Humor, the present, a garden and some sleep
Cultivate your sense of humor – Try to have a good laugh here and there. Laughing actually increases blood-flow.
According to UK’s Independent, “Having 100-200 belly laughs a day would be the equivalent of a high-impact workout and burning off 500 calories.”
British researchers found that laughing can improve blood flow by more than 20 percent - much like doing aerobics. They add that laughter can help prevent heart disease and recommend 15 minutes of laughter a day.
Having a good sense of humor typically leads to more smiles, which makes you look more sincere and feel more sociable.Live in the present - This sage advice has been offered through the ages.
It’s very easy to get caught up in past mistakes or to obsess about what may happen in the future. Living in the present can provide clarity and inner peace.
Richard Alpert (a.k.a. Baba Ram Dass) helped educate the western world about this way of living in his 1971 book ‘Be Here Now.’
Deepak Chopra puts it nicely: “Keep your attention on what is here and now; look for the fullness in every moment. Accept what comes to you totally and completely so that you can appreciate it, learn from it, and then let it go. The present is as it should be.”
Start a garden – For those of us constantly battling with information overload, gardening is a wonderful way to reduce stress and improve your mood. You also get to see and enjoy the results.
It doesn’t have to be a major ordeal. A garden can be as small as an apartment balcony.
For those with outdoor space, the fresh air is good for your health and the sun is a terrific source of vitamin D.
In addition to reducing stress and anxiety, gardening is a form of exercise that stretches and strengthens the muscles.
Tanya Kime Wallace writes on Gomestic.com that gardening is also good for the creative spirit: “Gardening makes you smarter because when it concerns gardening, you have to use your creative side, therefore, you use mind and as they say the more you use the mind the smarter you will become because you are strengthening it which is also great as you get older because it reinforces your memory.”
And there’s the final payoff – you reap the reward of beautiful flowers, not to mention fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs that are fresher and healthier than the store-bought varieties.
Get some sleep – This may sound overly simple, but it’s incredibly important to being happy and maintaining a sense of well-being. Lack of sleep can make you irritable and hard to get along with.
Some health experts believe that if you need an alarm clock to wake you up, you’re not getting enough rest.
In a Suite101.com article, Lois Trader writes, “Cutting back by even one hour can make it tough to focus the next day and can slow your response time. Studies also find that when you lack sleep, you are more likely to make bad decisions and take more risks.”
Not getting a good night’s sleep poses severe health risks, such as heart disease and high blood pressure. Many traffic accidents are caused by people who didn’t get enough rest.
In short, don't try to cut corners when it comes to sleep.
The basic things in life are often the most important.
