If you can see happiness as a goal that we can actively seek and achieve. You do not need to sit and wait for happiness coming to you to be caught in flight. What kinds of choices lead to happiness? What is important is that many of them lead to a healthy life, for a healthy body goes with a healthy mind.
Happy people tend to eat healthier, exercise more and have better sleep than those who are stressed or depressed.
On the other hand, when you feel happy, you are more likely to seek and live a healthier lifestyle. Regardless of what comes first, happiness or a healthy lifestyle, strive to be happy can lead to physical and emotional changes at once.
A healthy body for a healthy mind?
An overview of more than 200 studies shows that the psychological well-being is linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as low blood pressure, normal weight and a healthy blood fat levels.
In addition, in 60 of these studies, feelings of happiness and pleasure were associated with improved mobility and a lower risk of developing a disability over a period of eight years.
An earlier research has found that positive emotions - including happiness and serenity - played a role in the immune system. So when happy people are exposed to the cold virus or flu, they are less likely to get sick and if that happens, they have fewer symptoms.
This association is proved to be true, regardless of the level of self-esteem, goals, extroversion, age, education level, weight or immunity to viruses participants, which led researchers to affirm that the following 24 keys can lead you to happiness, health and less stress.
24 Keys to Happiness
1. Exercise
The well-being that provides physical exercise is often attributed to endorphins,but anandamide might actually deserve the credit.
The anandamide is a neurotransmitter and endogenous cannabinoid product that your brain produce to block pain sensations and depression. Its name is derived from the Sanskrit word "ananda" means bliss, and a deficiency of this substance is associated with increased anxiety and stress.
The level of anandamide is known to increase during and after exercise. A recent animal study showed that it could push the mice to run faster.
Exercise also boosts powerful chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, which can help reduce the effects of stress. It is even one of the means of prevention and the most effective treatment against depression.
2. Yoga
Yoga has been around for 5,000 years and, while some see it as a form of exercise - some even see it as a passing fad - this sport is a comprehensive practice that incorporates elements of mental, physical and spiritual.
Yoga can be seen as a form of meditation that requires full attention when you move from one asana (yoga positions) to another. As you learn new moves and respond to your body and your mind to new areas of your life are changing as well.
Not only will you become more flexible physically, but your mind and approach to life are also gaining flexibility.
Research suggests that yoga may have a similar effect to antidepressants and psychotherapy, by influencing neurotransmitters and by boosting serotonin. It is well known to be beneficial to temporary depression or anxiety.
3. leafy greens
Dark green leafy vegetables like spinach are rich in folic acid, which helps your body produce neurotransmitters that regulate mood, including serotonin and dopamine. A 2012 study found that people who eat plenty of folate may have a lower depression.
In addition, research by the University of Otago (New Zealand) discovered that eating fruits and vegetables of all kinds (except industrial fruit juice and dried fruit) helping young adults calm their nerves. Professor Tamlin Conner, a researcher in the psychology department, said: "The days when people ate more fruits and vegetables, they were more calmer, happier and had more energy than usual."
4. Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is designed to more efficiently so as to manage situations that fill you with anxiety. It teaches you to recognize and reverse the harmful thought patterns and replace them with positive patterns.
In a systematic review of eleven studies, did not identify significant differences between CBT and second-generation antidepressants ...
5. Decorate your home with fresh flowers
People watching flowers in the morning report feeling happier and have more energy.
6. Think positive and smile
Merely thinking about a positive events and smile accordingly can make you feel happier and more optimistic.
A sincere smile enhance the facial muscles around your eyes and can quickly cause changes in your brain to improve your mood.
7. Light therapy
Light therapy is often recommended to avoid antidepressants in the treatment of seasonal depression.
But according to a recent research, it may also be preferable in cases of severe depression. The only light therapy and placebo were both proved more effective as Prozac in the treatment of moderate to severe depression in this study that extended over 8 days. Blue light has been particularly beneficial to improve mood, as it plays a key role in the brain's ability to process emotions.
8. Open your shutters
Open your shutters as often as possible to let sunlight enter. A living room or a brighter workspace will help you improve your mood.
9. Get out
Exposure to sunlight is crucial to have a positive mood, partly due to the release of endorphins, which increases energy.
Sunbathe also helps you optimize your level of vitamin D, a vitamin whose deficiency has long been associated with SAD, as well as more chronic depressions.
Sunbathe also helps you optimize your level of vitamin D, a vitamin whose deficiency has long been associated with SAD, as well as more chronic depressions.
10. Eat Mushrooms
Mushrooms are wonderful medical foods and many varieties are rich in selenium, which causes a low level of anxiety.
