Life Feels Good (2013) REPACK
There is no consensus around a single definition of well-being, but there is general agreement that at minimum, well-being includes the presence of positive emotions and moods (e.g., contentment, happiness), the absence of negative emotions (e.g., depression, anxiety), satisfaction with life, fulfillment and positive functioning.4, 33-35 In simple terms, well-being can be described as judging life positively and feeling good.36, 37 For public health purposes, physical well-being (e.g., feeling very healthy and full of energy) is also viewed as critical to overall well-being. Researchers from different disciplines have examined different aspects of well-being that include the following4, 34, 38, 39, 41-46:
Life Feels Good (2013)
As a discipline, positive psychology is focused on how virtues, strengths, and skills can help individuals and communities thrive and flourish. It involves topics, such as meaning, mindset, happiness, gratitude, and compassion, that can play a role in wellbeing and a meaningful, good life.
In this example, we can see how Gemma has more frequent and intense positive emotions than negative ones. She goes out of her way to engage in activities that cause these emotions (playing sports, spending quality time with her children and parents, and writing her blog), and when she stops to reflect, she feels satisfied with her life as a whole.
The feelgood folder is just one of my many "patches" (and thank you Netflix for streaming BBC Masterpiece and Bollywood). As far as I can tell, other seemingly-perpetually-positive faculty have coping mechanisms too; some write blogs, some go grab a beer, others hit the gym. And not all coping mechanisms are graceful. I've cried alone in my office and I've sobbed a couple times in senior faculty's offices. Its life. Not being emotional, not being frail, not being human -- these are parts of the scary image of the faculty member. Luckily, I'm in a 7 year postdoc! Far lower standards.
Many who consider, or even try, the tenure-track faculty life feel like they don't fit the stereotype. For some, the stereotype is so far, that one feels like an alien. The two options I hear most are getting burned out (by trying to live up to the rules) or opting-out (because one can't play the game by the rules). I guess my hope is to add one more option to the list, which is covering your ears and making up your own rules.
Everybody wants what feels good. Everyone wants to live a carefree, happy and easy life, to fall in love and have amazing sex and relationships, to look perfect and make money, and be popular and well-respected and admired and a total baller to the point that people part like the Red Sea when you walk into the room.
Who you are is defined by the values you are willing to struggle for. People who enjoy the struggles of a gym are the ones who get in good shape.9 People who enjoy long work weeks and the politics of the corporate ladder are the ones who move up it.10 People who enjoy the stresses and uncertainty of the starving artist life are ultimately the ones who live it and make it.11
Some would argue that Frank Capra's Christmas classic is mostly not a feel-good film, given much of it deals with a man wanting to kill himself because he's buggered up most of his life. However, it's all about those final moments, the run through the snowy town to get to the family that loves him. At that point your heart soars and any attempt not to be swept up in its cheesiness is futile.Read the Empire review.
Education is power, and there are many helpful resources, such as this video by Melissa Shepard on DP/DR. The good news is that DP/DR disorder is often only a transient condition during stressful times, and most people fully recover. With good self-care and treatment, you can stay in control and maintain a better quality of life. 041b061a72