Finding Meaning In Life Can Improve Your Happiness

"Do what makes you happy."

 

If you've ever felt unsatisfied with a job or any other personal or professional situation, you've probably heard that advice to death. However, this advice is not helpful, and it's also misguided. 

 

In today's world, the pursuit of happiness is a deeply ingrained concept. We're taught to expect our lives to be fairly happy, and we're encouraged to do whatever it takes to achieve that.

 

But, as everything else in life, happiness isn't so simple.

 

What is happiness?

 

First of all, happiness refers to what you can get from others and your environment. In other words, you're happy when your material and emotional needs are fulfilled.

 

Take Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Outdated or not, it gives us an idea of what people need to be happy and the importance of each of those areas in our lives - from basic biological needs like food and shelter to more elevated needs like self-development and creativity.

 

However, fulfilling our needs doesn't always make us happy. And in many cases, that comes in direct conflict with the happiness we seek.

 

For example, a job that covers our basic needs for food, shelter, and security could be getting in the way of your need for creativity, flexibility, and freedom.

 

On top of that, we tend to think of happiness as static, as something you either have or don't. However, this isn't the case, at all. Instead, happiness is fluid and fleeting.

 

So, is the pursuit of happiness an illusion? 

 

Not necessarily. Instead, to find that happiness, you need to redefine it, first.

 

We can redefine that happiness by making it broader -- it's not just about the nice feeling you get when your needs are met, or when you receive something pleasant from someone else. It's also about what you can give to others, and how giving gives you a purpose and a connection to your community.

 

To psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, giving helps you reaffirm your very humanity. It makes you forget yourself, and give yourself to the person in front of you.

 

Luckily, you don't have to change your entire routine to switch the focus from your own thoughts and needs to someone else's. 

 

There are a few simple things you can do to start giving more:

 

Listen. See every conversation as a chance to connect with a person. So, instead of just waiting for your turn to speak, pay attention to every word the other person is saying. Notice the tone of his voice, his body language. And don't forget to ask questions. 

 

Build things for others. Can you knit, make origami figures, or draw? Make something and give it away. Never expect anything in return. 

 

Volunteer. Take five minutes to think of what's important for you. What are your values? Is there a cause you'd like to champion? Do you have time or skills to give away to that cause? 

 

Be kind. Make it a purpose to be kind to others every single day. Believe it or not, little acts of kindness have a contagious effect. Compliment someone. Notice if she did something with her hair. Help him with his groceries. Offer to do some extra work to help out a colleague.

 

Become a mentor. We all started somewhere. We've all been lost, confused, and tired. However, you have answers and insights that can help out someone starting out his journey. 

 

By giving, you're creating connections with those around you. Life stops being just about seeking satisfaction and it takes on a deeper layer of commitment. Life is no longer all about you. It's about creating a positive effect on other people's lives. 

 

When you engage in actions that transcend your own search for satisfaction, you make your life meaningful. You become part of a community. You assert your humanity. Moreover, you can be happier and more fulfilled.

5 Simple Tricks to Stick to your New Year's Resolutions

Come this January, about 40% of all Americans will vow to change one thing or another about their lifestyle. 

 

New Year’s resolutions usually fall under the following categories:

 

• Weight loss
• Finance
• Career
• Personal development
• Health and diet
• Fitness
• Stress management
• Focusing on personal relationships

 

Fast forward 6 months later, 60% will have completely forgotten all about their resolutions.

 

But carrying out your resolutions can be done. Read on to find out how.

 

1. Define your Motivation

There are 2 types of motivation:

·       Intrinsic - this means your motivation comes from inside. For example, you prefer jogging, going to the gym, or shopping by yourself because you like how you feel afterwards.

 

·       Extrinsic - you’re pushed forward by actions outside your personal scope. In other words, you prefer working out with your friends, and work harder when there’s a reward system in place.

 

Once you figure out your motivation type is, then all you have to do is put yourself in situations that make you more excited to accomplish even more.

 

2. Actions speak louder than results

Deciding on a goal for the New Year is always easier said than done. However, it’s the steps you take to reach that goal that’s the tricky part. If you want to stick to your resolutions, it’s wise to break each step down into smaller goals, if possible, to make them more manageable. 

Moreover, each time you achieve one, reward yourself and feel proud of what you’ve accomplished. Positive reinforcement is crucial to help guide you as you push toward your goal and commit to your responsibilities.

One way to keep everything in check is to make sure your actions are SMART:

 

·       Specific. Having a specific end result prevents you from making excuses.

·       Measurable. Evaluating your progress will give your motivation a boost.

·       Achievable. You can set daily goals as a building block to bigger goals.

