Posts by Judith F Kennedy, PhD

It sounds simplistic to say “Decide to be happy”. It sounds like some new age, just be positive, just do it kind of philosophy for life.  It’s not though. It’s dead serious to decide to be happy. In a different way it might be more accurate to say that one can decide to be resilient.…

After two really hard years of grief, ( my husband left to be with his girlfriend the same week my mother died),  I was so angry that I became very difficult to be around. The only person I really could tolerate was my little dog, Bessie. Grief is funny that way, getting lost in it…

Life is not the cause of problems and unhappiness.  It is the commotion the mind makes about life that keeps us unhappy. Shakespeare said it best: “Nothing is either bad nor good but thinking makes it so”. When we look at life directly without our stories, it becomes simpler. I recall one day in particular in…

Do you have the courage to be yourself? Astonishing the freedom of being truly yourself  brings. I had a terrible two years. My husband left me and my mother died the same week.He left after a long time of struggling. He wanted to leave and was denigrating me to get up his courage. After this…

It is no simple thing understanding attachment. Letting go is a process. It’s been a long journey for me to this moment. As I finished my PhD as a young psychologist, I learned many years ago to help people reframe their mental models to more effective ways of thinking. I often would quote Shakespeare and…

Many of us are familiar with the idea of loving our spouses, children, or parents unconditionally — and we might even try to practice that unconditional love, though imperfectly. But do we try to love ourselves unconditionally? Consider whether you do any of these: Criticize your body. Feel like you need to improve at things.…

Breathe. 4-7-8 Breathe in for 4 counts, hold it for 7 counts and then expel for 8 counts. On the 8 count make it last until you can feel the air going out all the way from your abdomen. By doing this it will force more oxygen into your blood and help relax you. Works…

Make your life less complicated.  Life will never be completely easy but what if you were able to let go and follow some very wise, very ancient advice and suggestions about making yourself happier during your time on this earth? What if you stopped making it so complicated and hard? The “Less” Guide Less TV,…

Letting go of our stories, blame, and grief is a hard lesson, but it will serve you all of your life. Letting go is the ultimate lesson. I remember a sunny but cold day in Plymouth, Massachusetts. I was living with my ex-husband in a condo overlooking a golf course in the Pinehills. I took…

Welcome to Into a Beautiful Life. I hope you will find something of interest and value here.  The main ideas are taken from my experience over the years with clients and my own life. Ideas and wisdom come from psychology, eastern thought namely Buddhism, poetry, many well known authors and many other sources. Here’s what…