As we approach the upcoming new year, it’s always a great time to take a step back and reflect on what we’ve learned and experienced over the past twelve months.
First, let me ask you an important question: “Are you better or worse than you were exactly one year ago today? Or about the same?”
I sincerely hope it was a good and productive year for you; but even if it wasn’t, keep in mind this is just one chapter in your life and there’s still plenty of hope in the future if you’re willing to continue moving forward, trying new things, growing, and evolving.
As for me, this was one of my best years in awhile. The Emotion Machine has been going strong for almost 10 years now, but I truly feel I keep learning new things and my articles are getting better and better every single day.
This year also marks an important milestone for me. My first official book Small Habits, Big Changes: How the Tiniest Steps Lead to a Happier, Healthier You was published by Ulysses Press. I want to thank everyone who has picked up a book so far, and please reach out to me on Twitter if you want help with anything. You’re awesome!
At the end of every year, I always compile a list of my “best articles” of the year. Usually this is based on which ones were the most popular, but I also choose a couple that are personal favorites as well.
This year I covered a wide-range of topics including: motivation, goals, relationships, mental health, and just how to make your life happier overall. Check them out below and see if there are any good ones you might’ve missed!
Best Articles
Here are the best articles published at The Emotion Machine in 2018. Check them out!
Rational approaches to self improvement can only get us so far, sometimes we need to learn how to embrace “irrational change” to truly transform ourselves at a deeper level.
“Cognitive defusion” is a tool in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) where we learn how to accept our thoughts while at the same time distancing ourselves and not clinging to them. Here are 7 great metaphors that illustrate how to do this!
New research shows the benefits of experiencing “awe,” an overwhelming feeling of amazement for something that is grand, special, or unique. Are you getting your fill of this under-appreciated emotion?
When we find ourselves in an argument or debate with someone, we often become more focused on “winning” the argument rather than actually discovering the truth. One way to avoid this is to build “iron man” arguments for ideas you disagree with.
Our entire skillset is often more important than any individual skill. And when we can combine two skills that seem completely unrelated, then we build an even more specialized version of ourselves that can’t be easily replicated.
The “Drama Triangle” is a great framework for analyzing how drama unfolds in our lives. People tend to fall into certain roles such as “victim,” “rescuer,” and “persecutor.” Which role do you usually play?
Emotions can be as contagious as the common cold; just as we can catch a virus from someone when we come into contact with them, we similarly catch other people’s emotions. In psychology, this is known as “emotional contagion.”
Here are 7 cognitive biases that hurt your productivity and goals. Become more aware of these thought patterns that kill your motivation and learn how to overcome them (including the “planning fallacy,” “sunk cost fallacy,” and “zero sum bias.”)
Enemies can be our best teachers when it comes to self improvement. When we discover an enemy, our instinct is to want to fight them or run away. However, these enemies also come with a hidden gift for us that we should learn to embrace.
Don’t think of a “white bear” for one whole minute. Ready. Set. Go… How did you do? Why trying to suppress thoughts can often backfire on us.
Creating a healthy “sense of urgency” is essential for getting things done, being a more productive person, and achieving your goals. Without it, we risk letting time pass us by – and before we know it there’s no more time left to do what we want to do. http://www.
The trick to getting more joy and happiness from “ordinary experiences” is to be more creative with them. In one study, psychologists found that those who ate popcorn with chopsticks reported it was better tasting and more enjoyable.
There’s nothing wrong if you quit something – it’s actually a very necessary component to success. “Quitting” just means you get to redirect your energy and focus to new and better things.
We often overlook our strengths, talents, and skills because they come so easy to us that we figure there is nothing special about them. This is especially true for natural talents and strengths that are built into our biology.
The main lesson we can learn from the “hot/cold empathy gap” is that we often don’t understand human behavior (whether it’s ourselves or someone else) until we are in that situation and experiencing it first-hand.
When we meet someone, we often underestimate how much they will like us. But the truth is most people in the world are pro-social; they want to like and be liked. Psychologists are calling this tendency to undersell ourselves “the liking gap.”
What blind spots do you have in your life? To find out, you’re going to have to begin to look for advice outside of yourself. And one of the best ways to do that is to listen to the feedback you get from your family and friends.
Best Videos
While writing is my main jam, every now and then I sit behind a camera and talk about stuff too. Here are a few noteworthy videos I made this year.
Running away from fearful situations can often heighten our fears. According to a new study, when people run away from a threatening situation, the part of their brain associated with fear has a stronger response than when they engage the threat head on.
You can tell a lot about a person by how they respond to other people’s success. Do you celebrate other people’s accomplishments or try to tear them down?
By changing your breathing patterns, you can also change your mental state. In this way, your breath is like a remote control for your brain and nervous system
More Self Improvement Resources
The Emotion Machine also provides many other resources in psychology and self improvement. If you are new here, you should also consider checking out:
- Free Guides and Workbooks – I have a handful of free downloads available to everyone, including “The Science of Self Improvement,” “Meditation Guide,” “Emotional Intelligence Toolkit,” and “Gratitude Workbook.” Download them if you haven’t already!
- Psychology Quizzes – Here’s a small collection of quizzes I made, including “Introversion vs. Extroversion,” “Big Picture vs. Detail Oriented,” and “Locus of Control.” These are mostly meant for fun and as a springboard for self-reflection, so don’t take them too seriously.
- Best Self Improvement Articles – This is a much larger collection of “best articles” at The Emotion Machine that includes previous years. It’s broken down by category to make it easier to browse, including articles on “Happiness,” “Emotions,” “Thinking,” “Habits,” “Relationships,” and much more!
- Recommended Reading – A list of classic books in psychology and self improvement that have had a big impact on me and influenced a lot of the work I’ve done here.
- YouTube Channel – My video channel that also includes some podcast episodes and live streams I’ve done in the past. I don’t update it too often, but it’s worth browsing through since there are still some helpful gems in there.
- Next Level Coaching – I’ve been coaching people in self improvement for over 5 years now. I’m always open to finding new people to work with, so please take the time to read through this page and see if we’re a good fit for each other.
- Twitter – I have a bunch of social media, but I’m most active on Twitter. It’s a great place to stay updated on new content, ask me questions, and just interact with me in real-time
These are all great additional resources for learning more about psychology and self improvement. Take the time to check them out!
Please Support The Emotion Machine
If you find any joy or value in my work, it would be greatly appreciated if you could support me and keep The Emotion Machine growing and evolving into the future.
You can donate to both my PayPal or Patreon. Here are the links:
I’m super thankful for any support you guys can give, even just a monthly pledge of a few bucks (a cup of coffee) can go a long way in helping me to maintain this site and keep creating new content.
Thanks for everything and let’s make 2019 as awesome as possible!
Stay updated on new articles and resources in psychology and self improvement: