How to Stop Striving for ‘Happy’ and Find True Well-Being

Episode description:  

As we enter the second half of the year, it’s a good time to pause and take stock of how we’re feeling about ourselves as we move into the second half of 2024. Are we happy with our life? Well, that’s not really the right question. There’s an unspoken myth that somehow, we “should be happy,” at least most of the time, and when we aren’t, we feel like something is wrong—perhaps even something wrong with us. But in today’s episode, Dr. Beth Kurland, a clinical psychologist with three decades of experience, talks about how to stop forcing ourselves to feel “happy” when we’re faced with difficult, uncomfortable emotions that reinforce messages of “not good enough.” Instead, Dr. Kurland, the author of the recently published book, “You Don't Have to Change to Change Everything,” will offer ways we can change our perspective instead of changing ourselves, shifting six “vantage points” to cultivate inner stability, greater awareness of our internal resources, and perhaps most importantly, self-compassion. Rather than strive for happiness, which is dependent on mood, she says, we should seek a deeper well of inner resources that we can draw upon, no matter what life’s circumstances might throw at us, even in our darkest hours. Dr. Kurland will share her own healing journey, and how the six vantage points helped her find ease in the midst of life’s challenges—and how they can become an essential part of our daily well-being toolkit.

Guest description: 

Beth Kurland, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with three decades of experience. She is also a TEDx and public speaker, a mind-body coach, and an author of several acclaimed books, including “You Don’t Have to Change to Change Everything”;  “Dancing on the Tightrope: Transcending the Habits of Your Mind and Awakening to Your Fullest Life”; “The Transformative Power of Ten Minutes: An Eight Week Guide to Reducing Stress and Cultivating Well-Being”; and “Gifts of the Rain Puddle: Poems, Meditations and Reflections for the Mindful Soul.”  Inspired by her personal experiences and the work with her patients, Beth is passionate about teaching mindfulness-informed practices and mind-body strategies. She loves helping people cultivate deep well-being, access their inner toolkit, and realize that they don’t need to fix or change themselves to awaken the power of inner transformation and find wholeness. Beth regularly blogs for Psychology Today and is the creator of the Well-Being Toolkit online program. Her meditations and audio courses can be found on her website and on Insight Timer. In her spare time, she can be found running through the woods, standing on her head on her yoga mat, and spending time with her two adult children, her husband, and her family.

Contact:  https://bethkurland.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BethKurlandPhD/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-kurland-ph-d-b2a7a7115/

X: @drbethkurland

Instagram: @dr.bethkurland