How Food Affects Your Moods

Can your diet really help put you in a good mood? And can what you choose to eat or drink encourage bad moods or mild depression?

While certain diets or foods may not ease depression (or put you instantly in a better mood), they may help as part of an overall treatment plan. There's more and more research indicating that, in some ways, diet may influence mood. We don't have the whole story yet, but there are some interesting clues.

Basically the science of food's effect on mood is based on this: Dietary changes can bring about changes in our brain structure (chemically and physiologically), which can lead to altered behavior.


So how should you change your diet if you want to try to improve your mood? You'll find eight suggestions below. Try to incorporate as many as possible, because regardless of their effects on mood, most of these changes offer other health benefits as well.

1. Don't Banish Carbs -- Just Choose 'Smart' Ones

The connection between carbohydrates and mood is all about tryptophan, a nonessential amino acid. As more tryptophan enters the brain, more serotonin is synthesized in the brain, and mood tends to improve. Serotonin, known as a mood regulator, is made naturally in the brain from tryptophan with some help from the B vitamins. Foods thought to increase serotonin levels in the brain include fish and vitamin D.

Here's the catch, though: While tryptophan is found in almost all protein-rich foods, other amino acids are better at passing from the bloodstream into the brain. So you can actually boost your tryptophan levels by eating more carbohydrates; they seem to help eliminate the competition for tryptophan, so more of it can enter the brain. But it's important to make smart carbohydrate choices like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, which also contribute important nutrients and fiber.

So what happens when you follow a very low carbohydrate diet? According to researchers from Arizona State University, a very low carbohydrate (ketogenic) diet was found to enhance fatigue and reduce the desire to exercise in overweight adults after just two weeks.

2. Get More Omega-3 Fatty Acids

In recent years, researchers have noted that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (found in fatty fish, flaxseed, and walnuts) may help protect against depression. This makes sense physiologically, since omega-3s appear to affect neurotransmitter pathways in the brain. Past studies have suggested there may be abnormal metabolism of omega-3s in depression, although some more recent studies have suggested there may not be a strong association between omega-3s and depression. Still, there are other health benefits to eating fish a few times a week, so it's worth a try. Shoot for two to three servings of fish per week.

3. Eat a Balanced Breakfast

Eating breakfast regularly leads to improved mood, according to some researchers -- along with better memory, more energy throughout the day, and feelings of calmness. It stands to reason that skipping breakfast would do the opposite, leading to fatigue and anxiety. And what makes up a good breakfast? Lots of fiber and nutrients, some lean protein, good fats, and whole-grain carbohydrates.

4. Keep Exercising and Lose Weight (Slowly)

After looking at data from 4,641 women ages 40-65, researchers from the Center for Health Studies in Seattle found a strong link between depression and obesity, lower physical activity levels, and a higher calorie intake. Even without obesity as a factor, depression was associated with lower amounts of moderate or vigorous physical activity. In many of these women, I would suspect that depression feeds the obesity and vice versa.

Some researchers advise that, in overweight women, slow weight loss can improve mood. Fad dieting isn't the answer, because cutting too far back on calories and carbohydrates can lead to irritability. And if you're following a low-fat diet, be sure to include plenty of foods rich in omega-3s (like fish, ground flaxseed, higher omega-3 eggs, walnuts, and canola oil.)

5. Move to a Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet is a balanced, healthy eating pattern that includes plenty of fruits, nuts, vegetables, cereals, legumes, and fish -- all of which are important sources of nutrients linked to preventing depression.

A recent Spanish study, using data from 4,211 men and 5,459 women, showed that rates of depression tended to increase in men (especially smokers) as folate intake decreased. The same occurred for women (especially among those who smoked or were physically active) but with another B-vitamin: B12. This isn't the first study to discover an association between these two vitamins and depression.


Researchers wonder whether poor nutrient intake may lead to depression, or whether depression leads people to eat a poor diet. Folate is found in Mediterranean diet staples like legumes, nuts, many fruits, and particularly dark green vegetables. B-12 can be found in all lean and low-fat animal products, such as fish and low-fat dairy products.

