1. Laughter as the Best Health Therapy

    February 16, 2014

    Laughter as the Best Health Therapy

    by Melisa Marzett

    Laughing is a perfect way to reduce or even relieve stress in our lives. It can help you to cope with a stressful lifestyle. It releases anxiety and changes your mood, but if you think that it change stressors, you’ll be disappointed. It’s not so. It changes only how we relate to that stressors. The idea of this theory is quite easy –we laugh more, so we stress less.

    Laughter binds people together and increases intimacy between them and simply makes happier. Specialists points out, that laughing makes also good physical changes in our body. It makes your immune system stronger, it diminishes your pain and protect you from negative emotions, stresses and depression.

    Today the life rhythm tends us to stop laughing, we stop doing anything emotional. Our laughter can be described as a natural and essential way of taking care of ourselves. The nature itself gave us the laughter so we can heal our minds and bodies. Some people just haven’t realized its importance in their lives.

    Nowadays people are mostly media-educated and they know a lot of information about depression. But mainly we use drugs, medicines, of even highly recommended shock treatment. But if you want some natural solution, if you don’t want to medicate your body with antidepressants this technique is for you.

    Laughing releases your anger. If you keep it inside, you become sick and nervous. Laughter will not change your problems, it can only change you so you can cope with them. It dissolves harmful emotions because you simply can’t feel anxious, sad or angry when you laugh. It helps you to relax, because it increases your energy and reduces stress. It allows you to see situations in a positive way, making a psychological distance between you and world’s negative.

    You must understand that it’s ok to feel as good as you can. It’s your life so why must you worry about the others’ opinion. Take it easy. You should cultivate the ability to take the life in a spirit of play. Just imagine that all that gloomy,serious and heavy things are dragging you down at the very bottom of the depression. Do you really want it?

    If somebody seeks out the humor in everyday life, he’ll find that. And also the other important fact that we are searching namely for positive people. Nobody will like uninspiring or moody person. And if you’re alone, it’s harder to cope, there’s nobody who can support you. But first you must change yourself. Try to encourage yourself by watching funny movies and TV programs. If you simply don’t find that funny and you can’t laugh, just fake it! Make sounds of laughter and move your body as you laugh. There’s no doubt that your mood will change.

    If you think that that’s stupid, mat be you can try Laughter Yoga. It includes four things: clapping in rhythm, breathing, stretching and laughter exercises. In this case laughter comes from your body, not mind. When you take part in such a workshop you get the release of endorphins and then you feel yourself much better.  This technique also keeps you fit. You get exercise, which tones your muscles and improves your breath.

    In the end, we’d like to offer you several tips according to this theme:

    1. Try to laugh for 5-10 minutes every morning.

    2. Seek out the humor in serious situations, even if it’s hard.

    3. Smile more, watch comedies, read funny stories.

    4. Surround yourself with flowers or with other things that can make you smile.

    5. Don’t stay home on weekends. Go to the cinema, meet your friends, sing, dance and enjoy your life!

    Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/boudewijnberends/6307186578/

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  2. My Own Worst Enemy

    February 12, 2014

    My Own Worst Enemy

    by Michelle Blessing

     

    I want to be happy.  Not just content, but truly HAPPY.  And just when I think I have it figured out, it’s gone.  She takes it away again, leaving me broken and defeated.  Left to rebuild myself, I try again, only to once again almost reach the top of the happiness hill – and she pushes me back to the bottom.  I feel as if I will never win this battle.

     

    Who is she, you might be wondering?  Well, she is very simply put, ME.  I am my own worst enemy in the pursuit of happiness.  I find myself becoming content with the way life is going, finally settling into a pattern, and then I start to wonder – is this really it?  Have I reached the pinnacle of happiness?  My focus begins to drift, and I start to refocus my energy on the negative aspects of life, slipping back down the hill it took me so long to climb.

     

    This has been an ongoing battle for me for many, many years.  At one point, I decided I simply wasn’t meant to be happy; after all, not everyone can become a doctor or a lawyer, so why should everyone get to be happy?  Maybe I was meant to live a life of suffering and misery, while others enjoyed the people, places and things around them.

