Posts tagged with "July2025"
In my last article, I explored the habit of dampening – how people downplay or distance themselves from positive experiences, often without realising it. Dampening is an attempt to stay guarded, to play things safe, but it damages well-being and robs us of joyful moments. In this follow-on article, I ask: how do we break this destructive habit?
Savouring life’s joyful moments seems like the natural thing to do, yet many people do the opposite – they downplay, dismiss, or distance themselves from joy. In the first of two columns on this subject, I ask: why do many people dampen positive emotions?
Understanding something is all very well – just don’t mistake it for meaningful change. That’s one of the points made by psychologist and CBT therapist Dr Steven Phillipson in his thought-provoking essay, Choice. My latest column explores what Phillipson has to say, and how sometimes, we collect insights not as a path to change but as a way to justify inaction.