Tewksbury Library To Offer 3 Talks How To Live A Happier Life

HAPPINESS WEEK: The Five Hurdles To Happiness & How To Overcome Them

Tuesday, March 12, 7pm

Five obstacles stand in between you and true happiness. Come learn what they are and how you can overcome them with acclaimed author and psychologist Mitch Abblett, PhD. Buddhist traditions teach that there are five negative qualities, or hindrances, that inhibit people from living an awakened life. Abblett gives this teaching a modern, secular interpretation and will help you identify the hurdles that are blocking your contentment -- desire, hostility, sluggishness, worry, and doubt -- and how you can take your first steps to overcoming them. Combining traditional wisdom with contemporary psychology and using examples from his psychotherapy practice, Abblett uses the hurdles as a frame for engaging you in a process of contemplating your own life and learning to lean into your experience rather than merely repeating bad habits. By doing this, you can break free from the hurdles and live more mindfully, effectively, and compassionately. Led by Mitch Abblett, PhD, author of "The Five Hurdles to Happiness and the Mindful Path to Overcoming Them." He is a licensed clinical psychologist and consultant with a private practice. A Q&A and book selling/signing will follow for those interested. Sponsored by the Friends of the Tewksbury Public Library. Register HERE.

HAPPINESS WEEK: How To Be Happier – Understanding The Science Of Happiness

Thursday, March 14, 1pm

Do you ever find yourself wishing you could feel happier? Many of us do and we think we will feel happier as a result of something – such as finding a new job, finishing a project, losing 10 pounds, etc. However, psychologists and neurologists are now realizing that happiness can be more readily achieved through changing the way we think. Come learn this revolutionary concept and receive practical tools for achieving this new mindset. Led by Lizzie Linn Casanave, professor of philosophy at Northern Essex Community College. She received her BA in Philosophy/Religion and World Perspectives and her MA in Critical and Creative Thinking. Casanave currently teaches Practical Logic, Introduction to Philosophy, Introduction to Ethics and First Year Seminar. Her curriculum also includes a workshop on "The Science of Happiness" which looks at happiness through the lens of positive psychology. A Q&A will follow for those interested. Sponsored by the Friends of the Tewksbury Public Library. Register HERE.

HAPPINESS WEEK: Everything You Know About Happiness Is Wrong

Saturday, March 16, 2pm

You may be familiar with findings from Positive Psychology that underscore common sense beliefs about the sources of happiness. For example: practice gratitude; savor the moment; cultivate positive emotions. But you may not be aware that research from the "far side" of positive psychology has shown that many of our assumptions about the sources of happiness and success aren't necessarily true. Such research has exposed the unintended negative consequences of well-meaning strategies to promote self-esteem and productivity. Come learn the answers to questions such as these: Is luck something we stumble into, or a skill we can develop to alter our destiny? Is tenaciously sticking to a goal no matter what the key to success or a prelude to failure? Do our efforts to bolster self-esteem create confident and positive self-regard, or subtly subvert it? Which do we regret more: things we tried and failed at, or things we never tried because we were afraid of failing? Does success make people happy? Or does happiness lead people to succeed? Do we choose things we want because we like them? Or do we often want things we don't really like? Led by Mary Jacobsen, author, educator, and licensed social worker. A Q&A will follow for those interested. Sponsored by the Friends of the Tewksbury Public Library. Register HERE.