     

    And then I really started to think about it – what made those happy people different from me?  Why were they so jovial and free, while I was trapped in a prison of unhappiness?  I really didn’t have an answer, so I started doing some soul searching.  Why did their happiness seem so easy, so effortless, while mine seemed to be a full-time job?  And it was in that soul searching that I started to find the answers.

     

    First and foremost, happiness is not something we can force.  It is not something we can buy, nor is it something we should even strive for.  Let me explain that last part – because I’m sure many of you are scratching your head – I mean, are we supposed to strive for happiness?  Isn’t that what life is all about?

     

    Yes, it is, but the pursuit of happiness need not be specifically about happiness itself.  Because when it comes down to it, we all define happiness is different ways.  So to say we are striving to be happy has not just one, but also MANY, different meanings.  And that’s okay, but that means that we aren’t necessarily striving for happiness itself, but for the different situations that produce happiness.  Once I learned that happiness was not a quest per say but rather the end result of a journey, I found that what had eluded me for so long was suddenly right at my fingertips.

     

    So, what exactly did I do?  To start, I quit my 9 to 5 job and went back to school.  I started freelance writing and I spent more time with my kids and my family.  I know that is extreme, but you don’t have to overhaul your life to find true happiness.  Start small with something that you really, truly enjoy.  Take time each week to do that one simple thing.  It might be reading a chapter in a great book, taking a cooking or yoga class or making a telephone call to an old friend.  Whatever it is, you simply must do it.  As you start to make that part of your routine, add something else.  Keep adding enjoyable things to your life, slowly, until you feel that sense of contentment we all long for.  It might not come tomorrow, next week or even next month, but rest assured, as you continue to pursue the things in life you truly enjoy, it will.  After all, life is too short to be anything but happy.

    Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/viggum/3536424433

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  3. Suffering: a Necessary Pathway to Personal Growth?

    February 4, 2014

    Suffering and personal growth

    by Daniela Aneis

    When confronted with painful situations in our lives, we often ask ourselves why. “Why is there so much suffering in the world? Why do bad things happen to good people? What have I done to deserve such suffering? What is the point of all this?” But have you ever stopped and wondered you might be asking the wrong questions?

    Although the advent of Positive Psychology has swift the focus of Psychology from psychopathology to what it is that makes the human being extraordinary – by focusing on positive emotions, optimism, resilience, sense of humor and so on – Positive Psychology does not discard the incredible power of suffering and the experience of negative emotions. It’s not about avoiding pain and suffering, it’s about finding out what makes people thrive and achieve personal growth despite suffering like everyone else. Are these people special and extraordinary? Yes, but you can be as well.

    Yes, but why suffer at all?

    You will probably be asking this question by now. That’s got to do with today’s society paradigm. You should be happy all the time, you should be successful and enjoying life to the fullest, you should be surrounded by friends and family and never have any problems because everything is alright all the time! Doesn’t this strike you as a silly idea? Aren’t we allowed to have problems, to feel sad and depressed occasionally? It’s not a crime to experience negative emotions. It’s actually healthy as long as you process them and channel your negative emotions in a constructive way. And this will allow you to grow as a human being and enjoy life to the fullest.

    Does suffering have a point?

    Yes, it does. So, the real question you should be asking is: “Can I find meaning in my suffering?” Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, who was himself a survivor of the Holocaust, defended in his Logotherapy theory that what we should be seeking for meaning in our lives, whether it is through what we do, who we love or the attitude we take over inevitable suffering.

    Do you know what happens when you ignore your feelings and emotions? You keep sweeping the “emotional dirt” under the rug, until when one day it blows into your face and you’re forced to deal with it. Do you know when this happens? Often when people get sick or seriously depressed or anxious to the point they can’t lead a normal life. Emotional baggage will drag you down.

