well-being Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Feeling Frazzled? Learn How Ashwagandha Supports Calm Mood and Clear Thinking

AHA Publisher — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 08:00:58 +0000

Lori Alton via NaturalHealth365 – For many, the past few years – marked by lockdowns, isolation, financial insecurity, and personal loss – have been challenging. So it’s not surprising that rates of anxiety and depression are ticking up nationwide. According to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of adults with anxiety or depressive disorder symptoms jumped from 36.4 percent to 41.5 percent in the period between August 2020 and February of 2021 alone. (In other words – if you’ve been feeling anxious, “down in the dumps,” or generally stressed out, you have plenty of company). Fortunately, a South Asian herb known as ashwagandha may offer natural relief. Ashwagandha, botanically known as Withania somnifera, is treasured in the Ayurvedic healing system as a “rasayana” – a substance believed to stimulate body functions, slow aging, promote health, and support longevity. Ashwagandha’s benefits also include calming and mood-lifting effects, making it a useful ally in these troubled times. Ashwagandha Benefits Include Improving the Body’s Ability to Cope With Prolonged Stress Chronic stress causes a litany of unhealthy consequences, including cognitive deficiencies, impaired regulation of blood sugar and blood fats, suppression of the immune system, and disturbed levels of DHEA (needed for healthy production of sex hormones). Stress also causes elevated cortisol levels (which is known as the “stress hormone”). Chronically elevated levels of cortisol can lead to unhealthy conditions such as high blood sugar and increased levels of abdominal fat. Ashwagandha is currently used in Ayurveda to reduce chronic stress, support the immune system, arrest premature aging and boost resistance to adverse environmental factors. Modern research has supported this ancient wisdom, and many scientists categorize ashwagandha as an adaptogen or a substance that helps the body deal with physical and emotional stress. (While “adaptogen” may lack the beauty of the word “rasayana,” the meaning is quite similar. By the way, other herbal adaptogens include Rhodiola Rosea, Panax ginseng, cordyceps, and astragalus). Let’s look at some of the ways in which ashwagandha earns its classification as a rasayana/adaptogen. Ashwagandha Is Investigated for Its Potential to Lower Cortisol and Promote Calm and Well-Being Studies show that ashwagandha may have the ability to lower cortisol levels. In one controlled, double-blind study of adults with chronic stress, participants were given either 125 mg or 250 mg of ashwagandha extract a day for 60 days. (A control group received a non-active placebo). The scientists found that the ashwagandha groups had greater reductions in cortisol levels when compared with the control group. In fact, some participants in the higher-dose group displayed decreases of up to 30 percent! Significantly, the ashwagandha groups also experienced improved well-being and substantial reductions in anxiety symptoms – along with physical benefits such as lower levels of inflammatory C-reactive protein, decreased pulse rate, and lower blood pressure. The scientists reported that the participants also experienced fewer manifestations of anxiety – such as fatigue, sleeplessness, sweating, headache, muscle pain, dry mouth, palpitations, and feelings of impending doom. And, in a separate study published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, researchers noted that participants who took 300 mg of ashwagandha extract a day reported a stunning 69 percent decrease in insomnia and anxiety. Incidentally, ashwagandha is a source of tryptophan, an amino acid that supports a stable mood and refreshing sleep. Ashwagandha Benefits May Include Improved Brain Function and Sharper Memory Ashwagandha contains a group of naturally-occurring steroids called withanolides. These antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds have been shown to protect against brain cell degeneration by reducing the production of harmful reactive oxygen species (free radicals). In animal studies, withanolides helped to reverse behavioral deficits, promote brain cell growth, and reduce amyloid plaque deposits in the brain. Human studies are limited, but several have supported ashwagandha’s ability to improve cognition and memory. For example, one controlled study showed that 500 mg of ashwagandha extract a day improved reaction time and task performance in healthy men – while another demonstrated that 600 mg a day significantly improved participants’ memory, task performance, and attention. Ashwagandha Helps with Blood Sugar Control In addition to contributing to deposits of unhealthy abdominal fat, elevated cortisol levels can cause high blood sugar. Ashwagandha, which is rich in blood sugar-lowering phenolic compounds and flavonoids, may help to address this problem. Maintaining stable blood sugar helps to discourage binge eating and food cravings, thereby helping to ward off overeating. Good blood sugar control may also help reduce disturbing mood swings. Preliminary test-tube and animal studies support ashwagandha’s blood sugar-lowering effects. Some clinical trials suggest that ashwagandha can reduce blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity in levels in humans. If you would like to try supplementing with ashwagandha, experts recommend choosing a high-quality formulation standardized to contain 1 to 10 percent withanolides. Natural healers typically advise servings of 300 mg to 1,500 mg a day – but consult your qualified integrative physician before trying ashwagandha. (Of course, if your worry and distress are difficult to control, or if your symptoms are interfering with your daily life, discuss the situation with your trusted health professional). Ashwagandha seems to have both calming and energizing effects, with aficionados reporting that it can improve sleep quality, promote feelings of contentment, and help mental focus. So maybe it’s time to give this soothing herb a try! Sources for this article include: Healthline.com NIH.gov CDC.gov AdventHealth.com AdventHealth.com To read the original article click here.

