If You Like This, You’ll Like…
“Our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate.”
– Norman Vincent Peale, Author
Much of the positive feedback about KeithKarabin.com speaks about loving the positive message, engaging tone and, of course, Street Level Wellness—the easy application of holistic psychology to every-day life.
Our readers are the exact opposite of that guy above; they seek out an empowering personal message, they are not spoon-fed mass nonsense. Today’s focus is on how you can find that same wellness ethos in other forms of media. Consider these a must-read (listen or watch) list for the growing community here at KeithKarabin.com.
PRINT: Barking Up the Wrong Tree – Eric Barker’ “site brings you science-based answers and expert insight on how to be awesome at life. It’s been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Wired Magazine and Time Magazine.” He doesn’t mention that the site itself is awesome. It’s cleanly and easily laid out and the articles are super-engagingly written. Plus, there’s a summary with bullet points at the end if you don’t have time to read it (We may do a similar thing—Eric is super-smart!). I am one of the “over 260,000 people” who get his free weekly update and I read it every week (Barker, 2016).
AUDIO: The Hidden Brain NPR Podcast – This brilliant podcast is a weekly listen. It “helps curious people understand the world – and themselves. Using science and storytelling, Hidden Brain’s host Shankar Vedantam reveals the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, the biases that shape our choices, and the triggers that direct the course of our relationships” (NPR, 2016). Look, it’s smart, funny, engaging and positive, what’s not to love?
ART: Sidney Harris’ Comics – A click-fest of wellness and psyche driven comic enjoyment. “Sidney Harris offers us a gift of humor and environmental sensibility in a cartoon wrapper,” said Whit Gibbons of National Public Radio. All Mr. Harris will say of himself is that he ”works night and day, on holidays too, trying to fill his self-imposed quota of an endless number of cartoons” (Harris, 2016). All I will say is be wary when clicking that link! There are pages of hilarious comics which could easily suck away an hour laughing. Also, please support his site with purchases if you feel moved to.
TELEVISION: Restaurant Impossible – “For 12 seasons Robert Irvine has given seemingly hopeless restaurateurs second chances at success, completing dream transformations, both within the four walls of the eateries and beyond, as he’s worked with owners to evolve their business savvy,” according to Food Network (2016). What they don’t say is that Robert is walking, talking—sometimes yelling—Street Level Wellness. He helps restaurateurs set reasonable, strength-focused goals and learn from their failures in a no-nonsense approach to learning from and overcoming their barriers. Every episode naturally encounters times when flavors of motivational interviewing, Stages of Change, family dynamic or existential therapy are employed naturally, whether Robert knows it or not. Even the menu and restaurant changes could be seen as experiential therapy exercises or immersive interventions. Plus, it’s fun, fast, food-focused and can often bring a tear to the eye of the viewer.
That’s Street Level Wellness in action, across the media spectrum. So go forth, have fun, learn and alive it!
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Barker, E. (2016) Barking Up The Wrong Tree. Retrieved from: http://www.bakadesuyo.com/blog/
Food Network (2016) Restaurant Impossible. Retrieved from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/restaurant-impossible.html
Harris, S. (2016) Science Cartoons Plus (.com) Retrieved from: http://www.sciencecartoonsplus.com/gallery/psychology/index.php
National Public Radio (2016) The Hidden Brain. Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510308/hidden-brain