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| Welcome back to those who've been with me for awhile, and welcome if you're here for the first time! I created this newsletter to share interesting resources on the science of happiness, along with updates about my writing, speaking, and other projects. If you missed last month's October Newsletter, click here.
As always, if you’d like to learn more about upcoming speaking dates, I try keeping an up-to-date listing of these on my website. And if you’re interested in bringing me in to your organization to give a keynote or workshop, click here. Thanks so much for being with me on this journey!
Update of the month:
With Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s as good time as any to remind ourselves of the transformative power of gratitude. I focus quite a bit on gratitude in my book and workshops, but it’s remarkable to pause and consider just how impactful this emotion can be across so many parts of our lives. Beyond just feeling good, it turns out that practicing gratitude can buffer us against anxiety and depression, lower our stress levels, strengthen our relationships, reduce inflammation in our body, strengthen our immune system, and much much more! So instead of one day a year where we stop and think about what we’re thankful for (in between bites of turkey and during the commercial breaks of a football game for many of us), let’s set an intention to consciously and deliberately give thanks for the good things in our lives. And as I write about in my upcoming book Happily Even After, practicing gratitude turns out to be especially important during challenging times. So even when life throws us challenges, it’s all the more critical that we pause and notice the good. What are you thankful for today?
On a personal level, I wanted to share that I will actually be leaving my job at Kaiser Permanente in the coming months, where I’ve spent the past twelve years of my career. It’s a very bittersweet moment for me, as I’ve felt so fortunate to have launched my career here and have had so many cherished memories from my time here. But with more opportunities for writing and speaking coming up, I hope to see where that can take me and hopefully find a bit more balance in my life in the meantime. I’ll miss the wonderful people and teams that I’ve worked with, but am excited about what the future might hold. In the new year, I’ll be joining an amazing group practice on a part-time basis, while continuing to expand my writing and speaking opportunities. Plus some podcasting and online course development…more to come!
Upcoming Book reminder:
As a reminder, my newest book Happily Even After will be coming out on December 6th! Click here or on the image below to order your copy today. |
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| Quote of the month:
“We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep.” – William James
I’ve been thinking about this quote recently from William James, and it’s a great reminder on the transformative power of connection. We live in a strange time where we’re more connected than ever on a superficial level, yet also lonelier than ever before. Worse yet, we’re hardwired to interpret loneliness and social isolation as a threat to our safety, and even experience it similarly to physical pain on a brain-based level. On the flip side, the longest-running study ever done in the social sciences (The Harvard Study of Adult Development) has shown us that close social connection is incredibly beneficial to both our physical and emotional health. Take a brief moment to consider how you might take one meaningful step towards greater connection with someone in your life who matters to you.
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| Article of the month:
I really enjoyed this recent piece on the benefits of kindness from the Greater Good Science Center. One of the most eye-opening findings they describe is that we tend to almost universally underestimate the impact of our own acts of kindness on other people. As they put it, “In every experiment, those who were kind to another person underestimated how much happier recipients would feel. And it didn’t seem to matter what type of kindness they offered—how big it was or whether it involved an action taken or a material gift—or whether the recipient was known or not by the giver. Kind people were always off in their predictions of how much others appreciated their gesture.”
We know from decades of research that not only is kindness good for its own sake, it’s also one of the most direct routes we can take to increasing our own happiness. If you needed any more reason to go out of your way to be kind, this article shows you that if anything your kind acts may go a lot further than you ever realized:
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/do_you_underestimate_the_impact_of_being_kind |
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| Book rec of the month:
This month’s book recommendation is Resilience, by my wonderful friend Linda Graham. Linda has been a great support to me as I’ve launched my writing and speaking career, and since we happen to be neighbors (at least by California standards) I’ve been lucky enough to have her both as a colleague and friend in recent years. Her book Resilience was truly a fantastic and meaningful read, filled with practical tools you can use to bounce back from hardship.
As I was honored to write an endorsement for her book when it came out, I’ll share what I wrote about it then:
“Though we cannot control what happens to us, we can learn to respond in a healthier, more adaptive way. Perhaps more than any other book I’ve encountered, Resilience offers us the necessary tools to respond effectively to life’s challenges and strengthen the vital skill of resilience. With a treasure trove of practical exercises, this gem of a book provides us with a step-by-step guide to bouncing back from life’s struggles and creating lasting change. Writing with both expertise and immense compassion, Linda Graham has given the field and her readers an immense gift with this book.”
To learn more about Linda and her work, click here. And to get your copy of Resilience, click the picture below:
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| Thank You of the Month:
I’d like to give a shout-out to Johann Hari, whose books have been instrumental in expanding my own thinking around depression, addiction, and much more. As a journalist, Johann has tackled complex subjects related to mental health and brought them to life in a page-turning manner in books like Stolen Focus, Lost Connections, and Chasing the Scream. I was grateful that he was kind enough to endorse my upcoming book, Happily Even After. To learn more about Johann and his work, click here.
“Jonah Paquette is a sensitive and wise writer, and anyone who’s trying to get over a setback in life and find more happiness should read this book.”
– Johann Hari, bestselling author of Stolen Focus, Lost Connections, and Chasing the Scream.
What's on tap:
As I mentioned above, I’ll be going through a pretty major professional transition in the coming months as I’ll be leaving my job of twelve years and doing more workshops, keynote speaking writing, as well as joining a group private practice. Should be a busy but exciting few months!
In the meantime, I’ll continue to be doing more workshops and webinars (check my schedule here if you’d like to learn more or attend), and working on a new book project that I’m excited to share more details about in the months ahead. I’ll also be developing some online courses that will hopefully launch in Spring 2023, as well as a podcast. Stay tuned for more details!
Lastly, in a couple of weeks I’m excited to be heading to Lake Tahoe to celebrate my wife’s birthday and see some great friends over Thanksgiving. In the meantime, wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving for those who celebrate. See you in December! |
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