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Need Some Motivation to Get Outside? Discover 5 Proven Health Benefits of Spending Time in Nature

AHA Publisher — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 08:00:36 +0000

Sara Middleton via NaturalHealth365 – You might not need scientific research to know that being outdoors and surrounded by nature is good for your well-being. In fact, the health benefits of nature have been widely accepted as part of individual and public health measures since the 19th century, and likely long before, in other ancient cultures. But thanks to the pandemic – which has driven millions of Americans indoors and created a fear over even outdoor dining … many of us could use extra motivation to get outside (yes, even with colder temperatures and shorter days). Having said that, recent data revealed in a meta-analysis could be just what we need to remind us all to step back into nature more often. Get into “Green Space” to Experience the Many Health Benefits of Immersing in Nature In October 2018, the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Research published a systematic review and meta-analysis of over 140 studies. These studies – 103 of which were observational, the rest interventional – assessed the relationship between so-called “green space exposure” to nature and human wellness. The meta-analysis included over 290 million participants from 20 countries, including the US, the UK, Spain, France, Germany, Australia, and Japan. (Japan, for example, is well-known for its cultural practice of shinrin yoku or “forest bathing.”) The researchers define green space as “open, undeveloped land with natural vegetation.” Included in this definition are both natural landscapes as well as city parks and even tree-lined streets. Unfortunately, as the researchers note, there are now fewer and fewer “opportunities for human contact with nature.” This statement especially holds true here in the United States, where many Americans rarely take the opportunity to get outside, thanks to the sedentary, indoors-centric slant of modern lifestyles plus the rising number of people living in urban environments. But according to this and other research, there are plenty of reasons to buck the trend and get your family outside surrounded by nature. In fact, based on their compiled and analyzed data, researchers concluded that spending time in nature or green space significantly reduces the risk of these five issues: High blood pressure Diabetes Stroke Death from cardiovascular disease Death from all causes Being outside has also been suggested to improve birth outcomes (e.g., reduced risk of preterm delivery) and enhanced sleep quality and duration. More recent research from PLOS One even found that nature exposure boosts creativity and problem-solving by 50 percent! So, Why Are the Great Outdoors So Great for Us? Here Are the Leading Reasons… There’s still a lot to learn about why nature is so beneficial for human health. But there are a few things that researchers know: When you’re outside, you’re exposed to a wide range of bacteria – this natural exposure to different organisms could help strengthen your immune system. Science has shown that spending time in nature decreases circulating levels of the stress hormone cortisol and is, therefore, an important tool in the fight against the damaging effects of long-term stress and chronic inflammation. Being outside promotes the opportunity for socialization (picnic in the park, anyone?) Being outside tends to go hand-in-hand with physical activity, including walking, hiking, and other athletic activities. Pandemic or otherwise, it’s simply in your best interest to spend more time outdoors. And at a moment when having a healthy immune system is more important than ever, we encourage you to get your whole family some quality time in nature and enjoy what the natural world has to offer you. Sources for this article include: Sciencedirect.com, Sciencedaily.com, Sciencedaily.com, PLOS.org To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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Are You Addicted to Doomscrolling? (Plus How to Stop)

AHA Publisher — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 08:00:55 +0000

