Things We've Learned About Happiness

Here is some information found in a wonderful article on the Huffington Post:

The 8 Most Important Things We've Learned About Happiness http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/23/science-of-happiness_n_7154918.html

1.    We get happier as we get older.

Although we tend to focus on the downsides of aging, a robust body of research suggests we’ve got a lot to look forward to as we get older. Duke University researchers found that 70-year-olds tended to rate themselves as being happier than 30-year-olds.  Why?  Greater appreciations for life’s little triumphs and acceptance of life’s trials likely play a role, as well as lower stress levels.

“As we age, we have the opportunity to accept who we are, instead of focusing on who we feel we need to become.  We relax into being ourselves,” says psychoanalyst Ken Eisold.

2.    You can rewire your brain for happiness by focusing your attention on positive experiences and emotions, says neuropsychologist Rick Hanson.  When you linger on a positive experience, it becomes encoded in your neural chemistry.  “The longer the neurons fire, the more of them that fire, and the more intensely they fire, the more they’re going to wire that inner strength- that happiness, gratitude, feeling confident, feeling successful, feeling loved and lovable,” Hanson said.

3.    Happy mind, healthy body.  We know now that cultivating a positive state of mind isn’t just good for your mental health- it can also keep your body healthy and protect you from disease.

4.    Social connection is key.  “Over a given period, people who have strong ties to family, friends, or coworkers have a 50 percent greater chance of outliving those with fewer social connections,” says Dr. Sanjay Gupta.  “If our relationships can have such an effect on our overall health, why don’t we prioritize spending time with the people around us as much as we do exercising and eating right?”

5.   We can thrive in the face of life’s challenges.  The field of post-traumatic-growth, which investigates how people not only survive but come to thrive in the wake of adversity- is one of the most exciting in all of psychology right now, says Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania.

“I believe we need to move beyond positive emotions and incorporate trauma and anxiety, and investigate how these “negative” emotions can lead to greater personal growth and well-being” Kaufman said.

6.    We’re happier when we are helping others.  Being kind and helping others is an effective way to combat feelings of disconnection in our online world.  Volunteering makes people happier and boosts their longevity.

7.   Lasting happiness is born of purpose.  “Happiness cannot be persued; it must ensue,” wrote Holocaust survivor, Victor Frankl in his 1946 manifesto Man’s Search for Meaning.  “One must have a reason to be happy.”

In recent years, psychologists have demonstrated what Frankl long held to be true:  Happiness doesn’t just come from chasing pleasure or positive experiences.  As mounting research has demonstrated, sustainable happiness and good health comes from having a deep sense of purpose in life.

8.    Mindfullness is a gateway to happiness.  “You don’t have to be a yogi or a meditating monk to make yourself at least 10 percent happier through a mindfulness practice,” says ABC anchor Dan Harris.  Studies have shown that meditation boosts positive feelings and psychological well-being in addition to warding off stress, depression and anxiety.

It seems to me that SilverSneakers had already figured most of this out!  We help to keep our participants fit through "Fitness, Fun and Friends!"

Thank you, Rick Barlow, for sharing this article with Google+!

The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent SilverSneakers' positions, strategies or opionions.

Lonliness

"It is easy to think of the poverty far away and forget very quickly. Today a great disease is that feeling of terrible loneliness, the feeling of being unwanted, having forgotten what human joy is, what the human feeling is of being wanted or loved.  I think this is found in very well-to-do families also.

We may not have people hungry for a plate of rice or for a piece of bread in New York City, but there is a tremendous hunger and a tremendous feeling of unwantedness everywhere  And that is really a very great poverty."                                                                              ~Mother Teresa

When we think of doing good, we often think of material things or deeds that take a lot of time.  Sometimes the biggest things we do are the small things that tell someone they matter.   One of my favorite quotes says that we may not remember what a person did or said, but we will always remember how they made us feel.

A note, flower from you garden, a few homemade cookies, sharing something you found on sale or anything that tells someone that you took a minute to think about them can change someone's day or maybe even their life.

Do something today to relieve the loneliness of someone around you and  remember, it may even be a family member!

Drugs of Fifty Years Ago

The other day I was talking to an older gentleman, about my age, who had read that a meth lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county.  "Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?" he asked.

I replied, "I did have a drug problem when I was young:

I was drug to church on Sunday morning.

I was drug to weddings and funerals.   

I was drug to the woodshed when I was disrespectful to adults, told a lie, brought home a bad report card or didn't perform my best in everything that was asked of me.

