SO Always remember acomplete understanding of the treatment that you feel is right for you. . . will bring confidence and happiness!!! Depression, Anxiety and Panic Attacks are NOT signs of weakness, they are signs of trying to remain strong for far too long. Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. Neither is talking about it. WE, as a society, need to talk about it more!
Learn to fill your life with joy for better health and well-being. Start by incorporating more humor and laughter in your daily life. Eventually, you’ll want to incorporate more joy into the fabric of your life, finding it naturally in everything you do.Find out more helpful ways on how to add happiness to your life by reading Dr. Cynthia Thaik’s full article “A Joyful Life Supports Good Health,” on Huffington Post.
For more by Dr. Cynthia Thaik on her website, click here (link is external).
Her new book, Your Vibrant Heart, includes many more insights about how to nurture and care for your heart on both a physical and emotional level. I encourage you to order your copy today at https://www.amazon.com/Your-Vibrant-Heart-Restoring-Strength/dp/0989104125
The pursuit of it was written into the Declaration of Independence,
but finding the causes and effects of that elusive “it” – happiness – has been notoriously difficult.
Whatever brings you happiness, be it large breasts, lots of money, respect from your peers, a large bar of chocolate or even semen, it’s hardly controversial to say that happy people are generally healthier than unhappy ones. That conclusion might be intuitively obvious, but just why are happy people healthier?
That’s what researchers at University College London’s Department of Epidemiology and Public Health are interested in. They have found that the functioning of certain key biological processes is improved by happiness.
“Psychosocial factors are vital to health,” said Michael Marmot, professor of epidemiology and public health at the university and director of the International Centre for Health and Society. “In people who have their basic needs met – clean water, sufficient food and shelter – a crucial determinant of health is how circumstances affect the mind. That is, psychosocial factors.”
Other studies have shown a connection between happiness and longevity. In 2001, Deborah Danner, at the University of Kentucky’s Center for Gerontology, analyzed the handwritten autobiographies of 180 nuns of mean age 22, and also compared the positive emotional content of the writings with the nuns’ health six decades later. It turns out that sisters who used words like “joy” and “thankful” lived up to 10 years longer than did those who expressed negative emotions.
Marmot and colleagues, including health psychologist Andrew Steptoe, wanted to know what causes these differences. What is the mechanism that helps happy people live longer?
We’ve all experienced downward spirals, in which dark emotions lead to destructive behavior that damages our health, strains our relationships, and leaves us feeling even worse than when we started. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was an uplifting equivalent to that destructive chain of events?
Newly published research suggests there is. What’s more, this delightful dynamic helps explain the well-documented link between joy, appreciation, and good health.
“Positive emotion, positive social connections, and physical health influence one another in a self-sustaining, upward-spiral dynamic,” concludes a research team led by psychologist Bethany Kok of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive & Brain Sciences. It found upbeat emotions inspired by a meditative practice led to greater feelings of connectedness with others, which positively impacted “a biological resource that has been linked to numerous health benefits.”
In the journal Psychological Science, Kok and her colleagues describe a nine-week experiment featuring 65 participants, all faculty or staff members at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Two-thirds of the participants were women; their median age was 37.5.
The researchers began by analyzing each participant’s heartbeat data to obtain a baseline measurement of vagal tone. That allowed them to discern the level of activity in a key part of the nervous system—one that regulates the internal organs and reacts to emotional stress.
For the next 61 days, they filled out a daily report, reporting how strongly they had been feeling 20 different emotions, ranging from love and serenity to contempt and disgust. In addition, they rated “the three social interactions in which they had spent the most time that day,” assessing the degree to which they felt close to, or “in tune with,” the people they were dealing with.
During this period, 1/2 the participants attended 6 weekly sessions on loving-kindness meditation, which focuses on developing “feelings of love, compassion, and goodwill toward oneself and others,” the researchers note.
During these sessions, they were encouraged to meditate regularly and were shown how meditation can be used to deal with everyday stresses.
Finally, at the end of the nine weeks, each participant’s vagal tone was measured again. Those readings, along with their daily self-reports, provided evidence for the aforementioned upward spiral.
“Participants who reported greater increases in positive emotions over the course of the study, who were mostly the ones assigned to the loving-kindness meditation group, also exhibited greater increases in social connections, which were in turn associated with larger increases in vagal tone,” the researchers report.