    How to deal with suffering in a constructive way:

    1. Take responsibility. Most of happens in your life, doesn’t just happen to you. It is a product of the choices you’ve made in life. So ask yourself this, how much percentage of everything that happens to you is your responsibility? Got your number? Good, let’s work on that and ignore what’s not yours.
    2. Deal with emotions. All (!) emotions. Feel sad, cry, yell, feel angry at the world, feel hopeful or happy, but don’t stop feeling. There are no good or bad emotions, just necessary ones. If a loved one passes away, aren’t you going to feel sad for as long as you need to heal from your loss?
    3. Don’t let others bully your emotions. Don’t feel guilty about it. If everyone else around you has bought the slogan “happiness is the way”, that doesn’t mean you can’t feel differently about it. Take time to heal. And then go out there again and face the world.
    4. Take action. Have you processed your emotions? Do you know now why you felt them? Can you change anything about it? Now is the time to take action. Search for a new job, go out and meet new people, try a new activity or sport.
    5. Let go of what you can’t fix. Is it a solvable or unsolvable problem? If the answer is unsolvable, then it already has a solution to it. And if you can’t fix it, let it go. Move on to something you can actually control and manage.

    By now you should have your answer, but if you still need a straight one, here it goes: Yes, suffering is a necessary pathway to personal growth. But it is your choice how to deal with your suffering. So tell me, is the glass half full or half empty?

    Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jstar/3185994119

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  4. How to Keep Positive Outlook at Work

    September 17, 2013

    Positive Outlook

    When most people look for a job, they’re not just looking for a paycheck—they’re looking for a positive work environment and a good company culture. Working with a motivated group of people who take pride in their work can help motivate you to be productive and make you look forward to coming in to work every day. But what happens when the opposite occurs and you end up in a work environment where most of the people around you have a negative outlook?

    There are a number of reasons why a work environment can turn negative. Common causes are distrust between coworkers and management, a general lack of motivation due to poor supervision or work dissatisfaction, economic hardships that are impacting the company, and personal problems.

    Being surrounded by negativity can be exhausting, and letting it get to you can significantly increase your stress level. Too much stress is linked to many health risks, including headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, depression, and anxiety.

    Just knowing those health risks might make you anxious and depressed, but if you can maintain a positive outlook at work, you’ll greatly improve your chances for physical and mental wellbeing. You’ll also set a good example for your coworkers, which can lead to a less toxic work environment. Here are a few tips for staying positive even when your coworkers aren’t.

    1.       Recognize types of negative thinking. It’s important that you recognize the main thought patterns that negative thinkers fall into so that you can tell when you’re thinking this way and actively work to change your outlook. There are four major mindsets of negative thinkers:

    a.       Filtering: Seeing only the negative in a situation.

    b.      Personalizing: Seeing everything bad that happens as directly related to you.

    c.       Catastrophizing: Always expecting the worst outcome.

    d.      Polarizing: Seeing everything as a clear cut, black and white issue (e.g. “I’m right, my boss is wrong.”).

    2.       Remain professional. If a coworker starts gossiping about office politics or complaining about a meeting you both have to attend, don’t get drawn into negativity but rather politely let them know that you don’t enjoy these types of discussions and want to keep office conversations professional.

    3.       Take a break. If office negativity is getting you down, take a 15 minute break and go for a walk outside. Getting fresh air and being physically removed from the negative environment can help refresh you so that you’ll be able to keep up your positive outlook when you get back to the office. Try to use this time to relax and meditate, mindful meditation is the best remedy for stress.

    4.       Discuss negativity with a supervisor. If you feel like your work environment is becoming hostile to the point that it’s harmful to you and your coworkers, it might be time to talk to a supervisor. Don’t name names, but let your supervisor know that the office has been struggling with morale and ask for advice about how to improve the situation. Your supervisor may even be able to implement a wellness program or other solutions if they recognize the morale issues as stemming from a lack of communication between management and employees.

    5.       Remind yourself that you’re in charge of how you feel. It can be easy to start thinking that your own increasing negativity at work is because of the negative environment, but casting blame isn’t going to solve the problem. Remind yourself that at the end of the day, you’re in charge of your own outlook and you’re capable of remaining positive.

    Still having trouble staying positive? Maybe you’ll be more motivated to practice positive thinking if you know about some of the health benefits positivity provides. Positive psychology research teaches us that people who identify themselves as positive thinkers have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, tend to have lower blood pressure, don’t get sick as often, and are better equipped for coping with stress and hardship. Those seem like pretty good reasons for you and your coworkers to practice positivity.

     

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  5. Happiness and Better Health

    September 5, 2013

    Happiness Leads to Better Health

    Lately, physicians, researchers, and even economists have embarked on a journey to unveil the secrets of achieving better health. What could be deciphered from the secrets of nature is that happiness leads to better health. Well, modern research just validates what was established ages ago by sages.