Source:  By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/how-food-affects-your-moods#1

Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion

We truly need more Rita Pierson's in this world! 

There is nothing you cannot do | Tao Porchon-Lynch | TEDxColumbiaSIPA

What an inspiration for us of a 'certain age' :-)

The World’s Oldest Yoga Teacher: Her Secrets to a Long, Active, Happy Life

“I don’t want to know what I can’t do. I’m only interested in what I can do.”

If there’s living proof that yoga is the fountain of youth, it’s Tao Porchon-Lynch. The 96-year-old Guinness World Records-certified oldest yoga teacher in the world still teaches regular classes in Westchester County, New York. That is, when she’s not traveling around the world, coming in first place in ballroom dance contests, writing books, and making videos with Tara Stiles.

Porchon-Lynch’s life story feels like a movie (and it could end up being one, after she finishes writing her autobiography at the end of this year). The former MGM actress and model for brands like Lanvin and Chanel, who was born in French India, crossed paths with Marlene Dietrich, Gene Kelly, and Gandhi. She studied with B. K. S. Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois. And yes, you will work up a sweat in her yoga class, and you probably won’t be able to resist hugging her.

“Last weekend I came in first place in a dance contest. My partner was 70 years younger, and all ages were participating. I danced all day for two days then I taught two yoga classes Sunday morning. I wasn’t really tired.”

We sat down with the lovely-as-ever Porchon-Lynch last week after taking her Monday night class at the JCC of Mid-Westchester, where despite a recent slip on the dance floor and three hip replacements, she’s still demonstrating most of the asanas in her class. “I don’t believe in calamities,” she explains. “I don’t want to know what I can’t do. I’m only interested in what I can do.”

Most Important Yoga Lessons

Yoga Journal: You’ve been teaching yoga for 56 years and practicing it for 72 years. Are there any particular poses that you credit with helping to keep you young and fit?

Tao Porchon-Lynch: Breathing is more important than anything else—poses that are not done correctly are not going to help. It’s how much you can feel the breath moving throughout your body. If you’re in touch with the breath inside you, there’s nothing you can’t do.

YJ: Is there anything about yoga that you wish you knew as a younger person?

TPL: Not really. As a teacher, the most important thing is to have is compassion. We’re not all made the same—you can’t tell everyone to do it the same way. Sometimes it’s better for students to stop physically and continue mentally, rather than strain. It’s important to watch your students to make sure you can help them.

YJ: You studied with yoga greats like the late B.K.S. Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois. What are the biggest lessons you learned from them?

TPL: They were both the greatest yoga masters. I loved Iyengar for one thing—his alignment, which was always perfect, and his principles of alignment. Pattabhi Jois was wonderful, all breathing, which was what I was looking for. I learned so much from Pattabhi that had to do with my inner self.

See also A Tribute to B.K.S. Iyengar

The World’s Oldest Yoga Teacher on Aging Gracefully

YJ: Do you meditate?

TPL: I believe in nature. To me meditation is, if I see a flock of geese across the sky, I’ll stop my car. I don’t need to make it regular.

See also Why Meditating in Nature Is Easier

YJ: You’re still ballroom dancing?

TPL: Last weekend I came in first place in a dance contest. My partner was 70 years younger, and all ages were participating. I danced all day for two days then I taught two yoga classes Sunday morning. I wasn’t really tired.

YJ: Do you think being a lifelong vegetarian has helped you live a long, healthy life?

TPL: Maybe. I don’t believe in getting old. In America, look how many beautiful trees are hundreds of years old. They are losing leaves but they are not dying—they are recycling. In a few months, spring will start up again. You can learn so much from nature.

