While anxiety and excessive stress are the two most significant factors that prevent a person from realizing happiness, the good news is that neural pathways in the brain are—and remain—malleable.
This means that while we may feel helpless to the stressors in our lives, a psychological phenomenon known as neuroplasticity allows us to fortify ourselves against the things that threaten to emotionally destabilize us.
From our friends that the Greater Good Science Center:
It is not complicated policies or grandiose programs that make the most difference, but rather consistent, daily, nurturing acts of reaching out to both children who bully and those who are are the receiving end of cruelty that bring about the most meaningful and lasting change.
Ever read a friend’s happy status update on Facebook and feel envious? Here’s Five Ways to Ease Your Envy | (courtesy of the Greater Good Science Center)