In other words, being in a positive emotional state led to at least the perception of stronger bonds with the people they dealt with, and this positively impacted bodily function, as measured by vagal tone. This provides further evidence that humans truly are social animals; the ease of our interactions with others has a measurable effect on our bodies.
So, in addition to “physical activity, improved nutritional intake, and reductions in tobacco and alcohol use,” this research reveals another technique we can use to improve or sustain our health: meditation, or any other mood-enhancing activity that will boost our sense of connectedness. “Recurrent momentary experiences of positive emotions,” Kok and her colleagues conclude, “appear to serve as nutrients for the human body.”
I am a strong believer in the power of comedy. I believe that making someone else laugh or smile is what life should be all about.
Now you may think that a laugh or a smile is just a laugh or just a smile, but I believe that there is so much more to “just a laugh” or “just a smile.”
I believe that making someone else feel good by laughing or smiling not only makes themselves feel good, but it makes me feel good as well. The feeling of sharing a joke and having all of the people laughing around you is like seeing that light at the end of the tunnel for the very first time. Everything that you may be feeling prior to telling that amazing joke to the people you love just disappears.
You are left with a feeling of relief, satisfaction, pride, and of course, happiness.
Your reaction to that light at the end of the tunnel passes on the people around you as they are laughing their asses off because they believe that you are hilarious. The feeling of happiness that is felt because of the power that comedy possesses can cure just about anything.
For example, you may accidentally fall down one day and get a little boo-boo on your knee. Instead of crying about it and bringing yourself and the people around you sorrow, you can laugh about it and bring yourself and the people around you happiness as you guys laugh about how clumsy you are.
You may also forget that there is a test on Monday morning and you didn’t study for it. Instead of freaking out about it, you can laugh about it and then fill in “C” for all of the multiple choice questions, and write “Jesus” for all of the open ended questions. Then you can just pray to the Comedic Gods as you keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best.
Or, you are looking for a last minute birthday gift for your friend’s birthday that’s tomorrow. Instead of procrastinating and giving your friend something crappy, you can laugh about it by giving them something from the heart.
The power of comedy opens up all of your positive emotions and memories about the people that you love. So laughing about not buying your friend a birthday gift earlier will help you think about all of the good times that you guys have cherished together. Then you can give your friend a cute gift based off of all of those memories that you guys have shared thus far.
However, even though the power of comedy can most certainly cure some things, unfortunately, the power of comedy cannot cure everything. For example, I tend to laugh whenever I am feeling really nervous, anxious, or uncomfortable; as I’ve explained before, laughing and smiling gives me the most incredible feeling in the world and I strive to look for happiness in life because I ultimately want to live a long, healthy, and happy life.
So one day, my college had an event for the victims who have died in the Holocaust.
Obviously, this event was not the time to laugh or smile. But since I can’t help but laugh whenever I am feeling nervous, anxious, or in this case uncomfortable, I was laughing to myself to make myself feel better when one of the survivors was talking to the students.
This event was just way too emotional for anyone to handle since the Holocaust was such a traumatic event that will hopefully never, ever happen again because absolutely no one deserves to have witnessed all of the pain, torture, and suffering that these survivors have witnessed with their own eyes.
Nothing can cure absolutely everything in this messed up world, but happiness can easily make all of those negative feelings that you’ve been having on your bad day disappear. That is why I cherish those moments whenever myself, my friends, or one of my family members makes me laugh or smile. Because happiness is the best medicine and the best kind of people in this world are the kind who have a good sense of humor.
But what if we told you that just anticipating laughter does the trick too? Researchers have found that the anticipation of a positive humorous laughter experience reduces potentially detrimental stress hormones.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r
I repeat Lee Berk, DrPH, and his team at Loma Linda University found that the anticipation of “mirthful laughter” positively affected two hormones: beta-endorphins, which alleviate depression, and human growth hormone, which helps with immunity. The results were significant, increasing the hormone levels from 27 to 87 percent.
In the latest research, the good news continues: The same anticipation of laughter significantly reduced the levels of three stress hormones — cortisol (“the stress hormone”), epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and dopac (which helps produce epinephrine). Based on the findings, it’s clear that a great way to reduce stress is to seek out experiences that might make you laugh, even if you don’t actually giggle.