I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profane four-letter word.

I was drug out to pull weeds in the garden and cockleburs out of the fields.

I was drug to the home of family, friends and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard or repair the clothesline or chop some firewood; and if my mom had found out that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say or think.  They are stronger than cocaine, crack or heroin and if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America and the rest of the world would be a better place."

Thank goodness for parents who drug (and drag) their children.  They are doing them and all of us a great favor!

I don't know who wrote "Drugs of Fifty Years Ago" but I thank them for sharing their wisdom!

Juggling Five Balls

"Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. And you're keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls...are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered."  ~James Patterson

What a profound observation! Seniors know how true this quote is!  We've lived long enough to see the consequences of putting work before family and friends.  We've known friends who've grown old before their time because they've spent too much time sitting on the couch.  We've seen how someone letting down their guard for just an instant can impact their integrity for a lifetime.  

Each day, let's ask ourselves:  "What will change because of the choices I make today?"  Will I be more connected to people I care about?  Will my health be better?  Will I be the kind of person other people can respect? 

Let's find our balance and go play ball!

Mother's Day Gift and Quote

It's always a challenge to find fun, inexpensive gifts for our groups for Mother's Day.  This year I made Pretzel Flowers.

I put two pretzel flowers in a small ziplock bag and the quote.  They turned out really pretty and were delicious!  

Here's how I made the flowers:

I used mini pretzels and Bright White Candy Melts by Wilton (found at Michael's in the cake decorating section).  I, also, used M&M's with the M side down.

You can use the small square pretzels, too.  Put pretzels on a cookie sheet and center one candy melt  on each pretzel.  I put them in a 200 degree oven for 2 minutes.  You don't want the melts too soft or they will drip down through the pretzel.  When they come out of the oven, have fun decorating them with the M&M's to look like flowers!  So fun!!

Rut Blockers

Stand with legs out and arms straight and held out overhead - like the letter X.  Hold the ball in the L hand.  The R hand sweeps over the head toward the upheld ball -oblique stretch. Repeat 8x's and repeat on other side.

Fall BBQ Social

We just had a really fun social at our Y!  We had picnic tables, trees, a barbecue grill, great friends , delicious food and beautiful weather!

I brought the hamburger patties and they brought everything else!  The Y staff helped with set-up, cooking, and paper goods.

I set-up some games to play while they were waiting for lunch to cook.  I had volunteers to run the games.  When a participant played a game they were given a mark on the back of their hand with a permanent marker.  When they had played three games and had three marks,  they went to another volunteer who let them chose an award. I chose candy as an award because it is close to Halloween. This is what the awards looked like:
               

Finished Awards

              

Cut, staple & tape on candy

                                         

To make the awards, I cut a 30 inch piece of ribbon (Yes!  30 inch so it would fit over their heads!)  Then I stapled the ribbon and taped on the candy.  Really easy and they liked them!!









One of the games we played was kicking a beach ball through a hula hoop.  Here's what it looked like:

I took the staples out of an inexpensive hula hoop and opened it up.  Then I needed a way to stake it so that it would stay upright.  My husband came up with the idea to tape a screwdriver to each end like this:

It worked great!  I used a beach ball so that it would not be too easy.  The beach ball can go too high if they are not careful!!  We gave them each 5 tries.  Most got the ball through 3 times.  Only one got it through 4 times!

They threw golf balls into a basket and moved a marked cup from the top of a stack of 50 cups to the bottom.  They had one minute to see if they could move all the cups and get it back on top.  One person moved 47 cups.  She was just 3 away from getting the marked cup back on top!!

We gave prizes to the winners of each game.  A local pumpkin farm had donated some pumpkins to the Y and these made great prizes!

We also had a singing contest to see who could sing Glow Little Glow Worm the best.  I had given them the words a few weeks before the barbecue.  We had fun!!

Kindness Quotes

I've been thinking about kindness this week.  Kindness is a gift we can all give each other, no matter how rich or poor we are.  Kindness spreads to those around us as surely as a wildfire spreads during a drought.  Let's make the world a better place and spread some kindness among our groups!

"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone...
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others."  ~Sam Levenson 

"I want to be the kind of person that kind people like and want to be like."  ~Jarod Kintz

"When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people."  ~Abraham Joshua Heschel

"The everyday kindness of the back roads more than makes up for the acts of greed in the headlines." ~Charles Kuralt