    What exactly is happiness?

     

    Happiness as a concept is fairly subjective and dynamic. It often revolves around various vague aspects and so there are innumerable definitions of happiness. What has been derived from myriad definitions is that happiness is a felling of elation that protects you from stress and ill-thoughts, instilling the spirit with joy and jubilation.

    Many scholars categorize happiness as a sense of inner peace, comfort, an positive attitude that paves way for a healthier, more balanced and a long lasting life. If you are a religious person than, according to saints and spiritual teachers, happiness is a feeling of gratitude towards God for showering his blessings on our poor souls.

    Hundreds of writers, poets, and intellectuals have used their pen to describe what happiness means to them – I personally like this one:

    “Under the deep blue sea

    It’s always better my darling

    Down the wetter lines

    Take me further O my Lord – So I can either find you or happiness!”

    Does happiness really affect our health?

     

    Amusingly so, most of really happy and cheerful people comes across as exceptionally healthy for their age. Once in a blue moon we get news of our distant relative (Uncle Cheerful – almost every one of us have one) suffering from cardiac arrest.

    Statistics show that happiness is correlated with better health for individuals, communities, and even countries. So what could be the secret? Is it inner peace and comfort? Is it a positive attitude to the outside world? Is it positive thinking? Happy people certainly have less negative thoughts that cause negative emotions. It is well known from medical studies that these negative emotions ruin our psychological and physical health. As per medical researchers, happiness is the surest way to stimulate the release of anti-stress hormones and improve your immune system.

    Research studies by the Harvard’s School of Public Health in Boston and University College in London correlate happiness with longevity and show that optimistic and happy people live longer and healthier years.

    Secrets of happiness

     

    What does it take to be happy in your life? Not much, just follow these golden rules and let happiness come to you.
    1. Find Positive in everything around you
    Positive Psychology teaches us to focus on positive aspects of our life. Every moment we have a choice of focusing on positives or on negatives… this choice is yours. Positive thinking and positive attitude to others is a key to happiness.

     

    2. Eat the diet of happiness

     

    Scientist and dietitians recommend one key ingredient for your diet: Essential fatty acids or EFAs. These acids are the building blocks for your brain and deficiency causes anxiety, depression, and even dementia. EFA supplements and a diet rich in Olive oil, fish, and seasonal fruits and vegetables is essential to keep you in a positive mood.

     

    3. Sleep to heaven

     

    Sleep sets the tone and mood for the following day. Sleep is shown to be the most important factor for your mental health. Statistics prove that those who sleep well can find their joy even in the garden of hell. The insomnia or inability to sleep causes devastating impact in the life of people.

     

    4. Live and Let live

     

    The ultimate mantra to instill loads of bliss and joy within yourself and others is through adherence with the policy of ‘live and let live.’  It is a contagious policy and profits one and all for an entire life.

     

    Can we measure happiness?

     

    Assessment of happiness is subjective and depends on what you consider a happiness scale.  There is no particular criterion other than the glow on your face.

    The indicators of happiness are life satisfaction, health, community engagement. Person need some basic wealth to be happy, yet high income doesn’t really increase the level of happiness.

    The level of happiness could be measured based on surveys. In 1972, Bhutan introduced a Gross National Happiness (GNH) scale, a parameter which is closely monitored by government and considered very important to the development of their economy.

     

    Author Bio: Mike Chapman a happiness expert & fitness consultant with 5+ years of experience working in clinics and gyms and dealing with health, pain and injuries. He is delivering talks on happiness and writing articles telling people how happiness can benefit their lives and the environment.

    Image Credit: Mark Sebastian – http://www.flickr.com/photos/markjsebastian/7824209576

     

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  6. Yogaspire: A Practice of Positive Psychology and Yoga

    July 12, 2013

    yogaspire

    by Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar and Megan McDonough

    Yoga and positive psychology are not usually used in the same sentence. Positive psychology is, after all, a science—and a recent one at that. It uses research and data to come to conclusions about what makes people flourish. Yoga is a practice that is thousands of years old and although some would call it a science, it is not defined as such in western academia. Like positive psychology, the practice is meant to elevate. What would it look like to combine the body-centered approach of yoga postures with the science-based approach of positive psychology?