Renowned physicians have scientifically documented that smiling, literally using our facial muscles to put on a happy face, triggers specific brain neurotransmitters to shift the balance of the brain’s feel-good chemicals to overcome unhappiness. “And, that’s just with smiling”. Imagine what’s happening when people are rolling around laughing and saying “I feel great!” They’ve just hit a whole other level of fantastic well-being!
No-one can ever overdose on Happiness!
Fact…
When you’re happy you are alive and buzzing with “happiness juices,” they are the very real chemicals in your body and brain that are the foundation of positive experiences. That’s what energizes and compels people to see a more positive side of life when they are surrounded by so many negative energies.
Getting energized is quite literally, addictive…
There are no drugs more powerful than the natural happiness enhancing ones that are available in your brain right now.
We all have:
- Endorphins, the brain’s painkiller that is 3 times stronger than morphine. many poor people may need that to kick out all the negative thoughts and sometimes nightmarish predictions in their heads. Essential for people living in difficult circumstances, wouldn’t you say?
- Serotonin, which naturally calms anxiety. It’s also very beneficial for people who are constantly struggling to survive, don’t you think?
- Oxytocin, a bonding chemical which is often called the “happy hormone.” It’s elevated when people are really connected, totally present. What human being doesn’t value that?
- Dopamine, which promotes alertness and a feeling of enjoyment, and also propels us to continually learn and grow. Always present with the people that receive the Gift of Happiness from us.
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Umi says: “– “The power of music is that music is more beautiful if it is played for someone rather than yourself.” In a mix of talk and performance, Umi showcases skillfully and beautifully a little part of her immense talent.
Hailed by The Huffington Post as “a budding musical genius,” 13-year-old American pianist Umi Garrett is gaining acclaim from all over the world for her exquisite musicality, emotional and mature sound, flawless technique and virtuosity, and gracious stage presence filled with poise and charm.
Of her performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Winnipeg Symphony, the Winnipeg Free Press wrote “In addition to displaying bravura technique, the young soloist also possesses an extraordinary musicality.” Umi’s performance with the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra was praised by the Crescenta Valley Weekly: “Garrett is the real thing.”
A winner of the First Prize at the 13th Osaka International Music Competition in Japan, the Chopin International Competition Chopin Plus in Budapest, Hungary, and the Grand Prix award at the Chopin International Competition in Hartford, Connecticut, Umi was recently granted a prestigious title of the Young Steinway Artist. Umi is studying piano with Professor John Perry and Mrs. Mina Perry https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Dr. Michael B. Schachter is a magna cum laude graduate of Columbia College, and also received his M.D. degree from Columbia’s Physicians & Surgeons in 1965. Being originally trained and Board Certified in Psychiatry, Dr. Schachter devoted most of his professional career to treating patients, using a complementary and alternative or integrative approach. He is also a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS), and has achieved Advanced Proficiency in Chelation Therapy from the American College for Advancement in Medicine — ACAM.
Back in 1974, Dr. Schachter, along with a partner, established one of the first nutritionally oriented orthomolecular, integrative, complementary and holistic practices in the tri-state area, in Nyack, NY. In 1991, the practice was moved to Suffern, NY and became known as the Schachter Center for Complementary Medicine.
Active in a number of professional organizations, Dr. Schachter was past president of the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) and has been on the ACAM Board of Trustees or an Advisor to the Board since the 1970’s. He is also a past president of the former Foundation for the Advancement of Innovative Medicine (FAIM) and has been included in several publications of Marquis Who’s Who.
As a recognized leader in orthomolecular psychiatry, nutritional medicine, chelation therapy for cardiovascular disease, and alternative cancer therapies, he is frequently called upon to lecture at conferences and workshops on cardiovascular disease, cancer, and psychiatric conditions.
Co-author of The Food Connection (1979) and Food, Mind and Mood (1980, 1987) and author of The Natural Way to a Healthy Prostate (Keats, 1995), Dr. Schachter was a major contributor to Alternative Medicine’s Definitive Guide to Cancer (Future Medicine, 1997). His latest book is What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Depression (Warner, 2006).
Several years ago, he wrote the introduction to the book, The Cancer Survivors, by Judith Glassman and his methods and views are discussed in Nancy Bruning’s book, Coping with Chemotherapy. A major review paper entitled Integrative Oncology for Clinicians and Cancer Patients was published in the Journal of the International Society of Integrative Medicine in July 2010.
Aside from his appearances as a lecturer, Dr. Schachter is often a guest on radio and television, speaking about health and related topics.
