September 2012 | Heidi Smith Luedtke

Monthly Archives: September 2012

Three Reasons to Smile

By Heidi Smith Luedtke on September 27, 2012
Categories: Emotion, Happiness 101, Psychology Research, Self-Care, Stress and Coping

In response to my last post on the upside of emotional contagion, my friend Mary Lou commented: “another good reason to smile often.” And I couldn’t agree more. In fact, when it comes to happiness I’d advocate a “fake it ‘til you make it” approach. Here are three reasons to put on a happy face.… [read more]

The Upside of Emotional Contagion

By Heidi Smith Luedtke on September 24, 2012
Categories: Cognitive Psychology, Emotion, Happiness 101, Relationships, Social Psychology, Stress and Coping

Have you ever felt the rush of anxiety in your own body when you watched your child take center stage? Or maybe you waited in line behind a disgruntled customer at the checkout and felt twinges of frustration take root and grow as you watched? Elaine Hatfield, John Cacioppo and Richard Rapson first used the… [read more]

Courage Roars Quietly — How to Give Negative Feedback

By Heidi Smith Luedtke on September 21, 2012
Categories: Emotion, People Skills, Relationships, Stress and Coping

Yesterday, I did something really difficult. It took courage and composure – and I was running low on both. My heart was pounding, my pulse was racing, and I was already in tears. But I did it anyway. I gave my doctor a big dose of negative feedback. Out loud and in person. And it… [read more]

Four No-Cost Uplifts to Give Today

By Heidi Smith Luedtke on September 19, 2012
Categories: Books, Emotion, Friendship, Happiness 101, Health Research, Parenting, People Skills, Psychology Research, Relationships, Stress and Coping

These days we spend a lot of time complaining about how little time we have. And many of us struggle to make family and friends a priority because there are always more tasks on the to-do list. Last week, I encouraged you to give yourself daily uplifts. Today, I want you to give mood-boosting treats… [read more]

Small Stressors Add Up

By Heidi Smith Luedtke on September 13, 2012
Categories: Daily Hassles, Emotion, Psychology Research, Relationships, Self-Care, Stress and Coping

You’ve probably heard you shouldn’t sweat the small stuff (and that it’s all small stuff). The authors of the sweet little book with this title have surely made truckloads of money helping us all get perspective on our problems. At the risk of sounding alarmist, I say maybe you should sweat the small stuff. Here’s… [read more]

Five Ways to Get More Done

By Heidi Smith Luedtke on September 11, 2012
Categories: Books, Limit Setting, Productivity

If you’re anything like me, your to-do list seems to magically grow while you sleep, but the day doesn’t get longer in response. No worries. Leo Babauta, author of Focus: A simplicity manifesto in the Age of Distraction, writes, “There are lots of ways to find balance. The key is to think about what you… [read more]

Rewrite your Story

By Heidi Smith Luedtke on September 5, 2012
Categories: Beliefs, Cognitive Psychology, Emotion, Self-development

Some life events are so overwhelming that we simply get lost in a sea of emotions. A person who is fired from her job after years of positive performance reviews may feel angry, resentful and betrayed by her former supervisor. She may believe she was targeted by colleagues who were threatened by her abilities or… [read more]