LIFE

Everyone knows how it feels to hop online for juuust a second—only to spend four hours learning the name of every Kardashian, the best way to crochet and how to plant the *perfect* garden. While enjoyable, it's easy to feel unproductive after aimlessly scouring the internet for hours—which is why I have grown to love Ted Talks.

Ted Talks are one of the best tools for staying engaged while learning new things online. Through watching Ted Talks, I have learned *so* much about myself—including valuable skills such as self-love, stress management and perseverance.

To help you make the most of your time online, we've compiled a list of the most life-changing Ted Talks that you *need* to watch this week. 

In Amy Cuddy's Ted Talk about body langauge, she describes the importance of being in tune with the messages that your body language sends. She discusses the link between "power poses" and confidence—and how *you* can use those skills to your advantage.

When artist Phil Hansen was younger, he developed a tremor that prevented him from creating his specialty pointillist drawings. Feeling hopeless, Hansen felt he had lost his life's purpose, until a neurologist suggested he embrace his tremor and work through this limitation. 

Brené Brown is an expert in human connection—and teaches us the importance of empathy in her famous Ted Talk on The Power of Vulnerability. This Ted Talk, which has been viewed over 6 million times, aids listeners in understanding their friends and family, but most importantly, themselves.

In David Brooks' Ted Talk, he explains the conflicting natural desires of success and connection. He describes humans as having "two selves" that are motivated by different factors, like love and career-status. This Ted Talk poses the question: Can we balance these two selves? And, if so, how?

In Kelly McGonigal's inspirational Ted Talk, she explains how viewing stress as motivational, rather than harmful, can improve your mood and productivity. She qualifies this with the understadning that too much stress is bad for *anyone,* and suggests that human connection is a beneficial tool for stress relief. 

Do you have a favorite TED Talk? If so, let us know by tagging us on social media @girlslifemag.

by Claire Hutto | 11/9/2020