See also Aging Gracefully

Tao Porchon-Lynch’s 5 Rules for a Long, Happy Life

1. Don’t procrastinate—tomorrow never comes.

2. You can’t believe in something if you only do it halfway.

3. Each day, whatever is in your mind materializes.

4. Never think about what can go wrong. I know my best day is every day.

5. If you wait for something good to happen, it will. Don’t look for tragedy.

See also 4 Anti-Aging Tips to Grow Older the Right Way

Source:  By Jennifer D'Angelo Friedman

http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/worlds-oldest-yoga-teacher-shares-secrets-long-active-life/

The first contemporary art exhibition for dogs

Awwww Cute :o)

Major Lazer - "Watch out for this" dance super video by DHQ Fraules

Some new dance moves to practice !! :0)

Thinking On Your Feet: Dancing Wards Off Neurodegenerative Disease By Rewiring The Brain

We get up on the dance floor and try to synchronize our bodies to the rhythm of the music. The toe taps, wrist flicks, and questionable twerking are transformed into a graceful physical performance. The brain is able to orchestrate these movements, signaling our joints when and how to move.There are several neural mechanisms related to dance that can offer insight into the human brain and how it’s able to execute such coordinated behaviors.

THE BRAIN IN MOTION

Such exquisite body movement is a marvel to witness in both a physical and psychological way. When we move, we employ neurons and body chemicals to control the muscles that affect the joints, movement, and balance. The nervous system activates groups of muscles, referred to as “motor modules,” which work together to achieve a wide range of motion.

Voluntary movements, like starting on the second beat in salsa dancing, originate in the motor cortex, which is involved in the planning, control, and execution of this movement. Signals from the motor cortex travel down the spinal cord’s 20 million nerve fibers to tell, for example, the wrist or the toe to respond in a certain way. Interestingly, the smaller the movement, the more devoted the motor cortex is to that particular motion. The somatosensory cortex, a mid-region of the brain responsible for motor control, also plays a role in eye-hand coordination.

Meanwhile, the basal ganglia, a group of brain cells, communicates with other brain regions to smoothly coordinate movement. It also moves the body accordingly in response to sensory information.

"We call them habits," Samira Shuruk, a professional dancer of 30 years, who is certified by the  American Council on Exercise, told Medical Daily . "Both the basal ganglia and the cerebellum are key components in memory, habit, and movement. They both also are put to work in dance learning and execution."

The cerebellum integrates input from the brain and spinal cord into the planning of these fine and complex motor actions. And this process plays an important part in translating neural signals into actual dance floor moves.

STRENGTHENING MUSCLE MEMORY

Dancing improves brain function on a variety of levels. For one, our muscle memory allows us to learn how to perform a dance without thinking about the steps. According to neuroscientist Daniel Glaser, this happens because “the movements become thoroughly mapped in the brain, creating a shorthand between thinking and doing,” he told The New York Times.

In other words, we memorize how to do things so efficiently that they require no conscious effort. In dance, this is done by constantly repeating movements, which are practiced to the point that they can be performed automatically.

Although muscle memory can’t really distinguish a correct movement from a wrong one, some research suggests the endorphins released after performing a successful move cause the brain to store it as the correct way of moving — a process that constantly rewires the brain’s neural pathways.  

Dr. Becca Rodriguez, an osteopathic physician for the San Diego Ballet, The Academy of Performing Arts of San Diego, and The San Diego Symphony, believes we can stimulate muscle memory cells, called B cells, with any activity.  

“These cells are activated with repetition of activity or motions and help our bodies to remember certain movements for choreography,” she told Medical Daily.

BOOSTING THE CEREBELLUM

The shift from actively thinking about the dance moves to performing them intuitively causes a shift in brain activity from the cerebrum — the “thinking part” of the brain that controls voluntary movement — to the cerebellum, which controls equilibrium and balance, and coordinates movements signals produced in other parts of the brain. Altogether, this allows us to carry out the movements effortlessly. The cerebrum makes up less than 10 percent of the brain’s mass, but contains over 50 percent of the brain’s neurons.

A study published in the journal Cerebral Cortex found repeated spinning practice in ballerinas actually increases cerebellum size and decreases the sensation of dizziness. Dizziness stems from the vestibular organs in the inner ear. The fluid-filled chambers are able to sense rotation of the head through tiny hairs that sense the fluid moving. When we spin quickly and then stop, the fluid continues to move, which gives off the sensation that we’re still spinning.

