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LOVE + FEAR, Love and Angst, & Meaning of Life
A couple of weeks ago, I attended ‘Life Lessons with MARINA’, a conversation between two influential women: Marina Diamantis, a Greek-British singer-songwriter, and Professor Tanya Byron, a clinical psychologist and writer. The event was organized by The School Of Life, a global organization headquartered in London. It took place on the day that ‘LOVE’ (the first half of ‘LOVE + FEAR’, Marina’s fourth album) was released. The School Of Life offers a range of services, including classes, workshops, and events, such as the one I attended. They also offer therapy services and publish books and educational videos on YouTube. A common denominator of all these services is the focus on…
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Vienna: Search for Meaning & the Mozart Effect
I recently visited Vienna for the fourth time in my life. During a previous visit, I went to the Opera and saw Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘Nabucco’. This time, I opted for a rather more low-key concert with music by Wofgang Amadeus Mozart. The concert took place in St Peter’s Church (Peterskirche), a beautiful baroque church situated in the heart of Vienna, not far from the famous St Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom). Built at the beginning of the 18th century, it provides the perfect backdrop for the music of the famous Austrian composer (concerts start at 8 am; tickets from 29 euros). I also visited the apartment where Mozart lived between 1784 and…
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Finland and the World Happiness Report
Happy International Day of Happiness! Today is the International Day of Happiness and the theme this year is ‘Happier Together’. The focus is on what we have in common, rather than what divides us. Indeed, research has shown that relationships are essential to our happiness and wellbeing. I do not refer only to romantic relationships; our social network includes friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, teammates and so on. Research has also shown higher mortality among individuals who are lonely. In The Nordic Guide to Living 10 Years Longer: 10 Easy Tips to Live a Healthier, Happier Life Dr Bertil Marklund, a doctor and researcher at the Gothenburg University, shares…
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Aristotle ’s Way: Ancient Wisdom & Happiness
Today is the World Book Day. To mark the occasion, I’m publishing this post based on Edith Hall’s recently published book ‘Aristotle ’s Way: How Ancient Wisdom Can Change Your Life’. I first came across this book a few months ago, when I read Lisa Allardice’s article ‘How Aristotle is the perfect happiness guru’. Three words, two featuring in the title of the book, and one in the review, sparked my interest: Aristotle, wisdom, happiness. Aristotle was born in the town of Stageira, in Halkidiki, Greece, an hour’s drive from my home-town, Thessaloniki. Then, I studied Medicine at the Aristotle’s University of Thessaloniki. ‘Let Wisdom Guide’ is the motto of…
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Buddha’s Brain: The neuroscience of happiness
Just coming across the title of this book (full title: ‘Buddha’s Brain: The practical neuroscience of happiness, love & wisdom’) co-authored by neuropsychologist and meditation teacher Rick Hanson and neurologist Richard Mendius was enough to spark my interest. Even though I am an atheist, Buddha has fascinated me since I was eight years old and first visited Thailand. As a psychiatrist, I am interested in spirituality and the mind, as well as neuroscience and the brain, or perhaps I am a psychiatrist because of these interests. And then there’s happiness, a topic that interests me on a both personal and professional level, a topic that I’ve been reading and writing…
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9 Secrets to Happiness from the Cultures of the World
In the foreword of Happy: Secrets to Happiness from the Cultures of the World first published in 2011, Maureen Wheeler, Lonely Planet co-founder, writes that ‘happiness in travel comes from the moments you are aware how lucky you are to be in that place, at that time, and how wonderful the world is’. As I’m reading this book, I’m reflecting on my own travels and what traveling means to me. I first traveled abroad at the age of eight; visiting Thailand and then Singapore was such an eye-opening and character-shaping experience, for which I’m always going to be grateful to my family. As I’ve recently written, for me, traveling is…
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X-mas Book Flood: Jólabókaflóðið, Yule & Murder
I’ve always enjoyed reading crime novels. As a child, I read all Agatha Christie novels during my summer holidays. Recently, I’ve introduced reading to my daily life; commuting to and from work offers a perfect opportunity to read; I no longer have to wait for my holidays to do so. Yet, I’m actually looking forward to the Christmas holidays (sadly, I will only be off work on Christmas, Boxing and New Year’s Days), so I can read in the comfort of my own home (with Christmas music playing, as well as a few mince pies and mulled wine on the table). Perhaps, I’ll even have a few new books to…
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CultureTrip: Travel Inspiration from Argentina to Israel
Last week I wrote about Jorge Bucay, an Argentinian writer, psychotherapist, and psychodramatist. In his books, Bucay uses his clinical experience to help the readers reflect on their inner world. Even though he lives and practices in Buenos Aires, his writings transcend frontiers and are of relevance to readers across the world, which explains his popularity in different countries. Coincidentally, once I wrote that post, I came across another Argentinian writer, Ariana Harwicz, who featured in the article ‘A Life In Stories’ in the inaugural issue of the CultureTrip print magazine. I have been using CultureTrip for several years now and it is one of my favorite online resources when…
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Let Me Tell You a Story: Tales along the road to happiness
‘Traveling, watching movies and reading books’ is my usual reply when I’m asked what my hobbies are. Most would agree that films and books have at least one thing in common: there’s a story to be told. But, do they have anything in common with traveling? I believe so. When I was younger, I used to enjoy watching movies to escape from my reality and its problems. Traveling and books had the same effect: they allowed me to escape my everyday life. The inner journey Nowadays, I think there’s much more to these three activities than a route to escape. As a screenwriting student, I learned the importance of the…
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Ikigai & Komorebi: Finding purpose & beautiful moments
I’ve always been fascinated by Japan and anything Japanese. Yet, I am still to visit the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’, as Japan is often called in the West. Pronounced ‘Nihon’ or ‘Nippon’ in Japanese, the name of the country actually means ‘the origin of the sun’. Fairly recently, I’ve come across two Japanese words; since they do not have an equivalent in the English language, I have introduced them both to my vocabulary: komorebi and ikigai. Komorebi Komorebi is a noun, which translates to ‘sunlight filtered through the trees’. Such a beautiful and poetic word, isn’t it? Last week, I wrote about some of the activities that I…