    Defining Yoga

    The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit root yuj, which means “to join” or “to yoke.” Basically, the practice is an integration of all aspects of self.

    A great definition of yoga came from Amrit Desai, a yogi who said, “The practice is when what you think, say, and feel are aligned.” Interestingly enough, this is similar to how Gandhi described happiness when he said, “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

    This connection of aligned thinking and action is very important, and we’ll come back to it in a bit.

    As for yoga, many equate it with the physical practice. The word conjures images of extremely flexible people in amazing postures. However, classical yoga describes an eight-fold path that spells out guidelines for living a meaningful and purposeful life. One of those eight paths is “Asana”, the Sanskrit word for physical postures. These postures are designed for physical well-being and are used for developing concentration, attention, and awareness in preparation for meditation.

    The Effects of Yoga

    You can see in magazines today the popular image of the very flexible yoga practitioner. Yet, the physical flexibility is nothing compared to the mental flexibility that yoga builds. There are two aspects of yoga that cannot be captured in a fancy photo: being mindful of experiencing the posture, and expanding your awareness beyond what first captures your attention.

    In the physical practice of yoga, one focuses attention on the very real and tangible body (Where are my arms and legs in this posture? Am I holding unnecessary tension in my neck? What is that strange sensation in my shoulder?) Then the practitioner expands awareness into even finer layers, perhaps being aware of the breath, of attitudes and thoughts, emotions arising, the interplay between the ground and the feet, or the relationship to the teacher or other students. In this way, the practitioner connects body and mind, consciously paying attention.

    We can expand this directed attention to focus on our psychological state in addition to our physical state. At Wholebeing Institute, we call this practice Yogaspire.

    Yogaspire

    Let’s come back to the idea of aligning thought and action. Research in psychology points to a reciprocal relationship between attitudes and behaviors, and it seems clear that attitudes affect behaviors. We usually seek the company of those we find engaging and avoid those who fail to excite us. If I like self-help books and find cooking tedious, I am more likely to gravitate towards one section of the bookstore rather than another. A deep love of golf is likely to take me to a driving range, whereas fear of rough physical contact is likely to drive me away from the football field.

    The relationship between attitudes and behaviors goes beyond our likes and dislikes, influencing the course of action we choose. Psychological research and observations point to a reciprocal relationship between attitudes and behaviors: not only do our thoughts affect our actions, what we do also affects how we think.

    Attitude (in the mind) and behavior (through the body) creates a self-reinforcing loop. Yogaspire makes the link between the two more explicit by being mindful of what one is doing (physical postures) while consciously cultivating a desired state of mind (psychological state).

    For example, in the mountain pose in yoga, we can be aware of our physical body standing strong and tall, feeling our heart lifting up, and we can extend that sensation to include our psychological state by mentally repeating “I am grounded and strong.”

    How you sit, stand, walk, and use your physical body has an impact on your psychological state. Does your physical position right now give you some clues to your psychological state? What happens when you change your posture, purposely picking a position that for you epitomizes the desired state?

    Research

    What does research say about how a yoga pose like mountain affects our psychology? According to Amy Cuddy, a researcher at Harvard University, even a quick two-minute pose has a direct impact on you—both in terms of hormonal changes (attitudes in the mind) and on the subsequent behavior (actions through the body).

    In this study,* participants’ mouths were swabbed at the start of the protocol to test saliva for the hormone testosterone, which is associated with power and confidence, and cortisol, the stress hormone. After the swab, they were asked to strike either a low-power pose or a high-power pose for two minutes. As you may have guessed, the low-power posers took up less space by crossing arms and legs protectively and curling the spine. High-power posers, in contrast, took up lots of space. Think of Wonder Woman with her legs wide and hands on her hips, or the big executive with feet on the desk and fingers intertwined behind the head.

    At the end of two minutes, the saliva was tested again and participants were asked if they wanted to make a bet with the $2 they were given. They could keep it (a safe bet), or gamble with a roll of the dice (riskier, but with a good 50/50 chance to double their money).

    After only two minutes, the high-power poses caused an increase in testosterone compared with low-power poses, which caused a decrease. High-power poses also caused a decrease in cortisol compared with low-power poses, which caused an increase.