Christine Ruggeri, CHHC via Dr. Axe – Do you have a habit of scrolling endlessly through social media, looking for answers or clarity? If this perpetual rabbit hole of scrolling — refreshing and scrolling again — is leaving you feeling agitated, hopeless and drained, you’re officially doomscrolling. Doomscrolling can have a major impact on your mental and physical health. If you’re caught in the routine of scrolling several times throughout the day, searching aimlessly for more and more negative content, it’s time to cut back on your time online and find new, more positive outlets. It’s for your own health, after all. What Is Doomscrolling? Doomscrolling is when you continue to scroll through bad news or even seek it out, even when it leaves you feeling sad or agitated. It’s been described as an “endless procession of negative online news.” For many people, the pandemic has intensified these habits. Findings from this past April that were reported by Pew Research Center indicate that 53 percent of American adults say the internet has been essential for them during the pandemic. In addition, 34 percent of U.S. adults describe the internet as “important, but not essential.” It appears that we may be using the internet now more than ever. Over the last eight months, many adults began working from home, from their computers, making internet use even more prevalent. People also are suffering from feelings of isolation and loneliness, so they use the internet to connect with others. But why are people doomscrolling if it leaves them feeling sad or even panicked? For some, it’s like an addiction that’s fed by the false notion that staying informed will provide a sense of security — when, in reality, it causes just the opposite. Doomscrolling not only negatively impacts your mood, but it can also disrupt sleep, focus and concentration. Because it alters your mental health, it can also negatively affect your physical health and cause issues such as: headaches sugar cravings overeating low energy brain fog digestive issues If you’re constantly doomscrolling, you may be dealing with chronic stress, which can have a serious impact on your overall health. How to Stop 1. Set Aside Time to Scroll If you like to scroll through your Facebook feed or Twitter for the latest news, you’re not alone. Many adults use social media as their news source. To avoid doomscrolling and its effects on your mental and physical health, however, set aside a specific amount of time for scrolling through the news. Maybe that’s 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening. Make it work for your schedule, and set a timer on your phone if you have to. You can also track your screen time to keep yourself accountable. Why is it so important to reduce your social media and scrolling time? One study published in the American Journal of Health Behavior indicates that people categorized as “Wired” or “Connected” in defining their social media use have an increased association with the the risk for depression and anxiety. 2. Declutter Your Phone and Laptop If you’re prone to doomscrolling, it may be time to minimize the apps on your phone, laptop and desktop so you’re less likely to use them in between tasks or when “wasting time.” If you’re triggered by one app in particular, then delete it from your phone so that it’s not always at your fingertips. Why consider deleting a social media app? A study published in Cureusfound that prolonged use of social media platforms, such as Facebook, may be related to negative signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. 3. Stop All Notifications From News Sources Are you getting a push notification every time a news story breaks? If so, stop! Push notifications are meant to enhance and increase smartphone engagement. They can be distracting and leave you scrolling, again, even when you were in middle of a task. Stop all push notifications, which entice you to spend more time scrolling. 4. Don’t Click on Triggering Articles You can usually tell from the headline whether or not the article will trigger you. More bad news? More divisive? Then skip it. These articles can leave you feeling isolated, sad, angry and hopeless. Instead, stick to positive, informative and uplifting content. 5. Avoid Debate Commenting Let’s face it — your social media debate commenting rarely changes a person’s mind or gives you a sense of security or community. In fact, it likely makes you feel more isolated and agitated. One study conducted in the U.K. suggests that posting about feelings and venting on social media predicted low mood and self-estreem and high paranoia. If you’re doomscrolling and come across a post that makes you want to comment, perhaps discuss the issue with your spouse or loved one instead. You’re likely to get better clarity and positive reinforcement that way. 6. Don’t Read News Articles on Social Media Does all of your news come from social media? If you are constantly refreshing your social media timelines for the newest stories, it’s a much better idea to visit a specific news website instead. Or, better yet, rely on a printed newspaper that you can read leisurely in the morning and put away for the remainder of the day. You may actually retain the information when reading news in a different format, like print. One study published in Human Factors found that a scrolling format reduced understanding of complex topics from web pages, especially for readers who were lower in working memory capacity. 7. Find Your People We need to maintain a sense of community for our mental and physical health. Communicating with groups of like-minded people is good for the soul. Organizing charity events or working together to conduct acts of kindness make it even better. Research shows that community-belonging is an important component of health prevention and can even promote healthier behaviors, like exercise and improved diet. 8. Find Other Outlets If you’re doomscrolling out of boredom, work on finding other outlets that actually improve your overall health and well-being. Add uplifting activities into your daily routine, like going for a walk outdoors, yoga at home, meditation, reading a fictional story, talking on the phone or Zooming with friends, and cooking for loved ones. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Axe click here.

