The more I’ve learned about happiness, the more I’ve come to believe that loneliness is a terrible, common, and important obstacle to consider.

A while back, after reading John Cacioppo’s fascinating book Loneliness, I posted Some counter-intuitive facts about loneliness, and several people responded by asking, “Okay, but what do I do about it? What steps can I take to feel less lonely?”

I recently finished another fascinating book, Lonely — a memoir by Emily White, about her own experiences and research into loneliness. White doesn’t attempt to give specific advice about how to combat loneliness, but from her book, I gleaned these strategies…

Psychotherapy is often described as an art as much as it is a science. The professional relationship between a therapist and their client can be a tricky one. Especially when it comes to bad habits of either the therapist or the client.

One of these bad habits is especially frustrating to clients — a therapist’s constant yawns during session. People often read into a yawn far more than what is usually meant — or not meant — by the behavior.

Part of the problem is yawning itself — we don’t really know why people yawn in the first place. So a person often will assume the worst — “I’m boring him with what I’m talking about.”

But that’s often not the case.

It’s easy to slip into the “coulda, woulda, shouldas” of our lives. There’s the trip you didn’t take. The relationship you might have ended too soon. The career that sits, still waiting to be pursued.

And though it maybe difficult to admit, it’s not the boss that held you back or the friend that slighted you. In fact, there’s probably some true to the saying that “you are your own worst enemy.”

It’s the weekend again. It’s June. Summer is upon us. Why not take the time to reflect on why you’re holding yourself back?

A few days ago, I asked our Facebook friends what’s the best decision they ever made. It was one of our most popular topics and we received responses on everything from living to accepting their life. (By the way, I find the most inspiration from your comments. Keep posting them.) I asked that question because I think a lot of times when faced with a road with too many options and the fear of taking the wrong one, we forget that we already tackled tough decisions in the past. We made it and it led to something wonderful in our lives.

Maybe it’s a good time to remember that again. Maybe it’s the perfect time to begin working on goals made at the beginning of this year. Maybe it is finally the right time to start working on you. What do you think?

Body Envy & How to Get Past It

(Weightless) – She talks about body image, but there are depth and versatility here that can be applied to anyone who attempts and obsesses over perfection especially when it’s not our own.