small is beautiful subjects monitored for six weeks reminder beeper record kept of whether felt positive & if so how positive overall happiness depends on how often we feel good brief peaks are relatively unimportant Larsen RJ, Diener E & Cropanzano RS Cognitive operations associated with individual differences in affect intensity J Personal Soc Psychol 1987;53:767-74

Matthews A Being happy Media Masters, 1988 before all else, achieving control over experience requires a drastic change in attitude about what is important and what is not... the most important step... is the ability to find rewards in the events of each moment Czikszentmihalyi M Flow: the psychology of happiness London: Random Century, 1992

the ordinary is extra-ordinary If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life Wu-Men In good time we shall see God & his light, you say Fool, you shall never see what you not see today! Angelus Silesius... what happened on the way, who I met, all that was incidental. I had not quite realized that the interruptions were the journey Ted Simon Eastern sage, Christian mystic & 20th century motorcyclist

typical use of waking time 27% busy at work 9% time at work largely “wasted” 35% miscellanous eg. travelling, shopping, cooking, fixing things, unstructured time 2% active leisure eg. playing music, bowling, jogging 3% reading eg. books, magazines, newspapers 6% tv6% social 7% personal care eg. wash, dress, loo, shave, etc 8% eating Czikszentmihalyi M & I (eds) Optimal experience: psychological studies of flow in consciousness New York: Cambridge Univ Press, 1988

flow, enjoyment & increased ability challenges high low flow channel skills highlow anxiety boredom challenge and skills probably need to be greater than “normal” for greatest enjoyment, good focus & increased ability

the practice for this week 6th week’s exercise: Both arms are heavy and warm Both legs are heavy and warm The pulse is steady and calm Breath breathes me Belly warm and radiates warmth Neck and shoulders are heavy I am at peace every day: practise each of the belly exercises - relaxation & awareness - at least once daily. Also possibly 30 to 40 times daily use the reminder dot exercise! Each of these mini-exercises is often more a re-centering than a deep relaxation.