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Life is too short and frantic to spend it beingmiserable. Here are some easyways to
ensure your days are happy ones.
or pamper your body in a way that makes
you satisfied with the person you are.
Eat
Certain foods can boost the levels of
serotonin in the brain, making the eater
feel happier and balancing the body and
mind. Try adding bananas, oily fish (e.g.
salmon), kidney beans and dairy foods to
your diet to help raise the happiness levels
in your brain. Oysters and peanuts are also
known to offer speedy pick-me-ups.
Drink
Coffee certainly helps beat the tiredness
and cheer you out of bed in the morning,
but did you know a scientific study has
proven that drinking four or more cups of
coffee a day is associated with lowering
the risk of depression? Drink up and keep
smiling!
Plan your day
Setting yourself small aims or goals for
the day helps focus your mind and, when
achieved, bring a sense of satisfaction
and will help to make you feel positive
and fulfilled; key attributes for happiness
achievement!
Choose happy
Like anything worth doing in life, happi-
ness needs to be worked at and striven
for to become a reality. It is a conscious
decision to be happy rather than sad, to see
the positives rather than the negatives in a
situation, so commit yourself to happiness
and go all out with your efforts intomaking
it happen. It really is that simple!
T
here
are so many un-
knowns in life, but one
thing you can do to make
the journey onwards as
pleasurable as possible
is keep yourself happy!
Scientists have identified
many emotional and physical benefits of
being happy, including better problem-
solving, counteracting negative emotions
and improving health, yet themost impor-
tant thing is that being happy is more fun
than the alternative!
Happiness doesn’t have tomeanwealth
and job success, a big house or the latest
iPhone. Happiness comes fromwithin and
can be achieved using simple strategies
that can be employed by us all to safeguard
our emotional wellbeing and make life a
more enjoyable place to be.
Have a go at these ten tips and make
yourself a happier person this month and
forever:
Move
Doing as little as sevenminutes of exercise
a day can boost your happiness levels by
helping you relax and making you feel
good about yourself. Exercise has also
been linked to helping reduce stress and
ease depression.
Sleep
Scientists have discovered that sleep de-
privation makes it harder to access happy
memories, with tired folk more likely to
dwell on bad times and become unhappy
than those feeling rested. Sleeping well
means you invariable wake feeling more
Reflections
The Secret of Happiness
positive and are likely to carry that with
you throughout the day, somake sure noth-
ing gets between you and your shut-eye.
Spend time with friends
It may seem obvious, but spending time
with people you like and enjoy being
with boosts your happiness levels and
can be a great antidote to the stresses of
work. Always make time for your pals to
keep your positivity topped up, but don’t
waste time on people you don’t really
like – quality not quantity!
Treat others
Generosity could be a little bit selfish now
that scientists have found that people who
spent money on other people felt happier
when recalling the experience compared
to those who spent on themselves. Your
gift doesn’t have to be wildly expensive,
but next time you have a windfall share
the wealth with someone else and reap
the happiness rewards!
Be grateful
Rather than dwelling on the things you
haven’t got, make a point of focusing on
the things you have. You could evenmake
a list of the people, material goods and
opportunities that you have in life that you
are thankful for. It is an easy way to make
you feel happy at your good fortune!
Look good
Feeling good about yourself is one of the
keys to happiness. Make a point of buying
clothes you love and feel comfortable in
and taking the time to get your hair done
W o r d s :
S a r a h R e e s