Happiness, Small Changes, And More Than One Job

Posted on September 11, 2019September 11, 2019 by admin

Creative Penn Interview with Lisa M. Lilly on Happiness, Anxiety, and Writing

Recently I was interviewed by Joanna Penn about juggling multiple careers, happiness, and stress management on The Creative Penn podcast. I loved talking with Joanna. Through her blog and podcast she's been encouraging creative people and sharing information for over a decade. Among other things, we talked about: Solving problems or meeting challenges through many small changes or actions rather than one big fix Changing the questions we ask ourselves to focus on solutions rather t...

Happiness, Anxiety, and Writing: Using Your Creativity To Live A Calmer, Happier Life

Posted on June 12, 2019August 21, 2020 by admin

I struggled with anxiety for a long time before I saw the connection to creativity. The relationship between the two finally hit me while plotting the first book in my Awakening series. To figure out challenges for my protagonist, I kept asking What If? What If she's determined to go to medical school and discovers she's pregnant despite never having had sex? What If her parents, usually supportive, think she's in denial about her situation? What If when she persists in her "story" they t...

On Finding Enough Time

Posted on August 29, 2018 by admin

Because I’m working on a book about happiness, anxiety, and creativity I’ve been thinking a lot about time. As in, a lot of people, including me, feel anxious about not having enough time. By definition, being human and mortal means not having enough time. Most of us can think of more things to do than we could ever engage in during an average lifespan. Yet there are periods in my life when I’ve felt extreme anxiety over not having enough time and others when I’ve felt, in contrast, mor...

The Sights, Sounds, and Smells of Downtown Chicago

Posted on July 11, 2018 by admin

Monday I did something wonderful. I took my first walk through downtown Chicago since late April when I broke my foot. I'm still in an Aircast, but I'm getting around well enough to walk alone. It felt fantastic. First I walked from my physical therapist's office to the main Chase bank branch on Monroe and Dearborn. I'd been hoping to sit in the lobby area overlooking the plaza and fountain and rest, but it was under construction. As is everywhere near downtown Chicago these days it se...

Five Ways To Relax and Why You Should Try One This Week

Posted on February 3, 2016 by admin

Today we can do so many things more quickly and easily than was possible in my parents' time. We can send and receive texts and email in an instant, cook entire meals in a microwave, and watch movies and television shows on our own devices at the touch of a button. Yet it often seems life has become more frantic and busy. With so many choices and options come more demands on our time, as well as the feeling that we ought to fill every available minute. Not to mention, many people at all ends of ...

The Beauty of Being Fifty

Posted on December 17, 2015 by admin

This month I am celebrating my 50th birthday, and, so far, I'm finding it to be a wonderful time of life. Below are 10 reasons I feel that way:On a trip to Maui, relaxing after finishing latest revisionsto The Conflagration.Happiness:When I was in my late 30s, I read a book, How We Choose to Be Happy, that compiles studies on happiness. I don't remember the details, but the gist of it was that the happiest people are those who figure out for themselves what brings them joy and follow their own p...