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WHY YOU SHOULD GO WITH THE FLOW The secret to happiness is all about being in the zone . 92cleo.com.au P anic over the minutiae of life is my specialty. I can turn the most unassuming molehill into a mountain. It s a special gift if only there were a sarcastic font for comments like that . One standard Saturday afternoon I was stressing myself out while preparing dinner for a few of my friends my mind churned with inconsequential worries. I had chosen a fairly ambitious recipe which meant there was going to be a lot of chopping ahead of me. Let it be known that I have great technique and can get through piles of produce at a moderate to high speed. However during this particular food prep session I noticed myself falling into a kind of happy hypnosis. I was completely focused on dicing no imagined What if scenarios poking sticks into my mental bicycle spokes. I resolved that I must do more chopping. And the next day a study from Harvard Health health.harvard.edu arrived in my inbox explaining why. FLOW POWER We humans believe that certain things will make us happy. Winning millions in the lottery is a common one fl eet of solid gold helicopters here we come . Owning a body that d make Miranda Kerr look like a troll is another. But it turns out that joy is actually a lot easier to come by than extravagant material wealth or physical perfection. The secret to happiness according to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi professor of psychology at Claremont Graduate University in California is fl ow experiences . The phrase going with the fl ow probably conjures up images of robe clad drugged out hippies chanting and performing interpretive dance blame the wild 1960s literature you read at uni . But by contrast Csikszentmihalyi defi nes a fl ow experience as achieving a state of intense absorption in which you lose awareness of time . No recreational substances required. They occur when you stri

A Better You articles

14-07-2021

2021

Why you should go with the flow

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88cleo.com.au TEXT REBECCA WHISH. PHOTOGRAPHY AUSTRAL GETTY IMAGES WIREIMAGE. COM. POSED FOR BY MODELS IN NO WAY ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORY. women tend to fi b to spare someone else s feelings or to avoid confl ict ... basically we lie to be liked. We only speak the truth at cleo.com.au L ast time you were complimented on a job well done what was your response A smile and thanks Or the more common Nah it was just lucky it all came together in time Aussie women are the masters of downplaying their achievements with swift self deprecating comments. We like to give the impression that rather than working hard and earning our accolades we have a Fairy Godmother of Luck who sweeps in at the 11th hour and deserves the credit. And work isn t the only place where this happens. Been pretty little liars. I eat like a horse ... This dress is sooo old Sound familiar Newsfl ash We d all be happier if we dropped the fa ade of e ortless fabulousness. cl1211FE LyingGamep88.pdf Page 88 27 10 2011 2 23 PM

A Better You articles

14-07-2021

2021

Pretty little liars

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66 goodhealth. does what your friends do say and believe impact on your own health and lifestyle more than you think finds Sarah Marinos H ave you noticed that when you re with friends who have a positive outlook you feel happier On the other hand if a friend is going through a divorce you should probably be taking care of your own relationship right now because separation and divorce can be contagious. If a friend has gained weight there s a good chance that your waistline will also expand. Or maybe you ve tried to quit smoking and even with the best of intentions you can t give up the habit but neither can your friends. You can blame many of these life situations on something called social contagion according to Harvard sociologist Professor Nicholas Christakis. He suggests that our relationships with friends as well as friends of friends can affect our habits moods health and relationships. Divorce If a close friend gets divorced that increases your risk of divorce by 147 per cent reveals research by Christakis and James Fowler. If we have a close friend who is divorcing and we are living through that hearing their story and empathising with them the more we may start to question our own situation says Lyn Fletcher from Relationships Australia NSW. Our friend s experience of a marriage breakdown will potentially highlight the things that are not so good about our own marriage says Fletcher. So if you are supporting a friend through divorce make time to nurture your own relationship. Honestly discuss how your relationship can be strengthened and share the hopes and dreams you have for your relationship. A lot of difficulties arise between couples because they just don t talk openly says Fletcher. Interestingly however Christakis and Fowler s study also revealed that each child a couple has reduces their susceptibility to bein

A Better You articles

14-07-2021

2021

Are you socially contagious?

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58 Photography getty images juicy images make everything you do easier and more effective by moving yourself into the right position. Helen foster shows us how with these 12 activities D id you realise that how you position or move your body can have a huge impact on your health and wellbeing and we don t just mean in a slumping in a chair hurts your back or walking to the shops is good for you kind of way. Standing sitting lying down or getting moving before you do certain things can make them easier or more effective. It doesn t matter if you re giving birth or making a decision there s a perfect position for everything. position move into Make a stand at work When you re at work stand up whenever you re chatting on the phone as this has not only been shown to make you sound more confident but sitting for too long has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease weight gain diabetes blood clots and some cancers says Dr Alicia Thorp from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne. When we sit our leg muscles are essentially inactive but muscular contraction is a major contributor to many of the body s regulatory processes such as breaking down glucose. Standing stimulates local muscle contraction. You should aim to move or at least stand as often as possible throughout your day but definitely once every 30 minutes. Having a trigger time such as whenever you have to make a phone call or when you have a glass of water makes it easier to remember to do so. gm1211movp58.pdf Page 58 17 10 2011 11 21 AM

