have to be exhaustive. Just make either a mental or physical note to yourself that you have a goal for tomorrow. Setting a goal or goals pushes you to get moving and stay moving until the tasks are complete. A body in motion stays in motion and a list can give you some early momentum to work with for the rest of the day.

3. Talk To A Friend

Another symptom of emotional pain is for someone to isolate themselves from others. Make it a habit to talk with friends or family, even when you don’t have to. People are social creatures and need social interactions. When we let ourselves become isolated, we cut off mental and emotional lifelines to other people. Talking with friends and family can get us out of our own heads and break unhealthy loops of negative thoughts.

4. Listen To Some Music

Put on your tunes. Rock out for a few minutes to something happy and upbeat. Avoid music with depressing themes as these will turn your thoughts into negative subjects which could interfere with your sleep. Sing something silly with your kids. Plat something nice and relaxing to help you transition from a busy day to a relaxing sleep. Music can improve your mood and help you drift off to sleep.

5. Do Something Physical

Do something to get the juices flowing. Get on the floor and do some yoga stretches. Go for a short run before your shower. Dance with your kids in the kitchen to silly music. Get your heart pumping and burn off some of the stress from the day. Getting the body active releases hormones in your brain that will raise your mood. Free your butt and your mind will follow. Just ensure you exercise before 7 pm, or you might be wired when it comes time to hit the hay.

6. Make and Eat Dinner As a Family

Making and eating dinner as a family helps you to bond and share your experiences. Make sure the television is off and everyone isn’t surfing the web instead of talking and hanging out. Just make sure dinner is light as you do not want to load up on carbs right before bed.

7. Get Chores Done

Make sure you resolve any lingering issues before heading off to bed. Leaving things undone could cause stress and anxiety of the uncompleted tasks. Getting those things knocked off the list or at least letting someone know you will follow up with them in the morning can relieve stress and allow you to relax.

8. Unplug

We are bombarded with so much information daily that sometimes we need a break from the information overflow. Turn off the television. Put away your phone or tablet. Pick up a book. Listen to some soothing music. Talk with your partner. Sit on your porch or balcony and watch the sunset. Enjoy the moments of quiet and stillness.

9. No Caffeine After 7 PM

Make sure you cut off the caffeine early. Otherwise, you might be up half the night. Caffeine is a mild stimulant and can prevent you from getting a good night’s rest.

10. Dim The Lights

People are tied into the cycle of day/night, and the amount of light in our spaces can affect our ability to sleep and wake at the right times. Bright lights from room lights to tablets, phones, computers, and television can adversely affect our circadian rhythm. Dimming the lights tricks our bodies into thinking that the day is over and it is time to sleep.

10 Parenting Behaviors That Create Empathetic Children

December 2, 2016 by Power of Positivity

The ability to display an empathetic demeanor – that is, feeling, understanding, and sharing each other’s emotions – is a very noble personality trait. Quite frankly, a personality trait that this world needs much more of. Desperately…just take a look around.

The only way that we’re going to effectively promote the ability to empathize, for future generations, is to teach children to do likewise. To accomplish this, we – as mature adults – must be willing to take on the responsibility. Of course, much of this responsibility rests on the shoulders of the most influential people in a child’s life: the parent(s).

Definition of Empathy

1: the imaginative projection of a subjective state into an object so that the object appears to be infused with it

2: the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit matter

– Merriam Webster Dictionary

Raising Empathetic Children

But, children are immature (albeit, some more than others). It’s just the nature of being a child, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Taking this into consideration, instilling a value, trait, characteristic, etc., can be a difficult task. Teaching empathy is no different in this respect.

As parents, it is important to understand that empathy is also an essential social skill. A skill that builds relationships, strengthens communities, and simply be more caring and kind people.

There ARE many ways that we can teach our children this valuable social skill.

In fact, here are the ways to teach them to become more empathetic:

1. Don’t suppress the child’s emotions

Parents often attempt to suppress children’s emotions, saying things like “Stop yelling,” “Don’t cry,” “Be a big boy/girl,” etc. This is actually a natural tendency, as parents do not like seeing their children hurt or in pain. However, this can actually stunt a child’s emotional development. More specifically, the child may be less willing to share emotions after being interacted with in such a way.

Instead, just acknowledge the child’s feelings and keep the door of communication open.

2. Emphasize and practice gratitude

The ability to express gratitude is a common trait among happy people. In a study conducted by Dr. Robert Emmons, researcher at the University of California-Davis, expression of gratitude increases happiness levels by about 25 percent.

Parents can teach and encourage gratitude in their children by simply displaying it themselves; or, asking a child to think about the good things in their life. Simply asking a child what their favorite part of the day way can build the foundation for a life of gratitude.

3. Provide opportunities to practice empathy

One great thing about children is they love to be of help to others. It makes them feel good. This is why it is very important at this stage to provide opportunities for them to do just that. Think: donating something (e.g. money, food, time) to people in need.

