Gratitude

10 Scientifically Proven Ways To Stay Happy All The Time

Republished from lifehack

How do you stay happy all the time? Is it possible and is there any proof that these ways can work? In this post I want to show you 10 ways that are scientifically proven. If this does not convince you, then I do not know what will!

1. Exercise more

Lots of studies on this one. Exercising releases the good mood endorphins so that you are always in a better mood after a workout or simply a walk to the supermarket. I have never met a person in a bad mood after a workout! But where is the scientific evidence?

The University of Toronto did a great job on this and analyzed no less than 25 research studies. The conclusion was that physical activity can and does help to keep depression at bay.

The best study I know is where three groups of depressed people are put on a regime of anti-depressants, exercise or a combination of the two. No surprise to know that all three groups were happier, but did it last? Six months later, the group who had been treated with exercise only, had a very low relapse rate of 9%. The other two groups had relapsed and how! Their rates were ranging from 38% to 31%, so about a third of them were now depressed again.

2. Positive thinking affects your performance

 “Happiness is the precursor to success.” – Shawn Achor

Sounds like pie in the sky? Well, according to Shawn Achor, if he knows everything about what factors are impinging on your happiness such as stressors, hassles, successes, economic circumstances, relationships and so on, then he can only predict 10% of your long term happiness. The remaining 90% is how you process the world around you. If happiness is on the other side of success, it is unlikely you will get there as you continually strive to get better grades, higher salaries and so on.

Positive thinking raises energy levels, creativity and productivity by as much as 30%. The secret is to use positive thinking now, rather than when you are rich and famous. Watch the video below for a very entertaining outline of this.

3. Trash your negative thoughts

Some people are overwhelmed by their negative thoughts and they have real problems in getting rid of them. A University of Madrid study found that by actually writing these thoughts down on a piece of paper and then destroying them was effective. They recommended that you either tear them up, throw them in the trash or burn them! The fact of discarding them physically does help in reducing their toxic effects. Psychologists suggest doing this on a regular basis.

4. Treasure your experiences more than your possessions

Thomas Gilovich, a psychologist at Cornell University has done quite a lot of research as to why it is better to treasure memorable and pleasant experiences rather than the material things we buy. There are many reasons for this as outlined in his study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Comparing possessions and looking at better objects after purchase can be demoralizing and ruin the initial pleasure we got when purchasing and taking possession of that new car, TV or computer.

But treasuring experiences is not nearly as destructive. They belong to us, they are special and they provide longer lasting happiness. We should always aim to visit a new place or just go trekking. Local authorities should be able to provide the facilities in towns and cities so that people may experience more enjoyable and pleasurable activities, rather than building more shopping malls.

5. Write down why you are grateful

Feeling and thinking about the things you are grateful for as you wake upis a great way to build more happiness.

Research on our brain shows that we always tend to focus on the negative things of life like those worries, tragedies, failures, and discontent. Negativity is the default position.

“We’ve got this negativity bias that’s a kind of bug in the stone-age brain in the 21st century,” – Rick Hanson, neuropsychologist.

This is why we need to focus on the good and more especially, we need to hone in on what we should be grateful for. There are various ways you can do this. Here are some ideas:

• When you wake up, remind yourself mentally of three things that you can be grateful for.
• Some people prefer to write down three things and keep the list to remind themselves every now and again.
• Use Twitter or Facebook if you feel inclined. Useful to remind your followers that this does actually work.
• Express gratitude by phoning your significant other or by treating a colleague to coffee for their help with a project or task.
• Try giving back by helping a person or by volunteering for a few hours a week.

But is there any scientific proof that this actually works? Check out this link to see just some of the numerous studies on gratitude.

6. Practise mindfulness

What does mindfulness mean? It just means that you concentrate and pay full attention to the present moment and accept it in a non-judgmental way. This is now becoming a popular trend in psychology and medicine. When done regularly it can boost mood, reduce stress levels, and lead to a better quality of life.

Focus on the present moment means that you can savor touch, smell and other physical sensations but also happy feelings. Concentrate on the joy they are giving you. It is really effective in forgetting about the past and not fretting about future, fearful scenarios.

But can this really make us happier and what is the scientific evidence? Watch the video where Harvard researcher Matt Killingsworth explains that we are happier when we are mindful of the moment and the least happy when the mind is wandering all over the place. He has come to this conclusion after studying 15,000 people!

7. Don’t forget your beauty sleep

When you do not get enough sleep, your negativity takes over big time. This was the conclusion researchers came to after several experiments. One of these is particularly interesting. The researchers homed in on the hippocampus which is the part of the brain which processes our positive thoughts. When we are sleep deprived, this function starts to creak and negative thoughts muscle in much more than before.

To illustrate this, researchers asked sleep deprived students to remember a list of words. They were getting a high score on all the negative words (81%) but when it came to the positive ones or neutral ones, they were only getting about 31% of these right. Dr.Robert Stickgold has conducted similar experiments on sleep and memory. Now you know why people are always in a bad mood when they do not get enough sleep.