Going back to muscle memory, whenever we hear music and immediately start dancing without thinking, we access our cerebellum, which understands how to move our muscles quickly. There’s proof of this when we start thinking about our dance moves; it gets in the way of our automatic thought processes, and we end up fumbling the moves.

PROMOTING NEUROPLASTICITY

Our brains are malleable, thanks to a mechanism known as neuroplasticity. While we’re not able to regenerate our limbs, we can build up our brains by forming new connections. Gray matter — where the majority of neural cells are held — can shrink and grow, leading neural connections to either copy and refine themselves or weaken and sever, respectively. Evidence suggests these changes can lead to changes in our abilities. Dancing integrates several brain functions involved in kinesthesia, following musical rhythm, and emotion, all of which boost our brain connectivity.  

For example, the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, provides a plethora of evidence that suggests physical activity yields large cognitive gains, like greater volume of gray matter in the hippocampal region of the brain, which is important for memory. An increase in grey matter is associated with a younger brain, and overall better brain health.

DANCE AWAY BRAIN DISEASE

Dancing can ward off brain diseases and increase mental acuity at all ages. Participating in dancing or similarly engaging activities can dramatically reduce the occurrence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. A 2013 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found freestyle dancing, which requires rapid-fire decision making, is essential to keeping a sharp mind because it forces the brain to regularly rewire its neural pathways, especially in regions involving executive function — mental skills to help us get things done — long-term memory, and spatial recognition — using reasoning skills to decipher objects in 3D and draw conclusions from them based on limited information.

“All of the actions listed above are due to increased blood flow, neural response when we listen to music, the psycho-social response we have when we interact with other people and the muscle-tendon junction response for stimulation of strength/balance in the human body,” said Rodriguez.

Perhaps we can dance the night away to better brain health, even in old age.

Source:  Lizette Borreli 
http://www.medicaldaily.com/benefits-dancing-neurodegenerative-disease-human-brain-380835#.Vw-ODBMSLck.facebook

Liz is a Senior Reporter at Medical Daily who is an outdoorsy sports enthusiast focused on sexual health, relationships and healthy living. read more

THE SCIENCE BEHIND YOGA

Yoga began over 5,000 years ago, and people have been feeling the positive effects ever since. In the Western world, yoga was only introduced in the late 19th and early 20th century, only becoming truly popular in the 1980s. While it is obvious that yoga has been helping humans since its origins, it is only in the recent past that Western scientists have decided to start studying it.

Science has finally started proving what yogis have experienced for themselves—that yoga reduces stress and elevates the mood. Let’s take a look at a few of the most interesting studies about yoga’s varied benefits on mental health.

Stress Buster

Yoga practices help reduce the impact of stress responses. By reducing perceived stress, yoga can help decrease the physical signs of stress—lowering the heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration. This leads to less anxiety and depression.

In 2008 a study from the University of Utah looked at the effect of yoga on the stress response. They looked at three groups of people—experienced yogis, people with fibromyalgia (a stress-related illness that causes hypersensitivity to pain), and healthy people.

When the three groups were subjected to thumbnail pressure, the participants with fibromyalgia, as one would expect, perceived pain at lower pressure levels than the other subjects. The MRIs also showed they had the greatest activity in the areas of the brain associated with the pain response. On the other hand, the yoga practitioners had the highest pain tolerance and lowest level of brain activity in the pain response areas of the brain.

Elevated Mood

Science has yet to discover why yoga works to improve the mood, but studies have shown again and again that it certainly does.

In a 2005 German study, women who described themselves as “emotionally distressed” took two yoga classes a week for three months. The control group maintained their normal activities—which did not include exercise or stress reducing techniques. At the end of the three months, the women in the yoga classes reported improvements—depression scores improved by 50%, anxiety scores by 30%, and overall well-being scores improved by an incredible 65%. Headache, backache, and poor sleep quality complaints also decreased more often in the yoga group than in the control.

Another study in 2005 looked at the effects of a yoga class in a New Hampshire psychiatric hospital. Patients with bipolar disorder, major depression, and schizophrenia took the class. Before and after, patients answered an extensive questionnaire about their mood. The average levels of anxiety, depression, anger, hostility, tension, and fatigue dropped a significant amount throughout the patients in the class—in just one class.

