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mature woman with rucksack hiking with a dog in the summer landscape

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.

Beautiful carefree woman in fields being happy open hands outdoors on sunset in nature summer.

Self-Care

8 Ways to Tune in to What Really Matters–YOU!

When we don’t take the time to dial in to what we need physically, mentally and emotionally our life can feel off-kilter. Your body will tell you what it needs, but are you paying attention? The signs are there, but we are too ‘busy’ to notice or are not open to change? Ask yourself these simple questions: How much sleep do I get? Am I compensating for lack of sleep with caffeine and sugar? Do I eat to perform my best mentally and physically? How do I handle stress? Am I personally and professionally fulfilled? Am I constantly sick, sluggish or depressed? Have I considered speaking to a therapist? What are my self-care routines? Is personal development a priority to me? Am I stuck in a toxic relationship? Here are some ways to make self-care a priority: 1. Take care of your EPM: Emotional, Physical and Mental Health We are happier in our personal and professional lives when we take care of ourselves emotionally, physically and mentally. Carve out “me time” because self-care routines impact how you treat other people and how you handle the life’s challenges. Self-care is not selfish; it enables us to unwind, decompress, process the things we struggle with, and take a good hard look at the influences that drain us; this is an essential way to diminish anger, sadness, grief and disappointment and get us to our center core. 2. Shift Your Mindset There are endless activities you can do to shift your mindset such as: Taking a yoga class, meditation or mindfulness workshop. Journaling your feelings and gratitude. Going off the grid and taking a tech break. Getting a makeover. Throwing a party for no reason (or celebrate the end of something, such as a job or relationship, and the excitement of new beginnings!). Taking a trip. Reconnecting with your faith or exploring a new one. Getting out and meet other incredibly uncomfortable and awkward strangers like yourself. Taking music lessons—music is a great healer. Creating a vision board. Enrolling in an art class—ceramics, drawing, painting, glass blowing, etc. Exploring a new hobby or something you used to enjoy. Attending a TED talk, lecture, inspirational workshop, etc. Learning creative and healthy cooking techniques. Volunteering at a local food bank or animal shelter. 4. Flip Your Struggles into New Beginnings Your rejections and struggles might be knocking the wind out of you, but they just might elevate you to a new start. Be open to new possibilities and keep moving forward. 5. Connect Find a networking group and connect with new faces. People who support you and cheer you on are the best network to have in your life. Toxic and critical people can suck the life out of you. Be selfish with whom you choose to spend your time. Aim for a drama-free life with people who have your back. 6. Let Go of Overthinking We tend to worry about the past, the future, and overlook exactly where we are in the present moment. So much thought is spent anticipating and thinking you know how an event or conversation will play out, but unless you have some visionary powers, let it go. Breathe, take a leap, and quiet your mind. 7. Stop the Negative Self Talk We can be our own worst enemy. Stop berating yourself and holding yourself back with self-sabotage, self-doubt and crippling criticism. Try being your own best friend for a change. Be kind to yourself—inside and out. 8. Vent! Talk to someone you know and trust, such as a counselor, friend or confidante. You do not have to deal with trauma and life’s assaults on your own. Sometimes things are just too tough to process solo. Closing off and shutting down is not healthy or productive. Venting is healthy because you can laugh, cry, yell, analyze, and process whatever it is you are suppressing. Expressing yourself leads to greater self-awareness, new beginnings and much needed healing. Adapted fromJaneane’s new book,Get the Funk Out! %^&$ Happens, What to Do Next!© 2019 by Janeane Bernstein, Ed.D. Published by Post Hill Press June 25, 2019.

