Latest news with #KellyMcGonigal
New York Times
09-05-2025
- Health
- New York Times
3 Ways to Cultivate Joy
Hello! I'm Catherine, a relationships reporter at The Times, and I'm filling in for my colleague Jancee Dunn this week — which has been an exciting one for those of us on the Well team. On Wednesday, we hosted the first-ever Well Festival in Brooklyn, which brought together some of the biggest names in health for a day of conversations. A lot of the talks focused on common cornerstones of well-being, like nutrition, mental health and fitness. But as I sat in the audience, I was struck by how many of the conversations touched on joy. Specifically, how essential joy is to building a healthy, meaningful life. And how to cultivate a bit more of it every day. Here are three of my favorite joy-boosting tips that the panelists shared. Want to live a longer, happier life? Tend to your relationships, said Dr. Robert Waldinger, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School who oversees the longest-running study of human happiness. That study has found that strong relationships are one of the biggest factors in people's well-being as they age. Investing in connection doesn't have to be a heavy lift, Dr. Waldinger said, at one point instructing all those in the audience to take out their phones and text someone they hadn't seen in a while. 'Just say, 'Hi, I was thinking of you and I wanted to connect,'' he said. Don't worry if you don't get a text back, he added. It's like baseball. You won't get a hit or a home run every time, and that's OK. Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist at Stanford University, was in a remedial physical education class as a kid. So it's surprising, she explained, that she has built a career around joyful movement. Exercise can help us feel more inspired and hopeful, she said, and it 'changes our brain chemistry in a way that makes it easier to connect with others.' The challenge is to find ways to move your body that feel joyful, not burdensome. So give some thought to the kinds of movement that feel good to you. For some, it might be a challenging run that feels lousy in the moment but makes you feel strong and proud of your persistence after the fact, Dr. McGonigal said. For others, it might mean taking the dog for a walk. 'Your body will give you data,' Dr. McGonigal reassured the audience. Think about what you want more of in your life. Do you want to be outdoors more often? Play more? Make new friends? My colleague Katie Mogg wrote more about finding a form of exercise you can fall in love with. Suleika Jaouad, the memoirist and author of a new best seller, 'The Book of Alchemy,' was diagnosed with leukemia in her 20s. Last summer, she had a recurrence, and the advice a lot of people offered was to live each day like it was her last. But every time she heard that sentence, she felt an 'intense sense of panic,' Jaouad said. 'It is exhausting to try to make every family dinner as meaningful as possible — to carpe diem the crap out of every single moment,' she said. 'So I am done doing that. Instead, I've had to shift to a different mind-set, which is the idea of living every day as if it's your first — to wake up with a sense of curiosity and wonder and playfulness.' One way Jaouad, a committed journal keeper, tries to accomplish that is through what she calls 'small acts of creative alchemy.' Recently she has been jotting down 10 memorable moments from the past 24 hours, stream of consciousness. She has been surprised by the things that have bubbled up. 'It's always the small moments,' Jaouad said. You can watch conversations from the festival here. You've heard of 'crunchy moms.' Now get ready for 'crunchy teens.' High schoolers are appealing to other health-conscious adolescents on social media, sometimes by championing ideas reflective of the 'Make America Healthy Again' movement. Read the article: The Rise of the 'Crunchy Teen' Wellness Influencer Is there an ideal way to wake up from sleep? There's plenty of research and expert advice to have a healthy bedtime routine. But there are ways to optimize getting up in the morning, too. Here are four tips to better start your day. Read the article: What's the Best Way to Wake Up? The Week in Well Here are some stories you don't want to miss: Let's keep the conversation going. Follow Well on Instagram, or write to us at well_newsletter@ And check out last week's newsletter about an ancient key to happiness.