·       Relevant. Otherwise, if it’s not relevant, why bother?

·       Time-bound. Goals need to have a defined end date.

 

3. Be Honest with yourself

The more realistic your resolutions, the more likely you’ll see them through. If your goal for the New Year is to exercise more, then start small. Instead of planning a 5-day workout week, go for 20 minutes a day then increase gradually. 

You’ll find that, as with all goals, as soon as you start seeing what you’ve accomplished, you’ll be pumped to do even more. However, it’s crucial that you stay away from the “all-or-nothing” approach. Doing something, even if it’s a small piece of what you’d originally planned, is much better and more productive than doing nothing at all.

Moreover, it’s equally important to not have too many resolutions up in the air at once. Make a list, prioritize them, and go from there. Once you feel the first one’s in the bag, go for the second, and so on. Focusing on one goal at a time will channel your energy and efforts there, helping you reach your target faster.

 

4. Think things through

Having a positive mindset is key when progressing towards your goals, but let’s be honest; every plan is bound for failure if you’re careful. Be smart and anticipate these obstacles so that when they do appear, you’ll be prepared. 

For example, if you get bored when you exercise, choose upbeat workout music that’ll get you revved up. Or you can workout at home, as you catch up on your favorite TV shows. If your motivation method is extrinsic, go to the gym with a friend. The idea is to nip it in the bud before it becomes stronger than your willpower so that you can surmount any obstacle that comes between you and your goal.

 

5. Be accountable for your actions

Accountability means you’re taking responsibility for the choices you’re making. This may seem easy to do at work when you have a deadline and a boss reinforcing it. It may not seem as easy when you’re home alone and skip out on cooking a healthy meal, and order take-out instead. 

 

You can enlist the help of a friend or join a support group where you’d know that you made a certain commitment to someone, if it’s simply sending a photo of your home-cooked meal on social media.or, you can hang a calendar on your wall with progress notes so you can keep tabs on how far you’ve gotten and what still lies ahead.

 

Keeping your New Year’s resolution can seem scary at first. However, with these 5 steps, you can do anything you put your mind to. Moreover, once you accomplish your first resolution, you’ll find that it’s not only beneficial, it’s fun as well!

The HMR Diet 101

 

There’s a big difference between the HMR diet and most other diets. While you are almost always required to eat less when following other diets in order to lose weight, the HMR program actually encourages you to eat as much as you like to stay full. However, your diet isn’t comprised of any foods, but rather special HMR weight-loss foods (as well as vegetables and fruits). 

 

This crucial difference is actually what helps people stay motivated, making it easier for them to lose weight. The reason why you can eat so many HMR foods is because they’re really low in calories.

 

By following most other diets, you would be decreasing the amount of food you eat. This can leave you feeling hungry throughout most of the day. This will make it harder for you to keep going with your diet plan.

 

There are two main diet plans included in the HMR program – Healthy Solutions and Healthy Shakes.

 

Healthy Solutions represents a simple and structured diet planed where you aren’t left with many decisions. You’ll get to follow a very basic diet plan and you’ll be required to exercise a bit every week, and you’ll be able to start losing weight in no time. 

 

This diet plan requires you to consume 3 HMR shakes, 2 HMR entrees, and 5 servings of vegetables/fruits every day. Additionally, you’re required to burn up to 2,000 calories every week. This plan includes medical supervision in the HMR clinics. Depending on your decision, you can also hire a coach. By following the Healthy Solutions plan, you will be consuming 1,200-1,400 calories a day.

 

The Healthy Shakes plan is much more flexible. The goal of this diet plan is to help you reduce the amount of solid meals you eat and focus on drinking HMR shakes instead. This plan requires you to consume 3 HMR shakes, 5 servings of vegetables/fruits, and 1 healthy meal of your choice every day. 

 

The HMR shakes come in two flavors – chocolate and vanilla. This diet plan is self-guided and doesn’t require any medical supervision. However, you will get helpful support materials. By following the Healthy Shakes plan, you will be consuming around 1,400 calories a day.

 

These two plans were created to help you lose weight efficiently in the comfort of your own home. 

 

However, there is also a third option, which is the Decision-Free program.

 

This special program includes coaching and medical supervision. In fact, you won’t be able to do it at home. Instead, you’ll be required to spend your time in a HMR clinic during the duration of this diet plan.

 

The Decision-Free program is the perfect choice for you if you have a significant amount of weight to lose. Additionally, it may be the right choice for you if you’re dealing with high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, or other similar medical problems that would require monitoring during the weight loss process. 

 

During your stay at the clinic, you will be surrounded by a team of professionals who will make sure that you accomplish all your weight loss goals. By following the Decision-Free plan, you will be consuming 500-800 calories a day.