Lifestyle

The Art of Change

It was in the aftermath of a gut-wrenching divorce when it finally clicked for Mary-Mitchell Campbell. Suspecting she was too self-absorbed, she left for India on a four-month sojourn, volunteering at an orphanage for girls with disabilities. It was this life-changing experience that inspired the successful Broadway conductor to create Artists Striving To End Poverty (ASTEP), an organization that effects social change through the arts. “When I was there [in India] I developed a reality check,” Mary-Mitchell says. “I realized that I was responsible for what I had learned, and I was going to end up changing things to match that responsibility.” Through the magic of poetry, song, dance and the visual arts, volunteer ASTEP artists, largely found by word-of mouth or by asteponline.org, travel to places like India, Africa and the Philippines, teaching health education and life skills to impoverished children. “We aren’t using the arts to make [the children] artists per se,” she says. “We are using the arts to help them think like artists—to be innovative in their ways of problem solving.” For example, a song might be inspired by a classic Broadway melody, but it teaches the children all the details of HIV—and how to protect themselves. Mary-Mitchell says her months in the orphanage not only spawned ASTEP but helped redefine who she is. The organization’s latest initiative is an annual young people’s conference to address issues such as the environment and poverty—and how the arts can bring about change. “Our goal [going forward] is to fulfill the commitment to the kids—to see them through to a different life—helping them imagine a different life. ASTEP has given me perspective,” she says. “And a sense of purpose. And a lot of joy.”

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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.

Technology

Don’t Let Social Media Harm Your Happiness

While creating robust real-life social networks can be a well-being enhancer, a recent study from the University of Pennsylvania suggests our virtual social networks can have the opposite effect. According to researchers at UPenn, through experimental data and self-monitoring, this study is the first to show a causal link that an increase in social media use can decrease well-being. “What we found very clearly was that the folks who were in the group that limited their social media use, showed significant reductions in depression and loneliness,” says psychologist Melissa G. Hunt, Ph.D, associate director of clinical training in the department of psychology at UPenn. “This was actually most true for the folks who were the most depressed at the start of this study.” In the recently released World Happiness Report 2019, by 2018, “95 percent of United States adolescents had access to a smartphone, and 45 percent said they were online ‘almost constantly.’” When there is an increase in digital media, especially for young people, there is a decline in sleep, exercise, social interactions and attending religious services compared to those who do not spend so much time in a virtual reality. Melissa says that when we spend hours on apps, such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, passively scrolling through our feeds and negatively comparing ourselves to “one-sided” views of other people’s lives, we are doing serious harm to our well-being. Melissa also says the fear of missing out (FOMO)—which is witnessing people in your network having a good time without you—also contributes to negative feelings. “So that whole fear of missing out in which people get very anxious about other people having connections, friendships and relationships that they aren’t a part of is another part of the problem,” Melissa says. “When you use too much social media, you feel like your own life doesn’t measure up and you are feeling that you are not always invited to things that everyone else is invited to.” So how can we use social media in way that doesn’t make us sad? Here are three helpful suggestions from Melissa: Seeing is not always believing. Most of what we see on social media is not real. Not to say that it is necessarily staged, but people rarely post negative images of themselves. We are only getting the intended perspective, and we tend to compare ourselves negatively to something this isn’t accurate. “You are looking at someone else’s Instagram feed and its very curated, everyone looks very happy and they are only posting the photos that are actually flattering,” Melissa says. “And so you get a very one-side perspective on other people’s lives. And it’s very easy to conclude that your own life just doesn’t measure up? It is not as fun, not as glamorous, you are not doing as much.” The real thing is always better. Mindlessly scrolling through social feeds not only wastes your time, it further isolates you from the people you are trying to catch up with virtually. Try spending more time reconnecting with people in person. Maybe someone you know needs a real conversation instead of a virtual chat or text. “One of the things to remember about intimacy is that intimacy is fostered by sharing the bad times with people as well as the good times with people,” Melissa says. “And there something about social media that doesn’t encourage that.” Put yourself on restriction. Melissa says quitting social media cold turkey is unrealistic, especially with younger generations who grew up attached to their phones. She recommends about a half hour day. By spending less time FOMO-ing, we’re are more likely to get out in the real world and take part in activities that benefit our well-being, such as taking a walk or volunteering. During their study, researchers noticed that participants, who were all college students, were amazed to realize how much time they were spending on social media before the break and how much better they felt about themselves after the digital reprieve. Melissa says that some even said they were more likely to complete their school work and socialize with their friends in person.