Mushrooms are also one of the best sources of vitamin D, which enhances the healthy mood. However, the best option to optimize the vitamin D level is a regular exposure to sunlight. If this is not possible, a vitamin D supplement may be necessary).
11. Meditate
Meditation is an underused tool to optimize mental health. Not only it is useful to relieve stress and gain greater self-awareness, but it was also shown that it alters the brain structures in the right direction, by reducing the activity of the centers of "me" in the brain.
Meditation is also related to lower anxiety and depression, and an improved psychological well-being. It was also found that mindfulness meditation increased cortical thickness of the hippocampus and brain areas involved in emotion regulation and self-referential thought process.
12. Sniff oranges or orange essential oil
It was discovered that the orange essential oil had inhibitory effects in humans, confirming its frequent use as a tranquilizer by aromatherapists. The orange piped odors (and lavender) also reduce anxiety and improve mood in patients awaiting dental treatment. According to studies, women exposed to a smell of orange in the dentist's waiting room have a lower level of anxiety, increased positive mood and a higher level of calm. The researchers concluded that "exposure to an orange ambience odor had a relaxing effect."
13. Play with your pet
Couples who have a pet are less stressed by conflict and are faster reconciled when they occur. They also report more signs of happiness and sociability than couples without pet. Seniors who own dogs also report being more satisfied with their social, physical and emotional states.
14. Recharge your batteries with a break
Take a few minutes to watch a funny video online, do a little walking or chat with a friend can make you happier, more optimistic and more energetic.
15. Eat turmeric
Turmeric has many medicinal effects, including neuroprotective properties that help improve mood and even treat depression.
16. Listen to music
Music stimulates the activity of the nucleus accumbens, which is a part of the brain that releases dopamine. One study found that listening to music can result in less anxiety and lower cortisol levels among patients who have undergone surgery .
17. Sing
The sacculus, a tiny organ in our inner ear responds to frequencies of notes related to the fact of singing. In turn, the sacculus is connected to areas of the brain inducing pleasure, which led researchers at the University of Manchester to conclude that we can get pleasure from the fact of singing.
18. Eat dark chocolate
Likewise playing sports, chocolate could push our brain to produce anandamide. It also contains other chemicals that prolong the effect of anandamide.
We even referred to chocolate as the "new drug against anxiety." A study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology also found that people who drink a daily chocolate drink equivalent to about 40 grams of dark chocolate are quieter than others.
19. Drink black coffee bio
It appears that coffee affects many neurotransmitters related to mood control. So drink a cup of coffee in the morning may have an effect on your overall feeling of well-being. Research shows that coffee triggers a mechanism in your brain that releases a brain derived neurotrophic factor known as BDNF. This protein enhances conversion of brain cells into neurons, thus improving the your health in general .
What is interesting is that the study also suggests that low BDNF levels may play an important role in depression and, conversely, increase neurogenesis that has an antidepressant effect. A study by Harvard University even found that women who drink 3 cups of coffee a day had 20% less risk of depression than those who drink little or not at all.
20. Drink Green Tea
Green tea contains theanine, an amino acid that crosses the blood-brain barrier and has a psychoactive properties. It increases the level of GABA, serotonin, dopamine and gamma wave activity and can reduce mental and physical stress and produce a feeling of relaxation.
21. Give or receive a hug
Hugs are known to reduce levels of stress hormones, like cortisol. They also activate the orbitofrontal cortex of your brain, which is associated with feelings of reward and compassion.
22. Eat Avocado
Avocado provide nearly 20 essential nutrients for good health, including potassium, vitamin E, B vitamins and folic acid. Moreover, according to a study published in the journal Nutrition, eating a fresh half of avocado can satisfy you if you are overweight, which prevents you from snacking between meals.
Those who eat half an avocado during their lunch have reported 40% less hungry three hours after a meal and have 28% less hungry to 17h. The study also found that avocado may help to reduce the sugar levels in the blood. This combination of satiety and sugar rate regulation helps to make it more stable mood, even in moments of stress.
23. Eat more omega-3 fatty acids
Found in salmon, sardines and anchovies, as well as supplements, omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA play a role in your emotional well-being.
A study on the behavior of the brain and immunity showed a 20% reduction in anxiety among medical students who take omega-3. Similarly, an earlier research has shown that they were acting as well as antidepressants in preventing signs of depression, without any side effects.
24. The fermented food
Another factor that boosts mood is fermented foods. Fermented foods, including vegetables, are one of the best sources of probiotics, and are used successfully to treat depression, anxiety and other psychiatric problems.
In a recent study, a supplement of several species of probiotics taken for four weeks reduced cognitive reactivity to the morose mood, which is an important marker of depression (more a person reacts to a sad mood with negative thoughts, more it is likely to have a depressive periods). So if you want to be happy, make sure your diet is rich in fermented foods.