inaction 5 (and a half) ways to be happier right this minute By Dr. Sharon Stills, NMD 9/14/2017 You could feel happier almost instantly just by reading this. Your moment of happiness won t involve a pitcher of margaritas or a prescription but there will be a change in your outlook and attitude. There s no one way to be happy and there s no wrong way to be happy, according to a post by a happiness researcher on Facebook favorite Humans of New York , and we agree for the most part. But there are ways for all of us to be happier without doing a whole lot of changing. For most women happiness seems pretty elusive and even harder to sustain for more than a few fleeting moments. But it s right there next to you all the time, if you just know how to step into it. Here are a few little tricks that make this easier, especially with practice. 1. Stand up straight. Good posture lets you breathe more deeply, and makes you feel more confident. Chronic slouching can lead to depression and lowered energy, but standing tall increases levels of good hormones (testosterone) and tamps down stress chemicals (cortisol). Since your mind and your body send messages back and forth over their little two-way highway, when your posture improves, you re suddenly happier. 2. Shut out the world Many women are surrounded by people throughout the day at work and at home. Of course, having friends and going to parties and events is lovely and fun, but you could be missing an important element of being happy. Regularly taking a quiet moment for yourself relaxes and frees you of constantly seeing to the needs and happiness of others. 3. Turn off alerts on your phone By some estimates we check our phones over a hundred times a day. This makes you less present, more anxious and less satisfied with life. So do yourself a favor and turn off alerts from most apps and functions, so you only check your phone when you need to. 4. Don t procrastinate. It may seem like a good idea to put off doing something you re dreading for as long as possible, but you ll regret delaying the inevitable. When a task is hanging over your head, it s much better to tackle it head on and then enjoy the freedom you feel immediately after it s done. Ask yourself every morning what s the most important thing to do today and then do it first. 5. Lighten up. Even though life is really, really short, many of us continue to fritter away too much time being angry or nursing hurt feelings. The gentle guidance to not take yourself so seriously is our favorite shortcut to feeling happier. The happiest people in the world believe they re in control of their lives and are responsible for the choices they make every day. So even if someone else makes you mad, it s still up to you to transform your anger into something else, or let it go altogether. Once you do, you ll feel lighter and brighter, and happier. You ve gotta be happy to be healthy What s the half tip we promised? It s something you already know but it s so important you probably need to remind yourself: get some exercise every day. Of course exercise is important to be healthy in your body, but exercise is also essential to being happy in your head. It generates natural feel-good chemicals, makes you strong, and lets you blow off the steam of stress. Literally exercise metabolizes cortisol. In fact, your body uses cortisol to burn excess fat! How perfect is that? You can t just wait for a big basket of joy to be delivered to your door. Instead, make yourself happier today with one (and a half) of these tips and see what happens next. References http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/a-brief-guide-to-embodied-cognition-why-you-are-not-your-brain/ http://psychcentral.com/lib/being-alone-without-being-lonely/28/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200910/the-secrets-happiness https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-purpose/201604/ridding-happiness-contaminants-7-procrastination See how to make turning 60 more liberating, fulfilling and fun with our blog 5 best things to change when you turn 60 to fifteen
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