Who among us isn't interested in finding out how to be happy?
Happiness something people have been questing after for centuries, and
now, thanks to new findings, we're actually getting some solid answers
on how to create a happy life. The field of positive psychology has
opened up a whole new arena of research in this area. This is
incredibly important for all of people, but even moreso for parents
since kids learn primarily through our example. By creating happiness
in our lives, we teach them how to do the same. This issue of Peaceful
Parents is devoted to providing you some very important data on what
it takes to create a happy life. The more you intentionally do, the
happier it's possible to become, even if you're dealing with difficult
challenges.
In peace,
Naomi
p.s. I'm scheduling book signings now. If you'd like me to do one
in your area, e-mail me at Naomi@LearningPeace.com.
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3 Three Most Important Things You Need to Know About Happiness
- HAPPINESS IS SOMETHING WE CAN CREATE. According to University of
California research professor, Sonja Lyubomirsky "durable increases in
happiness are indeed possible and within the average person's reach."
But we have to be intentional about getting there. 40% of our
happiness comes from things we do and think. We need to engage in
daily intentional activities that create happiness. Here are twelve
from Dr. Lyumirsky's book, The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach
to Getting the Life You Want:
Express gratitude
Cultivate optimism
Avoid over thinking
Practice acts of kindness
Nurture social relationships
Develop Strategies for Coping
Learn to forgive
Increase Flow experiences
Savor life's joys
Commit to goals
Practic religion and spirituality
Take care of body through meditation and physical activity
- HAPPINESS IS CONTAGIOUS, so seek out happy people. Try to minimize
contact with grouchy types, and add in as many positive, optimistic
people as you can. Research by social scientists Nicholas Christakis
and James Fowler revealed that each additional happy person you have
in your life boosts your sense of happiness by 9 percent. (For the
full article go to: www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/magazine)
- CREATE LOTS OF SOCIAL CONTACTS. Doing so not only makes us happier,
it also improves our health and brain function. The more connected we
are to friends and social contacts the better we feel. University of
North Carolina sociology professor, Rebecca G. Adams says friendship
has a huge impact on our psychological well-being. Even if the
friendships aren't all deep, having those connections increases our
sense of well-being. (see New York Times article: "What Are Friends
For? A Happy Life?" 4/20/09).
SPECIAL BONUS: For a daily reminder of what it takes to be happy,
listen to, believe it or not, "The How of Happiness Song:"
http://www.faculty.ucr.edu/~sonja/song.html. The tune alone made me
feel happy when I heard it. Hope it makes you feel happy too!
I very much enjoyed this post!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Shara, Hope it's helpful in a concrete way. This information has certainly helped me! I try to follow most of it daily and I notice that when I do, I can better cope with difficult things, and have an overall sense of increased well-being. Something that I do daily now (corny as this may sound) is keeping a "journal of delights," similar to a gratitude journal. Each night before I go to sleep I take a few minutes to list, and sometimes describe, the small things from the day that made me happy. The process of writing these things down and mentally reviewing them gives me an immediate sense of well-being and helps me enter sleep with good thoughts. I've read that this practice actually reconfigures neural pathways in a positive direction.
ReplyDeleteCool!
ReplyDelete