In pursuit of Happiness – 8 Simple Ways To Be Happier Now.
Although the pursuit of happiness can be an endless journey and it’s easy to think of happiness as the destination but in reality, its essence lies in the journey itself and often happiness is the driver. For example, it has been proven that happy people are more productive.
If you thought achieving a state of happiness was rather difficult, here are some simple practices to happify your lives -
• Move your body: 5 Minutes Could Be Enough
Even if you thought exercise was something you had no time for – check out the many five minute workouts on the internet or simply go for a walk with a friend.Exercise can help you relax, increase your brain power, and even improve your body image, even if you don't lose any weight. It has a profound effect on your overall wellbeing.
• Sleep More: Studies show that by sleeping enough you'll be less sensitive to negative emotions and stress.We know that sleep helps our body recover and heal itself, it also helps us focus and be more productive. It turns out that sleep is also important for happiness.
Negative stimuli get processed by the amygdala; positive or neutral memories gets processed by the hippocampus. Sleep deprivation hits the hippocampus harder than the amygdala. The result is that sleep-deprived people fail to recall pleasant memories yet recall gloomy memories just fine.
• Spend Time With Your Loved Ones: Money Can't Buy You Happiness. Staying in touch with friends and family is one of the top ten regrets of the dying.If you want more evidence that time with friends is beneficial for you, research proves it can make you happier right now, too. Science has proven that even looking at pictures of people or pets that you love can make an instant difference to your mood.
Time spent with friends is highly valuable when it comes to improving our happiness, even for introverts. Several studies have found that time spent with friends and family makes a big difference to how happy we feel.
• Spend time in nature : Science shows that making time to go outside on a nice day delivers huge advantage; one study found that spending 20 minutes outside in good weather not only boosted positive mood, but broadened thinking and improved working memory.Twenty minutes is a short enough time to spend outside that you could fit it into your commute or even your lunch break.
• Random acts of kindness : 100 Hours a Year is the Magic Number.One of the most counterintuitive pieces of advice I found is that to make yourself feel happier, you should help others. In fact, 100 hours per year (or two hours per week) is the optimal time we should dedicate to helping others in order to enrich our lives.
• Smile: It Improves Your Face Value. Research shows that smiling reduces pain, improves mood and helps you think better.Smiling can make us feel better, but it's more effective when we back it up with positive thoughts.
• Meditate: Rewire Your Brain for Happiness. Meditation is being considered an important habit for improving focus, clarity, and attention span, as well as helping to keep you calm. It turns out it's also useful for increasing happiness.
Meditation literally clears your mind and calms you down, it's been often proven to be the single most effective way to live a happier and a longer life. Studies show that right after meditating, we experience feelings of calm and contentment, as well as heightened awareness and empathy. And, research even shows that regular meditation can permanently rewire the brain to raise levels of happiness.
• Practice Gratitude: Increase Happiness and Satisfaction.This is a seemingly simple strategy but I've personally found it to make a huge difference to my outlook. There are lots of ways to practice gratitude, from keeping a journal of things you're grateful for, sharing four good things that happen each day with a friend or your partner, and going out of your way to show gratitude when others help you.
Simply being grateful for who or what you have and not succumbing to complaint can be the biggest contributor to your levels of happiness.
To share your happiness mantra with us, write to us on iamwoman@xtra.co.nz or connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/womanunlimited
Although the pursuit of happiness can be an endless journey and it’s easy to think of happiness as the destination but in reality, its essence lies in the journey itself and often happiness is the driver. For example, it has been proven that happy people are more productive.
If you thought...
Although the pursuit of happiness can be an endless journey and it’s easy to think of happiness as the destination but in reality, its essence lies in the journey itself and often happiness is the driver. For example, it has been proven that happy people are more productive.
If you thought achieving a state of happiness was rather difficult, here are some simple practices to happify your lives -
• Move your body: 5 Minutes Could Be Enough
Even if you thought exercise was something you had no time for – check out the many five minute workouts on the internet or simply go for a walk with a friend.Exercise can help you relax, increase your brain power, and even improve your body image, even if you don't lose any weight. It has a profound effect on your overall wellbeing.
• Sleep More: Studies show that by sleeping enough you'll be less sensitive to negative emotions and stress.We know that sleep helps our body recover and heal itself, it also helps us focus and be more productive. It turns out that sleep is also important for happiness.
Negative stimuli get processed by the amygdala; positive or neutral memories gets processed by the hippocampus. Sleep deprivation hits the hippocampus harder than the amygdala. The result is that sleep-deprived people fail to recall pleasant memories yet recall gloomy memories just fine.
• Spend Time With Your Loved Ones: Money Can't Buy You Happiness. Staying in touch with friends and family is one of the top ten regrets of the dying.If you want more evidence that time with friends is beneficial for you, research proves it can make you happier right now, too. Science has proven that even looking at pictures of people or pets that you love can make an instant difference to your mood.
Time spent with friends is highly valuable when it comes to improving our happiness, even for introverts. Several studies have found that time spent with friends and family makes a big difference to how happy we feel.
• Spend time in nature : Science shows that making time to go outside on a nice day delivers huge advantage; one study found that spending 20 minutes outside in good weather not only boosted positive mood, but broadened thinking and improved working memory.Twenty minutes is a short enough time to spend outside that you could fit it into your commute or even your lunch break.
• Random acts of kindness : 100 Hours a Year is the Magic Number.One of the most counterintuitive pieces of advice I found is that to make yourself feel happier, you should help others. In fact, 100 hours per year (or two hours per week) is the optimal time we should dedicate to helping others in order to enrich our lives.
• Smile: It Improves Your Face Value. Research shows that smiling reduces pain, improves mood and helps you think better.Smiling can make us feel better, but it's more effective when we back it up with positive thoughts.
• Meditate: Rewire Your Brain for Happiness. Meditation is being considered an important habit for improving focus, clarity, and attention span, as well as helping to keep you calm. It turns out it's also useful for increasing happiness.
Meditation literally clears your mind and calms you down, it's been often proven to be the single most effective way to live a happier and a longer life. Studies show that right after meditating, we experience feelings of calm and contentment, as well as heightened awareness and empathy. And, research even shows that regular meditation can permanently rewire the brain to raise levels of happiness.
• Practice Gratitude: Increase Happiness and Satisfaction.This is a seemingly simple strategy but I've personally found it to make a huge difference to my outlook. There are lots of ways to practice gratitude, from keeping a journal of things you're grateful for, sharing four good things that happen each day with a friend or your partner, and going out of your way to show gratitude when others help you.
Simply being grateful for who or what you have and not succumbing to complaint can be the biggest contributor to your levels of happiness.
To share your happiness mantra with us, write to us on iamwoman@xtra.co.nz or connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/womanunlimited
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