Eight benefits of finding joy in life
Most people want to be full of the joys of life and with good reason, as happiness and health are inextricably linked. Do you know that finding joy in life can lower your blood pressure and help you to live a longer, and of course, much happier life?
Psychologist, Sarah D Pressman’s recent report in the ‘Annual Review of Psychology’, highlighted the increased level of interest and research into the link between happiness (Positive Affect) and good health. Suggesting that there are “plausible biological, social, and behavioral pathways that allow for positive feelings to get under the skin and influence physical wellness”.
“Positive affect (PA) is associated with better health across a wide range of physical health outcomes” – Sarah D. Pressman
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Happiness is the way to a healthy heart
We always suspected that positivity is good for your heart and now we know this to be scientifically true. The international Journal of Cardiology has identified a link between the joys of life and cardiovascular health, which results in reduced instances of strokes and increased survival rates in heart disease patients.
Now that we know what we always suspected…what should we do about it. The answer is simple, yet maybe not so easy, we need to add more joy to our lives!
“If you carry joy in your heart, you can heal any moment.” —Carlos Santana
Here are Johaloha’s top 8 tips on how to have more fun – every day!
1.Don’t wait, make happiness happen!
It’s time to try to stop dwelling on the negatives. If you have no joy in life, there are some things you can do to change this. No matter what situation you find yourself in, you can learn the behaviours that will promote positivity and growth. Johaloha’s course, “How to have more fun every day” can be the first step towards understanding your situation and learning how to change it, in order to experience the life that you deserve to live.
2.Don’t worry, get happier
Happiness for many is controlled by outside influences but it is possible to achieve it from within too. You can’t control what happens outside you – but you can control yourself by practising. To find happiness in everyday life, it’s important to understand that your words, thoughts and actions will have a huge impact upon your happiness. We know from science and psychology that the chemistry in the brain affects emotion. The way to change your chemistry is by practice, focusing more on positive thoughts and doing more things that are fun. The first step of your journey is to stop worrying that you have no joy in life, and accept that you want to change.
3.You need a plan
We plan for just about many aspects of life except for finding joy in life. We join a gym, we take regular vitamins, we visit the dentist and the doctor, but we forget to safeguard our happiness and quality of life. As mentioned earlier, looking after your mental health is important for our overall wellbeing. Start by allocating time to find joy in the small things in life, whether through self-reflection, reading or taking a course, it is your choice.
4.Start adding happiness to your life
Everyone has dream…it could be that you are living your best life with George Clooney by your side or something more realistic that you want to achieve. In the meantime, while you are working towards achieving your goals, you can still make your current life more fun. You can start by doing things that will reduce stress or make you laugh. You’ll feel much better when you start finding happiness in the small things.
5.Learn to practice self-care
Taking care of yourself is one of the most important tenets of Johaloha. At the very least allow yourself a moment to take stock, relax or catch your breath, but ideally make regular time in your busy schedule for dedicated ‘you’ time. This should be time when you do something that you enjoy and forget about jobs that need to be done. Relax, this is your time, the world can wait.
6.Finding happiness in the small joys of life
Many of us are working so hard to achieve the big things in life that we don’t actually notice the many wonderful little things that are happening around us every day. Instead of pinning your future happiness on achieving your ‘big thing’, start to live your life by appreciating the small things. A promotion, new job, big house or successful partner may be your dream but if you open your mind, you may find more happiness in the small things along the way.
“Joy is increased by spreading it to others.” —Robert Murray McCheyne
7.Surround yourself with positive people
You have the choice whether you want to indulge negative feelings or if you choose to be happy. Your choices are influenced by the people in your life, so try to avoid negativity and to surround yourself with positive people. Positive social interactive is one of the best ways to change your outlook and to achieve long term happiness.
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing” – George Bernard Shaw
8.Laughter makes the world go round
Remember when you used to laugh and giggle as a child and how good it felt? You can recapture that feeling by allowing yourself to forget your responsibilities and worries, by doing something that you enjoy. It could be a simple as watching your favourite comedy, meeting your friends, playing with your children or your pet. Laughing is fun, helps you reconnect with friends, reduces stress and its even good for your blood pressure.
“We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.” —Joseph Campbell
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Having fun gives us energy, so we can partly have fun while doing something we like, and partly get energy that makes it easier to do certain boring must-do things.
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Wish you all the best,
Ulla Lilliehook
