Chemist Warehouse catalogue - 1 Feb - 28 Feb 2023 - NO LONGER VALID - page 6 *

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8 wellbeing joy Positive changes don’t need to be prescriptive. These tips will get you off to a great start. W 3 4 e all know that eating well, ditching screens, moving more and practising mindfulness can have positive effects on our overall sense of satisfaction. But did you know that laughter, childlike curiosity and putting others first can be equally good for your health? Read on for more unexpected ways to boost your happiness in 2023. 1 Go the extra smile According to Wellington-based psychologist and life coach Dr Pamela Stoodley, every time you smile you trigger a range of facial muscles, which tricks your brain into thinking you’re happy. In her book Cracking the Happiness Code, she explains, “When your muscles say you’re happy, you’ll more than likely see the world around you in a positive way. This in turn will initiate feelings of happiness.” Tip: You can put on a smile anywhere, such as in the shower or when you’re getting ready for the day. Also, before you leave home, have that one last look in the mirror and smile – consciously. And if you have a few extra seconds to spare, tell yourself: “It’s a great day to be alive!” 2 Discover awe Engage in activities filled with wonder. Pamela suggests that if you’re an avid reader, try to read books about wonder or watch movies about wonderful things. “Awe expands people’s perception of time,” she says. “Wonder alters decisionmaking and enhances wellbeing.” She cites a 2012 Stanford University and University of Minnesota study in which researchers carried out three experiments to determine the effects of wonderment. They found that people who experienced awe felt like they had the luxury of time, were more patient and described their level of satisfaction with life as “great”. 6 | THE HOUSE OF wellness Give up on perfection Although setting goals and challenging yourself have merit, striving for perfection is unrealistic. In the upcoming book The Good Life and How To Live It, Harvard psychiatry professor and Zen master Robert Waldinger and clinical psychologist Marc Schulz suggest that the key to happiness is to acknowledge that life is both joyful and challenging. “The good life unfolds, through time,” they say. “Life, even when it’s good, is not easy. There is simply no way to make life perfect, and if there were, then it wouldn’t be good.” Focus on relationships Elsewhere in their book, the Harvard academics express the idea that positive connections are essential to human wellbeing. “Living in the midst of warm relationships is protective of both mind and body,” they say. “Life is hard, and sometimes it comes at you in full attack mode. Connected relationships protect against the slings and arrows of life and of getting old.” The frequency and quality of our contact with other people are two major predictors of happiness. “Basic relationship needs are not complicated,” they add. “We need love, connection and a feeling of belonging.” 5 The 60-second rule In Japanese culture there is a notion that you can master anything if you give it your full attention for one minute a day. Masaaki Imai, a Japanese organisational theorist, developed the concept of Kaizen, also known as the one-minute principle, with kai representing change and Zen meaning wisdom. “If you want to incorporate a routine into your life, or make a change, you will need to do that particular task every day at the same time for one minute only,” says Pamela. “Sixty seconds sounds a lot more achievable than thirty minutes or one hour.” 6 7 8 Heat your body If you want to reduce stress, try adding intense heat to your wellness routine. At Auckland spa Hana, which means “to shine, radiate and glow” in te reo Māori, supporting positive mental health is one of the key benefits of their infrared saunas. “Our whole ethos is to encourage people to slow down and take time for themselves to replenish and restore,” says founder Sara Higgins. “Used regularly, infrared saunas can reduce cortisol and increase production of dopamine and serotonin, our natural antidepressants.” Up in smoke The notion that quitting smoking makes you grumpy has been debunked by researchers at Brown University. While it has long been known that going smoke-free is good for heart health, their 2010 study found that many people in the process of quitting smoking were happier than ever. Smokers thinking of quitting should be encouraged by the double benefit – both physical and mental – especially as researchers believe that giving up smoking actually relieves symptoms of depression and it’s a myth that smoking eases anxiety. Generosity rules “Sharing with others fills us with a sense of purpose,” says Pamela. This is backed up by a 2020 paper published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, which found that people who’d volunteered in the year before the pandemic were more satisfied with their lives and rated their overall health as better, compared with those who hadn’t. Research clearly shows that helping others benefits the person who helps. There is both a neural and a practical link between generosity and happiness – being generous is a way to prime your brain for good feelings, and those good feelings in turn make us more likely to help others in the future. Generosity is an upward spiral. W Words: Vanessa Marshall Photo: Getty Images Cracking the Happiness Code by Dr Pamela Stoodley published by Jane Publishing, The Good Life and How To Live It by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz published by Penguin Random House w d ay d s t o a fe i l t o yo u r

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