Improving Your Health And Happiness One Step At A Time
Complete happiness relies on health, amongst other things. It works the reverse way too, if we’re healthy we’re usually happy. That’s because health and happiness encompass so many different things. Sure, being healthy includes what we eat and how often we exercise. But it also includes our mental health. How social we are, how anxious, how happy. More and more studies are showing that the key to unlocking happiness is a healthy lifestyle and everything that entails. So if you’re looking to boost your happiness take into account your environments, at work and home, your social life, and your exercise and diet. How could you make them all more healthy?
Why Does Our Happiness Rely On Our Health?
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Happiness is largely reliant on how healthy we are, in every aspect of our life. A healthy relationship, mental state, and physicality are far more likely to make us happy than money. Depression and anxiety are some of the largest deterrents to happiness. These feelings usually come about because we don’t have a healthy mental state. We could have low self-esteem or more severe mental illnesses which impede our happiness. The link between health and happiness is undeniable. But all too often we only think of health in relation to our bodies, rather than our mindset too.
Environment
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So it’s clear that we need to be more healthy, both physically and mentally. If we are, we’ll be happier. We spend so much of our time at work and at home. Yet we often overlook how important these environments are to our mental health. They certainly do impact our mental health and we could be doing more to make that a positive thing rather than a negative one.
Take clutter, for example. Leading psychologists agree that clutter in our homes can cause stress. This upsets our mental state and makes us less happy. Instead happiness is replaced with feelings of stress, chaos, and anxiousness. Clutter and untidiness provide our brains with a stimuli overload. This leads to feelings of frustration, upset, and stress, as we concentrate on unnecessary stimuli. It makes it difficult for us to relax and encourages feelings of guilt and anxiety. The solution to clutter is simple, tidy it! You may have heard it said that the way we treat our environments reflects what’s going on inside our heads, and vice versa. By de-cluttering your home you will be able to relax and feel less stress and anxious. Not just that, but it should be a cathartic experience and feel like you’re de-cluttering your mind too. Start by getting rid of anything you don’t need. What’s left can be stowed away, out of eyesight, in storage boxes.
Living in poor housing conditions increases stress and reduces feelings of empowerment and control. Take control of your environment and replace clutter with stimuli that soothe and aid out mental health instead. Start, very simply, by putting on display items you love. Don’t go overboard, but do hang a painting, display an ornament, or throw down a rug. These pleasing visual stimuli look aesthetically pleasing and will engender feelings of positivity. Furthermore having artwork around the house can help us to feel more creative and motivated. Also, consider investing in some houseplants. Houseplants are an amazing way to increase ventilation in a room. Some researchers have found that houseplants even reduce stress! They make a great addition to a living room and will absorb toxins from the air and give out oxygen. Fresh flowers are another good touch. They work much like scented candles to release pleasing smells, which are positive stimuli and help us to relax. Kohl’s coupons will get you money off home furnishings and accessories like candles and plant pots. At work, you’ll need to find ways to stay healthy and happy too. Incorporate some of your home tips in the office too. A desk plant is a perfect way to create a more relaxing ambiance. Similarly, instead of a painting, display a family photo which will motivate and inspire you.
Social Life
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Having a healthy social life is a great way to make sure we’re looking after our general health and wellbeing. Regularly meeting up with friends and family helps us to feel less isolated and more connected. In turn, this helps us to feel increasingly valued and boosts our self-esteem. Both of which are great for staving off mental health issues like depression and anxiety.
Make time for what’s important and schedule catch ups with your friends. Surrounding yourself with supportive people who care about you is a great way to look after your mental health and be happy. Unfortunately, we all have, or had, people in our life who were toxic influences. Sometimes we may not even realize it but these people are impacting our mental health, and therefore our happiness. If somebody you know has the power to lower your self-esteem and causes you to lose your temper, it’s probably best to part ways with them. Over time small comments and put-downs can really affect us. Try talking to your friend or colleague about what they’re doing, but otherwise limit contact with them. This takes away their power to make us feel bad.
In your spare time plant to be as social as possible. Of course, we all need days spent binge-watching our favorite series or indulging in a duvet day! But do push yourself to do fun activities with your friends, you’ll be far healthy and happier for it.
Exercise And Diet
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This is what most of us immediately think of when we talk about health. Funnily enough physical health also affects our mental health. Doing exercise is actually a common aid to combatting depression. It forces us to motivate ourselves and take care of ourselves. Two things which can be incredibly challenging for those suffering from depression. Exercise also releases endorphins and endocannabinoids. These two chemicals make us feel good. Beyond that exercise forces us into the outside world, something which is good for those suffering from depression. It allows us to be a part of society and look after our mental health. It also helps with self-esteem. Most of us feel better when we’re doing something proactive to keep in shape. It could be about losing weight, or getting stronger, or increasing our stamina. Whatever it is, exercise allows us to set goals and achieve them. Increasing our self-esteem and happiness in the process.
Diet is a trickier one. Some of us do feel happy after eating burgers and pizzas even though it isn’t healthy. Ultimately, however, being healthy and free of illness will make us happy long-term. So this means avoiding processed foods. Heart failure, obesity, and even type-3 diabetes can be caused by eating the wrong types of food. Not only can they be caused by it, but some studies suggest cardiovascular diseases can even be reversed and cured by eating healthily. We’ve previously underestimated what a powerful tool our diet is in terms of our health and happiness. But there is increasing evidence that it is hugely important.
If you haven’t taken your exercise or diet seriously, start off small. Some long walks are an easy way to get started. As are some simple home workouts like lunges, ski-sits, planks, and sit-ups. One you feel ready, start to incorporate running into your exercise regime. In terms of diet try cutting out processed foods. Eat fresh wherever possible. This means eating more fruit and vegetables and buying less pre-prepared meals. Try cutting down on the amount of meat and fish you eat too. It’ll force you to view vegetables and the center of your dish and be more inventive.