Mornings are crucial. How your mornings begin usually determine the outcome of your day. So, if you've just woken up, and you're on the wrong side of the bed. Is there any way to switch to the other side? Absolutely!
As Soon as the Alarm Rings...
Spend your first 15 seconds awake planning something nice to do for yourself today. "This can really set you up in a good mood—even if it's just going by the farmers' market and getting fresh strawberries," says Alice Domar, PhD, author of Be Happy Without Being Perfect: How to Break Free from the Perfection Deception.
Get Up
The longer you lie there, the more you ruminate, the darker your outlook is likely to become, says Christine Padesky, PhD, co-author of Mind Over Mood. So get vertical and make a cup of coffee, take a shower, feed the cat...
Drink...
...make that two glasses of water upon awakening, the time when our bodies are dehydrated, says Susan M. Kleiner, PhD, author of The Good Mood Diet. Dehydration causes fatigue, which affects your mood.
Move It
You already know the number one way of chasing away a bad mood: exercise. A workout at the gym sure helps. But even just a few minutes of movement—a fast walk, for example—raises energy and reduces tension, says mood expert Robert Thayer, PhD, professor of psychology at California State University, Long Beach, and author of Calm Energy.
Investigate
When you're dogged by anxiety or the dread you woke up with, try to pinpoint what's causing it. Did someone say anything the day before? Do you have a meeting today you wish you didn't? Was it the dream you were having when the alarm went off? "If you can figure out why you're upset, that's halfway to feeling better," says Domar.
Be Kind and Thankful
This isn't exactly news, but generosity and gratitude are both big contributors to happiness, according to Todd B. Kashdan, PhD, who directs the Laboratory for the Study of Social Anxiety, Character Strengths, and Related Phenomena at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Do something nice for a stranger or friend and see if you don't feel better about yourself. Also, jot down three things that you're grateful for. It seems so simple, but counting your blessings just has a way of making you remember the sun is shining.
Laugh at Yourself
The best comedians point out the mundane aspects of life—relationship strife, a boring job, a closet full of too-tight clothes; they exaggerate those circumstances, and give us a perspective we can laugh about, says Mark Ridley, owner of the Comedy Castle in Royal Oak, Michigan. Look at your own life and try to appreciate the absurdity of what doesn't go exactly according to plan (the diets, the men, the buzz cut). Acknowledging how little control we actually have over what happens is sometimes a most freeing gift to yourself.
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Showing posts with label healthy habits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy habits. Show all posts
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
The Business of Being Happy
What makes you happy, what makes you smile? I think life is about finding our happiness, it’s our main business. They say ‘at the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities’. How about finding out what makes you laugh?
"The best thing for being sad...is to learn something," said T.H. White in The Once and Future King. This has nothing to do with academic drudgery and everything to do with the fact that mastering a technique, sharpening a skill.
Knowledge is power, knowledge is fun—and it can help send your sadness away for good. Doing something you didn't know how to do before, proves anything is possible. Here are 25 ways to brighten up those little gray cells.
1. Memorize one good joke.
2. Learn how to skate ... or if you already know how, maybe just how to skate backward.
3. Teach yourself not to take the bait the next time a loved one starts pestering you.
4. Learn a new language, master Italian (or American Sign Language, German, Spanish, French, Pig Latin...)
5. Have a kid show you one foolproof magic trick.
6. Perfect your margarita-making technique.
7. Enroll in a bookbinding course.
8. Read everything by a single author whom you've been meaning to get to for years. Faulkner? Melville? Auden? Colette?
9. Knit yourself or someone you love a sweater—or perhaps just a scarf.
10. Start writing a short story.
11. Sign up for piano lessons.
12. Find a kind of meditation that feels right.
13. Join a boxing class.
14. Learn how to make your grandmother's piecrust.
15. Figure out how to operate at least one feature of your cell phone, Blackberry, Tivo or iPad that you're not using and isn't all that necessary to your actual life but is rather cool.
16. Create your own blog.
17. Come up with one can't-miss-meal—and serve it to six friends.
18. Try a new kind of yoga class.
19. Conquer your revulsion at putting the worm on the hook.
20. Tennis, anyone?
21. Learn to be alone (turn off your TV and your phone, shut down your computer, and enjoy a little solitude).
22. Tango...it only takes one to practice.
23. Buy an atlas; spend some time with it. You'll never know when Meredith Viera will call and you'll have to be a lifeline.