Yoga works!

Source:  Arielle Parris
http://www.gaiam.com/discover/1058/article/science-behind-yoga/

TEDMED Live Talk on Laughter Yoga by Dr. Madan Kataria

Here is Dr Madan Kataria, the Founder of Laughter Yoga explaining a little about the origins of Laughter Yoga and sharing some of the exercises.

He asks the question - Why has laughter yoga spread across 72 countries without any advertising?  His explanation is that it is because people are getting benefits from it because:

1.  It can change your mood within minutes by releasing endorphins (those happy chemicals) and if you feel good you do everything well.

2.  It strengthens your immune system and unwinds the negative effects of stress,  with stress being the number one killer and depression being the number one sickness

3.  If your body cells have enough oxygen, you cannot fall sick.

4.  Finally, life has its ups and downs and laughter practice can make your mind positive so that you see the world in a different way.

His laughter certainly is infectious and I was laughing very shortly after the talk started.

Will be giving this a try and incorporating it into my yoga practice ! :-)

Mindfulness Meditation Uses Distinct Neural Pathways To Reduce Pain Better Than Placebo

Complementary & Alternative

Recent research showed that mindfulness meditation is significantly more effective at reducing pain intensity and pain unpleasantness than placebo analgesia, sham mindfulness meditation and other cognitive-based approaches by using distinct neural mechanisms (J Neurosci 2015;35:15307-15325).

“This study is the first to demonstrate that mindfulness-related pain relief is mechanistically distinct from placebo analgesia,” the researchers wrote. “The elucidation of this distinction confirms the existence of multiple, cognitively driven, supraspinal mechanisms for pain modulation.” Specifically, mindfulness meditation–induced pain relief was associated with greater neural activation in higher-order brain regions, including the orbitofrontal and cingulate cortices, the study revealed. In contrast, placebo analgesia was associated with decreased pain-related brain activation.

“We show that mindfulness meditation engages brain regions that are uniquely associated with the ability to change the context of a painful experience from an acceptance-based approach, which is one way of promoting quality of life and reducing the more emotional component of pain,” said Fadel Zeidan, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy at Wake Forest School of Medicine, in Winston-Salem, N.C., and the lead author of the study.

The study randomly assigned 75 healthy, right-handed volunteers (38 men; mean age, 27±6 years) who had never had meditative experience to 20 minutes of mindfulness meditation, placebo conditioning, sham mindfulness meditation or book-listening control intervention for four days. The volunteers were injected with naloxone to block the effects of opioids. A thermal probe of 49 C (120.2 F) was applied to the right calf. Participants could escape the stimuli by lifting their arms. None suffered tissue damage.

The study found that:

mindfulness meditation reduced pain intensity (P=0.032) and pain unpleasantness (P<0.001) ratings more than placebo analgesia; and
mindfulness meditation reduced pain intensity (P=0.030) and pain unpleasantness (P<0.043) ratings more than sham mindfulness meditation.
“Mindfulness-meditation pain relief was associated with greater activation in brain regions associated with the cognitive modulation of pain, including the orbitofrontal, subgenual anterior cingulate and anterior insular cortex,” the study found. “In contrast, placebo analgesia was associated with activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and deactivation of sensory process regions (secondary somatosensory cortex).”

The study also found that sham mindfulness meditation–induced analgesia was not correlated with significant neural activity, but rather by greater reductions in respiration rate.

The present findings demonstrate that mindfulness meditation is superior in producing pain relief compared with other cognitive training regimens in which nonjudgmental reappraisal is not an integral part of the mental training (the sham mindfulness meditation–relaxation response). The researchers postulated that a broader appreciation of these differences is an integral step in fostering the validity of mindfulness meditation as an adjunct therapy for mitigating pain and resultant suffering.

Building on Previous Work

The Wake Forest researchers had discovered that mindfulness meditation bypasses the endogenous opioid system to reduce pain (J Neurosci 2016;36:3391-3397).

