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Practice

4 Stress-Busting Tips to Boost Your Happiness

Stress is and will always be part of our lives. But, as we enter another month of masks, stay-at-home orders, social unrest and uncertainty, our stress and anxiety levels being pushed to the max. According to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Stress in America Report 2020, 46% of parents with children under age 18 report their stress levels related to the coronavirus pandemic are high and 83% of Americans believe the future of our nation is causing them a significant source of stress. Living this way is not only unsustainable, but it is also very bad for our mental and physical well-being. Research shows that when we properly manage our stress levels, we can prevent some really bad health issues, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and depression. So, if you are going a little stir crazy, here are a few tips to help relieve some of this newfound stress and get some peace of mind. 1. Practice Mindfulness While you and your family are stuck at home crawling all over each other, it may feel as if you have suddenly been transported into that trash compacter scene from Star Wars. Just to reassure you, the walls are not actually moving in on you and those feelings of suffocation are in your head. Practicing mindfulness can help clear out some of those anxieties and other brain clutter that adds extra stress to your life. Experts believe that a good time to try a relaxation technique is right after lunch. This is our rest and digest mode and it is the opposite of fight or flight. If possible, let your co-workers and family members know that you need 10 to 15 minutes for quiet reflection. If you need help calming your system, try a simple exercise of closing your eyes and breathing in for four seconds, holding your breath for seven seconds and then exhaling for eight seconds. Repeat this five times in a row and you’ll start to notice a sense of calm blanketing you. If you need some guidance on how to practice mindfulness, a few apps to check out are Calm, Smiling Mind, Mind Free and Headspace. Plus, if you are unemployed because of the pandemic, you can sign up for a Headspace subscription free for one year. 2. Make More Connections Even before we had social distancing due to the global pandemic, social isolation and loneliness was becoming a national epidemic. According to a 2018 survey from AARP, one out of every three adults over the age of 45 is lonely. While the current situation of stay-at-home orders hasn’t exacerbated the loneliness problem yet, the ties between social relationships and happiness are inextricably linked, and maintaining positive connections with others is associated with positive health outcomes. No matter if your connections are personal, professional, or both, strong relationships keep us happy. While you can’t physically reach out and touch someone right now, you can stay connected through technology. Try using FaceTime or Skype to call a loved one, a coworker or an old friend you haven’t talked to in a while. Talking to someone you trust and love will calm your fears and increase your happiness. Research shows that tight connections to other people is also good for our physical health because it helps lower those cortisol levels that lead to stress while boosting the immune system. If you need someone or a group to reach out to for support, self-care social media app Lyf offers its platform as a place to connect and share thoughts and experiences with other users, access to licensed psychologists 24-hours a day to answer any questions you may have about how you are feeling, or to just to vent your frustrations. If you are a frontline worker, Lyf is offering free, 60-minute support sessions with mental health experts during the COVID-19 crisis to help deal with issues of anxiety, fear, helplessness and anger. 3. Keep Your Body Moving Exercise is vital for physical health, but it is also important for maintaining mental health. So, being physically active not only keeps you healthier but happier too. In a study recently published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, researchers found a correlation between the frequent physical activity and happiness in people who exercised at least 5 days a week between 30 and 75 minutes. According to the APA, regular exercise helps the brain deal with stress and can be a great mood-booster to fight off the effects of anxiety and depression. In fact, some studies claim that 20 minutes of exercise a day can improve your mood for up to 12 hours. Even though you can’t visit the gym or a yoga class right now, there are still plenty of ways to stay fit even if you are stuck in the home. Virtual classes are readily available online or on apps and treadmills are a great substitute for outdoor running. 4. Eat a Healthy Diet Stress can have a huge impact on your eating habits by throwing off your metabolism and making you more susceptible to emotional eating. Health officials from the Cleveland Clinic advise to keep plenty of healthy snacks around to prevent overeating foods that aren’t good for you and to give the body maintain proper nutrition to help fight off stress. Healthy foods, including plenty of fruits and vegetables, will also stabilize your blood sugar which will keep your emotions in check too. Healthy food and comfort food don’t have to be mutually exclusive, according to Chef Gerard Viverito, The Sustainable Chef. Instead of filling up your cart with junk food, he offers a few sustainable solutions that are pleasing to the palette. If meat prices are too high in your area, Gerard recommends eating more fish as well as becoming more familiar with how to prepare it. If you want to control snack attacks, try fiber-rich foods from the ground that fill you up faster. If you stuck at home and looking for family-fun activities, Gerard suggests making food fun by planting “a garden with kid-approved brain foods such as strawberries, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach and broccoli.” Now, the Bright Side As we continue to navigate these troubled and stressful times, it’s important to keep a positive mindset as much as we can. Positivity will put is in a better position to fight off the negative effects of stress and anxiety. Being stuck inside and having limited connections with the outside world may not be all bad. Home services and products review site Reviews.org recently surveyed 500 Americans to determine the impact COVID-19 and social distancing has had on our personal lives and found a few positives side effects of social distancing. According to their findings, 54% of Americans say they feel closer to friends and family, 50% feel like they have more pride in their community and 47% say they have learned a new skill or hobby. It just goes to show that even in the darkest of times, people are hopeful, innovative and resilient.
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Podcast

Managing Grief and Anxiety in Difficult Times With Aneesh Chaudhry

At any given time, everyone is going through something in their lives. But rarely do we have a situation where so many people are collectively going through such trying times. The good news is, we’re going to get through this, and we can use this time to build new habits and be stronger than before. This week, we talk with Aneesh Chaudhry, founder of the brain health clinic SoulPhysio Lifestyle, where he works with a team of doctors, psychologists and other healthcare professionals to take a whole body approach to mental and physical wellness. He’s here to talk about how to manage our energy and deal with such negative emotions as grief, loss and anxiety. In this episode, you'll learn: The importance of learning and practicing acceptance. What energy management is and why it matters. How to work through negative feelings during difficult times. Links and Resources Facebook: @soulphysiolifestyle Instagram: @SoulPhysioLifestyle LinkedIn: Aneesh Chaudhry Don't miss an episode! Live Happy Now is available at the following places:           
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Podcast

Using a Game to Improve Resilience in Teens With Rosemary Lokhorst

Imagine living in a world that has been plagued by great tragedy. The world as you knew it is gone, all the stores are closed, and you can’t see your friends. Sound familiar? Interestingly enough, we’re not talking about real life right now; we’re talking about Shadow’s Edge, a mobile game and lifestyle platform that was created to help teens and young adults build resilience. This week, we’re talking with Rosemary Lokhorst, one of the creative minds behind this innovative platform. Let’s listen as she explains how this game has helped teens and young adults deal with chronic illness, anxiety and now, a pandemic. In this episode, you'll learn: What narrative therapy is and why it’s so effective. How we can all stay a little more connected and mentally strong through these tough times. How families can use Shadow’s Edge together. Links and Resources Facebook: @ShadowsEdgeGame Instagram: @shadows.edge.game Twitter: @shadowsedgegame Don't miss an episode! Live Happy Now is available at the following places:           
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Self-Care