Forbes
28-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Surviving Uncertainty: 5 Strategies To Stay Sane, Sharp And Financially Sound
Surviving Uncertainty: 5 Strategies To Stay Sane, Sharp & Financially Sound In the last few years, we've lived through a pandemic, inflation spikes, AI shocks, geopolitical rifts, and the erosion of workplace norms. Now, in 2025, the noise hasn't quieted. It's multiplied. And while companies scramble to reinvent themselves (something I wrote about in The New Corporate Playbook: 5 Trends Changing The Rules Of The Game In 2025), individual professionals are left asking a quieter but no less urgent question: Whether you're a mid-level manager, a seasoned expert, or an early-career professional, the game has changed—and so must your strategy. Based on insights from leading research, client work at Reinvention Academy, and conversations with professionals worldwide, here are 5 powerful strategies to stay sane, sharp, and financially sound in a world that won't stop shifting. Treat your life like a business. You wouldn't run a company using last quarter's data—yet most professionals manage their careers by gut feel. Start tracking leading indicators: • Energy level • Learning hours per week • Time spent on strategic projects vs. reactive tasks • Number of new professional relationships formed each month These small data points give you real-time insight into when you're drifting, burning out, or stagnating—before you hit a wall. → Tool it like a CFO. Run your career with metrics that matter. In times of turbulence, stress is inevitable. But what if it wasn't the enemy?Research from Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal shows that believing stress is harmful can actually be more damaging than the stress itself. When we reframe stress as a sign that our body is preparing us to meet a challenge, we experience better focus, stronger performance, and improved long-term resilience. This insight builds on what I explored in '3 Super-Easy Ways To Boost Your Team's Productivity': performance isn't just about tools—it's about mindset. Just like teams thrive when they shift how they brainstorm, individuals thrive when they shift how they interpret pressure. The key is not eliminating stress—but transforming how we respond to it. Ask yourself: What is this stress preparing me for? → You can't avoid stress—but you can train your mind to work with it, not against it. The job market is changing. Companies and careers that used to be considered 'safe havens' that always guarantee job security (think Big Four consulting, IT, accounting, etc) are currently going through massive layoffs. In uncertain times, the goal isn't to cling to a job—it's to diversify your income resilience. That could mean launching a side project, consulting, investing in skill-based gig work, or developing IP you can license or teach. No, you don't need to burn out or hustle 24/7. But in 2025, multiple streams of income aren't just nice—they're necessary. → Reframe your financial stability as a portfolio, not a paycheck. You are the average of the five people you talk to most—but how many of those five are actually future-focused? Find or build a micro-community of peers, mentors, or collaborators who are tracking the next wave of tech shifts, market trends, career pivots. This isn't networking. It's shared foresight. And in uncertain times, surrounding yourself with people who are scanning the horizon is a game-changer. For years, I've advocated that every professional needs a personal advisory board—and I've practiced what I preach. Mine includes a scientist, a business owner, and a consultant. Over time, we've become a powerful trend-watching quartet, helping each other separate signal from noise and see the future more clearly than any of us could alone. → If you can't see the future clearly, stand next to someone who does. If your calendar is maxed out, your brain probably is too. But creativity—the real engine of reinvention—lives in unstructured time. In a series of studies published in Creativity Research Journal, participants were asked to perform boring tasks—like copying or reading phone numbers from a directory for 15 minutes. The result? Those who were bored came up with significantly more and more creative ideas than those in the control group. The takeaway is clear: boredom acts as a mental reset, allowing your brain to wander, connect distant dots, and imagine fresh solutions. Even 15 minutes of 'anti-power hour' time per day—no screens, no meetings, no multitasking—can dramatically increase insight generation and problem-solving capacity. → Don't overvalue busy. Prioritize white space. Boredom might be your brain's best strategy tool. The world may never go back to 'normal'—but you don't need it to. With the right systems, signals, and support, you can do more than survive uncertainty. You can leverage it. Because chaos doesn't just destroy. It reveals. And with the right strategies, it can even make you stronger.
