Be Happy Without Faking It: Put These Principles Into Practice Now
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Negative social media posts. Frightening headlines. Workplace challenges. These are all things that Pamela Gail Johnson, the founder of the Society of Happy People, would label “Happiness Zappers,” and they are a fact of life. The good news is these Happiness Zappers don’t have to put a lid on our smiles.
“We will all experience at least one or more Happiness Zapper — unhappiness, stress, fear, chaos or annoyances — each day,” Johnson said in a recent interview. “Much of our happiness is based on how we manage the Happiness Zappers.”
In her enlightening new book, Practical Happiness: Four Principles to Improve Your Life, Johnson paves a pathway toward authentic joy and fulfillment, with actionable strategies, transformational techniques, and real stories about real people who have put Johnson’s principles into practice.
“The Society of Happy People identified 31 types of happiness to help you identify more happy moments when they happen,” she added. “Sometimes, we’re happier than we think we are; we just don’t notice all of the happiness we experience.” In her book, she details four happiness principles for living an authentically more joyful life:
• Happiness is Personal • Happiness Zappers Can be Managed • Happiness Changes as You Change • Happiness is Bigger Than You Think
These four principles will help readers redefine personal happiness, manage their Happiness Zappers, and become more aware of the happy moments taking place all around them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pamela Gail Johnson founded the Society of Happy People in 1998, created the first three globally celebrated happiness holidays, and is the author of Practical Happiness: Four Principles to Improve Your Life. She started her career with Junior Achievement, then worked in the mental health and substance abuse field at the Hazelden Foundation. She was an award-winning salesperson for American Express and Staples, and now helps leaders and teams create happier workplace cultures.
A frequent media guest on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, radio and podcasts, her work has been covered by magazines, newspapers and online publications.
She divides her time between Dallas, Texas, and Washington, DC.
At the Heart of the Holidays: A Time for Spiritual Rebirth and Enlightenment Writings emphasize positive impact of forming deep connection with the All Spirit
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If there is one thing we can all depend on through life’s ups and downs, it is the source of all existence, posits minister and licensed psychotherapist Dr. Pieter Noomen.
“Compare it with how a person functions with millions of different parts, including unseen activities like thinking and feeling. Certain parts may fail, yet the unit remains intact as one person during one’s lifetime. So it is with the totality of all. It is always there. It is forever,” he shared in his writings.
Dr. Noomen began to develop a deep connection with a spiritual presence more than 25 years ago while studying the work of Dr. Peter D. Francuch, who communicated with what he called “the Positive State.” Dr. Noomen would go on to significantly widen his own spiritual path and have extraordinary experiences on the spiritual plane.
He chronicles his journey and the insights he gained on his website, www.wordsforall.org. He writes about the 12 components of life: Oneness, Love, Life, Fire, Space, Connectedness, Progression, Effect, Freedom, Joy, Differentness and Harmony; shares 147 thought-provoking questions and the illuminating answers that came to him during his communications with the All Spirit; and details his extraordinary journeys in the spiritual dimension, including how the very first visit began: a strong light coming through a cracked door.
The message that forms the foundation of his writings on www.wordsforall.org is that directly or indirectly, life stems from one common source, and to connect with that source is the highest level of existence we can achieve on earth.
“May all the sayings of this website touch a chord in you that lifts up your spirit,” Dr. Noomen wrote.
Born in the Netherlands, Pieter Noomen completed doctoral studies in theology and pastoral psychology at the Free University of Amsterdam and was senior minister of three protestant churches. Later, he worked as a psychotherapist and as a staff member of a Los Angeles metropolitan church. He was involved in mental health issues like suicide prevention and hospice. Sadly, Dr. Noomen passed away in 2019, but his wealth of wisdom and insights freely shared on www.wordsforall.org will continue to inspire people throughout the world to broaden their spiritual paths.
“Is regularly making room in our thinking for spiritual issues worthwhile? I think so! One, it will never be at the cost of the truth we have already hidden in us. To the contrary. Two, not just thinking of, but truly connecting with the One Spirit of Life, (Allah, God, Higher Power, etc.) as with a Person, immensely expands, inspires and consolidates our being on the right track during our time on earth and beyond that.”