6 Strategies for Holding on to Hope

The COVID-19 pandemic has not been an easy time for many of us. Stay-at-home orders, CDC guidelines, news hysteria and working from home transitions have left us unsure, worried and simply—unhappy. Every day, our plans, dreams, and hopes are being relegated to the future. It’s as if the rug of life has been pulled out from under us. So, how can we hold on to hope when there is no clear path forward or even a resolution in sight to the health crisis the world now faces? Well, that is the $64,000 question! In the spirit of inspiring hope and courage in each one of us, I offer strategies that may be useful during this unprecedented time. Accept your feelings (don’t deny them). It’s OK to be sad. It’s OK to be angry. It’s OK to be frustrated—and it is definitely OK to be fearful. But these are not all of the feelings available to you. Reach deeper. Reach for your Strength. It is there and can ground you in this time of extreme change. The strongest part of you knows that this will pass. It’s important to stop, take a deep breath, accept what you cannot control and remember to move forward. Be mindful of what you listen to. Although it’s important to stay informed, this is not the time to keep up with the negativity that encompasses us in today’s news and media. This is a time for focusing on you. Allow those in your inner circle, and those who are positive, to surround you and to remind you that we are not alone in this. We can get through it together. So, turn off that TV, and instead, stay connected with your friends and family. Whether it’s with a quick call, or a video chat, just listening to the voices of those close to us can guide us toward hope and resiliency. Be clear about how you are changing (for the better). This is an incredible opportunity to take that extra time we have suddenly been allotted to reflect and learn. In what ways are you appreciating the little things more? Talking with others you haven’t had the chance to for quite some time? Realizing some of the things you have been missing, some of the things that are really important for you? Ask yourself what it is that you can do with your time now—refocusing on your priorities and acting accordingly. Reaffirm your commitment to self-care. The human spirit is resilient. Look at how quickly we have all transitioned our work arrangements, our lifestyles, our family care. Necessity demands swift action. Realize that your desire to live healthy is greater than any act of self-sabotage. What are the things that make you joyous? Incorporate these acts at least once into your daily routine. Listen to your spirit, take a walk, meditate, video chat a friend, or simply just enjoy the present moment. Remember the children. Children continue to play, laugh, and find joy in life. Take a good look in the mirror and get in touch with the child in you. Put your arms around that child. Hug yourself like you have never been hugged before. You deserve it! Tell yourself, “Good job, I’m proud of you.” You’ve been through so much in the last few months, and you are making it. Hope for the better. When all is said and done, the human mind and spirit is remarkable. It is sustaining. What will the “new normal” look like? We just don’t know, but you know what we do know? We know that we will find a way to make it work, and we will make it a little better than it was before. “Help me let go of the fight to control things and let me accept them as they are.”
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Lifestyle