 

This weight loss program was created by Lawrence Stifler, a behavioral psychologist, in 1983. All of the HMR Programs are divided into two big phases. The first phase revolves around weight loss in a short time period. During this phase, you will start replacing your usual meals and snacks with HMR foods (as well vegetables and fruits). You will also start exercising during this phase.

 

The second phase revolves around weight management. During this phase, you will get the chance to learn more about how to manage your weight in the long run and how to deal with different eating challenges like dining out.

Key Tips To Stop Sabotaging Your Own Health

We’re so used to things not going our way that we protect ourselves by ruining things for ourselves before they get ruined by others. Many times those who sabotage their health are driven by unconscious reasons, but justify it via mindful means. Simply put, we screw up our health without even realizing it.

 

If you’re too hard on yourself and tend to sabotage your own success as it concerns health or otherwise, read on to find out how you can stop, and treat yourself how you deserve to be treated.

 

Be objective. Take a step back and look at what’s happening in your life from a stranger’s point of view. You can even start a journal and write down.

 

Embrace imperfections. Getting feedback and critique is probably the last thing you want, but a great chance to improve your health, realize what you’re doing wrong. More often than not, you’ll find that the feedback was actually helpful, but only if you don’t take it too personally, or over think everything.

 

Don’t be gullible. The grass that’s much greener on the other side of the fence is that way because of the hard work that went into it. What you envision success to be, whether it’s losing 20 pounds or being filthy rich, our thinking process doesn’t take into account all the hard work that goes into it. Be realistic about your health goals and break them down into mini-goals. They can be daily or weekly - it’s up to you. Write down every step you need to take in order to get there, and don’t leave out the times when you fail to reach one of them. Trust in the process, and more importantly, in yourself.

 

Stop being selfish. Some people think that when they sabotage their health, they’re doing it for the good of others around them. For example, a mother may feel that she’s putting her kids’ well-being before her own when she doesn’t take the time to eat right or exercise. Or a father thinks that by working all the time and not taking the time to take to take care of his health, then it’s for the sake of his family. The truth is, this behavior is the exact definition of being selfish.

 

Trust your perspective. As we grow, we’re bombarded with comments about ourselves, and it’s the negative ones that stick with us the most. The problem here is that it can be difficult to break free from these comments that we turn into tangible beasts that haunt us in every decision we make. In addition, they can be ordinary, run-of-the-mill comments that someone made without giving it a second thought, but to us, it dominates our waking hours and dictates our life decisions. It’s important to give these comments a break and be stronger than the effect they have on you so you can live life to the fullest.

 

Go easy on yourself. It’s no big deal if you feel uncomfortable in a certain situation, or if you’re not completely certain what to do. Take a deep breath, realize that every single person gets the same heart-gripping fear every once in awhile and take the plunge - what’s the worst that can happen? I’ll tell you. It’s one of two things: you’ll either fail miserably, which will be somewhat embarrassing, but won’t be the end of the world, you’ll stand back up, take another deep breath, learn from your mistakes and try again. Or, you’ll succeed and you’ll be proud of your accomplishments, and move on to the next task with courage.

 

Be brave. Bolstering your confidence takes practice and time. Take the time to research and ask questions so that you’re prepared and confident.

 

Punch low self-esteem in the face. When you’re not as trusting in your abilities as you should be, that prevents you from achieving the most you can. People with low self-esteem always have ready on-hand excuses for why they’re not good enough or why they can’t do this or that. Fear of failure is normal, it’s the “not trying” part that makes you miss you out on life.

 

Take the time to put yourself before others; it’ll make a healthier, more balanced person. You’ll quickly discover that you have more time and energy to do the things you have to do in your life, whether it’s for work or family.

 

5 Ways Hypnosis Helps Stress

 

Stress is divided into two types, the good, and the bad. The good kind is the acute variety that raises your heartbeat, elevates blood pressure, and gets you on the alert. It can happen during a meeting, your kid’s soccer game or when you’re driving and someone cuts you off.  

 

The adrenaline starts pumping in your veins and your thinking becomes sharper, your reflexes faster. However, the good kind of stress goes away after a while and adrenaline levels return to normal, blood pressure stabilizes.

 

Now let’s talk about the second type. The bad type of stress is that which is chronic, and leaves you worn out and exhausted because it’s doesn’t stop. It wreaks havoc on all your bodily systems, sometimes even to the point of manifesting itself in chronic diseases. Being exposed to cortisol and other stress-related hormones for long periods of time may lead to the following:

 

• Concentration and memory problems
• Increased blood pressure
• Higher risk of heart disease
• Weak immune system
• Depression
• Type-2 diabetes
• Digestive problems
• Cancer
• Body aches and pains
• Loss of energy

 

There are many ways to treat stress. It usually entails meditation, low-impact exercising, or massages to get us to relax and unwind and de-stress. 