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Your Brain Shows If You Are Lonely or Not

AHA Publisher — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 07:00:41 +0000

Dartmouth College via EurekAlert – Social connection with others is critical to a person’s mental and physical well-being. How the brain maps relationships with other people in relation to one’s self has long been a mystery. A Dartmouth study finds that the closer you feel to people emotionally, the more similarly you represent them in your brain. In contrast, people who feel social disconnection appear to have a lonelier, neural self-representation. The findings are published in the Journal of Neuroscience. “If we had a stamp of neural activity that reflected your self-representation and one that reflected that of people whom you are close to, for most of us, our stamps of neural activity would look pretty similar. Yet, for lonelier people, the neural activity was really differentiated from that of other people,” explained senior author Meghan L. Meyer, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences, and director of the Dartmouth Social Neuroscience Lab. The study was comprised of 50 college students and community members ranging from age 18 to 47. Before going in an fMRI scanner, participants were asked to name and rank five people whom they are closest to and five acquaintances. During the scan, participants were asked to make trait judgements about themselves, the people they are closest to and the acquaintances that they had just named, and five celebrities. Participants were asked to rate how much a trait described a person (such as if the person is friendly) on a scale from 1 to 4 (from not at all to very much). The results showed how the brain seemed to cluster representations of people into three different cliques: 1) oneself, 2) one’s own social network, and 3) well-known people, like celebrities. The closer participants felt to someone, the more similarly their brain represented them throughout the social brain, including in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), the region associated with the concept of self. Lonelier people showed less neural similarity between themselves and others in the MPFC, and the demarcations between the three cliques was blurrier in their neural activity. In other words, the lonelier people are, the less similar their brain looks when they think about themselves and others. Meyer added, “It’s almost as if you have a specific constellation of neural activity that is activated when you think about yourself. And when you think about your friends, much of the same constellation is recruited. If you are lonely though, you activate a fairly, different constellation when you think about others than when you think about yourself. It’s as though your brain’s representation of yourself is more disconnected from other people, which is consistent with how lonely people say they feel.” The findings illustrate how loneliness seems to be associated with distortions in the neural mapping of social connections with others. To read the original article click here.

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Happiness Might Protect You From Gastrointestinal Distress

AHA Publisher — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 07:00:02 +0000

UT Southwestern Medical Center via Newswise – Serotonin, a chemical known for its role in producing feelings of well-being and happiness in the brain, can reduce the ability of some intestinal pathogens to cause deadly infections, new research by UT Southwestern scientists suggests. The findings, publishing online today in Cell Host & Microbe, could offer a new way to fight infections for which few truly effective treatments currently exist. Although the vast majority of research on serotonin has centered on its effects in the brain, about 90 percent of this neurotransmitter – a chemical that nerve cells use to communicate with each other – is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, explains study leader Vanessa Sperandio, Ph.D., a professor of microbiology and biochemistry at UT Southwestern Medical Center. In humans, trillions of bacteria live within this space. Most of these gut bacteria are beneficial, but pathogenic bacteria can also colonize the gastrointestinal tract, causing serious and potentially fatal infections. Because gut bacteria are significantly affected by their environment, Sperandio, along with UTSW doctoral student Aman Kumar, laboratory manager Regan Russell, and their colleagues, wondered whether the serotonin produced in the gut can affect the virulence of pathogenic bacteria that infect the gastrointestinal tract. The researchers worked with Escherichia coli O157, a species of bacteria that causes periodic outbreaks of often deadly foodborne infection. The team grew these pathogenic bacteria in petri dishes in the lab, then exposed them to serotonin. Gene expression tests showed that serotonin significantly reduced the expression of a group of genes that these bacteria use to cause infections. Additional experiments using human cells showed that the bacteria could no longer cause infection-associated lesions on the cells if these bacteria were exposed to serotonin. Next, the researchers examined how serotonin affected virulence in living hosts. Using mice, the researchers studied how serotonin might change the ability for Citrobacter rodentium – a mouse gut bacterium often used as an analog for E. coli in humans – to infect and sicken their hosts. These mice were genetically modified to either over- or underproduce serotonin in their gastrointestinal tracts. Those that overproduced this neurotransmitter were less likely to become colonized by C. rodentium after being exposed to this bacterium or had relatively minor courses of illness. Treating mice with fluoxetine (sold under the brand name Prozac) to increase serotonin levels prevented them from getting sick from C. rodentium exposure. However, the mice that underproduced serotonin became much sicker after bacterial exposure, often dying from their illness. Further experiments identified the receptor for serotonin on the surfaces of both E. coli and C. rodentium, a protein known as CpxA. Because many species of gut bacteria also have CpxA, it’s possible that serotonin could have wide-ranging effects on gut bacterial health, Sperandio says. In the future, she adds, she and her colleagues plan to study the feasibility of manipulating serotonin levels as a way of fighting bacterial infections in the gastrointestinal tract. Currently, few available antibiotics can effectively fight E. coli O157 – some antibiotics actually worsen the consequences of infection, causing the bacteria to release more damaging toxins. “Treating bacterial infections, especially in the gut, can be very difficult,” Sperandio says. “If we could repurpose Prozac or other drugs in the same class, it could give us a new weapon to fight these challenging infections.” To read the original article click here.