24. Polish your inner Joni Mitchell: Pick up the guitar you put down in tenth grade.
25. Learn to juggle. We mean oranges, not responsibilities.
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Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Secrets to Happines
Secrets to Happiness from Andrew Matthews
‘I just want to be happy’
Next to ‘Coke’ and ‘Mc Donalds’ these set of words could be one of the most spoken phrase in the planet. I hear this everyday – ‘ I WANT TO BE HAPPY’… well obviously, who doesn’t?
According to Andrew there are 10 secrets to happiness. Read on to find out…
1) Be happy where you are now
Right now! Be thankful for what you have, instead of moaning about what you lack. Be satisfied with what you have when you are in pursuit of what you want.
2) Happiness, more than anything, is a choice we make every day
Happiness is a conscious decision. You choose to be happy today or you choose to be miserable. Your action/reaction is determined by how you choose to perceive a situation.
3) Happiness is understanding the things we can’t change yet and working on those we can
Some things are hard to change overnight. It’s unusual to change from a pauper into a millionaire in a day. Happiness is knowing that some things take more time. We can start by working on what we can change immediately.
4) Put a smile on your face. It changes how you think.
A smile relaxes your tense facial muscles. A smile can brighten up someone else day. Smile often, it makes a lot of difference.
5) Whatever you get, accept it and deal with it
All too often, when something bad happens, we are too quick to point fingers and start placing blame on everyone else. When you point a finger at someone, notice 4 fingers are pointing back at you!
Happiness is about accepting responsibility and dealing with what comes your way. Blaming the whole world is not going to solve anything.
6) Problems = Catalyst to take Action
Andrew advises to see problems as a catalyst for us to take action. Problems are good teachers, so learn to love them. Look at problems as an opportunity to grow. There is always a bright side to everything, open yourself to this side.
You may be going through rough times now. You may be going through trials. Sometimes, you wonder if you can overcome your problems. Don’t give up! Because you know that at the end of the day, you’re going to win. Because that’s just how your story ends.
7) Learn from the elephants!
How do you eat an elephant?
Answer: One bite at a time.
What did the elephant say to the naked man?
Answer: How do you breathe through that thing?
8 ) Put everything you have into whatever you are doing now
Look at all successful athletes, they train day and night without complain until they are masters of their sport. They put their 100% best effort all the time. Give your 100% always and life will support you!
9) It’s not what you get. It’s what you become that matters
Do you feel your life is lacking something? I have a suggestion you may want to consider.
Have you heard of this magical thing called service? Serve someone else. Forget about yourself and find out what true satisfaction is.
Most of the time, it’s not about what you have but how you have made a difference.
10) No one else is going to make you happier. Work on yourself.
Work on your mindset. See things from a positive light.
Once upon a time, people actually believed the earth was the center of the universe. Once upon a time, people believed that the earth was flat. Once upon a time, people believed that God is cruel and tyrannical …
Funny how people create these crazy ideas.
Think positive thoughts, dream big ideas, paint beautiful pictures in your head.
On a final note…Happiness is a choice. It’s yours to make, no body else.
SOURCE
PS1:Did you find this article useful? Please share with your friends, they may like it too.
PS2: Knowledge is Power. Subscribe to receive regular posts about our favorite topics.
‘I just want to be happy’
Next to ‘Coke’ and ‘Mc Donalds’ these set of words could be one of the most spoken phrase in the planet. I hear this everyday – ‘ I WANT TO BE HAPPY’… well obviously, who doesn’t?
According to Andrew there are 10 secrets to happiness. Read on to find out…
1) Be happy where you are now
Right now! Be thankful for what you have, instead of moaning about what you lack. Be satisfied with what you have when you are in pursuit of what you want.
2) Happiness, more than anything, is a choice we make every day
Happiness is a conscious decision. You choose to be happy today or you choose to be miserable. Your action/reaction is determined by how you choose to perceive a situation.
3) Happiness is understanding the things we can’t change yet and working on those we can
Some things are hard to change overnight. It’s unusual to change from a pauper into a millionaire in a day. Happiness is knowing that some things take more time. We can start by working on what we can change immediately.
4) Put a smile on your face. It changes how you think.
A smile relaxes your tense facial muscles. A smile can brighten up someone else day. Smile often, it makes a lot of difference.
5) Whatever you get, accept it and deal with it
All too often, when something bad happens, we are too quick to point fingers and start placing blame on everyone else. When you point a finger at someone, notice 4 fingers are pointing back at you!
Happiness is about accepting responsibility and dealing with what comes your way. Blaming the whole world is not going to solve anything.
6) Problems = Catalyst to take Action
Andrew advises to see problems as a catalyst for us to take action. Problems are good teachers, so learn to love them. Look at problems as an opportunity to grow. There is always a bright side to everything, open yourself to this side.
