Short prescription for greater health, happiness and resilience: 10 TIPS


images copy 21. Exercise (daily). Studies have emphatically proven the link between increased exercise and better mood. We need a brisk walk of at least 30 minutes  once a day. It helps burn off excess adrenaline, gives us energy when we need it and aids sleep in the long-term.

 

compassion2.  Social connectedness – people need people. Be social, keep your friends and make new friends. The greatest friend of depression is solitude. It’s greatest enemy is social connectivity. Start with family and work your way out into the community.

 

images-13. Reach out to those in need. Kindness makes you feel good. It helps you put your problems into better context. Kindness is its own reward.

 

blessings-quote-for-friendster-count-your-blessings4. Think more about the things that are right about your life 
. We spend too much energy focusing on the things that we have lost in life and frustrate ourselves with lists of things we need. Look right under your nose at what you are blessed with. We take a lot for granted.

 

images copy 245. Dig up a long lost hobby or start a new pastime. Happy people do things that they love doing. This creates flow in their lives. We lose sense of ourselves and time when we become engaged. This deep engagement is called flow. Regular experiences of it contribute to a feeling of fulfilment and satisfaction. We need flow in our days or we start to feel deprived and frustrated.

 

6.  Eat slowly, taste the food as you eat. Mix fruit, veg and oily fish into your diet. Families need to sit at a table.  We need to be aware of the gifts of flavour and taste.

 

7. Meditate – focus on your breathing and remove yourself from the noise of life
. Bask in the glory of ‘now’.  If you have faith, practice it. Prayer has been shown to be a powerful resource during difficult times. It’s harder to be terrified if you believe that you are being looked after.

 

20120702-202759.jpg8. See the world around you and marvel in it. Feel the breeze, smell the flowers, watch the sun rise. There is therapy in the clay, calmness in the sky and energy in the animals, trees, plants and flowers.

 

images copy 199. Be openminded and seek the evidence before you decide. Consult and seek advice. Don’t be a know-all! Ask yourself how annoyed do you want to be and whether it’s worth it.

 

images copy10. Allow yourself to laugh more. Mingle with good humoured people. Laughter is a therapy and lifts mood.

 

(c) Shane Martin  (www.moodwatchers.com)