Your Soul Food for the Week of the Spring Equinox and Nowruz, the Persian New Year

Happy Soul Food Friday and Nowruz Mubarak!

“No Winter Lasts Forever; No Spring Skips Its Turn”

Spring is here!

This week:

What Actions Can Local Nonprofits and Others in the Social Sector Take in Our Current Environment?
‘We are facing an epidemic of demoralization,’ says happiness expert—how to fight it
‘Boreout’ is the new burnout—how to combat it, according to Wharton psychologist
Altruism is actually a fantastic survival strategy
Neuroscience Discovered a Clever Trick for Squeezing More Joy Out of Everyday Pleasures
Plus, 17 delightful Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards outtakes

The Spring Equinox with Billy S:

Aloha Friends,

The Spring Equinox is on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 2:01 am PDT
This moment begins the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere.

Translated literally, equinox means “equal night”. On the equinox, the length of day and night is nearly equal in all parts of the world. Twelve hours of each, because the sun is positioned above the equator.
It is also known as the vernal equinox, “vernal” means fresh or new, and is from the Latin word for spring, which is “ver.”
On this day, the sun rises precisely due east and sets due west.
The Spring Equinox signifies a rebirth. The duration of light is about to overtake the darkness.
After the Spring Equinox, the days become longer and the air warmer.

The soil becomes fertile, and all hibernating life is re-animated. It is a time to plant seeds of growth.
The Spring Equinox is a time of renewal – in nature, the home, and in us. More than just physical activity, “spring cleaning” removes any negative energy accumulated over the dark winter months and resonates with the positive growing energy of spring and summer.

The Spring Equinox is a time where there is a special quality of energy – to plant, grow and renew our lives. Energy is emerging from the ground where it has been dormant in the earth since the Winter Solstice.

Wishing you a special day, symbolic of balance in our life and with the environment.
Stay in tune with nature and wellness,
Billy

What Actions Can Local Nonprofits and Others in the Social Sector Take in Our Current Environment?
Here is a 30-minute chat with Megan Thomas, President of Catalyst, Dr. Novian Yarber from the Prebys Foundation and Moi that hopefully you will find useful as you navigate these uncharted waters.

Megan, Novi, Neville Interview.mp4 | Powered by Box

‘We are facing an epidemic of demoralization,’ says happiness expert—how to fight it:
We often mistake demoralization for depression, but it’s distinct. “It often appears first, as a warning sign,” says Stephanie Harrison, author of “The New Happy.”

Feeling helpless and hopeless about the world? How to fight it: Happiness expert

‘Boreout’ is the new burnout—how to combat it, according to Wharton psychologist:
Burnout may not be the source of your unhappiness at work. It’s fraternal twin, bore out, could be the problem. Here’s how to manage it, says Adam Grant.

Adam Grant: ‘Boreout’ is the new burnout—how to combat it

Altruism is actually a fantastic survival strategy:
Primate and neuroscience studies tell us a lot about how evolution rewards kindness and cooperation.

Social support is thought to be an adaptive response to extreme stressors.

Stress kills brain cells in the hippocampus.

Strong social connections can act as a buffer in the brain against stress responses!

Altruism is actually a fantastic survival strategy | Salon.com

Neuroscience Discovered a Clever Trick for Squeezing More Joy Out of Everyday Pleasures:
Entrepreneurs can’t make the world less crazy, but they can squeeze more joy out of everyday things with this simple trick.

In difficult and uncertain times, it is often impossible to make the larger world less crazy. But you can learn to squeeze more joy out of your everyday life. This is a lesson author Sasha Chapin learned young. “My childhood was unpleasant, and as a coping mechanism, I tried to love, hard, the passably pleasant moments,”

How to Squeeze More Joy Out of Everyday Pleasures