Practice

So Happy Together

Since 2014, Live Happy has been creating awareness for worldwide happiness with our #HappyActs campaign. On March 20, every year we celebrate happiness by hosting pop-up walls where people can share their messages of happiness and hope. From nearly 30 walls in 2014 to an amazing 715 in 2018, we could never have pulled of such a feat without the help of our Happy Activist volunteers. In more than 20 countries, hundreds of happiness enthusiasts sign up at HappyActs.org every year to be a wall host and help bring more joy to the world. One of those happy hosts is Jane Serr from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and she has been involved with #HappyActs for the past five years. She really enjoys helping people realize that they can live a happier life and her experiences at her Happiness Walls have left a profound effect on her. “I’ve always loved volunteering because of the release of the positive endorphins being a part of something that is good and amazing,” she says. “It’s nice to see what it does for other people and you get sort of a euphoric feeling in your own heart. I get to see what it does for other people and it just makes me feel good. It lets me know that I am doing something good in the world.” These good feelings are backed up by science, too. Author and professor of psychology Catherine A. Sanderson, Ph.D., writes in her latest book The Positive Shift, that research shows that when we do kind things for others we can increase our own happiness, which can have benefits on our health and well-being, and even extends our lives. Jane feels this is a “win, win” scenario and she has been able to create a lot of happiness at her Happiness Walls over the years. Whether it’s dancing to music, children playing and getting their faces painted or just people expressing their gratitude for her bringing more happiness into the world, happy people are interacting with each other, having fun and sharing their #HappyActs. “There are so many different things you can do at your wall and nothing is written in stone,” Jane says. “As long as it brings a smile and gets people out of their comfort zone and draws them in so they can understand the culture of what we are trying to do.” She admits that she gets curious looks from passersby, but once people stop to see what the buzz is about, the questions go from “What is this?” to “How can I do this?” The infectious feelings of happiness permeate, creating smiles for miles. “It’s just awareness that we can make a positive change. Even when people don’t understand and if they just take that leap of faith and find out a little bit more by participating, it makes a world of difference. They come out of it and they want to host their own wall in their communities or their schools. It’s really great thing to participate in.”

