Archive for Research
Being Happy Anyway is a Decision!
Posted by: | CommentsBeing Happy About My Book Being Done~!
My apologies for the lack of newsletters lately. I’ve been engrossed in getting a novel to the publishers. It’s now IN!!!! Done! It’ll be out in November! I’ll post more about it closer to the time!
Being Happy and Having Stuff!
I love that our culture is starting to study happiness now and is ‘getting’ that happiness doesn’t result from having stuff. Otherwise, why would the U.S. top the list of countries most suffering from depression? (According to a 2004 study done by the World Health Organization that rated 14 countries.)
Happiness doesn’t result from accomplishing stuff either. The suicides of hugely successful people have woken us up to this fairy tale and have shown us what Jon Kabat-Zinn, the meditation teacher points out, “wherever you go, there you are”.
Irritations That Block Being Happy!
But meanwhile, ‘issues’–things we don’t like or find irritating continue to occur. How to deal with them so you can experience being happy anyway? Here are some tips!
Decide not to be a pinball machine, just reacting to the button-pushing events. Asserting that you have power and choice is HUGE!
Recognize that you can choose being happy anyway. You may not think you have a choice, but just asserting that you do will get you searching for new and different ways of responding.
Let go of any resistance to the fact that an ‘issue’ is there. As Byron Katie says, “When you argue with reality you only lose 100% of the time!”
Now for a special technique. See if you can find ‘space’ for what’s irritating. To do that, you have to become bigger, more expansive. A little visualization will help. Imagine yourself as a huge ocean and see the irritation as a small bit of rubbish floating within it. See it, but within a bigger vastness of Who You Are!
A Meditation for Being Happy!
Here’s a meditation that will help you do that. It’s one I’ve made myself. Check it out. Click HERE to get it. The meditation will help you create the conditions for being happy ‘anyway’–which is a powerful skill to have. Especially in these tsunami-like times!
If you like this meditation and want to explore other techniques for modulating your energy, click on -Change Your Energy, Change Your Life which is a 40-day online course you can try out the first week at no charge to see if you like it!
Take Charge of Your Health!
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Your Health –Take Charge!
Your health is important –taking charge of it yourself is a wise thing to do. Particularly these days, when both Canada and the US rank so low for life expectancy! (The latest study published in Health Affairs revealed that the United States now ranks 49th for male and female life expectancy worldwide.)
That’s a big fall from the fifth place ranking the US had in 1950. If that isn’t discouraging, add in the fact that U.S. per capita health spending rose at nearly twice the rate of other developed countries between 1970 and 2002.
What’s more, three of the “big killers” — obesity, traffic accidents and murder — cannot explain the United States’ dismal life expectancy data, as other countries have similar death rates from these factors.
Your Health Should Not Rely on Drugs!
Many are speculating that this is a result of the fact that the medical system relies on drugs and surgery to treat illness, rather than focusing on prevention and wellness.
It doesn’t help that the U.S. now ranks last out of 19 countries for unnecessary deaths, deaths that could have been avoided through timely and effective medical care. For example, more than 2 millions Americans are now affected by hospital acquired infections EVERY YEAR and 100,000 people die as a result. It’s not uncommon for people to go into the hospital for a “routine” medical procedure, only to contract a severe hospital-acquired infection or drug reaction or other medication mishap.
Ten years ago, Professor Bruce Pomerance of the University of Toronto concluded that properly prescribed and correctly taken pharmaceutical drugs were the fourth leading cause of death in the US. Yikes! This statistic alone should get you taking charge of Your Health!
Your Health–The Good News
So that’s the bad news. But there’s tremendous GOOD NEWS. The good news is this: YOU are in CONTROL of your health. So take that control. Don’t believe that exercise and eating right are just positive things to do. They’re required for good health.
And now, thanks to Youtube (http://www.youtube.com), you can take any kind of cooking class and exercise program over the Internet.
So, take action charge of Your Health now–while you still have the option!
The Paradox of Choice
Posted by: | CommentsI’m reading The Paradox of Choice, Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz. Fascinating book. Schwartz contends there are 2 types of people: “Maximizers” and “Satisficers”.
Let’s say one of each type is out shopping for a sweater. They both have an idea of what they want, but when they find what they are looking for, they act differently. The “Maximizer” thinks, “Oh, this is nice, but maybe I can find it cheaper at another store.” Or, “Maybe there will be one I like better if I keep shopping.” The “Maximizer” doesn’t let him or herself buy the sweater that’s there, but moves on to look further.
The “Satisficer”, on the other hand, sees the sweater and promptly buys it. Why? Because “Satisficers” know that “more” is often “less”. They refuse to be seduced by the idea of a better deal. And if it turns out that something was cheaper somewhere else, they are not upset because they know that chasing after it would cost them time and effort and there’s more to life than a good deal.
I have something else to add. I think that the “Satisficers” of the world might just be happier people who don’t get so much of their happiness from outside themselves–therefore, they would be less likely to give much energy to going for something ‘out there’.
Think about those people who have to have things “just so”. They do that because they believe that will make them feel better. People who already feel good don’t have to bother with all that. They can be happier with what is.
We live in a time of abundant choice. We have all experienced clicking through dozens and dozens of channels on the TV and finding nothing on. Maybe we are finally coming to the realization that more isn’t necessarily better. That would be good– good for the environment and good for our levels of happiness.