Trish Stevens Kathleen Harrison Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 281.333.3507 Main [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
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Being a teenager in today’s “age of anxiety” is scary. Being a parent of a teenager is even scarier. Zoomers may seem more together, more confident and more independent than prior generations, but in fact, they are more anxious, lonely and emotionally fragile, and less resilient to stress, says psychoanalyst, clinical social worker and parenting expert Erica Komisar.
“We are asking children to handle more — more stress, more stimulation, more pressure, more choices and more decisions — without giving them a secure foundation of support, emotional security, and real and meaningful connections,” says Komisar.
Her important new book, Chicken Little the Sky Isn’t Falling: Raising Resilient Adolescents in the New Age of Anxiety, is a comprehensive guide filled with compassionate and practical advice to help parents guide, educate and connect with their children on a range of current topics, including gender and sexual identity, anxiety and depression, disordered eating, ADHD, vaping, social media and bullying, to name a few.
Chicken Little also contains valuable insights intended to help readers prevent, recognize and address mental health disorders, as well as help their teens navigate academic and social pressures, social media and technology usage, increased social isolation and family pressures. With Komisar’s guidance and support, parents will learn how to be beacons of hope and change, as well as how to raise emotionally healthy, resilient adolescents.
About the Author Erica Komisar, LCSW, is a clinical social worker, psychoanalyst and parent guidance expert who has been in private practice in New York City for over 30 years. As a psychological consultant, she brings parenting workshops to schools, clinics, corporations and childcare settings. She is also a contributing editor to the Institute for Family Studies. She is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Daily News, The Washington Post and The Huffington Post.
Erica lives in New York City with her husband and is the mother of three adolescent children.
Chicken Little, the Sky Isn’t Falling: Raising Resilient Adolescents in the New Age of Anxiety Publisher: HCI Books Release Date: November 2, 2021 ISBN-10: 0757324002 ISBN-13: 9780757324000 Trade Paperback, 288 pages Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Lindsey Mach Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Spirituality Can Help Us Find the Light in Every Darkness Words For All website shares messages of healing, love and unity.
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Minister and licensed psychotherapist Dr. Pieter Noomen developed a deep connection with a spiritual presence, and one by one, the 12 components of life came to him: Oneness, Love, Life, Fire, Space, Connectedness, Progression, Effect, Freedom, Joy, Differentness and Harmony.
“On an evening walk, out of the blue, I heard in a clear voice that was in and around me, without comment, the 12 ingredients or components of everything that exists, one each day,” Dr. Noomen wrote. “It was at a time that the question about what life, my life, was really all about, was much on my mind. Then came the voice. For more than a year, I didn’t know what to do with what I had heard. It dawned upon me that I could write down what it stirred up in me.”
Dr. Noomen’s journey toward forming a conscious closeness to the source of all existence began more than 25 years ago when he studied the work of Dr. Peter D. Francuch, who communicated with what he called “the Positive State.” Dr. Noomen would go on to significantly widen his own spiritual path and have extraordinary experiences on the spiritual plane.
On his website, www.wordsforall.org, Dr. Noomen shares 147 thought-provoking questions and the illuminating answers that came to him during his communications with the All Spirit. Readers will also find 10 rules for praying, wisdoms of the week, and detailed descriptions of his extraordinary journeys in the spiritual dimension, including how the very first visit began: a strong light coming through a cracked door.
The message that forms the foundation of his writings on www.wordsforall.org is that directly or indirectly, life stems from one common source, and to connect with that source is the highest level of existence we can achieve on earth.
Born in the Netherlands, Pieter Noomen completed doctoral studies in theology and pastoral psychology at the Free University of Amsterdam and was senior minister of three protestant churches. Later, he worked as a psychotherapist and as a staff member of a Los Angeles metropolitan church. He was involved in mental health issues like suicide prevention and hospice. Sadly, Dr. Noomen passed away in 2019, but his wealth of wisdom and insights freely shared on www.wordsforall.org will continue to inspire people throughout the world to broaden their spiritual paths.