    In other words, taking up lots of space with your body increases the power hormone and decreases the stress hormone. It changes—at least for the duration of this experiment—your physiology. These changes affect decisions, actions, and behaviors. High-power posers were more likely than low-power posers to focus on rewards—86.36 percent took the gambling risk while only 60 percent of the low-power posers took the risk.

    Finally, high-power posers reported feeling significantly more “powerful” and “in charge” than low-power posers did. As the researchers state, “Thus, a simple two-minute power-pose manipulation was enough to significantly alter the physiological, mental, and feeling states of our participants. The implications of these results for everyday life are substantial.”

    *Carney, D.R., Cuddy, A.J.C. & Yap, A.J. “Power Posing: Brief Nonverbal Displays Affect Neuroendocrine Levels and Risk Tolerance.” Psychological Science 21.10 (2010): 1363-368.

     

    About the Authors:

    Dr. Tal Ben ShaharDr. Tal Ben-Shahar, CLO of Wholebeing Institute, is an author and lecturer. He taught the largest course at Harvard on “Positive Psychology” and the third largest on “The Psychology of Leadership”—with a total of over 1,400 students. Author of Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment, he consults and lectures around the world to corporate executives, the general public, and at-risk populations on topics that include happiness, self-esteem, resilience, goal-setting, mindfulness, and leadership.

    Megan McDonoughMegan McDonough, CEO of Wholebeing Institute, is the award-winning author of Infinity in a Box: Using Yoga to Live with Ease and A Minute for Me: Learning to Savor Sixty Seconds. Mastery of “how to get from point A to point B” is Megan’s trademark, whether it’s leading the entry of Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health into online learning, speed-launching a first-of-its-kind worldwide virtual conference, or teaching thousands of people to live with ease and clarity based on their own internal compass.

    Image Credit: Marketing-Deluxe

    Category Happiness and Fulfillment, Motivational, Positive Psychology Blog, Yoga, Tai Chi and Meditation | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,, | Comments Off on Yogaspire: A Practice of Positive Psychology and Yoga

  7. Raise Your Confidence and Reduce Pressure with Meditation

    June 22, 2013

    benefits of meditation

    by Colin Zauner

    There are many situations in your daily life that can contribute to pressure, anxiety, stress, and loss of confidence. If you want to raise your self confidence and alleviate pressure, all you have to do is adopt meditation in your daily routine.

    Meditation is just one of the most effective anti-stress remedies when done regularly. Meditation state could be facilitated by different techniques which include visualizations, affirmations, breathing, mantras, and many others. Though it can be difficult at first, regular practice will make meditation effortless.

    To boost your self confidence, you should learn about affirmation meditations. This is done in a sitting position. You must be relaxed and comfortable, while closing your eyes. You can choose a daily affirmation and it must be said [silently] in an engaging voice. Do this for ten minutes, and don’t forget to observe proper breathing.

    You can also do visualizations. Try to visualize yourself in a confident or self-assured state. This is something that you can do every day and almost anywhere. If you are busy at work, you can squeeze this into your schedule without difficulty. I know some people who, to release work stress, schedule a 5 min slot for silent meditation every 2 hours when in the office.

    To be able to learn everything about yourself and your go deep into your thoughts, you have to practice mindful or present moment meditation. This is an ancient technique, and it is one of the most effective relaxation tools that you can find.

    Meditation also helps you to maintain your inner energy (read on Qigong to see how to improve and increase your energy), here is what you can do:

    ·    Spend more time with people having positive energy and positive mindset

    ·    Calm your mind and meditate. While you are in a relaxed state, you must try to feel the energy that is flowing inside your body. Visualization can serve as your protective shield.

    – You can also increase your energy levels through meditation. There are various ways to reduce pressure and increase positive energy. Just sit still and pick a quiet place inside the room or office. Hang out with positive and energetic friends and avoid the ‘energy vampires’ – negativity draws energy away. You also need to spend more time outdoors. This is your chance to ease the stress and burdens of daily living. Enjoy the sun and fresh air as you stroll at the park or go shopping.

    Meditation should be effortless and it is a great opportunity to do nothing. There are many mindless activities that you can do prior to meditating. For instance, you can stare at the starry sky, read magazines, take a walk, and even watch your favorite TV show.

