I still remember feeling awestruck when I saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time as a child. I remember how incredible it felt looking at the waves and realizing that they stretched so much farther than I could see. In the years since then, I’ve always enjoyed trips to the beach and felt especially calm while looking at the waves. New research studies are confirming just how powerful the experience of awe can be – from increasing happiness, to helping us feel less rushed, to making us kinder and perhaps even physically healthier! Read on to learn more about how awe affects us in so many positive ways – and how you can find ways to experience more awe in your daily life.

Fear of fear is the most destructive force within us and around us. It is understandable to not want to be afraid. It is uncomfortable at the least and terrifying at its worst. And yet, we human beings have been given the capacity to feel fear for a good reason. The emotion of fear alerts us to danger and releases adrenaline for the possibility of extraordinary action, some of which is voluntary, such as running away or fighting, and some of which is involuntary, such as increased heart rate or a bowel movement to decrease weight. All of this was crucial for us to get away from those saber-toothed tigers and is still crucial for our survival today.

Expressive arts therapy (EXA) is a form of therapy incorporating multiple arts modalities, such as poetry, movement, painting, music, and storytelling. Process is valued on par with product, and creativity is seen as an innately healing force that belongs to all of us — whether we see ourselves as “artists” or not. Dr. Lisa Herman is a registered EXA therapist, professor, writer, and actor with over 40 years of experience in the psychotherapy field.

After the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, many Americans were surprised to learn that Scalia was a close friend of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Despite the fact that the two had opposite views on many issues, they maintained a close friendship: Ginsburg even stated that she and Scalia were “best buddies.” As one political correspondent commented, “They liked to fight things out in good spirit — in fair spirit — not the way we see debates these days on television.”

You’ve probably heard that keeping a journal is good for your mental health, but did you know that writing can benefit your physical health as well? In fact, psychologists studying the effects of writing have found that people who write about an important event from their lives have better well-being over the long term and are less likely to get sick. Contrary to what you might think, gaining these benefits from writing doesn’t have to be difficult.