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Justin K. Hughes, Licensed Professional Counselor: Dallas CBT and Exposure Therapy for OCD, Anxiety, Addictions & More
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Justin's Blog

Winning the Lottery and Money Sense

10/24/2018

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$1.6 Billion.  That's 1,600 x 1 MILLION Dollars.  For the person who won roughly that amount in South Carolina (and the rest of us):

Would it surprise you that your emotional well-being really doesn't improve by becoming wealthy?  There’s been a host of research in recent years that look into happiness and money.  Possibly the most commonly known one is the National Academy of Sciences study on well-being and money.
This study’s now famous $75,000 mark suggests that a person’s emotional well being (how they feel day-to-day) AND their evaluation of life (their overall perspective of how they are doing) improves up to the point of earning $75k per HOUSEHOLD in the United States.  Beyond this mark, emotional well-being doesn't significantly improve, though a person will evaluate their life as better if they earn beyond this mark.  To quote their findings, “We conclude that high income buys life satisfaction but not happiness, and that low income is associated both with low life evaluation and low emotional well-being” (Kahneman, et al. 2010).

So what do "happy money" spenders do?  Research by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton in Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending (2014) reveals how money is spent makes the crucial difference in happiness.
  1. Buy Experiences.
    • Connect with people; target experiences over stuff.
  2. Make It A Treat.
    • Making something special and novel increases its enjoyment.
  3. Buy Time.
    • Make time to slow down and pursue what's valuable to you.
  4. Pay Now, Consume Later.
    • First, don't consume with money you don't have.  Second, enjoy at a later point- anticipate.
  5. Invest In Others.
    • An incredible thing happens when we give: happiness.  "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35, The Bible, ESV).

Are you making the most of what you have?  Are you caught up in materialism and consumerism?  Today is always a great day to do something different.  

Yours Truly,
Justin K. Hughes, MA, LPC
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Egosyntonic & Egodystonic

10/14/2018

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Do I want this, or do I not?  Is this my actual desire, or what I don't want?  Does this thought or desire define me?  What if it's terrible or horrible?


Sometimes the things I think about are because I value them or desire them.

Sometimes the things I think about are because I don't value them or desire them.


What the heck?  


Egosyntonic and Egodystonic are two psychological terms to describe phenomena of thoughts/urges that are synonymous and antonymous to what a person desires or wants.  Sometimes our thoughts reflect very much what we desire or want, but around 90% of people endorse having "intrusive thoughts," or unwanted thoughts.  

It is crucial to do a good functional analysis on a thought/behavior to determine whether someone is doing something in order to pursue- or to avoid- the very same thing.  
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Photo by Joel Fulgencio on Unsplash
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    The Jog:

    A Psychotherapists' thoughts on healthy living.  

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    All Content on this Site, justinkhughes.com, was created for informational purposes only. Content is not intended as a substitute for professional advice, treatment, or diagnosis.  Always seek the advice of your own personal health provider who is qualified to treat you, along with asking them any questions you may have regarding medical or other conditions. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have viewed on justinkhughes.com. Also, due to the sensitive nature of topics and material covered through this Site, which contains very descriptive and/or advanced content, you may not want to use justinkhughes.com. The Site and its Content are provided on an "as is" basis.  Some posts are written for specific populations (OCD, Christians, Professionals)- with the intent to remain respectful to all- some content may not fit or go counter to your beliefs, perspectives, and what is explored for you in a professional counseling session with Justin K. Hughes, MA, LPC.  The posts are intended solely for the population they are written to and can be designated by their titles and tags.
    Links to external educational content are taken at your own risk. Justin K. Hughes, MA, LPC is not responsible for external content.  

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    Justin K. Hughes, MA, LPC of Dallas Counseling, PLLC participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.  This means that some links on this site will produce a small commission from Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  I NEVER link products I don't use or clinically find benefit in.  Many of them have been recommended for years inside and outside therapy sessions.  You are under no obligation to purchase any book, product or service recommended on this site.  However, they are provided on this site only educationally and are not meant to be interpreted as treatment or therapy in any way.  I am not responsible for the quality or experience of any items purchased through affiliate links, as they are entities completely separate of myself.  

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​Justin K. Hughes, MA, LPC
Owner, Dallas Counseling, PLLC 

justin@dallascounseling.com
P: 469-490-2002

17330 Preston Road, Suite 102D
Dallas, TX 75252
 
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