Young volunteers with boxes of donations indoors

Practice

A Great Day to Be Kind

Nearly two decades ago. author Catherine Ryan Hyde wrote a book that sparked a movement that made us pay more attention to kindness. Inspired by acts of kindness given to her, her novel tells the story of repaying an act of kindness forward to others instead of the reciprocal recipient. The book quickly became a best-seller, winning multiple awards and in a few short years adapted into a major motion picture. We can thank Catherine for reintroducing the “pay it forward” concept into our cultural lexicon so we that we immediately know what to do when asked. How has the concept of paying it forward changed your life? That’s a different question for me than it would be for most people. In my life, the concept turned into a book and then a movie, and it changed my life as a writer in addition to changing me personally. But from a more personal viewpoint, it caused me to look a lot more closely at the human condition, and at the way we treat each other. As the book was taking shape in my mind, I began to make observations. I thought a lot about the “Golden Rule.” Doing unto others as we would have others do unto us…a great concept. If we really followed it, I swear the only problem left in the world would be weather related. It seems we don’t, though. It seems we do unto others as we have been done to. That may appear to be the bad news, but it’s what got me thinking that maybe we can still turn it around. After I received a huge kindness from strangers many years ago, it changed what I was willing to give to someone else. So that seems like the big change hiding in Pay It Forward. It allows for the chance that we really can send the cycle of our treatment of one another in a more positive direction. Why should the pay it forward philosophy be a daily practice, especially in young people? I never really try to tell people how often they should pay it forward. I’d rather just say that if kids practice doing acts of kindness, they’re going to like the results. And they’ll probably find themselves doing it more often than they had planned. What are some easy ways people can practice acts of kindness? Again, I don’t like to suggest “how.” And I’ll tell you why not. Because the biggest change one makes to the world (in my opinion) is not the kind act itself, but the way we begin to pay attention to those around us. When we decide we’ll “pay it forward,” but we don’t yet know how, we begin to watch the people around us to see what they need. This to me is the heart of the change we bring, and I don’t want to foreclose on it by suggesting kind acts. People get in touch with their innate kindness, and find their own. And that’s a beautiful thing. Do you think we need kindness more than ever and how can paying it forward change the way we treat other? I think we have always needed to be kinder to each other and probably always will. Yes, this is an important time. So was the time after 9/11, a year or two after the book was published. Let’s just say there’s no bad time. As the author of the book, I don’t feel right making any claims to what the idea can do. I’d rather say it will do no harm. And as to how much good it can do, I hope we’ll try it and see. Give Back or Pay It Forward? Either way, when we put others first, we are carving a path to greater happiness and well-being. We asked our readers to share with us how they like to practice acts of kindness. Volunteer I once organized a benefit for a teacher whose daughter had a rare form of cancer. In five weeks, we rallied the community and raised over $5,000 for her and her family. I used my organization and volunteerism spirit to get it going...the community did the rest.—Amber B. I am a professional volunteer. Have been volunteering for charities for 27 years and raised my children at charity events.—Lynn W. We love to help others in our church, such as driving people to job interviews and helping with moves. As part of our graphic-design business, we provide pro bono work for nonprofit organizations, and it always seems to be much more fun to do.—Jen L. Help the Less Fortunate While traveling to California to take my stepson back to his mother, I was approached by a very nice woman asking for a dollar or two in gas money. I had already fueled up my rental car and had no cash so I told her if she pulled her car up to the pump, I would put some gas in it for her.—Jessica D. I give money and food to the homeless at our local shopping area. I love seeing their smiles. Paying it forward makes you feel great!—Helen B. Do the Small Things I love to pay for the car behind me at a drive-through.—Laura C. When purchasing from the local store, I “pay” the stickers that come with their many promotions “forward” to the next person who comes along who has children who want the stickers. My children are grown and no longer collect them for their school or just for fun, so it’s a simple way to give what I don’t need to someone else.—Delia M. Spread Happiness Really see people and you will receive the greater gift. It will be the gift of knowing that they are happy!—Mary K. We share positive posts hoping to spread some happiness and love!—Moxie J. Living up to my name by practicing caring, compassion and service daily.—Joy G. Smiling is important and it is free. Underwear and socks are also great to provide to persons in shelters.—Janet P.

