Post-Thanksgiving, I’m reveling in a simple cafe hangout to maximize productivity and relieve stress!⁣⁣ For #PleasantActivity number 5, I’m highlighting the simple joys of hanging out at a cafe. I used to love going to cafés to study as a college and grad school student, and I still find that it’s a great way to break from routine, get some work done, socialize, and enjoy some much needed caffeine!⁣ ⁣ Cafés are great places to hold meetings, get together with friends (and mak

Today’s #PleasantActivity is COLORING - no longer just for kids! Coloring can reduce anxiety, improve focus, and help you achieve #mindfulness!⁣ ⁣ Research shows #anxiety levels dropped when people worked on coloring pages. ⁣ ⁣ Like meditation, coloring allows us to switch off our brains from other thoughts to four on the present moment. ⁣ ⁣ It can help reduce boredom and #ReduceStress, calming down our amygdala (related to fight or flght response) and turn on the parasympath

Today’s #PleasantActivity is a simple goodie. Lie on a patch of grass (or sand, or dirt) and connect with the earth beneath you!⁣ The simple act of laying on grass can do wonders for your mind and physical #wellbeing. It instantly teleports us to a more innocent, carefree time (like when we were children). Take this opportunity to read a book, eat a snack, play with soap bubbles, or doodle in your notebook!⁣ ⁣ It can be used as a grounding exercise, to pull you away from #neg

Activity number 2 for my #PleasantActivity is a simple, but an ultra effective one: Walking! Walking provides a number of physical and mental benefits: ⁣ A daily walk of 30 minutes can cut your heart disease and stroke by 27%.⁣ Walking helps reduce blood glucose and insulin resistance, which helps prevent Type 2 Diabetes. ⁣ ⁣A happy walking style (straight posture with swinging arms) helps improve mood and recall of positive things more than a negative walking style (slumped

Today I’m launching my #PleasantActivity series. It’s based on the simple, scientific premise that doing things that matter to you can spark joyful moments. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Pleasant activities are a cornerstone of the scientifically proven Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, because they can change your #mood and your mindset in seconds. Sometimes we put off things that we love doing because we are too busy, #stressed, tired, etc. But our behaviors directly affect our mood and our thoughts.