10 WaysTo Getting Happy!

Many will say that relationships are one of the best antidotes to stress. Although that this tremendously romantic, the reality is that you always need time alone. You need to reenergize yourself, reflect and fall in love with yourself – if not again, for the very first time.

We’re not suggesting that this state of “happiness” is undeviating. What we strongly believe however, is that there are many ways to protect your mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing from anxiety, anger, frustration, and sadness. You can genuinely have the strength to catapult yourself into a state of happiness once or even several times throughout the day. Here are 10 ideas to get you started, and you can choose the ones that work best for you.

1. Practice the now. Many of us have the tendency to live in the past or weary in the future. Regardless of what grinds your gears, by not being present you miss out on the opportunities each day presents. Be in the moment, and accept living in the now – it’s fabulous!! A little something that Rheena and I do on a daily basis is to schedule an alarm; our phones ring several times throughout the day (at times when we learned our minds start getting distracted) with a note that reads: “How am I feeling? Be present!” Whenever we read this, we take 30 seconds to acknowledge something around us that we didn’t notice before. It’s amazing once you realize how many things you are missing out!

2. LOL lady. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, tested 16 men who all agreed they thought a certain videotape was funny. Half were told three days in advance they would watch it, and they started experiencing biological changes right away. When they actually watched the video, their levels of stress hormones dropped significantly, while their endorphin levels rose 27 percent and their growth hormone levels (indicating benefit to the immune system) rose 87 percent. This only goes to show that anticipating a happy or a funny event alone can raise levels of endorphins and other pleasure-inducing hormones and lower production of stress hormones. Laugh, laugh, laugh at any change you get! We have friends that when in doubt, start making the funniest cockle doodle doo sounds, and instantly you find yourself laughing out loud! Silly, but you’ll be surprised at how efficient this is!

3. Hum along. “Music soothes more than the savage beast”. Studies find music not only relaxing, but that it activates parts of the brain that produce happiness — the same parts activated by food or sex (yummy…). We learned that in one study, older adults who listened to their favorite music during outpatient eye surgery, had significantly lower heart rates, blood pressure, and cardiac workload as those who had silent surgery.

4. Get rid of the clutter. Realistically speaking – how far do you think meditation, deep breathing, or simple relaxation can take you? When your clear mind is cluttered by laundry piles, papers, bills and magazines, finding and/or maintaining your high vibrations can be nearly impossible. Stop for a moment, and put the repetitive nature of certain cleaning tasks – such as sweeping, wiping, and scrubbing – to work. Not only can you burn calories by performing your basic household chores, this can be meditative session, if you focus on what you’re doing.

5. Say no. Saying yes to everybody – thus often times saying no to you – is as easy as eating comfort food when you’re sad. You would think that being a people pleaser would garn you all these yummy, calorie saturated brownie points; when in fact, most of the times saying yes can take something away from you. Take away what – your time with yourself. Being selfish in small, consistent bases, will help you eliminate activities that aren’t necessary and that you don’t enjoy. Doing less of what you don’t want and more of what you like, will increase your energy, self-esteem and overall love for yourself.

6. Make a list and do one thing at a time. One of the things Rheena and I agree on (as well as many, many others) is that there’s nothing like writing down your tasks to help you organize your thoughts and calm your anxiety. Edward Suarez, Ph.D., associate professor of medical psychology at Duke, found that people who multitask are more likely to have high blood pressure; so checking off each item provides a great sense of fulfillment. Instead of talking while you vacuum or clean your bathtub, sit down and turn your entire attention over to the conversation. Does this remind you of living in the now? Take this to heart, it does work!

7. Nothing like scented air. Research is extraordinary!! Recent finds show that the benefits of aromatherapy in relieving stress are real. In one study, people exposed to rosemary had lower anxiety levels, increased alertness, and performed math computations faster. Adults exposed to lavender showed an increase in the type of brain waves that suggest increased relaxation. Use plug-in air fresheners, sprays, essential oil diffusers, potpourri, or scented candles. These scents can and will dictate the overall state of your wellbeing!

8. Volunteer. Helping others enables you to put your own troubles into perspective, it provides social interaction, and increases your happiness. One study found that volunteer work enhanced all six aspects of well-being: happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of control over life, physical health, and depression. Not to be mistaken with saying no to others; volunteering means that you give to others in the quantities that you are comfortable with, when you are comfortable, where and to whom you feel comfortable.

9. Walk with technique. By now, we know that exercise is better than tranquilizers for relieving anxiety and stress. The most common forms of exercising are walking or running. Let’s talk about what you do with your mind when you walking, as this can make your activity even more beneficial. In a study called the Ruth Stricker Mind/Body Study, researchers divided 135 people into five groups of walkers for 16 weeks. The first group walked quickly, the second group at a slow pace, and the third at a slow pace while practicing a mental technique that would bring about the relaxation response, a physiological response in which the heart rate slows and blood pressure drops. This group was asked to pay attention to their footsteps, counting one, two, one, two, and to visualize the numbers in their mind. The group practicing this mental technique showed significant declines in anxiety and had fewer negative and more positive feelings about themselves. Overall they experienced the same stress-reducing effects of the brisk walkers. Better yet, the effects were evident immediately.

10. Be thankful. As the access to information continues to breed, we learn more and more about the positive results of reflecting on some positive aspect of our lives (health, friendships, family, freedom, education, wealth, etc.). As we live in the now and learn to first be thankful for what we have rather than unhappy with what we don’t have, we experience a heightened sense of well-being, thus happiness, thus love!