Train your Brain to be Happier!
- Christina Rios
- Oct 30, 2021
- 3 min read
Aristostle says " Happiness depends upon ourselves"
What does that mean excatly? It means we all have the power to change our view towards life by taking actions. I have been reading on those specific actions and thought I should share them with you!:)
In his book "The Happiness Equation" Neil Pasrisha is on a mission to help people be happy. He believes that happiness comes as a result of concious training ( think of it as a Tabata workout for your brain) . Happiness is not a destination we arrive at after everything is awesome; it's what we do to make everything else in life awesome. So Here are 7 actions you can take to be Happy right NOW ( takeaways from his book)
3 WALKS PER WEEK.
The American Psychosomatic society published a study showing how a team of doctors found that three 30 minute brisk walks or jogs per week improve recovery from clinical depression. They found that more active people have more positve activated feelings than people who are less active. It's something I have experienced for the past 10 years and the reason I encourage my clients to workout at least 4 days per week! The studies clearly show that active people are Happier.
2. THE 20 MINUTE REPLAY
Have you ever tried writing about a positive experience for 20 minutes and WHY? According to Pasrisha, it allows you to relieve the experience as you're writing it, then everytime you read it. It's a major brain hack to improve feelings of Happiness!
3. RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
Carrying out 5 random acts of kindness per week dramatically improves your happiness! Have you tried paying for someone's coffee or let them go in front of you at the cash register line? or randomly texting a friend to let them know how much you appreciate them? In a study, Stanford students were asked to perform 5 random acts of kindness over a week and they reported much higher happiness levels than the other test group simply because they felt good about themselves. People appreciated them.
4. A COMPLETE UNPLUG
Turning your phone off after dinner, not using the internet while on vacation, or my personal favorite simply taking a short nap when you get home from work helps you recharge for the next day or be more fully engaged with your loved ones.
5. HIT FLOW
Getting into a groove, be in the zone, find your flow. It means being challenged and demonstrating a skill at the same time. It could be doing your favorite past time; running, cooking, painting, gardening, dancing. It's being completely involved in an activity where time flies and the ego falls away.
6. MEDITATION
Studies are clear on the benefits of Meditation. Results published in Psychiatry Reseach showed brain scans of people before and after they had completed a course on mindfullness and meditation; Guess what happened? After the class parts of the brain that are associated with compassion and self-awareness grew while parts associated with stress shrank! It is one of the many reasons why we now offer a meditation class each and every sunday morning at ELLE FIT.
7. FIVE GRATITUDES
According to Pasrisha if you can be happy with simple things then it will be simple to be happy. Find a book or a journal and write 5 things you are greatful for from the past week; I'll start:
I'm gratefull for being able to have fun and dress up for halloween
I'm grateful for finding a delicious Paleo Pumpkin brownie recipe which I made this week
I'm grateful for my clients who stay commited to their health by working out on Zoom together even though I had issues logging in! ( Internet fails)
I'm grateful for my clients stepping in when one of our favorite instructors injured herself during class
I'm grateful for the beautiful Fall weather we had today!
Charles Dickens says it well :" Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many, not your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."
References:
Comments