Navigating Your New Normal

I wish we could chalk this year up to a Stephen King novel we could all slam the book on, but sadly the COVID-19 pandemic is not fiction and very real. It’s safe to say we are in unchartered territory and never dreamed we would ever experience in our lifetime what has become this surreal “new normal.” While the world spirals out of our control as we watch helplessly self-quarantined on our couches, the uncertainty is daunting. One thing that is for certain is it is vitally important for us to maintain our mental and physical well-being during the coronavirus climate. As I sit here at home self-isolated during the 15-day plan to stay at home, I have an overwhelming need to share something good and spread light into the darkness. It is important for us to practice gratitude during this time and embrace what we do have. While most of the outside world is canceled right now, these activities are not: Going outdoors (as long as we are six feet apart), listening to music, quality family time, reading a book, singing out loud, speaking with friends, laughing and sharing hope with others. We are all in this together, even if it’s virtually. Hopefully, we can close the distance emotionally with a sense of community since we can’t be together physically. I curated a “Stay Home Things to Do List” to allow you some well-deserved “Me Time.” Take a break from binge-watching CNN 24-7 to be healthy and strong both mentally and physically for the coming days. Don’t Forget Fitness Exercise is vital for reducing stress and maintaining your physical and mental health. Since the gyms are closed for the foreseeable future, online fitness courses are available for constant streaming. An acronym for “Our Body Electric,” Obe Fitness offers an incredible array of live and on-demand fitness classes for home. The platform boasts a daily schedule of 14 live classes and more than 4,000 on-demand classes available for replay. Classes include kickboxing, yoga, cardio dance, pilates, meditation and much more. All Obe instructors are upbeat and motivating and so is the brightly designed studio space where all the classes are held (and filmed). Offering a seven-day free trial, this fun immersive fitness experience is well worth the $27 per month price tag (less than a dollar a day). So get on your mat and check it out! A DIY Spa Day The term “self-care” has been thrown around quite a lot in the past, but now it’s taking on a whole new meaning. It’s safe to say you’re not venturing out for a manicure these days, and let’s face it…you might not be in the mood with your new role as “beauty squad party of one.” To maintain the all-important “look good, feel good” mentality, my suggestion is to create a designated “Staycation Spa Day” to keep up with your beauty routine in a Day Spa environment and make it fun. If you’re lucky enough to have a steam in your shower, now is the time to use it. Even if you don’t, you can create your own “steam therapy” in an enclosed shower. Put the “ahh-in-spa” by adding a few drops of eucalyptus or lavender aromatherapy oil and relax and allow yourself to detox and unwind. Moist hot steam has so many incredible health benefits, such as helping circulation, reducing stress, lowering blood pressure by releasing a hormone called aldosterone and even acts as an immune booster. The key is to limit your steam sessions to 10 minutes a day to not get dehydrated. You can alternate a hot steam session with a cold plunge interval by running ice water in a nearby bathtub and soaking for 3-5 minutes for more immune-boosting benefits, however, my friends at the Wim Hof Method state this is not recommended if you are feeling sick. Cold therapy adds an additional stressor onto the immune system that already has its hands full fighting off viruses. If you’re a bath person like myself, pour in some Dr. Teal’s Epsom Salt and take a hot detox soak to relax your body and calm your mind. While you’re there it’s a perfect time for a DIY facial. Some of my personal favorites are the Onyx Youth Magnet Mask and the G. M. Collins Hydrating Aqua Mask. Stream Arts and Culture Getting stir-crazy at home and need a dose of culture? Streaming is the answer with a plethora of incredible resources at your fingertips. Take a virtual tour of the leading museums around the world with Google Arts & Culture for incredible curated content bringing the world’s most famous art collections directly into your home. The Royal Opera House's channel has a selection of some of the top performances from famous operas and ballets, just a click away. If a Broadway play strikes your fancy, check out the BroadwayHD streaming service that’s just $8.99 a month and there's a one-month free trial. Musical stars are getting in on the act, reminding us we are all in this “Together at Home” with live, at-home performances on Instagram for fans who are self-isolating. On March 16, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin kicked off the new virtual concert series officially dubbed “Together at Home: Who-Global Citizen Solidarity Sessions.” The initiative is presented by the World Health Organization and Global Citizen. John Legend took the baton shortly after Chris, Charlie Puth followed, and other singers like Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello will be getting in on the action in the coming weeks, too. Spring Cleaning Side Hustle Looking for a money-making project you can do at home? Tidy up and cash out with my personal favorite selling app Poshmark. This fun, interactive social commerce marketplace is an amazing resource to buy and sell new and used clothing, accessories, beauty products, shoes and even home goods. Just sign up to become a “Posher,” create your own closet, list items for sale and voila…you’re in business. This is selling made simple and Poshmark provides a shipping label to you once an item is sold. You keep 80 percent of the profits and Spring cleaning has never been more fun! These are trying times for us all. Please self-isolate to help slow this deadly virus and stay strong. We are all in this together and we are AmeriCANS! We can do it. My final note, I would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all our incredible healthcare workers on the frontlines fighting this awful pandemic. God speed and God Bless America.
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Podcast

Clear Your Clutter, Clear Your Mind With Marla Stone

January is National Organization Month, which makes it a great time to get your home in order. But how do you do that when it seems you have more “stuff” than you have places to put it? This episode’s guest is Marla Stone, a psychotherapist turned professional organizer and author of The Clutter Remedy: A Guide to Getting Organized for Those Who Love Their Stuff. She explains how to create a de-cluttering strategy built around less stuff and more satisfaction. In this episode, you'll learn: How our outside clutter reflects our inner state. Where to start clearing the clutter. How to live a perpetually organized life. Links and Resources Facebook: @marlabstone Twitter: @ideallifestyle1 Website: www.i-deal-lifestyle.com Don't miss an episode! Live Happy Now is available at the following places:           
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#HappyActs

