How Happiness Affects Your Health
Over the last decade, scientists and doctors have devoted countless studies to the effects of happiness upon one’s health. From these various studies typically stem one similar, irrefutable finding: happiness and health go hand-in-hand.
Juggling professional and personal lives can be hectic and often exhausting. It’s easy to lose sight of what makes you happy. Purely happy. However, taking the time to make sure you’re the happiest version of yourself has many health benefits.
According to studies, happy people have healthier hearts and arteries, lower blood pressure, recover more quickly from illness and have longer life expectancy.
How to Find Your Happiness
Obviously everyone would prefer to be happy, but it’s often easier said than done. However there are a few tricks to finding happiness and keeping it in the long term.
1. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle – Eat well – meaning fruits and vegetables. Spend time with supportive friends and family. Get regular checkups, wear sunscreen and don’t smoke.
2. Exercise. The results of regular exercise are two-fold: it keeps you healthy and happy. Find the happy (pun intended) medium of moderate exercise – don’t overdo it.
3. Address depression. If you think you may have depression, see a physician and get it treated. Mental health is just as important as your physical health.
4. Be social. Studies have show that people who are socially active are healthier than those who isolate themselves.
5. Use your energy to nurture relationships. Open, compassionate relationships are essential to finding happiness. Give as good as you get too, being able to support your friends and family boosts well-being.
6. Do more of what you love. Whether it be writing, sketching, reading, or any other activity that you enjoy – make sure to reconnect and make it a priority.
7. Stop comparing yourself to others. Own your successes and failures as your own, and try not to engage in unhealthy competition.
8. Volunteer. Giving back is an easy way to feel great about the way you’re spending your time.
As with anything that is worth investing your energy and time into, you must realize that the results aren’t often immediate. Let the steps above become lifestyle changes, and happiness will follow.