“Gratitude can be something ‘in general’. Yet, thanking for some specific thing can go to the core of who we are. Once, someone bedridden and suffering told me she looked for something, anything, she still could be grateful for. For her, it was the pillow she could put her head on. Realistic? Yes! In every darkness is somewhere a flicker of light. Even if ‘only’ in our spirit.”
Trish Stevens Kathleen Harrison Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 281.333.3507 Main [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
How to Overcome Codependency and Build Healthy, Reciprocal Relationships
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“Using neuroscience, psychology, and spirituality, Mary Joye shares how to conquer old habits of needing to rescue loved ones and friends. In this compelling book you can free yourself and learn that living well and giving well can occur naturally.” — Dr. Laurie Nadel, author of The Five Gifts
Are you a fixer, a rescuer or a people pleaser? Do you feel guilty — really guilty — saying no? Codependency once meant being involved with someone who was dependent upon an addictive substance. Today, the definition of codependency has expanded to encompass other unhealthy behaviors associated with relationships.
“Codependency is like narcissism in reverse,” explained licensed therapist, Mary Joye, LMHC. “Narcissists are self-absorbed, while codependents are hyper focused on the needs of others. And these two personalities can become instantly attracted to each other.”
In her new book, Codependent Discovery and Recovery 2.0, Joye helps readers uncover the traits, psychological roots, financial aspects and neuroscience behind their codependency, and more importantly, what to do about it.
As a healed codependent herself, Joye’s unique approach offers readers a holistic alternative to typical 12-step addiction models and covers the full spectrum of codependency.
She shows you what motivates your codependency and teaches you how to overcome the toxic thinking and behaviors associated with it by using evidence-based techniques of healing. Rather than merely learning how to say no to others, you will learn how to say yes to yourself and form healthy, reciprocal relationships.
For expedited and lasting recovery, Codependent Discovery and Recovery 2.0 includes meditations, affirmations, a quick-fix chapter and easy two-column Life Lists that allow the opportunity for self-reflection, offering readers an invaluable self-help experience.
By using these transformative cognitive behavioral tools, you can change no matter where you fall on the continuum. It is possible to reinvent yourself in a positive way while learning how to give and live well.
About the Author Mary Joye, LMHC, is a licensed mental health counselor and regular contributor to DailyOM.com. She was interviewed in O, The Oprah Magazine in an article titled “The Greatest Love” about her prior codependency and rise from it. Formerly, she was a professional singer/songwriter in Nashville at Warner Brothers. She reinvented herself as a licensed mental health counselor at 45. As a writer and therapist, she helps people get in touch with their emotions.
True Story of Survival Opens Minds and Dialogues about Mental Health
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Mark Henick stood precariously on the wrong side of the railing on a crumbling, concrete overpass. The bridge spanned two realities and, for Henick, had become a symbol of escape — in one form or another. A voice behind him tried to help. A crowd gathered. Siren lights flashed in his peripheral vision. Surrounded but still alone, Henick let go.
So-Called Normal: A Memoir of Family, Depression and Resilience from Mark Henick is a vital and triumphant story of perseverance and recovery by one of North America’s foremost advocates for mental health
Henick’s near-death experience on the overpass that night would alter his emotional orbit just enough that his exit from a psychiatric ward following that suicide attempt in 2003 would be his last. His transformation didn’t happen overnight — it was a gradual process punctuated with new challenges and setbacks — but slowly, his patterns reversed and he began a profound, “upward” spiral toward recovery.
So-Called Normal chronicles Henick’s youth and the events that led to that fateful night on the bridge and the experiences and transformation that followed. It is a vivid and personal account of a boy who had to deal with the breakdown of his parents’ marriage, an abusive stepfather, bullying and trauma — all while trying to navigate his progressively worsening mental health. In the backdrop is a community that didn’t talk about mental illness, one where silence and maintaining the comforts of “normal” was paramount. So-Called Normal is not a “misery memoir” about suicide — it’s a gripping, inspirational story of survival.