A Better You articles

14-07-2021

2021

Move into position

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your mood muggers tired of people taking away your good mood it s time to confront your attackers. defeat cl1211I MoodMuggersp184.pdf Page 184 20 10 2011 1 54 PM

A Better You articles

14-07-2021

2021

Defeat your mood muggers

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TEXT REBECCA WHISH. PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES. POSED FOR BY MODELS IN NO WAY ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORY. Accepting a seat on the bus. Saying yes to a free drink. Letting him open a door for you. Can you enjoy these acts of chivalry and still call yourself a feminist ARE WE JUST FEIGNING FEMINISM cl1211FE feminismp98.pdf Page 98 24 10 2011 7 32 PM

A Better You articles

14-07-2021

2021

Are we just feigning feminism?

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Demanding a final answer can be immensely satisfying as long as you don t expect the same satisfaction from the response. Madison issue 0111 p068 069 text only available

A Better You articles

30-06-2021

2021

Read this article… or else!

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Relaxation is the key to a longer life. So put your feet up and discover how to completely unwind. Good Health issue 0111 p144 147 text only available

A Better You articles

30-06-2021

2021

License to Chill

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Have you ever considered getting counseling but don t know where to start Good Health issue 0111 p060 063 text only available

A Better You articles

30-06-2021

2021

Which Therapy is right for You?

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A Better You articles

09-06-2021

2021

Anger Management

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A Better You articles

09-06-2021

2021

“My Beautiful Mind”

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46 Think you d win most stressed competition Karen Fittall finds out how to lower your tension levels your action plan stress less gm0811p046str. pdf Page 46 21 06 2011 10 06 AM

A Better You articles

09-06-2021

2021

Your Stress-less Action Plan

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A Better You articles

09-06-2021

2021

The sane girl’s guide to seeing a psych

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photography acp digital library. posed for by model in no way associated with this story. 76 cleo. com. au A year ago I found myself in rut. I ve always been shiny happy overachiever so the malaise I felt was disconcerting. While nothing was really wrong there was sense of blahness that I just couldn t shake. I was going through the motions rather than making the most out of life. And I didn t like it. Hanging out with one of my closest friends who had recently been re diagnosed with cancer crystalised the situation for me. Instead of falling into heap my amazing friend used the shit sandwich life gave her as springboard to give her an enriched sense of purpose and focus. Marvelling at her awesome new approach to things I found myself feeling both incredibly inspired and to be honest slightly guilty. So I went looking to inject some deeper meaning into my life by way of the multibillion dollar self help industry. I started iQing episodes of just get on with it Oprah and drank in her pearls of wisdom like I was Lindsay Lohan sans alcohol monitoring bracelet. I read Eat Pray Love Bloomsbury 24.99 even though I found Elizabeth Gilbert s writing style annoying. I even fantasised about selling my apartment the one I d spent years saving deposit for and using the money to fund sabbatical. However all this searching only left me confused. It turns out life roadmap can t be found between the covers of paperback. Obsessing over the meaning of life could be making you miserable says Sarah Ranawake. cl0811FE JustGetOnp76. pdf Page 76 1 07 2011 4 03 PM

A Better You articles

09-06-2021

2021

Do we need to just get on with it?

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77 PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES WALTER CHIN TRUNKARCHIVE. COM SNAPPER MEDIA HOW TO DELEGATE Being a clear communicator is the key says Posus. This certainly holds true when engaging in potentially emotionally charged conversations with family members he says. Everyone will have a view on the subject and the fairest way of moving forward is often to get everyone s feelings and thoughts out in the open. For example if elderly parents need help with their day to day chores make a list of what needs to be done who might be in the best position to do it and why and open a discussion with those involved. Another tip is to see if you can do something for the other person in return. This can be a way of either showing your gratitude for them helping you or potentially to provide equity in the situation says Posus. Even if there isn t anything specifi c you can do in exchange for them taking on your task at the very least fi nd appropriate ways to express your gratitude. The ability to delegate in the workplace is a core leadership skill. However according to Domonique Bertolucci a life coach and author of Your Best Life Hachette many women have great skills in team building which often get in the way. I hear women say they don t want to be seen to be bossing people around she explains. But delegation isn t about being bossy. It s about being a leader. Another problem can be high standards. Perfection is the enemy of excellence says Bertolucci. One of the reasons women don t like to delegate is that they are worried that the person they delegate the task to won t do it as well as they can. For small business owners however a major challenge can be the need to wear many hats. Analaura Luna a fi nancial expert who runs a business with her husband says mastering delegating skills frees up your time to

A Better You articles

20-05-2021

2021

Take a load off *USED ON FIND-IT, JUNE 2021*

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40 You don t need to be Einstein to have plenty of brain power. You just need to take stock of your lifestyle writes Beverley Hadgraft brain power boost your Photography getty images juicy images gm0212brap40.pdf Page 40 2 12 2011 2 39 PM

A Better You articles

20-05-2021

2021

Boost your brain power *used in Find-It, June 2021*

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