Being Happier with Gretchen Rubin
About this Episode
Do you want to be happier? Gretchen Rubin is a researcher and best-selling author, best known for the book "The Happiness Project". In this episode, we talk about concrete steps you can take now to be happier, at any age. One day on a bus, Gretchen realized that although she had everything she needed to be satisfied with her life, and she wasn't really unhappy, she certainly wasn't happy. She launched The Happiness Project to find out why and what to do about it.
Since then, she's been interviewed by Oprah and walked with the Dalai Lama. Her subsequent books include "The Four Tendencies", about better understanding ourselves and what would make us happy, and "Better Than Before", on how changing small everyday habits make a big difference in happiness.
In this interview, we talk extensively about how life's transitions, like retirement or an an empty nest, can be opportunities to make the changes you need to be happier and how older people often develop the self-knowledge necessary to be truly happy.
Enjoy this discussion of how research and Gretchen's personal experiments can make you happier. You can learn more about Gretchen at gretchenrubin.com/
Recent Episodes from AARP Washington State Podcast
Caring For Caregivers - Caring at the Holidays
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Caring For Caregivers - Wills, Trusts, Directives, What You Need To Know
Whether you're managing the affairs of a loved one or preparing for yourself, understanding the options for finances is important. In this Caring For Caregivers Conversation, Linda Davenport, VP & Senior Trust Officer at BECU joins our state director Marguerite Ro to talk about trusts, health directives, wills and more. Linda is also a caregiver for her 82 year old mother. Learn more about caregiving in WA at aarp.org/caregiverswa
The Latest on Vaccines & Medicare Open Enrollment
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Caring For Caregivers - The Housing Crisis and Aging
Lack of affordable housing limits our choices for how we age. Claire Petersky from the Washington State Housing Finance Commission joins our state director Marguerite Ro to talk about the crisis and where we need to do so people can choose to "age in place". For more, see our caregiving webpage at aarp.org/caregiverswa
Caring For Caregivers - Gen X Caregiving & the "Sandwich Generation"
Generation X is facing new challenges as caregivers. Jeff Ketchel of Spokane talks with our state director Marguerite Ro about caring for his mother-in-law in his home while raising his children. It's called the Sandwich Generation, where people find themselves caring for the young and the old at the same time. Jeff talks about the ups and downs of this life. In his work life, he's a leader in the public health field so he has both a personal and professional view of caregiving. Jeff talks about how Gen X characteristics can help face caregiving in a new way. Learn more about family caregiving in Washington at aarp.org/caregiversWA
Caring For Caregivers - LGBTQ Caregiving with George Dicks
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Caring For Caregivers - Harborview Geriatric Mental Health Practitioner George Dicks
Caregivers need care themselves and that's why we're launching our "Caring for Caregivers" conversations. In our first episode, AARP Washington State Director Marguerite Ro sits down with George Dicks, a geriatric mental health practitioner with Harborview Mental Health and Addiction Service, to talk about the need for caregiving support and how we can do it. George and Marguerite also discuss healthy aging and how we can get there. In addition to his professional experience, George’s lived experience as a kinship provider, caregiver, and a community advocate informs his vision of healthy aging in our society at every stage of life. He talks about what he's seen in his practice and his recent experience as a caregiver for his brother. Learn more at aarp.org/caregiverwa