Practice

Find the Good: Keep the Recharge Button at the Ready

As we ride the final wave of summer into early fall, join me in appreciating the grit and joie de vivre of San Diego’s Jojo, a surfing corgi who recovered from a brutal, nearly fatal dog attack through water therapy and taking up surfing with his person, Josephine Zosa. Jojo has his own Instagram account @supercorgi_jojo with more than 82,000 followers and growing. He’s entered—and even won—surf competitions and gives back by volunteering as a therapy dog for the military and in hospitals and nursing homes. Jojo is one more example of how trauma can bring out our greatest strengths. It’s Time to Put You on the To-Do List So what do you do when the day’s challenges start to get you down? (Other than watching corgi videos, that is?) At my house, we’re all coming off simpler summer schedules, sending the kids back to school and trying to get everyone charged up for the action-packed fall routine. It’s the ideal time for a reminder to take care of ourselves as the calendar fills up with meetings; holiday planning; soccer and basketball practice or Scouts meetings for the kids. In the morning rush it may seem easier to skip that 3-mile run to get everything done on time, but don’t forget, taking care of yourself not only brings good things to you but also to the rest of your family. I’m not perfect at taking care of myself, either. Yet there is a certain element of prioritizing—building into your schedule—the things that make your life worthwhile, like exercising regularly, not always eating on the go and savoring moments of quiet where you can find them. Getting the kids to bed on time can help with that last one. But there are bigger things you can plan for, too. We just got back from a huge vacation; we went on a cruise to Alaska for a week. It was important to do that because for me, if I don’t check out enough, it’s really hard to maintain that intensity that’s required to do my regular job the rest of the year. To work, to be involved in my community, to get my kids from place to place, I need that recharge button. And I find so much more good in recognizing that! For one, my kids saw me in a more relaxed mode that opened up more opportunities to connect and just have fun. We were still active, running, biking and sightseeing, but it was important that I was engaged with them and not on my phone or computer. I think most people overlook the good in taking a break. The benefit is in hitting the reset button so I can give work my all when I get back. It helps me look at the “must do’s” in a much more positive light, because I took the time to take care of myself. Because I’m never going to get to the bottom of my to-do list…I promise. How many times have you heard “work hard, play hard?” But who really does?…I don’t see that many people actually incorporate it. You have to make play as much of a priority as the work. The Boss Says…Take Your Vacation! There are so many people who leave their vacation days unused. In my own company as CEO, I stand up and say, “Schedule your vacation; I’ve already scheduled mine,” and I mean it. People kind of look at me like, “What’s the catch?” This Travel+Leisure article cites an Allianz Travel Insurance study that reports 51 percent of the population—or about 129 million people—say they’ve gone a full year without taking a vacation. And the number of people who said they were confident they would take a vacation within the year—48 percent—is at the lowest rate it’s been since 2010. So take the time, take a vacation. More importantly, those weeks you’re not on vacation? Take time to take care of yourself because if you don’t, you’re no good for anybody. The good that you’ll bring to the world is worth it. Be a Happy Activist Our September #HappyAct is setting a positive goal for yourself. Try running for 30 minutes straight, cooking more meals at home, taking a mental health day or anything that builds you up to better handle life’s challenges. A sense of accomplishment will boost your joy, connection with others and overall well-being. On the #HappyAct front, this was one of my favorite recent kindhearted acts: A Louisiana grocery store clerk, Jordan Taylor, let autistic teen Jack Ryan help him stock a cooler with orange juice for more than half an hour after Jack showed an interest in helping. The story gets even better with a GoFundMe campaign to help Jordan raise money for college. Keep looking for the good, and you’ll find it!

