Host: Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey

Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo

Broadcast and podcast starting: February 1, 2009 on webtalkradio.net. After 2-8-10 the podcast is also on the links below

 

 Practical Advice on How to Be Happy [49:05m]: Play NowDownload

(to download, right click download and select “save target as.”)

Dr. Lombardo’s emphasis is on treating happiness as a skill that we can learn and hone. Her approach is primarily cognitive behavioral—that is emphasizing what we think and what we do. She points out that 75% of visits to doctors involve no diagnosable medical condition. She approaches people with pain by acknowledging that their pain is real, then looking for the stress behind it and finding ways to lower the stress and to redirect attention to something else.

We talked about forgiving as one of the trickiest skills to acquire. Forgiveness isn’t about condoning what happened or forgetting what happened, but releasing yourself from the anger and stress that go with holding on to resentments. Thus, the person who forgives is the one who is freed and becomes the beneficiary.

We discussed three kinds of journaling:
1. journaling positive events or gratitude
2. tracking goals
3. addressing a specific negative event (to help resolve the angst or aftermath)
Journaling with a clear purpose in mind is much more efficient than keep a diary.

If you read Dr. Lombardo’s book cover to cover it would be easy to say these are all good points but I’m overwhelmed by all the approaches–and end up doing nothing. The solution is to start with assessing your values and let that your values assessment lead you to what to emphasize in being happier. I also note that if you are trying to solve a complex behavior like weight loss and not succeeding, the solution probably isn’t a magic pill or a magazine article with ten tips, but drilling down to better determine the dynamics of the problem and what tweaks are most likely to help.

Dr. Lombardo’s website is www.ahappyyou.com. Dr. Brickey’s other websites are www.DrBrickey.com an www.Anti-Aging-Speaker.com.ous love at every age.