Over at the Happiness Project, Gretchen has a great list of online tools you can use to make yourself happier. It includes some a my favorites pastimes, like reading my favorite blogs and interacting with friends and family via social networking utilities.

There are also a number of cool sites that I hadn’t seen before like HappyBirthday.com, which automatically reminds you of your friends’ birthdays and other important occasions, and Joe’s Goals, which gives you an easy and convenient way to track your progress.

This got me thinking in a broader sense about the different things you can do (online and off) to help break out of a bad mood. Of course the biggest thing is living with hope and purpose, but everyone occasionally gets a case of the blues.

What do you do to set yourself straight?

These are the first things that come to my mind:

• Exercise, especially something outdoors like a run or walk
• Seeking out solitude to sort out my thoughts
• Reading an old book or watching an old movie that I love but haven’t seen in a long time
• Spending time with a friend without the television
• Doing something creative that’s just for fun (i.e. playing with my gadgets)

How many “training sessions” have you sat through where you’re eyes started to roll into the back of your head and you couldn’t stay focused no matter how hard you tried?

I’ve sat through too many sessions like this, and frankly, can’t stand it any longer. I don’t even fault the presenter. Many times people gain valuable experience in a topic or technique and are asked to put together a presentation and “train” a group of people. The problem is, the presenters are rarely trained in teaching techniques or learning theory. Click here to continue »

I’m a vegetarian. I also eat virtually no junk food, white bread, soft drinks or caffeine. For most people, living on such a diet seems like an act of self-torture. But this way of eating isn’t the result of extreme self-discipline. Once you know how to redesign your diet, eating healthy foods all the time is easy.

Why Redesign Your Diet?

Isn’t permanently redesigning your diet a little excessive? You’ll miss all the great foods like roast beef, candy and potato chips. Why bother going to all the work of overhauling your diet just so you can live a few extra years? Click here to continue »

It was a Tuesday morning in early April 2001. I watched the autumn rain as it trickled down the car window and disappeared into the street. Mr Gordon had chosen me to represent the school at the Free State HIV/AIDS Conference. I didn’t know what to expect but I hoped the experience would be a meaningful one. Fortunately it was. Click here to continue »