Practice

Four Ways to Grow Kind Kids

Believe it or not, our children are hard-wired to be kind. In fact, we all are because it was essential for our survival as a species. Back in the 19th century, Charles Darwin noted that “those communities which included the greatest number of the most sympathetic members would flourish best and rear the greatest number of offspring.” When we look after each other, we all do better. But, more than that, our brains and bodies have built-in mechanisms to encourage us to be kind. When we are kind to others our brain’s reward centers light up as our bodies release the happy hormone dopamine. This is why people often report experiencing a ‘helper’s high’ after volunteering. Doing good feels good. But that’s not all; it seems that kindness is good for our health, too. When we partake in prosocial behavior our bodies also release the chemical oxytocin. One of the side effects of this happy hormone is that it lowers our blood pressure and even protects our hearts. So doing good does us good, too. Here are four ways to encourage more kindness in your family so that you and your children benefit: Model kindness. It may feel like our children actively do the opposite of what we say and do but, deep down, they are soaking up our example like a sponge. So, if we want our children to behave kindly, that means we need to set a good example. This means speaking kindly (be mindful about moaning and saying unkind things about friends, family, neighbors and partners!) and acting kindly. If your children see you being polite to others, they will start to imitate this behavior. Give to others. Studies show that we get more happiness from spending money on others than on ourselves. And it doesn’t have to be a lot of money—it is the act of giving that gives people a boost, regardless of how much they spend. Why not give your children some money to spend on others? They could choose to donate the money to a charity, or they could buy a friend or family member a gift. This is the best kind of retail therapy! Collect some smiles. One of the kindest things we can do for ourselves and others is to smile more. Smiling is contagious and so if we smile at others, they are very likely to smile back. Why not set up a fun little experiment with your children and head to your local mall and see who can collect the most smiles? You simply have to smile at people, and if they smile back you get a point. The first to 10 smiles could win a prize. Make it fun and spread those smiles! Practice random acts of kindness. It can be tempting to only do kind things for people we know, but it is very powerful to carry out acts of kindness to complete strangers. When we hosted an It’s Cool To Be Kind Week at my school, one boy and his sister baked cupcakes with their dad, and they all went down to the local train station with their treats to greet tired commuters. What a way to end a dreary commute home! Your random act of kindness could be just what that person needs. Check out this site for more kindness ideas: randomactsofkindness.org Kindness is a vital life skill that not only grows children’s emotional intelligence but teaches them the importance of looking after others as well as themselves. Give these ideas a go and grow your family’s kindness.

Practice

Family Focus in June

Welcome, Happy Activists! A Happy Activist is someone who, through kind words and intentional 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 who join the #HappyActs movement, the more positive impact we'll all have on our homes, workplaces and communities. What you think and do matters! June’s theme is family. Positive relationships, especially with those we’re closest to, are one of the five key elements of Martin Seligman, Ph.D.’s, PERMA theory of well-being. Our June 20 Happy Act is to help families thrive. This month, we are featuring the Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation, a mentoring program for at-risk youth and single women, and volunteering at The Stewpot, an organization that supports families experiencing homelessness. 3 Steps on How to Prepare for a Happy Act: Research what charitable opportunities are near you. Contact the organization and discuss how you can help. Plan a time to go volunteer and/or determine what you can donate. Learn more: Develop family strengths. Common ways to do that are through nurturing relationships, establishing routines, adapting to challenges and connecting to communities. Tell family stories. Family narratives can help kids forge their own identities in the world and weave together generations. Summer is here; enjoy! 33 ideas of what to read, do, watch and listen to for summer togetherness. Play games! From Parcheesi to Ping-Pong, tiddlywinks to tag, games teach sportsmanship, communication and other social skills. Create a happiness board. Dream about your next vacation, focus on goals, plan volunteer outings as a family with a Family Happiness Board. Five Tips to Increase Family Bliss: Unplug. Unless you’re expecting an urgent message, stash your phone and tablet and focus on your family when you’re together. Divide and conquer. If siblings aren’t getting along, give the relationship some space and spend an afternoon on separate activities to help give everyone a break from a bickering patch. Maintain family routines. For special traditions like family meals, game nights or bedtime reading routines, keep everyone together and at ease by providing a predictable framework and making everyone feel welcome. Focus on what’s going right. Family togetherness can translate into too much of a focus on messy rooms, uncleared dishes or curfews violated. Don’t forget to point out the daily wins and acts of kindness that you’d like to see more of. Greet with a hug and part with a kiss. Huggingproduces happy neurochemicals such as endorphins, oxytocin and serotonin. Take the time to give your family a warm hello and goodbye even if you are in a hurry. Additional Resources: Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation The Stewpot March of Dimes Boys and Girls Clubs of America Big Brothers Big Sisters

Dogs Make the Heart Grow Fonder

8 Ways to Tune in to What Really Matters–YOU!

The Art of Change

Build Happy Communities Through Acts of Kindness

So Happy Together

A Great Day to Be Kind

Find the Good: Keep the Recharge Button at the Ready

Four Ways to Grow Kind Kids

Family Focus in June

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