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| Improve health by being happy. |
How happiness improves your health
Being happy can have major physical health benefits. The connection between your emotional state and your physical state is quite profound. Happiness and positivity can help to prevent many diseases like chronic pain, inflammation and heart disease. Happiness also helps to reduce the negative physical effects of stress. It can also boost the immune system. Happiness can even increase your life expectancy!
In short; the happier you are, the healthier you can be.
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| Your mood affects your body. |
How to be happy
What makes people happy? What is the difference between happy people and those who need a little cheering up? There could be a whole range of answers to that question (I'm already thinking about genetics, upbringing, hormones, exercise, nutrition, chronic diseases, medications etc.)
Let's make it as simple as simple as we can. Happy people have different habits. Happy people act and think differently to those that aren't so happy. This is called deliberate happiness.
In all truth, happiness doesn’t depend on whether you’re rich or poor, or whether you drive a sports car or take the bus. It doesn't matter whether you’re the best looking person in the room or just an average Joe.
This sounds like a bunch of over-used phrases, but it's actually good news! It means that your happiness lies in your own hands. You can be happy right now. And it doesn't have to cost you anything. If you want to be happier, you can simply implement one or more of the following habits into your life.
1. Be optimistic
Negative situations and having to deal with uncomfortable things are, unfortunately, a part of life that we can't avoid. Thankfully, this doesn’t have to define you or your happiness. You should always try to find the silver lining in every situation.
Start by realizing that you can change the way you think. It will take a little effort at first, but you can train your brain to be positive about almost everything that you encounter.
A positive outlook will inspire feelings of trust and allow you to connect with others better. It will also give you the motivation for longer term life changes (like exercising and eating healthy).
It is easier to make better choices when we aren't running away from an emotional black hole. It is almost impossible to make healthy choices when you're battling with depression.
A positive outlook will also reduce the amount of stress that you face in tough times.
Drop negative thinking. It doesn't serve you. Let go of negative thoughts and emotions. Learn to see problems as challenges and opportunities. If you can't figure something out at work, see it as an opportunity to improve your skills.
Instead of pondering over what’s impossible, think about what is possible - and how you can make it happen.
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| A better mood leads to better decisions. |
2. Focus on what you can control
Too many people worry about things that are far beyond their control. It could be a debilitating illness, a disastrous storm, or an unstable job market. This kind of thinking is exhausting.
It will drain what little energy you have left - and that's why you feel like you don’t have any energy left to think positive and feel happy.
The next time you catch yourself thinking about things that you don't have any control over, let go of them as soon as you notice it and turn your thoughts into things that you can control instead.
I can't control how my boss treats me, but I can control how many positive things I notice about my job.
The one train of thought makes you feel like a victim to circumstance. The other makes you feel like the superhero of your own destiny.
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| Negativity drains you. |
3. Practice self-acceptance
You are almost always your own worst enemy. You need to accept yourself before you can be comfortable with who you are. You can't feel good if you don't feel good about what you are as a human being.
One of the biggest things that make us unhappy with ourselves is what we see from other people around us. If you compare yourself to others and focus on your own flaws in comparison, it will color your world in a terrible shade of negativity.
Know this: We all have flaws.
Embrace this fact to become happier with yourself. Ironically, this will also help you to accept other people for who they are as well.
Be happy with what you are - today, in this very moment.
Find ways to be a better version of yourself instead of comparing yourself to other people.
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| Happiness starts with the way that you see yourself. |
4. Be kind to others
This is by far one of the most common habits of happy people. It's also quick and easy to do. Doing things for others and small acts of kindness will give you more than just fuzzy feelings. There is a very real effect on your own happiness when you show kindness to others.
There’s more to kindness than just giving money to charity. Kindness includes donating your time, energy, and experience for the benefit of others. It can also include smiling to someone as you walk past them, saying thank you or helping a co-worker that seems to be struggling with something.
Along with boosting your happiness, kindness will strengthen your social connections and improve your health.
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| You get what you give. |
5. Make your physical health a priority
If you want to be happy, you need to take care of your health. Getting enough sleep restores your vital physical and mental functions. Eating nutritious food keeps your body and mind functioning at its best. Regular physical exercise will keep you in shape and release happy hormones (like dopamine, serotonin and endorphins) to ease depression, stop stress and enhance your mood.
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| The brain and the body are strongly connected. |
What makes you happy? Let me know in the comments below!
Other posts from Sparkle Purpose
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| Why do we laugh? |
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| 5 Foods that make you look 10 years younger |
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| Why do we get tears when we cry? |
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| The 3 best self-help books that could save your life |
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