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Mind-Body Medicine Experts Urge Full Integration of Stress Reduction into Care and Research

AHA Publisher — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 07:00:37 +0000

University of California – Davis Health via EurekAlert – The need is especially important now, when COVID-19 fears are high. In a perspective published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from the Benson-Henry Institute (BHI) for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and from UC Davis Health call for broader use of mind-body practices. In a time when meditation, yoga and mindfulness increase in popularity for general well-being, the piece emphasizes the necessity of fully integrating these stress-reduction practices into patient treatment plans and medical research. Stress exacerbates anxiety and depression and plays a role in conditions such as cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches and chronic pain, according to lead author Michelle Dossett of UC Davis Health. “By reducing the body’s stress response, mind-body practices can be a powerful adjunct in medicine by helping to decrease patients’ symptoms and improving their quality of life,” said Dossett, who was a physician and researcher with BHI when the perspective was written. Dossett also noted that mind-body practices can be helpful in reducing stress related to the COVID-19 epidemic. Despite its recent rise in popularity among the general public, mind-body medicine isn’t new. Researchers at BHI have been integrating the field of mind-body medicine into MGH’s clinical care, research and training programs since 2006. Early research on the advantages of such techniques dates back 40+ years, when the institute’s founder and perspective senior author, Herbert Benson, became one of the first Western physicians to bring spirituality and healing into medicine and is most famously known for his work with the Relaxation Response. “The Relaxation Response,” Benson has stated, “is an inborn, anti-stress capacity that transcends the differences that separate mind from body, science from spirituality and one culture from another.” At BHI, mind-body medicine is widely recognized as the third leg of a three-legged stool: the first leg is surgery, the second is pharmaceuticals and the third is self-care, in which patients learn techniques to improve their own health through mind-body medicine, nutrition and exercise. “Western medicine has produced revolutionary health benefits through advances in pharmacotherapies and procedures,” the researchers wrote in the perspective. “It now faces enormous challenges in battling stress-related noncommunicable diseases. …Chronic pain, often perpetuated by psychosocial stress, has become an epidemic that our pharmaceutical arsenal is poorly equipped to handle and medical costs continue to soar. Mind-body therapies can be a helpful adjunct in managing chronic pain and other stress-related noncommunicable diseases by fostering resilience through self-care.” The article also addresses skeptical patients’ preconceived notions of mind-body medicine as well as the anticipated barriers of service coverage and clinician education on the appropriate use of these tools. These challenges further reinforce the need for continued research and investment into the development and implementation of personalized practices to maximize their public health potential. To read the original article click here.

