February/March 2018 77
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: DREW KELLY; KAY MARTINEZ; SHUTTERSTOCK
EMBRACE
CREATURE
COMFORTS
For folks who shy away
from social situations,
or even for those of us
who relish mingling,
there is nothing like the
comfort of a pet. Dr. Allen
McConnell of Miami
University in Ohio has
found that social support
provided by pets is
comparable to that from
a fellow family member.
Pet owners tend to have
greater self-esteem, are
less depressed and less
lonely–and they even
exercise more, says the
good doctor. Walking
the dog may seem like a
chore, but it actually is
an emotionally elevating
activity, and let’s not
forget that squatting
down with a pooch-poop
bag exercises the quads.
CLEAN UP YOUR ACT!
Feeling overwhelmed and overloaded after the excess of
last year’s festivities? Purge purchases from your closet,
unsubscribe from unwanted emails and declutter from your
computer to streamline and destress. The first quarter of
the year is a perfect time to set yourself free from the fetters
of too much stuff!
SLEEP YOUR
WAY TO
SUCCESS
According to psychology
professor Norbert
Schwarz, “Making
$60,000 more in annual
income has less of
MARIE KONDO, BESTSELLING AUTHOR
an effect on your daily
happiness than getting
one extra hour of sleep a
night.” Schwartz should
know; he directed a major
U of Michigan sleep study.
So instead of putting in
extra hours of overtime
in hopes of impressing
your boss and getting that
raise you’re sure will make
you happier, hit the hay a
little earlier instead, and
reap the psychological
rewards of a happier you.
OF “THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF
TIDYING UP: THE JAPANESE ART OF
DECLUTTERING AND ORGANIZING”
KEEGHAN,
THE GOLDEN
RETRIEVER