How can I be happy?

~ Michael Kinnaird ~ 10 Comments

Chaeedy asks…

“I’m still feeling a bit melancholy a good deal of the time. I often think I might be in a bit of a mid life crisis. Even though I have a beautiful family, I often think ‘What’s this really all about?’ Like nothing seems to do it for me anymore, where’s the joy/excitement?

The anxiety isn’t there nearly as much as it used to be (or the thoughts), but you’d think I’d be super happy all the time. Perhaps this is REALLY where meditation comes in? Very confused!”

Man looking at confusing sign
© Doug Wheller

I can tell you with noooooo doubt that if the six lifestyle elements are in place, you cannot NOT be happy. A well functioning body, high energy and living in the moment allows joy — which is really your natural state.

I’m so sure of this that I know that you are lacking in one or more of these areas.

Sleep, diet, live in the moment and organization spring to mind in your case…

I say organization because you worry and worry is not joy. And worry becomes a habit — everything does. The organization and “tidy your soul” information in Happy Guide is to take you away from worry…

And I suspect with you there are still unresolved issues with food intolerance. Continue reading “How can I be happy?” →

Don’t be offended

~ Michael Kinnaird ~ Leave a comment

“Beliefs are thoughts and thoughts aren’t me,
so ‘I’ can’t be offended, if you don’t agree.” :-)

© Joshjanssen

If you find yourself offended, taking things personally or getting upset by what people think or say, remember my little maxim.

It might help :-)

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Michael Kinnaird is the author of Happy Guide, the result of a 20 year exploration into what works for health and happiness.

Read Chapter 1 “The Happiness Secret”
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XMRV — MLV retrovirus variants found in ME/CFS patients

~ Michael Kinnaird ~ 3 Comments

Exciting new study results cause a big buzz

There’s a buzz in the world of “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome” — formally known as “ME.” The buzz is about the publication of an important NIH/FDA study that found MLV gag sequences (bits of virus to you and me) in CFS sufferers.

This is mega important because it confirms an earlier study that found the retrovirus XMRV in CFS patients.

Retrovirus

XMRV and MLV are related retroviruses that originated in mice and have crossed over to humans.

There are only 3 known human retroviruses — one of the others is HIV that causes AIDS. HIV crossed over to humans from monkeys… Continue reading “XMRV — MLV retrovirus variants found in ME/CFS patients” →

Making progress in getting rid of unwanted thoughts

~ Michael Kinnaird ~ 58 Comments

Ahsan asks…

“The progress is ok, but I need a finishing touch to really end this. By finishing touch I mean a killer to really end the whole of it. The thoughts are an “on and off” kind of situation and sometimes I am able to ignore but sometimes they still bother me.

It’s happened before that I think I have found a solution and then these thoughts get back again. The problem is that I am still feeling uncomfortable. I want to feel free, relaxed and light but there is still a kind of mental barrier.”

© Helga Weber

Please, please understand that this progress is immensely important. You should be overjoyed at this progress.

There is no killer other than “no importance — distract”, provided any supporting beliefs have been deconstructed — which is the case with you, since you know these thoughts are silly.

This simple method IS the killer but please, please be patient, consistent and calm about applying it…

KNOW that this method will result in the end of these unwanted thoughts that have plagued you for so long and that this knowledge and feeling will give you the calmness you need.

On and off is wonderful. Much easier to deal with on and off. When they come, simply notice the thought forming, give no importance and distract, remove attention back to what you were doing… Continue reading “Making progress in getting rid of unwanted thoughts” →

How to stop the endless stream of thoughts

~ Michael Kinnaird ~ Leave a comment

© Alicakes

Practice the art of “listening.” You can do it at any time. At first, it’s simple but very difficult to do.

Here’s what you do…

Don’t think, unless your thinking has a purpose. The rest of the time just “listen.” Don’t think, only listen to thoughts coming and going.

Notice… there is no thought…
Ah! There is a thought and it said “xyz.”
Notice… there is no thought again… Continue reading “How to stop the endless stream of thoughts” →

How to meditate and be free from ego

~ Michael Kinnaird ~ 7 Comments

… peace …

Don’t try to understand meditation intellectually.

While there’s a place for that, it won’t really help you other than to convince you to practice.

Meditation is ultimately about freedom. We are “possessed” by our own egos — our conditioned thought patterns and ideas of who we are.

