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A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz. 

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." 

She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed - incapable of doing anything." 

It's important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night. 

Remember to put the glass down!   

International Happiness Day 2013

Last April the United Nations held its first "high-level meeting on happiness and well-being." Bhutan's prime minister, Jigmi Thinley, set the tone, calling for "a new economic paradigm" that "is no longer based on the illusion that limitless growth is possible on our precious and finite planet or that endless material gain promotes well-being." 

The Himalayan Kingdom has championed an alternative measure of national and societal prosperity, called the Gross National Happiness Index (GNH). The GNH rejects the sole use of economic and material wealth as an indicator of development, and instead adopts a more holistic outlook, where the spiritual well-being of citizens and communities is given as much importance as their material well-being. 

Following from this meeting the United Nations have declared 20 March 2013 as the first International Day of Happiness. 

How will your school be marking this day? We'd love to hear from you! 

 Emotional Well-being training 8 March

We are excited about our workshop on 8 March in Bath - Emotional Wellbeing; a Vital Key to Learning. Having seen for ourselves what a difference it can make in the classroom in terms of motivation, achievement and relationships, we are particularly looking forward to passing on the principles and how to use them. 

 You may be interested in this . . .

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) February 18, 2013 

In education, a growing body of research on "social emotional learning," or SEL, shows that students who have an effective SEL curriculum earn better grades and score higher on test, while at the SAME time reducing conflict, violence, and risk behaviours. Dr. Susan Stillman, a former school counsellor and professor of education will be one of the festival speakers. She explains, "This is beyond character education. We're talking about building a safe and inclusive school climate, training teachers to use emotional intelligence tests and curriculum, and to practice the skills themselves." In a recent public radio interview on social emotional learning, Stillman says that the key ingredients are teacher training and parent education."                                                                                                             
To read more click here.                                                The San Francisco Chronicle

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