Happy & Healthy U: The Monthly Message

HAPPIER and HEALTHIER HOLIDAYS Focus on the Meaning of the Holidays ·          Celebrate the spiritual meaning                          ·          Observe your faith traditions ·          Attend holiday concerts, plays and cultural events Change Stressful Traditions ·          Share meals and fun activities with loved ones and friends ·          Be creative in developing new, manageable ways to celebrate (gifts, decorating, entertaining, worship, foods, etc.) ·          Make celebrations special and meaningful to you and family Redefine and Manage Gift Giving ·          Spend within your means; refrain from using credit ·          Give gifts of skills and talents ·          Give of yourself by volunteering or visiting someone, lonely or ill Take Care of Yourself ·          Maintain a healthy dietary exercise and rest regimen ·          Avoid excess drinking ·          Take breaks and get down time ·          If down or depressed, reach out

REL A X, RES T ORE A ND RE-CH A RG E: Reducing Stress and Increasing Well-Being   Stress is a part of life. When we experience prolonged, negative stress, we risk suff ering physical illness and emotional distress. We ma y not be able to eliminate all forms of stress. However , we c an better manage it and reduce its harmful impact by changing attitudes and behaviors. Engaging in relaxation and self-care is a powerful way to increase our well-being. Below, are effective stres s reduction techniques across various domains.    Commit to relax,restore and recharge by adding a practice from each of the following domains.   S p i r i t u a l R e l a x a t i o n :   Praying   Meditating and Practicing Mindfulness   Reading or listening to inspirational and motivational messages   Sitting Still and Reflecting or Listening to Oneself   P h y s i c a l R e l a x a t i o n :   Deep Breathing   Exercising (all forms, including walking, dancing, stretching, work

Happiness is an emotional state. characterized by a preponderance of positive emotions, as opposed to negative feelings. Definitions of happiness encompass  concepts such as contentment, satisfaction, joy, peace and excitement.  When we are happy, we feel good, experience an overall sense of well-being and are likely to strive for and achieve success.  Therefore, happiness has significant benefits and enhance the quality of our lives. Here are ways to achieve happiness: Nurture Your Total Self, Across All Dimensions Take good care of your spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual and social needs. Make Quiet Time for Yourself Engage in self-reflection and listen to your inner voice. Have Fun Laugh; Enjoy simple pleasures; Explore your interests. Set Healthy Boundaries and Limits Say, "No", to unreasonable demands; Refrain from overburdening yourself. Live in the Present Accept that you cannot change the past or predict the future. Set and Strive Toward R

  Recognize that Work is What You Do, Not Who You Are We live in a society that places a high premium on a strong work ethic. For many, work is a significant and healthy source of a feeling of accomplishment and purpose. Unfortunately, too many persons struggle with striking a healthy balance between work and a personal life.  This results in stress and burnout,  that research shows has negative impact on our health, our happiness and our relationships, including those with our children. Therefore, it is important to recognize when work is consuming us; to understand the reasons we may work excessively; and to engage in behaviors that enable us to achieve a healthy work-life balance. You may be a "workaholic" with difficulty achieving healthy work - life balance if you: Define your personal identity and sense of self-worth by your work Have difficulty making time for healthy self-care, such as Exercising Eating in a nutritious manner Frequently feel fatigued w

Do Work That You Love and Love the Work You Do   How to Follow Your Career Passion When we do work we love and love the work we do, we feel: Stimulated Motivated Excited Fulfilled Valuable Confident Purposeful Authentic Joy Inner Peace Accomplished Discover your career passion. Here are some helpful ways: Recognize what appeals to you in terms of interest and curiosity Notice the topics you enjoy talking about, learning about, and exploring Identify your talents, abilities and those skills that come easy to you Pay attention to what you gravitate toward in your free time Notice those things that feel effortless and easy Recall what you wondered or dreamed about as a child Recognize what feels like a good fit See what generates excitement  Nurture and pursue your career passion Eliminate your fear of failure by exploring what you enjoy Allow yourself to be creative to determine ways to earn income pursuing your passion Shut out discouraging and ne

Turn Off and Tune In:  How to Get In Touch With Yourself Many of us struggle with balancing the demands in our lives.  A particular challenge is that of work / life balance. Our high tech age often leads us to constantly feel "on" and to feel the pressure of having to respond immediately.  Due to the ease of electronic communications, we can easily experience overload and therefore the ravages of stress.   Americans are generally hard workers and work a great deal. We tend to glorify multi-tasking and often take pride in feeling as though we are successfully handling several things at a time.  This sometimes leads to overloading ourselves, which results in experiencing undue stress and feeling overwhelmed.  When this happens, we pay a cost with our mental and physical well being. The impact of excessive and negative stress on our physical health is well known.  To name a few, stress leads to muscle tension, increased blood pressure, decreased immune functioning and ab

Preventing and Managing Depression: Increasing Happiness By Diane Kern, Ph.D. Strategies Linked to Prevention of Depression             Proper Nutrition:   A balanced and healthy diet                 Regular Exercise                Regular Sleep Schedule and Adequate Rest                Reduction and Elimination of Unnecessary Stress                  Social Support: Interaction with Family and Friends                  Having Fun and Participating in Pleasurable Activities to Boost Your Mood              Self-Soothing Practices: Nurturing Your Senses and Experiencing Well Being Ways to Lessen Negative Impact of Depression Include              Early Intervention and Treatment can help keep early stage symptoms from worsening              Long-term treatment and maintenance can help prevent relapses Strategies Related to Happiness, Satisfaction and Well-Being:   Psychology Today, Aug., 2013                Engagement in Enjoyable Activities, Acc