8. Dedicate a little time to helping others

People buy bigger houses, cars and phones but it does not seem to increase their overall happiness in the long term, although it might cause a brief spike in happiness. That is short lived. Researchers have found that when we dedicate a little time or money to helping others, this has a significant effect on our own happiness.

9. Focus on the life you want to live

“The heart goes where the head takes it, and neither cares much about the whereabouts of the feet.”- Dr. Daniel Gilbert.

We often talk about winning the lottery and where we would go and above all what we would buy. We might even talk about giving to charity. But we never or rarely talk about what our state of mind would be and how much happier and carefree we would be. This is why focusing on priorities to get the life you want to live is so important.

10. Focus on your strengths

Are you curious, open-minded or brave? How are you using these strengths to improve your life and that of others? These are key questions but people who exploit their strengths rather than dwelling on their weaknesses are generally much happier.

Being able to realize our full potential through exploiting our strengths is one of the best ways of finding happiness and helping to make the world a better place.

Are you happy or discontented? Have you tried the suggestions we have listed above and have they made any difference to your life? Let us know in the comments.

Featured photo credit: Portrait of a happy liitle girl close-up via shutterstock.com

Stay Happy

Manifesting Dream Job!

Republished from The Secret

(Image Credit: Google)

First of all, thank you thank you thank you to Rhonda, The Secret team and everyone who shares their inspirational stories on here. My life has been forever changed and there are no words to express the gratitude I feel.

Following a devastating break up, The Secret was attracted to my life.

I began to practice on a daily basis and immediately noticed changes in my life.

During this time recently, I had been job hunting and had been applying for residence life jobs at universities. I thought to myself, ‘wouldn’t it be amazing if there was a residence life job at my dream location?’.

And then lo and behold, there was a listing for a job I had previously overlooked! I just know that the Universe brought this opportunity to me through manifestation. I applied and of course have been practicing the LOA daily to manifest this job. I look forward to sharing a story about how happy and successful I am in my new job!

Blessings to all!

I Got My Dream Job!

Republished from The Secret

I was so sad, everything was going wrong in my life.

One day in the bookstore I got the feeling I needed to buy The Secret. I had read it online before but this time I said to myself that I need to have the book.

Proof of my faith, I bought the book and I read it several times. I would keep it in my night table or sometimes I would carry the book in my backpack.

So little by little, every day I started to feel better about my life, my future, and I started to have hope again.

So one day I saw this add online. This company was looking for a someone for a position that I had applied for last year. But last year I wasn’t ready, this year I was.

So I applied and they called me after two weeks to go to a first interview, then the second interview, and then a third phone interview. I was a little nervous but I knew I was the best person for the job. But anyways, I bought a book on the subject of the work and I spent two weeks studying and searching online information about my new job so that I could proof I was the best candidate.

Time went by and then after the phone interview, they called me to tell me that they decided to offer me the position in this great company!

And, they said I could start whenever I wanted! So I decided I will start next week! I am so excited!!

During the waiting period sometimes I felt a little bit disoriented and I didn’t know what to think because they were taking forever to answer. But I didn’t allow myself to doubt for a single second that the job was mine and it worked!!! I knew the LOA works when you believe in it, so keep believing!!

Thank you so much Universe and God!!!!

Destiny Is Here!

So I have been sporadically watching The Secret throughout my whole life.

Roughly, when I was 10 was the first time I watched it after my great aunt passed away from cancer, and I couldn’t feel more blessed to be introduced to such a positive and life-changing experience.

At first I used it for my guitar, and other little technologies I wanted, without even knowing until I recently turned 19 in April of this year.

I had a big dream I knew would become my reality: This is how I created my music name Destiny.

Recently I was founded by a small label called Faded Entertainment, and I love every second of making music!!

Then I thought, “Why can’t I be the musician I always dreamed? Everyone else always doubted me, but maybe all I need is my own belief in my music” So I did just this.

Any time someone said “You won’t make it, you’re just a small town girl and you will end up in an office job like the rest of us” I took that as a challenge, a positive one where all I did was smile and then I made more music and keep promoting myself.

You see, all you need is faith in yourself and then you’ll go that extra mile with that faith alone.

Now, I am looking forward to being on KISS FM 104.7 in AL/GA region, even though I live in Michigan, this is a big step! I get these gut feelings that 2015 is my year to reach the charts of the music industry, and I hope all of you reading this keep with your positivity and keep doing what you love, because this feeling is extraordinary!

If you would like to listen you could either go to my web pages at www.soundcloud.com/destiny48-1 or www.reverbnation.com/destiny48

One day you all will be able to recollect me telling this story when I am out on tour. I send my belief in you, your way! Love is in the air!

So starting again

As stated in every months pledge, I am hopeful to write my own posts this month as well. I couldn't do that in October but could do it well in November & write my own posts & I hope to continue in December.

Wish me Time!