If you want some ideas about how to do that more effectively, contact me. email karen
If you want to check out the book, click on the image:
LAST CHANCE FOR A GOOD DEAL:
Last year I took an awesome Website Creation Workshop. Christina Hills ran it and used a tele-seminar format plus videos and handouts to show people how to create and run their own web site. I not only redid my main site, but I created this one. All by myself! And I’m no techie!
If you’d like to make your own site, learn easily how to add photos, audio, video etc, check out this URL. Do it fast, the class starts Tuesday march 30th.
Brain Evolution
Posted by: | CommentsI have been talking about how the brain has a neurological proclivity for looking for what’s wrong. In the past, that’s been an important survival mechanism. When we were in the jungle, we had to be on the look out for threat all the time.
But now that we’re out of the jungle, it’s time to compensate for this proclivity and remind ourselves to think differently–in the same way we have to remind ourselves that the world is round even though it looks absolutely flat.
We also have a brain proclivity to bond into groups and to view those who are outside that group as a threat. This isn’t something to be embarrassed about, it’s just something the brain does–it makes us favour our ‘home’ group, whether that’s our gender, our race, our religious affiliation, our gang of friends etc.
When we evolve and heighten our awareness, we can compensate for this. So the question isn’t, “Am I prejudiced?” –of course, you’re prejudiced! The question is, “How am I prejudiced?”
That’s the question that’s going to put new neurological pathways down in the brain. And give us the freedom to be happy that we’re all looking for.
Snapshots of Happiness
Posted by: | CommentsI am exploring tools and techniques for experiencing happiness more. Here’s one I am working with. Try it and see how it works for you. It’s a bit similar to the ‘FreezeFrame’ technique the HeasrtMath people have developed, but this one has a different focus.
Here’s how it goes.
When you are experiencing something pleasant, take an “sensograph” or “energy photograph” of how the event feels in your body. For example, this morning when I was in the shower, I took a “sensograph” of the experience of it in that moment. I heard the pounding sound of the water as it hit my shower cap, I felt the warm water sluicing down my back and arms and how it moved along my hands and fingers, I noticed the feeling of the hot water dribbling down my right ankle and the easy, happy feeling in my belly as all this was happening.
Once I had all the details in focus, I kind of ‘snapped the picture of it by taking in a long slow breath and breathing it into my memory. I know it’s still there because now, when I close my eyes, I can relive it. Just like one can relive a photograph.
I’d love some comment if anyone gives this a try!
CIGARETTES AND HAPPINESS
Posted by: | CommentsWhich do you think takes more years off your life? Cigarette smoking or being unhappy?
When I first was asked this question, I thought the answer would be cigarette smoking–after all, in the last few years, the media has been hammering us with all the nefarious facts of just how unhealthy cigarette smoking is.
But, as you’ve probably guessed by now, being happy is the horse to bet on. Recent studies have shown that although cigarette smoking will take 3 years off your life, being unhappy will take a full 9 years off your life! That’s six more years!
To my way of thinking, who cares if you live longer if you’re not happy anyway? It’s like having a fridge full of the flavour of ice cream you don’t care for… so what?
So, there are two important facts here…. being happy not only will extend your life significantly but it will make those years far more satisfying.
May you be happy!
Karen
RESILIENCE
Posted by: | CommentsIf you read the last post, you heard about the interesting study that proves happy people are more resilient. In the study, happy people were able to put their hands in a jar of ice water and hold it there longer than people who weren’t happy.
Here are some other characteristics that happy people have:
* They live longer.
* They are healthier.
* They’re more likely to be leaders in their field.
* They are more likely not only to BE married but to STAY married.
So, getting yourself happy may sound like something fluffy, something that really isn’t very important, a kind of EXTRA thing to do in life, but it’s really of central importance.
Unfortunately, many people think happiness is something that has to come from outside of them. But the truth is, you came into the world with lots of happiness already inside you. Becoming happier is more about letting go of all that covers it up than trying to install something new.
If you want to explore this, here’s an exercise for you. Today, just notice the small things you feel happy about. And notice also, what take away your happiness–what thoughts, activities, feelings… This is a very revealing exercise, one that will help you get more in touch with how easy it is to ‘cultivate’ happiness.
For me, one of my small happinesses is a cup of hot lemon –I’m going to give it my full attention for a few moments now. More later.
HAPPINESS: COLD AND WET
Posted by: | CommentsHAPPINESSANYWAY.COM PRESENTS:
HAPPINESS: COLD AND WET
Okay, here’s a question for you. In a British study, two groups of people were asked to plunge their bare hands into ice cold water. One group had scored high on a happiness test and the other group scored low.
Which group do you think showed more resilience?
The group who were happy!!
This isn’t surprising. Being happy is like having money in the bank. If you get hit with a couple of unexpected expenditures, no problem–you can handle them.
Same with stress. If you have emotional health in the bank, so to speak, you’ll be able to handle any energy withdrawals more easily whether those have to do with coping with your bare hand in cold water or someone shouting at you.
If you still doubt what I’m saying, think about winning a lottery. Do you think you’d care if someone cut you off on the highway as you drove home from picking up your cheque? I rest my case.