You may be going through rough times now. You may be going through trials. Sometimes, you wonder if you can overcome your problems. Don’t give up! Because you know that at the end of the day, you’re going to win. Because that’s just how your story ends.
7) Learn from the elephants!
How do you eat an elephant?
Answer: One bite at a time.
What did the elephant say to the naked man?
Answer: How do you breathe through that thing?
8 ) Put everything you have into whatever you are doing now
Look at all successful athletes, they train day and night without complain until they are masters of their sport. They put their 100% best effort all the time. Give your 100% always and life will support you!
9) It’s not what you get. It’s what you become that matters
Do you feel your life is lacking something? I have a suggestion you may want to consider.
Have you heard of this magical thing called service? Serve someone else. Forget about yourself and find out what true satisfaction is.
Most of the time, it’s not about what you have but how you have made a difference.
10) No one else is going to make you happier. Work on yourself.
Work on your mindset. See things from a positive light.
Once upon a time, people actually believed the earth was the center of the universe. Once upon a time, people believed that the earth was flat. Once upon a time, people believed that God is cruel and tyrannical …
Funny how people create these crazy ideas.
Think positive thoughts, dream big ideas, paint beautiful pictures in your head.
On a final note…Happiness is a choice. It’s yours to make, no body else.
SOURCE
PS1:Did you find this article useful? Please share with your friends, they may like it too.
PS2: Knowledge is Power. Subscribe to receive regular posts about our favorite topics.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Start Your Mornings Right
The way we start our mornings determine the outcome of our day as a whole.
Ever notice that our morning moods tend to set the tone for the rest of the day? If we feel well-rested and inspired, our day tends to unfold far more positively than if we were to wake up sleep-deprived, rushed and cranky. One way to make your day positive, happy and inspiring - start your mornings right.
Try this 8 morning habits to create a positive mindset that will give you the mental and spiritual alertness to truly appreciate the beautiful moments that you will discover on your own for the rest of the day.
1. Wake up early - consistently. Early is subjective for everyone, depending on the kind of schedule you have. “Early” is whatever time that is not the easiest to wake up to, but well worth the effort to do all the things in the morning – be it meditation, exercising or cooking a big breakfast– that will help you feel truly alive and focused for the rest of the day. Waking up early helps you accomplish more and prevents you from starting the day in a rush. Rushing in the morning tends to be a negative start.
2. Meditate in the morning, even if it’s only for five minutes gives focus. As soon as you get out of bed, sit in a comfortable position (away from your bed, to avoid the temptation of going back to sleep). Rather than mentally rushing through the daily to-do list or remorse over your poor quality of sleep, allow your mind to soak in the subtle noises that can only come from the start of a brand new day. Do you hear birds chirping, other family members cooking breakfast? Focus on your in breath and out breath, one lungful of air at a time. Do this every morning, and your days will feel sharper, clearer and more full of life.
3. Do a dry brushing cleanse before you hop into the shower. All you need is a long-handle wooden brush with natural bristles and about five to ten minutes of your time. Before you shower, use the brush on your dry skin to exfoliate your skin, invigorate your circulation and help your lymphatic system do its job. Doing this in the mornings is not only invigorating, it also helps to become fully aware of your body and appreciate everything that it does.
4. Massage lotion on your hands and feet. Just like dry-skin brushing before I shower, massaging lotion on hands and feet is a soothing physical sensation that keeps you rooted in your body and not in your thoughts.
5. Really look at your coffee and tea (and other breakfast drinks). When you are pouring milk into your coffee, pay attention to the swirls the milk makes on the dark liquid surface of your drink. When you drop a tea bag into boiling water, watch the tea ingredients create a mist in the clear water. Smell your coffee. Savor your orange juice. Whatever you drink in the morning, it is just as alive and deserving of attention as everything else you do in your life.
6. Exercise in the morning. So much easier said than done! Try to find an activity you enjoy doing. Do this in-front of the mirror imagining the body you dream of having to get motivated. Getting your heart beating and your body moving early in the day gives you the natural high to stay focused and present for the rest of your long and busy day.
7. Water your houseplants. Plants have a way of refreshing a space. Plants emit oxygen and absorbs the harmful carbon dioxide. Sharing your breakfast with a potted plant on your kitchen table really makes you appreciate the minor miracle that exists even in the most commonplace living things. Seeing new leaves uncurl, watching older leaves wilt, noticing the subtle changes the plant undergoes with the changing weather–it really puts things in perspective and helps you stay present.
8. Journal, draw, play an instrument, listen to music. Be creative. Being creative in the morning is one of the best ways to feel present for the rest of the day. What is your passion? Starting your day by doing the things you love brings out positive energy useful for the rest of your day.
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