    Did you know that laughter is one of the best things that can elevate energy levels? This helps the body in boosting the levels of endorphins (or “good hormones”) and it decreases stress or anxiety.

    Start practicing meditation today, your mind needs as much relaxation as your body.

    Image Credit: Mark Sebastian

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  8. The Secret to Aging Gracefully

    June 19, 2013

    aging gracefully

    Tao Porchon-Lynch, the world’s oldest yoga instructor.

    by Anita Brayer

    It’s not a miraculous face cream. It’s not a brilliant makeup technique. It’s not a hidden plastic surgery procedure.  Then what’s the secret to aging gracefully? It’s quite simple: Acting your age.

    Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.”

    It’s entirely possible to blossom into a beautiful old woman full of poise and grace without the aid of face cream, makeup, or plastic surgery. You just need to embrace your aging body. Understand that it’s simply part of nature, and there’s perfectly nothing wrong with getting old.

    Society views “old” as a bad thing, so naturally we women want to stay young forever. Some women take aging harder than others. You can find such women at the hottest club in town, dressed in tight mini-dresses and flirting with men two decades younger than them. They may think they’re hip, hot, and so Carrie Bradshaw, but we’re not living in TV land. We live in the real world, where the ladies from Sex and the City would be perceived as flippant women pathetically clinging to their rapidly fading youth. Know what’s funny? Middle-aged women who try so hard to appear 20 years younger actually make themselves seem older than they really are.

    That being said, women who dress and act their own age often come off as refreshingly youthful. There’s something beautiful about a person not being afraid to evolve over the years.

    No, we’re not telling you to cut your hair short at 40, give up exercising at 50, throw away your jeans at 60, take up knitting at 70, and start smelling like mothballs at 80. Rather, we’re just showing you how to embrace and boast your age while remaining youthful and fashionable.

    Just look at Helen Mirren.

    Ladies, Helen Mirren is 67 years old. Sixty-seven years old, and she still looks amazing in a bikini! However, her stunning bikini bod isn’t what makes her beautiful and inspirational; it’s her confidence, intelligence, grace, and total acceptance of her age and appearance. If it were possible, we’d tell you that the trick to aging gracefully is to physically and mentally transform into Helen Mirren. Since such technology wouldn’t exist for another thousand years, you could only move on to the next best solution: acting your age. Here are a few tips on how to act your age while remaining youthful and fashionable:

    Reconsider your definition of ‘old’.

    When you were a kid, you thought grown-ups over the age of 35 once roamed with the dinosaurs, didn’t you? Now that you’ve passed the threshold of little-you’s definition of super old, you’ve found that you’re not so old after all, right? Think about what age you consider to be old right now. Chances are when you reach that age, you’ll change your opinion of what age constitutes as old, and when you reach that age, you’ll change your mind again, and the cycle will keep repeating until the day you die. Actually, you only become old when the world loses color – when you no longer find joy in life. Till then, you’re bright, colorful, and definitely not old!

    Embrace your age.

    Now that you understand you’re not old at all, it’s time to accept your age and understand that it’s just a number. Instead of saying that you’ve got an aging body, start saying that your body’s evolving. Wrinkles? They’re laugh lines! Gray hair? That’s just a new hair color! You’re evolving into a new you, and it’s quite exciting to see how you will end up!

    Take up new activities.

    Part of getting older is accepting that you can no longer do some things. You’ve been doing this your entire life (remember giving up diapers at 3, Barbies at 12, and miniskirts at 25?), so why stop now? When you decide that you’re too mature to keep doing something, don’t sulk! Simply replace it with another activity that’s appropriate for your age.

    Stay fashionable.

    Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you have to give up your fashion sense! There are plenty of age-appropriate fashionable clothes available in many different stores near you. It can’t hurt to wear some makeup, although not too much.

    Keep taking care of your body.

    Eat well, exercise, and treat yourself to a spa session once in a while. Getting older is not an excuse to give up on yourself. Next to acting your age, taking care of your body is the key to aging gracefully.

    Category Motivational | Tags: ,,,,, | Comments Off on The Secret to Aging Gracefully

  9. The Pursuit of Happiness: 3 Facts Science Can Teach You

    June 5, 2013

    pursuit of happiness

    by Susan Martin

    Is there science to happiness or, in other words, can science teach us how to be happy? We all want to be happy. While the pursuit of happiness is an essential element of human existence, alas we are not always so clear on the details.