Kindness Counts When Sharing Happiness

Welcome, Happy Activists! A Happy Activist is someone who, through kind words and intentional positive actions, strives to make the world a better place. Live Happy invites you to join our #HappyActs movement! We encourage everyone to incorporate kindness into your daily lives by participating in each month’s planned activity. The more people who join the #HappyActs movement, the greater the positive impact we’ll all have on our homes, workplaces and communities. What you think and do matters! November’s Happy Act theme is kindness. People who practice kindness show more compassion and are more willing to help people in need. According to Character Strengths Interventions: A Field Guide for Practitioners by Ryan Niemiec, Psy.D., when we add more kindness into our lives, we help alleviate some of the negative effects of stress and anxiety. Kindness is also associated with other important character strengths, such as gratitude, leadership and love. November’s Happy Act is to make the world a kinder place through good deeds, favors and helping others. This month, think about how many ways you can do something nice for someone else, for example, raking leaves or shoveling snow for a neighbor, giving extra for holiday charity drives or just holding the door for some who has their hands full. If it helps, make a plan of action beforehand, so you’ll be prepared when a moment to practice kindness presents itself. Don’t forget to write down each time you do something kind for someone else and how it made you feel. At the end of the month, reflect on your kind acts and see if your attitude and mindset changed at all. Our November Happy Activist is Marilyn Boss, aka The Happy Lady. This Floridian retired from corporate life and now focuses on bringing happiness into the lives of others through acts of kindness and happiness workshops. “You never know whose life will change with one Happy Act of Kindness,” Marilyn says. “Happiness is a choice and we get to choose it every day.” Every year on the International Day of Happiness, Marilyn sponsors multiple Happiness Walls by sharing happiness and happy acts in classrooms, before and after school programs, summer camps, Job Corps of America and the homes of veterans. Her goal is to sponsor more than 100 walls in just three years. “I have such gratitude for how Happiness Walls have changed my life,” she says. “I learned along the way how to use the tools that I share to be truly happy and I want that for everyone.” For more on kindness, check out these articles: Happy World Kindness Day! Four Ways to Grow Kind Kids 'The Kind Mama' Builds Community Practice Random Acts of Kindness Every Day Time to up your #HappyActs game. Help us spread global happiness by becoming a Happy Activist and host your very own Happiness Wall. Learn how you can host a wall at your school, business or organization and find out how to create your own fantastic wall using one of our Happy Acts Wall Kits.
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Self-Care

Dogs Make the Heart Grow Fonder

Dogs may play a role in prolonging the lives of their human companions, especially those who suffer from heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. According to recent studies published in the Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a journal of the American Heart Association, those who own pets are more likely to take part in activities that are beneficial for cardiovascular health over those who do not. Researchers pored over data of nearly four million people from 10 different studies to form the meta-analysis to reach their findings. Previous studies have reported that dog owners are more likely to engage in a physically active lifestyle, experience lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and see a decrease in loneliness and stress. In the latest findings, dog ownership is associated with a 24 percent overall "reduced risk of all-cause mortality" over non-dog owners. The risk of death for heart attack patients who lived alone after hospitalization was 33 percent lower than patients who did not own a dog and the risk of death for stroke patients who lived alone after hospitalization was 27 percent lower. While the research doesn’t say that dog ownership is the direct cause of a reduction in death, especially after a stroke or heart attack, the current findings are promising for future studies. Dr. Dhruv S. Kazi, associate director at the Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center says the main contributors for improved cardiovascular health among dog-owners are most likely due to an increase in physical activity and mental health. “There is a strong connection between mental health and cardiovascular health—we’ve known for a long time that patients with depression have worse cardiovascular outcomes after a heart attack, for instance,” he says. “It turns out that the companionship of a dog may go a long way toward addressing this.” For those who don’t own a dog but want to incorporate more canine time into their lives, Dhruv suggests offering to walk a friend’s dog or volunteering at the local SPCA to reap the benefits.
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Lifestyle

Do You Have a Strategic Free Spirit?