People who have developed resistance to opioids may have an alternate route to pain relief, Dr. Zeidan said. He said he and his fellow researchers are “cautiously optimistic” about the potential of mindfulness meditation to address the opioid epidemic, noting that the study was published the same day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidelines for physicians to be more cautious in prescribing opioids.

The CDC, Dr. Zeidan said, “really put an emphasis on developing non–opiate-based pain therapies, and here we have a behavioral intervention that can reliably attenuate acute experimental and chronic pain. Mindfulness meditation has a lot more credibility as an adjunct pain therapy.”

“This study provides evidence for the existence of a nonopioid process in the brain to reduce pain through mindfulness meditation,” said Josephine Briggs, MD, director of the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). “Future studies that work to uncover the biochemical pathways of such a nonopioid process could provide us with a new set of molecular targets for pain management and potentially optimize the analgesic effect of mindfulness meditation.”

Mindfulness is nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment. This construct can be developed through the practice of mindfulness-based meditation. There are good, free guided meditations here: http://marc.ucla.edu/?body.cfm?id=22.

This work was funded by the NCCIH and the Mind and Life Institute.

Source:  Thomas Rosenthal

http://www.painmedicinenews.com/Complementary-and-Alternative/Article/08-16/Mindfulness-Meditation-Uses-Distinct-Neural-Pathways-To-Reduce-Pain-Better-Than-Placebo/37478

Stop Chasing Happiness: 17 Alternative Ways to Live Your Best Possible Life

“If only we’d stop trying to be happy we’d have a pretty good time.” ~Edith Wharton

I have a question for you.

What would you be willing to sacrifice to be happy?

Would you be happy to let go of Netflix? Alcohol? Pizza?

Would you be willing to take up a monastic life?

Every single day of the year we’re being sold happiness. It doesn’t matter whether it’s in the form of a pill or a book or a holiday, the underlying idea is the same: What we have to sell you will make you happy.

The problem with happiness is that no one really knows exactly what it is. It’s intangible, even a little mysterious, yet still we all want to be happy. But trying to be happy is like trying to get to sleep; the harder you try, the less likely it is to happen.

So four years ago, on New Years Eve, I made the pledge to myself to stop trying to be happy.

Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t miserable. I was just spending too much time thinking about whether or not I was happy—even though neither I, nor anyone I knew really, could give a clear answer about what this meant.

So instead of saying to myself, This year I’m going to be happy, I said, This year I’m going to try new things. I’m going to meet new people. I’m going to go to new places. I’m going to push myself out of my comfort zone.

And if I’m not happy, well, I’m not happy, but at least I’ve had some interesting experiences.

The result of this was the best (and probably happiest) year of my life, at least up to that point. And I realized something obvious in hindsight, but still profound: Happiness is something that comes a lot more easily when we stop thinking about it.

It’s more like a place you occupy than an object you obtain. Some days you’ll be there and some days you won't, but the more time you spend thinking about being happy, the less likely you are to spend time being so.

A large part of what less than happy people have is a problem with their patterns of attention.

In the same way the attention of an extrovert is naturally directed at social communication, the attention of an entrepreneur seeks out business opportunities, and an artist looks for creative expression, an unhappy person tends to look directly at happiness.

This post will explore some practices that can help you to stop focusing so hard on the idea of happiness and instead embrace the experiences and thoughts that will actually make you happy.

1. Take the word “happy” out of your vocabulary.

We all know words are used to communicate ideas. Unfortunately, sometimes a word can get overused and it becomes confusing, stifling, or even dangerous.

Here are some other words you should start to use in conversations with yourself and others about how you feel. Don’t be fooled into believing you need to experience all of them; you don’t.

If you find yourself asking, Am I happy? Replace the question with: Do I have [insert word] in my life?

• Contentment
• Enjoyment
• Laughter
• Well-being
• Peace of mind
• Cheerfulness
• Playfulness
• Hopefulness
• Blessedness

2. Practice living in the present.

Letting go of past regrets and future anxieties is not easy, but it’s the fastest way to live a full and enjoyable life. Think about enjoying each moment for its own unique role in the ongoing narrative of your life.