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How to Be Happy: 15 Life-Changing Steps

AHA Publisher — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 08:00:54 +0000

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DMN, CNS – Who doesn’t want to be happy? Aside from just feeling better on a daily basis, there is even scientific research to show us that being happy has concrete health and life benefits. As researchers point out, Positive emotions contribute to important downstream life outcomes, including friendship development, marital satisfaction, higher incomes and better physical health. People who experience frequent positive emotions have even been shown to live longer. Indeed, a recent meta-analysis of nearly 300 findings concluded that positive emotions produce success and health as much as they reflect these good outcomes. How can you be very happy? This is as much a matter of science as it is an art. Your mind is made to experience life from a place of joy and contentment. In fact, positive words and thoughts actually activate brain cells and reverse the signs and mental strain of depression. On the outside, when you see happy people, it just seems to be easy, like it’s a personality trait. But in reality, they are always choosing happiness. Choosing to see the good, letting go of what they cannot control, and allowing peace to live in their life. If you follow the 15 steps described below, there’s a good chance you can learn how to be a happier person. How to Be Happy? Happiness in its truest meaning is contentment. And contentment doesn’t start as a feeling, but as a choice to look at all that you have and all that is good in your life, and experience those good things more than you dwell on the bad. You might assume that happiness is something that some people feel based on their current circumstances — like their occupation, family, and health for example. But the more we learn about what results in happiness, the more we see that feeling happy actually requires effort and is much like a skill; with that effort, happiness is likely achievable for anyone. As science tells us, “happy people become more satisfied not simply because they feel better, but because they develop resources for living well.” • Happiness is an attitude and a choice, way more than we would like to believe. • It’s a byproduct of both releasing yourself and others from the burdens of life and choosing to live out of what you can control, rather than harping on the things you cannot. • The cool thing about happiness is that it is cumulative, meaning small feelings of daily joy can lead to significant improvements in your mood. • Happiness usually works in a cyclical pattern, with feelings of being happy leading to even more happiness. As researchers explain, “Positive emotions contribute to judgments of life satisfaction, well-being, and happiness in daily life and they are proposed to trigger upward spirals toward improved emotional well-being and happiness.” 15 Life-Changing Steps So how do you find happiness? The best habits happen in small manageable steps. Want to drink more water? Then start by adding just an extra half a glass or a full glass per day. Then add to it another half a glass the next week. Little by little you build the habit until it feels like a comfortable part of your life. Happiness works the same way! Maybe this week, you try to just decrease how much you complain, then next week, try practicing gratitude. To start your own “upward spiral” of happiness, here are 15 steps to take: 1. Choose to Be Grateful It may seem cheesy, but gratitude is a part of being happy that you have complete control over. It is so easy to complain about all the little things out of your control that frustrate you, especially if you work around a job with other people complaining about the same things. Instead, focus on the things you can control. Start with your own thoughts! Try spending five minutes every morning saying or writing down everything you are grateful for. Or, as part of healing prayer, regularly thank God for everything you have. Just fostering gratitude opens up places of joy for all that you have walked through and all the blessings that you have. This practice also helps bring attention to the things you are thankful for in your life that are going well. It’s easy to focus on the negatives sometimes; even research supports that “like any emotional state, feelings of joy, gratitude, interest, and contentment typically last only a matter of minutes…moreover, positive emotions are less intense and less attention-grabbing than negative emotions and are more quickly to diffuse.” Being swept up in financial worries, a struggling relationship or a health concern is far too common, but when we make a point to reflect on what we do have, we reap the many mood-lifting benefits of gratefulness. Studies have shown that by practicing forming “gratitude lists,” we can actually noticeably alleviate worry and boost our mood. Aim to do gratefulness practice every day if you can, either in the morning or before bed. Finding the “extraordinary in the ordinary” can lead to some serious positive changes in your life. According to one study, Gratitude is an important human strengths that contributes to subjective happiness. Grateful individuals are especially appreciative of the contribution of others to their happiness… Results imply reciprocal relationships among gratitude, subjective happiness, and good social relationships. Consequently, compared with unhappy people, happy people report close and satisfying relationships and feel more gratitude in their lives. 