Strategic free spirit.Sounds like an oxymoron, no? I first learned of the term last month from one of my dear colleagues, Karen Senteio. It was her response to reading the first entry in my Work-from-Anywhere-in-the-World blog series. I think Karen nailed it. Strategic free spirit captures exactly what I hope this year will be. I’m strategic in that I have plotted out the first five-months of this adventure using my work to guide where in the world we go. I’m also a free spirit in that I am letting things unfold in a rhythm that feels right. Rather than the unknown producing fear, the unknown is producing excitement. As another dear colleague Carol Huffman wrote last week: “Planned just enough! Inspiring.” How did strategic free-spirit show-up last month? Two days after arriving at our rental cabin in central Maine, I saw a new listing for a lake house and contacted local agent Tess Keeran. The very next day she showed my husband and me the property on a pristine peninsula. Our dear friend Lisa, who has summered on the lake for decades, also joined us. It was love at first sight! Our offer was accepted and we agreed on a close/move-in date of just eight days!Free spirit, yes, but strategic, too. My husband and I have been dreaming of buying a cabin on this very lake for three years. This week’s coaching questions: What does strategic free-spirit mean to you? When was the last time you gave yourself permission to make a strategic, free spirit decision?
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#HappyActs

Build Happy Communities Through Acts of Kindness

Welcome, Happy Activists! A Happy Activist is someone who, through kind words and intentional positive actions, strives to make the world a better place. Live Happy invites you to join our #HappyActs movement! On the 20th of each month, we encourage everyone to incorporate kindness into your daily lives by participating in each month’s planned activity. The more people who join the #HappyActs movement, the greater the positive impact we’ll all have on our homes, workplaces and communities. What you think and do matters! July’s Happy Act theme is community. Research shows that strong, engaging communities are safer, healthier and happier. Making positive connections with our neighbors makes us feel like we are part of something bigger than ourselves and we are less likely to live in isolation, which can have adverse effects on our mental and physical well-being. July’s Happy Act is to do something positive to make a difference in your community. Amy Blankson, author and Live Happy contributor, writes in her article, “Start a Ripple of Kindness in Your Community,” that “you do not have to have a lot of time or money or status or even connections—you just have to have a willingness to make someone’s day just a bit brighter and the follow-through to accomplish it.” Even small gestures can add up in a big way, such as volunteering for your local Habitat for Humanity or take the time to welcome a new neighbor to the neighborhood. These good deeds not only make the people we help happy, but we get happiness from helping others, too. Community helps makes you feel balanced. It makes you feel a connection with everyone." — Mariel Hemingway Our July Happy Activist is Jaxson Turner, an 11-year-old from Plano, Texas. This youngster is already wise beyond his years and understands that a thriving community means helping those in need. For his 11th birthday, Jaxson has raised more than $12,000 through GoFundMe to help give the homeless an Easter dinner. In 2018, in lieu of Christmas gifts, he asked people to donate to a local homeless shelter so the children can enjoy the holidays. He clearly has gone above and beyond to help others. “It brings me happiness to help others in need and touch their heart for a lifetime and hopefully make them smile for a day,” Jaxson says. According to Jaxson, it is very important to care about those in need, because you never know when we will need a helping hand in life. He says helping others “makes the community happy and it helps the less fortunate feel like the community cares about them.” Jaxson's latest endeavor involves selling lemonade to raise funds for back-to-school necessities, including haircuts, school supplies and backpacks. Way to go, Jaxson! To find out more about Jaxson and his charitable actions, check out his Facebook page. For more information on how to give back to your community, read the articles listed below. 10 Ways to Build Community 31 Days of Community Community Gardens Grow Happiness Revitalizing Community for Renewed Happiness Time to up your #HappyActs game. Help us spread global happiness by becoming a Happy Activist and host your very own Happiness Wall. Learn how you can host a wall at your school, business or organization and find out how to create your own fantastic wall using one of our Happy Acts Wall Kits.
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