If you want a short mantra to keep in mind: be here now.

3. Decide what you really want to do.

A lot of people that are searching for happiness will end up with “shiny object syndrome.” This is what happens when they bounce from goal to goal because they’re looking for something (or someone) to take away all their suffering.

Knowing yourself and what you truly want can help you develop purpose and focus—so much so that you don’t even have time to waste pondering happiness. You may even realize that happiness is not what you really want, that you’re willing to put up with being unhappy some of the time if it means you will have a sense of achievement.

4. Let go of unrealistic expectations about how happy you’re supposed to be.

For most of human history people lived relatively rough lives. The idea that you’re supposed to be happy all of the time is pretty new.

Though you should strive to live the fullest life you can, it’s actually more normal and perfectly okay to live an average life interspersed with brief periods of joy.

5. Take small daily steps.

If you think you know what you want and you’re determined that it will make you happy, at least decide on small daily steps that you can take to get there.

Setting unrealistically goals that you never get to finish is far less fulfilling than setting small goals that you can finish and appreciate—and ones that let you know you’re on the right track.

6. Make serving others a regular habit.

One key habit of unhappy people that we often don’t talk about is that they are inherently self-centered.

This doesn’t mean that they are bad people by any means. It just means their minds spend a disproportionate amount of time focused on the self.

Serving others is one way to break this pattern of attention from “How am I feeling?” to “How are you feeling?” There are a lot of studies that show that giving to others is more rewarding than receiving.

7. Separate your happiness from your achievements.

We all need to learn to separate our happiness from our achievements. It’s okay to feel content with our lives simply because we have an inherent sense of self-worth.

Reaching our goals can obviously bolster this feeling and give us a deep sense of accomplishment, but the absence of achievement should not mean the absence of happiness.

8. Don’t force yourself to be positive all the time.

There’s a lot of advice in the self-help community and spiritual circles about being positive. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the best advice. It’s better to be positive when you are actually feeling positive than it is to be positive when you’re feeling negative.

9. Remove things that prevent happiness.

This is actually a lot more important than finding things to make you happy.

• Are you in a toxic relationship?
• Do you dislike your job?
• Are you eating a lot of unhealthy food?

These things all need to go before you start to seek happiness; otherwise, they can hold you back and you may never be satisfied.

10. Be okay with okay.

When people ask you, “How’s work? How’s the new city? How’s your relationship going?” Don’t you feel compelled to say “really good!” even when it’s not?

We’re so conditioned to feel like we need to have the best of everything that “okay” just isn’t good enough for most of us.

Learning to be okay with okay is a much better strategy toward allowing things to become great than is anxiously wishing that they already were.

11. Get out of your comfort zone.

Getting out of your comfort zone is good not only for your sense of self-worth, but it also gives your brain a huge adrenaline dump and a flush of endorphins.

You’ll know when you’re getting out of your comfort zone when you feel anxious before doing something, but you do it anyway, because you know it is beneficial to you in the long run. Afterward, you’ll often feel a huge relief and sense of self-worth at having done something you were scared to do.

Depending on your own situation you might find this in traveling to new places, meeting new people, trying new activities (public speaking, scuba diving, bungee jumping etc.) or even just meditating through negative emotions.

12. Look after your body.

From muscular tension that can trap emotions to serotonin production and bacterial imbalances in your gut, your body is the number one vehicle that will allow you to experience joy and satisfaction, so treat it with care!

13. Meditate daily.

This is a no brainer. I’m sure anyone reading this article is familiar with the physical and psychological health benefits of mindfulness and meditation.

But there is one I’d like to add:

Meditation is long, slow, and you often you don’t see the deep benefits for a long time; in fact, when you are starting out, it can often seem like a complete leap of faith. But this is why it’s so important.

When you sit and stare at a wall or focus on your breath or do anything that (compared to our normal lives) is so bland, it conditions you to not grab on to the colorful, shiny objects that usually point you toward a shallow sense of fulfillment.

With a longstanding meditation practice that tendency to grasp will usually just fall away naturally. You’ll unknowingly get out of your own way.