And so we relate to life through a veil of concepts instead of directly. Our thoughts become the primary reality of our life instead of the direct experience…

So, thought and ego are the possessors from which we must regain our freedom.

Meditation is the most powerful tool to do that — although there are, in my view, lesser ways that can help, such as practicing mindfulness… Continue reading “How to meditate and be free from ego” →

Weight gain after retirement

~ Michael Kinnaird ~ Leave a comment

Angelo asks…

“I have been gradually gaining weight since a little over a year ago when I retired from my job. At that time my doctor said I was borderline diabetic. Don’t know what to do to lose weight. Is it my age? Because I think I’m just as active as I was when I was working.”

© Mrd00dman

In your situation I would put myself on a strict diet. Not strict in the sense of difficult, strict in the sense of “the best food only.”

Happy Guide has all the solutions for you, explained in a very simple way.

There are 3 diet plans at different calorie levels and you simply pick one and stick to it… Continue reading “Weight gain after retirement” →

How do you measure success in life?

~ Michael Kinnaird ~ 1 Comment
How do you measure success in life?
How do you measure success in life?

Are you happy? If the answer is YES, then you’re successful. Happiness is the only valid measure of success, because the reason people believe they need lots of money for example, is because they think it will make them happier.

Having lots of money is a nice thing — it means you don’t have to worry about money. But having a fatter wage check, a bigger house or a better car… these things alone won’t make you happy, not in the long run.

I’ve known millionaires who were desperately unhappy, despite having every possession they could ever want. Is that a successful life?

There’s nothing wrong whatsoever with having beautiful things or being rich. The point is whether we are seeking the material to fill an empty void within that can’t be filled with these things. That just doesn’t work.

Continue reading “How do you measure success in life?” →

Zispin — cause of a low blood platelet count?

~ James Riddett ~ 2 Comments

© Wellcome

My mother got a call from her doctor, the day after a routine blood check.

The doctor told her that her blood platelet count was dangerously low, down to 5 — and that it should be at least 150!

I found out on the web that these figures are in thousands. Apparently, most of us have anywhere between 150,000 to 400,000 platelets per microliter (mcL).

Anything under that and you’re officially labelled as suffering from “thrombocytopenia” — which simply means you don’t have enough blood platelets…

The only symptom was a few bruises here and there that were slow to heal. But apart from that, she felt fine. All other levels were normal — blood pressure, white blood cells, red blood cells… it was JUST the blood platelet count that was a problem. And apparently anything under a count of 20 is potentially very dangerous — spontaneous internal bleeding can occur. Continue reading “Zispin — cause of a low blood platelet count?” →

How to overcome fear of fainting

~ James Riddett ~ 8 Comments

This article is about overcoming an irrational fear of fainting. If you regularly feel light-headed, dizzy, or faint unexpectedly, please seek medical advice.

Dana wrote…

“Hello, about 2 years ago I pierced my finger with a staple while opening a package and fainted at home. Ever since then I have had a chronic fear of fainting again.

It’s whenever I go out in public the consistent thoughts of ‘I hope I don’t pass out’ just play through my head like a tape recorder and eventually I just panic and have to go sit down to calm down, and get a grip on reality that it’s not real and that I physically have no reason whatsoever that I would pass out.

I truly believe that I won’t pass out and the thoughts are irrational and also its not really ME thinking this stuff but my mind running wild and its almost like a habit to think this way. I try to live in the present moment but I just feel sometimes that its so hard to break from these irrational thoughts and control my mind.

What would you suggest I do to finally take control of this thought and eliminate it for good? Thank you so much!!!”

© Geeta Nambiar

This is a great case of our minds being dysfunctional — not serving our best interests. I can relate to your problem, I remember I was very “mental” back in school…

I used to run through difficult/embarrassing scenarios in my mind, and of course that attention made the problem worse…

Naturally, I assumed I needed to THINK about the problem in order to get rid of it and solve it (BIG mistake!) For example, I remember going through a spell where I kept thinking “I hope I don’t blush. It’ll be terrible if I blush, everyone will look at me and that will be really embarrassing”…

And then of course I would imagine how embarrassed and awkward I would feel if I blushed, and guess what… I would blush… How’s that for a self-fulfilling prophecy? :-) And of course, but for the thought, and then the attention to the thought, it would never have happened. Continue reading “How to overcome fear of fainting” →