Author Mark Henick’s TEDx talk about being saved from death by a stranger is one of the most watched in the world and has been viewed millions of times. His search for “the man in the brown jacket” whose bravery and strong arms kept him from falling to his death went viral around the world (and was successful!). Henick has been on television and radio and has written many articles on mental health. He has hosted more than 60 intimate conversations about mental health with notable public figures and celebrities on his podcast, So-Called Normal, and has executive produced and hosted the Living Well podcast for Morneau Shepell. Henick has served on the board of directors for the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and was the president of a provincial division of the Canadian Mental Health Association — the youngest person in either role. He has worked as a frontline clinician, a program manager and the national director of strategic initiatives for CMHA. Currently the CEO and principal strategist for Strategic Mental Health Consulting, Mark Henick is in high demand as an international keynote speaker on mental health recovery.
So-Called Normal: A Memoir of Family, Depression and Resilience Publisher: HarperCollins Release Date: January 12, 2021 ISBN-10: 1443455032 ISBN-13: 978-1443455039 Available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Audible and others
Trish Stevens Teresa Hinojosa Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 832.569.5773 Direct 281.333.3507 Phone 800.854.2207 Fax [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
50+ And Healthy Examines The Importance Of Mental Health As We Age
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The worldwide stay-at-home orders have turned weekend warriors into daily dog walkers, joggers and cyclists — all hoping to stay fit and avoid the “quarantine 15.” But there’s more to being healthy than having a fit physique. Mental health is equally important, but often gets buried beneath the stigma surrounding it.
“Many of you recognize that mental illness is often a taboo subject … due to seeming com-plexity, mystery and stigma,” explains Murali Rao, MD. “Unfortunately, the high discrimina-tion of the subject leads to a statistic of nearly two-thirds of the world population refusing to seek help for mental health related issues.” Adding: “Though this primer is directed towards learning to help elders, the material can readily apply to any age group.”
Rao, an expert on clinical geriatrics and geriatric psychiatry, addresses the concepts of men-tal health and mental illnesses in the overarching context of healthy aging in 50+ and Healthy: What You Need to Know About Mental Health and Healthy Aging — for You and Your Loved Ones. This exceptionally strong, evidence-based guide emphasizes the im-portance of nurturing our mental health as we grow older.
Using easy-to-understand language, he explores common health-related conditions, how to recognize symptoms, practical approaches to treatments and his GAME PLANTM method for helping yourself and your loved ones, of any age, during times of distress or mental health crises.
For readers of any educational and professional background, 50+ and Healthy offers easily presented information and relatable case studies.
With this book, you can learn from a world authority about:
Healthy aging and mental health
Common mental illnesses, why people get them, how to identify them and how to manage them
Practical approaches for first aid and later interventions
Self-care for mental health and successful aging
If you are interested in healthy aging and how to help yourself, your family members and your friends with mental health, this book is for you. All proceeds from book sales go to a nonprofit organization engaged in mental health awareness education in the United States and India (www.nndcifoundation.org), founded by Dr. Murali Rao.
Author Murali Rao, MD, is a professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. He specializes in liaison and emergency psychiatry. Additionally, he serves as a member of multiple professional bodies including the American College of Psychiatrists, the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, CINP, the Indian Psychiatric Society and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA).
Dr. Rao has received multiple awards and fellowships, including Distinguished Life Fellow by the APA, Outstanding Academician Award by the Indo-American Psychiatric Association and the Master Teacher Award by the Stritch School of Medicine. Dr. Rao has also had more than 80 journal publications, books and book-chapters. He has recently published trainee and trainer manuals on Adult Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Workplace Mental Health.
For more information, please visit www.nndcifoundation.org, or follow the author on Twitter at @MuraliRaoMD.
50 + and Healthy: What You Need to Know About Mental Health and Healthy Aging — for You and Your Loved Ones Publisher: Loyola University Chicago ISBN-10: 1735177504 ISBN-13: 978-1735177502 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Terri Lynn Polk Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone 800.854.2207 Fax