Forbes
28-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Surviving Uncertainty: 5 Strategies To Stay Sane, Sharp & Financially Sound
Surviving Uncertainty: 5 Strategies To Stay Sane, Sharp & Financially Sound In the last few years, we've lived through a pandemic, inflation spikes, AI shocks, geopolitical rifts, and the erosion of workplace norms. Now, in 2025, the noise hasn't quieted. It's multiplied. And while companies scramble to reinvent themselves (something I wrote about in The New Corporate Playbook: 5 Trends Changing The Rules Of The Game In 2025), individual professionals are left asking a quieter but no less urgent question: Whether you're a mid-level manager, a seasoned expert, or an early-career professional, the game has changed—and so must your strategy. Based on insights from leading research, client work at Reinvention Academy, and conversations with professionals worldwide, here are 5 powerful strategies to stay sane, sharp, and financially sound in a world that won't stop shifting. Treat your life like a business. You wouldn't run a company using last quarter's data—yet most professionals manage their careers by gut feel. Start tracking leading indicators: • Energy level • Learning hours per week • Time spent on strategic projects vs. reactive tasks • Number of new professional relationships formed each month These small data points give you real-time insight into when you're drifting, burning out, or stagnating—before you hit a wall. → Tool it like a CFO. Run your career with metrics that matter. In times of turbulence, stress is inevitable. But what if it wasn't the enemy?Research from Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal shows that believing stress is harmful can actually be more damaging than the stress itself. When we reframe stress as a sign that our body is preparing us to meet a challenge, we experience better focus, stronger performance, and improved long-term resilience. This insight builds on what I explored in '3 Super-Easy Ways To Boost Your Team's Productivity': performance isn't just about tools—it's about mindset. Just like teams thrive when they shift how they brainstorm, individuals thrive when they shift how they interpret pressure. The key is not eliminating stress—but transforming how we respond to it. Ask yourself: What is this stress preparing me for? → You can't avoid stress—but you can train your mind to work with it, not against it. The job market is changing. Companies and careers that used to be considered 'safe havens' that always guarantee job security (think Big Four consulting, IT, accounting, etc) are currently going through massive layoffs. In uncertain times, the goal isn't to cling to a job—it's to diversify your income resilience. That could mean launching a side project, consulting, investing in skill-based gig work, or developing IP you can license or teach. No, you don't need to burn out or hustle 24/7. But in 2025, multiple streams of income aren't just nice—they're necessary. → Reframe your financial stability as a portfolio, not a paycheck. You are the average of the five people you talk to most—but how many of those five are actually future-focused? Find or build a micro-community of peers, mentors, or collaborators who are tracking the next wave of tech shifts, market trends, career pivots. This isn't networking. It's shared foresight. And in uncertain times, surrounding yourself with people who are scanning the horizon is a game-changer. For years, I've advocated that every professional needs a personal advisory board—and I've practiced what I preach. Mine includes a scientist, a business owner, and a consultant. Over time, we've become a powerful trend-watching quartet, helping each other separate signal from noise and see the future more clearly than any of us could alone. → If you can't see the future clearly, stand next to someone who does. If your calendar is maxed out, your brain probably is too. But creativity—the real engine of reinvention—lives in unstructured time. In a series of studies published in Creativity Research Journal, participants were asked to perform boring tasks—like copying or reading phone numbers from a directory for 15 minutes. The result? Those who were bored came up with significantly more and more creative ideas than those in the control group. The takeaway is clear: boredom acts as a mental reset, allowing your brain to wander, connect distant dots, and imagine fresh solutions. Even 15 minutes of 'anti-power hour' time per day—no screens, no meetings, no multitasking—can dramatically increase insight generation and problem-solving capacity. → Don't overvalue busy. Prioritize white space. Boredom might be your brain's best strategy tool. The world may never go back to 'normal'—but you don't need it to. With the right systems, signals, and support, you can do more than survive uncertainty. You can leverage it. Because chaos doesn't just destroy. It reveals. And with the right strategies, it can even make you stronger.
