THINK POSITIVE AND FOCUS ON GRATITUDE
Research shows a healthy positive attitude helps build a healthier immune system and boosts overall health. Your body believes what you think, so focus on the positive.
Research shows a healthy positive attitude helps build a healthier immune system and boosts overall health. Your body believes what you think, so focus on the positive.
What makes you laugh? Do it! Sometimes watching a comedy or even a YouTube clip can take you out of you slump. So can recalling a funny experience in your life and re-telling it to the friend or spouse you shared it with. Laughter keeps things light and real.
Sweat it Out: When we exercise, our bodies release chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in the brain and trigger a positive feeling in the body known as a “runner’s high.” This natural high has a profound effect on mental health, relieves stress and improves memory.
by Walter Rauschenbusch
O God, we thank you for this earth, our home;
For the wide sky and the blessed sun,
For the salt sea and the running water,
For the everlasting hills
And the never-resting winds,
For trees and the common grass underfoot.
We thank you for our senses
By which we hear the songs of birds,
And see the splendor of the summer fields,
And taste of the autumn fruits,
And rejoice in the feel of the snow,
And smell the breath of the spring.
Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty;
And save our souls from being so blind
That we pass unseeing
When even the common thornbush
Is aflame with your glory,
O God our creator,
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Every day is a clean slate. Once it gets going, though, it can get away from you, and the next thing you know, it’s time for bed, and you didn’t focus on what you planned to. Avoid this by starting every day writing down one thing you’re grateful for. Write down and reflect on what’s good. It’s simple, but it starts off your day on the right foot before you jump back into the daily grind.
Jump Start Your Dopamine With Exercise
Dopamine, a chemical that plays a role in happiness, is a neurotransmitter in the brain that’s necessary for feelings of pleasure and happiness.
Many studies suggest that as we age, we’re constantly losing our stores of dopamine, which is why we need to constantly seek out experiences that release dopamine.
The best way to increase your brain’s dopamine production? Exercise. So run, lift, jump, play — and get happy.
Remember How Far You’ve Come
While most advice you hear says that if you want to be happy you need to forget about the negative things in the past, researchers at the University of California, Davis found the opposite to be true. When you take time to remember the challenges you’ve overcome, it can heighten your feelings of gratitude in the present. The key is to focus on being grateful for the progress you’ve made instead of resenting the ways difficult times have held you back.
Pets Provide Perks
Our pets offer more than good company and unconditional love. They also provide numerous health benefits. Studies reported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggest that owning a pet may help improve your heart and lung function. It may also help lower your chances of dying from heart disease.