    The self-help industry was born to fulfill this void, and it has produced copious amounts of information to answer these basic questions. Unfortunately, self-help books and DVDs are not always the most reliable source of information.

    Fortunately, the pursuit of happiness is not the sole domain of the self-help industry. Research is actively addressing questions like ‘what makes a person happy’ and ‘how a person can improve their emotional life and emotional well-being’. Research on this area has already produced several interesting findings.

    In this post I want to explore 3 interesting facts science can teach you about being happy.

    Gratitude makes you happy

    Count your blessings is one of the oldest advice offered by the self-help industry. Most of us are highly critical of ourselves and think negative thoughts about ourselves far more often than positive thoughts. Always being critical of yourself is obviously not great for your well-being.

    Gratitude is the antidote for negativity. The idea is to focus on things you appreciate about your life, and then to be grateful of those things.

    Research by Dr. Robert Emmons at the University of California shows that practicing gratitude indeed makes you happier [1]. The researchers asked the participants to either focus on: gratitude, life hassles or neutral things. 10 weeks later the researchers measured the effects.

    Not surprisingly, the group that focused on gratitude reported significantly better emotional well-being than the other two groups. The gratitude group also felt more connected to others and acted more socially (they were more likely to give aid when requested). What’s interesting is the gratitude group also exercised an hour more per week more than the other two groups (3 hours per week vs. 4 hours for the gratitude group).

    Gratitude does work!

    Good deeds are passed on

    Marketers have long understood the concept of reciprocity. When you receive something you are far more likely to give something back. That’s why companies like to ‘so generously’ give you trinkets and freebies – so you would buy their products and services.

    A study published at the Journal of experimental psychology shows that generosity is paid forward [2]. In the study the researchers wanted to see what happens when people cannot give back to the person who initially gave them something. That is, when person A gives something to person B, what will the person B do when he or she cannot reciprocate to the person A?

    The study found that both good and bad deeds are passed on. And unfortunately people were more likely to pass on greed and other bad deeds than good deeds.

    The lesson here is clear. Be kind to others, because your behavior is passed on. You could see yourself as emanating energy that people you come in contact with pass on to others. So make sure you put out positive energy to the world.

    Happiness is a circular motion

    As humans we are often terrible at predicting what makes us happy. For example, let’s say you have $100 extra cash at your disposal and your task is to spend it in a way that maximizes your happiness. What would you do? If you are like most people, you might pamper yourself with a massage or buy something you’ve wanted for some time.

    A study by Dr. Lara Aknin published at the Journal of happiness studies shows that’s exactly the wrong thing to do [3].

    In the study the participants were asked to recall a recent purchase they had made. One group was asked to recall the last time they spent money on themselves or on others. Spending on others, also called prosocial spending, could mean buying something as a gift or a charitable donation. The group that recalled prosocial spending felt significantly happier afterwards. What’s more, they were also more likely to spend a monetary windfall of further prosocial spending than those who recalled spending on themselves.

    This research shows that spending on others creates a positive feedback loop that encourages further prosocial spending and happiness. Combine this with the previous bit about people passing on good deeds and you’ll see how powerful simple act of gift giving can be.

    As these studies show, we all have the potential to be happy. It doesn’t take great deeds or vast fortunes. Rather, happiness is a mixture of being content with what you have and treating others kindly. There’s a bit of scientific advice we all could take to heart.

    Image Credit: Marcos Vasconcelos

    References:

    [1] Emmons R, McCullough M. Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2003, Vol. 84, No. 2, 377-389.

    [2] Gray K, et al. Paying It Forward: Generalized Reciprocity and the Limits of Generosity. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2012 Dec 17.

    [3] Aknin L, et al. Happiness Runs in a Circular Motion: Evidence for a Positive Feedback Loop between Prosocial Spending and Happiness. J Happiness Stud (2012) 13:347-355.

    Category Happiness and Fulfillment, Health Tips, Motivational, Positive Psychology Blog | Tags: ,,,,,, | Comments Off on The Pursuit of Happiness: 3 Facts Science Can Teach You

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