The Benefits of Being Happy

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Happiness is an important ingredient in a healthy life. This not only applies to a person’s emotional well being but many studies indicate that happiness also plays a major role in your physical health – whether it’s living a healthy lifestyle or reducing the amount of chronic pain – happiness is the solution to many health woes.

As the new science is now showing, our minds are not separate from our bodies. Instead, we are one complete system. What we think affects our bodies and how we treat our bodies affects our minds.

The Physical Benefits of Being Happy are:

Encourages Healthy Living
According to studies, happier people are almost twice as likely to eat more fresh vegetables than people who state that they are not happy.

Eating more fresh produce will automatically improve your health overeating a diet high in processed food.

Provides Energy
When you tend to eat better, you tend to end up with more energy.

It’s hard to imagine it, but being negative or sad can literally drain your energy out of your body. On the other hand, being happy can give you more energy.

Boosts Immunity
Eating better, moving more, and feeling happy will also increase your ability to fight off illness and disease because it improves your immunity.

A study showed that people who report happiness tend to fight off illness faster than people who report sadness. They literally gave people the cold virus and the happy people were three times less likely to get the cold.

Lessens Stress
If you’re happy, you’ll have a lot less to keep you up at night, to worry about, and therefore you’ll end up with less stress.

However, it goes further than that because happy people tend to report less stress even when they are facing stressful things. Due to the strength that happiness gives you, you’ll experience less stress.

Protects Cardiovascular Health
Because you’re eating better and moving more due to your happiness, you are also protecting your cardiovascular health.

You’re less likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke, or other issues related to heart health and the cardiovascular system.

Increases Longevity
Because you’re eating right, exercising more, and you’re feeling great about life, you will likely live longer.

According to one long-term study that tracked the lives of 32,000 people to find out who lived longer, the people who report happiness, or the people who report being less happy.

It’s not surprising that happy people tend to live 14 percent longer. this physical benefit alone is worth choosing to be happy.

Diminishes Pain
People who have chronic pain have a right to be mad about it or feel sad about it.

However, the fact is people who report being happy tend to deal with their chronic pain (and other illness) better than those who were not happy to start with.

To sum up

When you are happy, you’re more likely to eat right, drink enough water, and move. It’s mostly because you have more energy to do active things. If you are having difficulty maintaining your happiness, learn how easy it is to change your mindset.

Happiness has nothing to do with your circumstances but everything to do with how you choose to react to them. As the saying goes – Happiness is an inside job!!

Self-Sabotaging Thoughts That Hinder Happiness

Most people go through times when they have trouble getting their thoughts to align with their intentions.

When that happens, it can hinder your happiness. It can get in the way of your happiness.

These types of thoughts are focusing on what’s wrong, what’s missing, or the negativity of the situation instead of the positives.

Examples of Self-Sabotaging Thoughts

I Don’t Like People – Many people, especially introverts, tend to focus their decisions on how many people will be around. They tend to make decisions that are not good for them because they are not comfortable being who they are.

Turn that thought around to doing events but focusing on how you can give yourself care during anxious moments around people. It’s okay to be who you are. Learning to love yourself is the best investment you will ever make.

I Am Too ____ Anytime you start a thought with, I am “too” anything you get into trouble. People often worry about things that no one else ever thinks about although sometimes one might worry about things that other people do think about.

For example, if you find yourself saying you’re too fat, too dumb, too something — to accomplish a goal that you have, you need to turn that around by setting up real steps that will get you to your goals.

I’ll Do That When I ______ You’ve probably said it before to yourself. “I’ll do that when I go back to school.” or “I’ll do that when I clean the house.” A big favorite of many is “I’ll do that when I lose weight.” You know the drill.

Unless you need to do the thing in the blank, don’t allow that to get in your way. If you do need to do it, just make a step-by-step plan to get it done. Remember every goal starts with the first step, no matter how small.

I Can’t Do _____ You may have heard your child, yourself, or someone else states that “I can’t do the math.” Or “I can’t cook.” The truth is, no one can do any of that without learning how to do it.

No one just pops out of the womb knowing how to cook, write, read, or do the math. Anyone can learn whatever they want to learn given the time and effort to do it. Try swapping this negative comment with “I can try”. And then take that first step.

Saying I Should ____ Have you ever heard that it’s important not to “should” all over everyone? Not only is it a bad idea to create “should” for others it’s a terrible idea to create them for yourself. Saying “I should”, can cause internal stress as you are feeling “guilty” for something you think you ought to do.

In the Past ___ Dwelling on the past and what someone did to you in the past or what things were like in the past is not going to help you overcome self-sabotage.

While it’s okay to use the past as a learning example, it’s not okay to use it as an excuse not to move forward. Remember you are only in charge of yourself.

In the Future ____ Just like you do not want to focus on the past you also don’t want to be overly focused on later. Today, and more specifically, this moment is honestly all you have for sure. So choose happiness in each moment.

Focus on today and tomorrow will take care of itself.

If I Was More Like Them – Never compare yourself to someone else in a negative way.

It’s okay to look at what someone has accomplished, learn how to do it too, and follow in their footsteps but don’t wish yourself away as only you can be you. We are all unique with our own set of talents and abilities.

Last thoughts

Remember happiness is ultimately a choice.

Whenever you find you’re focused on a negative aspect of any situation, try to turn your mind around to focus on the positives. However, sometimes in life, you’re going to experience a sad or negative time, that’s normal. It really is not about the ups and downs of life. Those are natural.

It’s about how you treat yourself the rest of the time that truly leads to more happiness. And as discussed above, the benefits of being happy are plenty – so it’s a win-win situation.

Give it a try- you have nothing to lose!

The Benefits of Being Happy