2. Choose to Forgive We know from studies that a major cause of depression stems from a lack of forgiving others. When we hold resentment or anger against someone that we haven’t yet forgiven, we are stuck in the past. One of the key traits that leads to happiness is living in the present moment as much as possible, instead of harping on uncontrollable events that have already taken place. If forgiveness is holding you back from experiencing joy here and now, then it’s time to release the anger you’re holding. Ask yourself, is there anyone that I haven’t forgiven? Even yourself? Sometimes, even if we have forgiven someone in our mind, it takes a few times of practice to really forgive them in our hearts. Forgiveness isn’t just forgetting, but actually releasing them from a debt that they may truly owe us. As the saying goes, refusing to forgive is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Is any grudge worth damaging your own life and happiness? Who is it that you need to forgive and let go of, so that you can move on and live your life to the fullest? Keep in mind that forgiveness is an act of kindness and compassion. Kindness towards others takes us out of our own mind and away from our own worries, plus it’s also contagious and usually leads to even more kindness. If you tend to be shy, often keep to yourself, or don’t know where you could potentially be of service, start small and keep in mind that every kind act and positive intention counts. 3. Use Positive Words Want to know how to be happy when you’re alone? If you want to learn how to be happy with yourself, start by focusing on your self-talk. Whether you are talking to yourself or others, the words you say and think have power. As it says in the Bible, “The power of life and death is in the tongue…” – (Proverbs 18:21) Neuroscientist Andrew Newberg, M.D., has been doing studies that actually prove this is true – that positivity through words can literally change your brain. He studied the brain and the effects of the spoken word or thoughts and found that even a single negative word increases activity in the amygdala, or the fear center of our brain. The body begins to release stress hormones and neurotransmitters that interrupt your brain’s normal activity. Angry words shut down the functioning ability of the frontal lobe which moderates logic and reasoning centers. Prolonged exposure to negative people or your own negative words, really can affect your ability to experience and expect joy and happiness. Research shows that speaking positive words, or even holding a positive word (like love, peace, joy, etc.) in your mind activates the frontal lobe and the motor cortex, which can move you into action and create an “upward spiral.” 4. Encourage Others Happiness is said to be contagious, as we can lift others up by demonstrating what joy is all about. Practice recognizing the best qualities that others around you have to offer, instead of focusing on their flaws. Show appreciation and respect for the good things that your family, coworkers, and friends do for you each and every day, and ultimately encourage them to seek out happiness for themselves. While it seems that encouraging others is a selfless act, being motivating and kind to those around you actually has benefits for your own happiness too. As studies suggest, “happiness is increased simply by counting one’s own acts of kindness.” Therefore, paying someone a compliment, giving them a confidence boost and recognizing their accomplishments can make your day, in addition to theirs! “A strong correlation exists between the well-being, happiness, health, and longevity of people who are emotionally and behaviorally compassionate”, states a study entitled “Altruism, happiness, and health: it’s good to be good.” 5. Be Intentional with Your Time Pay attention to how you currently spend your time each day. Start by making a list of what you do when you’ve got some free time: reading, watching TV, reaching out to family, working, exercising, etc. Write these activities down and estimate how many hours you are putting effort towards these things daily. Now write down a list of the top five things that are most important to you. How do your two lists compare? What are you spending time focusing on that isn’t serving your higher purpose, priorities, and goals? The most successful people in the world learn how to let their schedule reflect their truest priorities. If you can switch out 30 minutes of TV watching each day with 30 minutes of “you” time — maybe by taking a relaxing walk in nature (especially if you live in a city), cooking a new recipe, reading an inspirational book or trying energy healing — imagine how different your week would wind up feeling? Rewrite your schedule so that your day looks proportional to your values. Practicing time management in this way, by eliminating wasteful activities and blocking off dedicated time for the things that make you happiest, is a great way to feel more joy each and every day. “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” ― Michael Altshuler 6. Make a “Bucket List” Make a list of all of the things you’ve always wanted to do, but have been putting off for one reason for another. Interested in paddle boarding? Always wanted to try snorkeling? Prioritize the things that bring you joy and make a point to do the activities that are novel to you and would help bring you feelings of excitement and happiness, even if they seem small and trivial. When we write down our goals it makes them real. So write down your goals for the things you want to do and write down tangible steps you want to take each week, month or quarter to make this “bucket list” items a reality. As research points out, small feelings of joy add up and create a bigger sense of happiness, so don’t neglect the little things that bring a sense of accomplishment and a smile to your face. Take a risk, meet some new interesting people, and throw a bit of caution-to-the-wind if you need to. As studies tell us, “very happy people are more extroverted, more agreeable, and less neurotic.” “It’s not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes us happy.” — Charles Spurgeon 7. Examine Your...

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