14. Meet new people.

Meeting new and positive people can give you new vital energy that kickstarts your life and helps you focus on enjoying the present.

Because we are such social creatures, having likeminded people in our lives can have such a powerful impact on the way our habits and beliefs develop. As the old saying goes, “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

To find people with similar interests and ambitions in your city, there are plenty of sites that can help you connect. You can try MeetUp.com for starters, or just do a simple search in Facebook for groups in your area.

Likewise, if you are interested in meditation and spirituality, retreats are a great way to know people and connect on a deep level in a short amount of time.

15. Go out in nature.

A lot of the time our worries and concerns are largely linked to our environment—both immediately, such as the construction noise outside our bedroom, and peripherally, such as when an advert on T.V. reminds you of a past failure.

Nature allows you to completely unplug, allowing yourself the space to experience relaxation and acceptance.

16. Be honest with yourself.

Discontentment often comes from what psychologists call cognitive dissonance—incongruence between two conflicting ideas or emotions in your mind.

You can greatly reduce this by just accepting, admitting, and experiencing the emotions that are passing through you.

If you are angry, be angry; if you are sad, be sad; if you are joyful, be joyful. When we try to actively change or deny present emotions, they become meta-emotions: guilt about sadness, anger about fear, fear about unhappiness. Then they become toxic.

17. Energize yourself in the morning.

As much as we like to think we have control and autonomy when it comes to our feelings, the truth is that momentum is a huge factor.

Morning routines have been a keystone habit of content and successful people throughout history, and for good reason; starting your day with a spiritual practice, a physical practice, and a healthy breakfast may not seem like much, but compounded over years, it can make all the difference in the world to your well-being.


We can all earn to let go of the neurotic need to chase happiness.

Doing so will do us a world of good—and who knows, we might even have a pretty good time.

How have you learned to stop chasing happiness? Let us know in the comments!

Source: By Benjamin Fishel 
http://tinybuddha.com/blog/stop-chasing-happiness-17-alternative-ways-live-best-possible-life/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tinybuddha+%28tinybuddha%29

About Benjamin Fishel


Ben Fishel is a writer and co-creator of Project Monkey Mind, where he helps solopreneurs and young professionals take control of their minds, smash through their limitations, and lead a life worth living. If you’d like to improve your productivity and wellbeing. Grab their free eBook: MORNING MASTERY: The Simple 20 Minute Routine For Longer Lasting Energy, Laser-Sharp Focus, and Stress Free Living.

What are the secrets to happiness and old age

Fantastic sense of humour - I think that plays a big part in a happy old age :-)  sex, a good social life, exercise, good diet, creating new things, and living his passions is the key to his longevity and happy life. 

Getting Old Is The Key To Happiness, Say Scientists

The ‘fountain of youth’ is a con.

It seems the ‘fountain of youth’ might not be the key to happiness after all.

A new study revealed that the older we get, in fact the better our mental health becomes. 

Dilip Jeste, Director of Centre On Healthy Ageing at the University of California observed that there was a substantially “improved sense of psychological wellbeing” in correlation with age.


By contrast, those in their twenties and thirties were experiencing the highest levels of anxiety, perceived stress and symptoms of depression than any other age group.

The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, refuted the idea that age-related decline in physical and cognitive traits was always mirrored in mental wellbeing. 

Jeste said: “Some cognitive decline over time is inevitable but its effect is clearly not uniform and in many people, not clinically significant ― at least in terms of impacting their sense of well-being and enjoyment of life.”

The study looked at a sample of 1546 adults, ranging in age from 21 to 100 years.

The oldest bracket had mental health scores that ranked significantly better than the youngest, although the reasons for this were not completely understood.

Previous research has suggested that it was because humans become more adept at dealing with stressful situations and don’t “sweat about the small things” in later life.

Another suggestion is that older individuals have more acquired wisdom and are better at making complex emotional and social decisions.

Either way, it’s something to look forward to. 


Source:  Sophie Gallagher - Life Writer at the Huffington Post UK
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ageing-key-to-happiness-mental-health_uk_57bed20ee4b0ba22a4d38bf2