Behavioral and developmental practitioners state that a child’s desire to help others is innate, and revolves around three main points. First, in the beginning, helping others helps the child get what they want. Second, helping others gets them praise. Finally, the ability to anticipate the needs of others develops; as it does, helping others becomes its own reward.

4. Allow the child to see you vulnerable

Shared experiences among fellow humans is a very powerful thing, and children are no different in this respect. When they witness their parent’s willingness to share their own vulnerabilities, it helps to develop a sense of stability and normalcy within the child.

This display of vulnerability can be as simple as apologizing to a child when you’ve made a mistake.

5. Give names for feelings

The development of emotional intelligence is vital to one’s success later on in life. During childhood, this skill can be developed by naming feelings that the child is having. For example, if the child is having difficulty with homework, share something like: “I know. When I can’t figure something out, I get frustrated too. You may be getting frustrated. Do you want some help?”

All feelings – embarrassment, fear, shame, sadness, joy, jealously, etc., – can be named the same way.

6. Non-judgmentally acknowledge emotions

One prominent child psychologist put it this way: “Acknowledging isn’t condoning our child’s actions; it’s validating the feelings behind them.” In other words, while we may see the behavior as silly, the child is only acting on their emotions. As such, acknowledging emotions evokes a sense of communication, safety, and belonging in the relationship.

Remember, childhood is a developmental phase. It’s perfectly okay to acknowledge emotions (e.g. “I understand your angry/frustrated/hurt because…) since we just don’t any better, really, at that age.

7. Ask about feelings hypothetically

There are many times parents will observe a heightened emotional situation. We’re able to – at least to some degree – process what’s going on and maybe even the reason behind it. Children don’t have that capability.

As such, it can be valuable to simply interact with a child about the situation (“How do you think he/she feels?,” “Why do you think that?”) This teaches children the importance of rationally evaluating and interpreting emotions.

8. Discuss other people’s feelings

Kind of a no-brainer here, right? Children often have difficulty understanding the rationale behind why someone feels the way that they do. Sadly, there are a multitude of adults that have the exact same problem.

Hence, the importance of having dialogue with children about the “why behind the what” when it comes to emotions.

9. Display empathetic behavior towards others

Children learn by what they see and hear…it’s that simple. If parents are caring and empathetic, even to people they don’t know, the child will likely learn to do the same. Conversely, if parents are cold and repelling to people they don’t know (maybe even to do those they do), the child will likely learn that lesson, unfortunately.

10. See the world through the child’s eyes

Children must feel safe when expressing their emotions in order for them to feel loved and welcomed. Parents, understandably so, often praise positive emotions (e.g. joy, laughter) and criticize negative emotions (e.g. crying, screaming). However, this is not always the best way to go about it.

We, too, were children once. We undoubtedly acted impulsively and “irrationally.” But, childhood is a phase of life that we adults often forget about. Try seeing the world through a young child’s eyes instead of your own, as difficult as that can be at times.

Source: Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 84(2), 377–389.

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Here are five things that you can do to finally end your relationship with stress:

1. Learn To Say No

2. Face Your Fear

3. Eliminate Negative Thoughts

4. Let’s Get Physical

5. Take Care of Mind and Body

Five Reasons Why Liars Keep Lying

1. The Brain Gets Used to It

2. Liars Are Insecure

1. Some People Lie for the Benefit of Others

Lies of omission

Final Thoughts on Some Reasons Why Liars Keep Lying

Here are 11 ways men and women think differently:

1. Perception

2. One Track Mind

3. Social Interactions

4. Dealing With Emotions

5. Do the Math

6. Dealing With Pain

7. Learn Languages

8. Women Remember Better

9. Ask for Directions

10. Risk Taking

11. Sex

(C)Power of Positivity, LLC. All rights reserved

7 Reasons Why It’s Never Too Late in Life

1. All that exists in the present

2. We can change one thing at a time

3. We can take baby steps, it is not too late

4. The future is uncertain

5. We still have our will

6. Self-improvement doesn’t expire

7. It’s never too late to change you legacy

Here are 10 things you should do before 10pm:

1. Clean Yourself

2. Make a To-do List

3. Talk To A Friend

4. Listen To Some Music

5. Do Something Physical

6. Make and Eat Dinner As a Family

7. Get Chores Done

8. Unplug

9. No Caffeine After 7 PM

10. Dim The Lights

Definition of Empathy

Raising Empathetic Children

1. Don’t suppress the child’s emotions

2. Emphasize and practice gratitude

3. Provide opportunities to practice empathy

4. Allow the child to see you vulnerable

5. Give names for feelings

6. Non-judgmentally acknowledge emotions

7. Ask about feelings hypothetically

8. Discuss other people’s feelings

9. Display empathetic behavior towards others

10. See the world through the child’s eyes

Source: Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 84(2), 377–389.

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