 

But that’s just dealing with stress on the surface. If you really want to get a handle on your anxiety, you have to dig down deep and pull out the weeds by the roots instead of just trimming the top part.

 

That’s what hypnosis does. Hypnosis is one of the least-understood therapy techniques, despite the fact that it has helped with many physical and mental ailments.

 

What are some of the benefits of using hypnosis to treat stress?

 

1. It’s time-efficient. One of its benefits is that hypnosis can get right to the source usually during the first session, which is quick compared to other methods of treatment.

 

2. Gets to the bottom of things. Through hypnotherapy, you can pinpoint the trigger behind your stress and anxiety. It could be due to a negative past experience, a certain situation that left its mark, or a chronic disease that’s the cause. Regardless, your therapist can help you diagnose and treat your stress through hypnosis.

 

3. It heals the ‘whole’ you. Hypnosis treats the body, mind, and soul as one entity and treats the entire package.

 

4. It’s gradual. What a hypnotist does is first ask the patient to name what their feeling. Then they’re asked to put their hand on where that feeling hurts in the body. This way, people recognize on a basic, human level, that what they’re feeling in their minds is manifesting itself in their physical form. So in order to get rid of that, they have to release the stress from their body. And the only way they can do that is to face that their feelings head on without fear or trepidation.

 

5. You’re in control. In spite of what many claim or believe, during hypnosis, you’re awake and remain conscious the entire length of the session. The only part the licensed hypnotherapist, someone whom you trust, plays during the session is to guide your suggestions of how you’re feeling, where it hurts, and how to get rid of the pain. Other than that, the person undergoing hypnosis stays conscious and in control the entire time.

 

The reason why hypnosis is successful is because when you’re in a trance, you’re in a state of deep relaxation. That’s when the brain is open to suggestions. It’s a way of unlocking the potential of changing negative thoughts into positive ones, break free of that debilitating pattern, and learn how to react in the face of adverse situations.

 

Hypnotherapy can help you change your perception of certain stress-triggers in your life. And since stress is created through your thoughts and perceptions, this method of treatment has yielded great results by lowering the levels of anxiety and reduces stress. By doing so, you’re on your way to a happier, healthier, more balanced you.

Natural Ways To Calm Everyday Anxiety

Anxiety is something many of us deal with on a daily basis. However, there are individuals who are incapacitated with constant thoughts of anxiety; so much that the daily activities of life are impacted. These people cannot find peace of mind, and need to actively try and get their anxiety controlled. 

 

While medication is available to help with anxiety, it should not be the first line of treatment you seek out, as they come with lots of adverse effects and cause the user to build up a dependence. 

 

The better option is to seek out natural ways to calm the anxiety- those without lingering negative effects and which are likely to help you cope better in the long run.

Let’s explore what you best options are:

 

Meditate

 

Meditation should be the core of a natural strategy to manage anxiety, since it helps ground your irrational fears. While we all have apprehension of the future, meditation helps us to take each moment at a time. 

 

The goal of meditation is not to block out negative emotions, but help us learn to not linger on them. Get started first thing tomorrow morning- just sit peacefully for 5 minutes at the beginning of your day, let thoughts enter your mind freely, but do not let them linger. The end goal is to have control over your thoughts and not letting them negatively ruin your day.

 

Sleep Enough At Night

 

Lack of sleep causes your brain to go haywire- playing all sorts of tricks on you and decreasing your emotional tolerance as a whole. You may find that following even just one night of sleep loss your performance will decrease, and you will be prone to anger and agitation. Strive for a minimum of 7 hours nightly to keep your brain chemistry on point.

 

Exercise

 

Exercise is one of the best medicines we have at our disposal, as there are few things that are comparable to the range of health benefits it offers. Exercise, similar to sleep, helps to naturally manage anxiety and depression, by increasing levels of feel good and stress busting chemicals known as endorphins. 

 

Anxiety if partially worsened by high levels of adrenalin, and even though exercise does temporarily increase these levels, the endorphins temper its effects and leave your mood on a high for hours afterwards.

 

Eat Dark Chocolate

 

Dark chocolate has numerous benefits on health, and is not your typical sugar laden variety. Dark chocolate is particularly effective in reducing the impact that the stress hormone cortisol has on our body, including precipitating anxiety. 

 

Its mode of action of unique, as it relays relaxation from the stomach to the brain. Similar to the way that you feel nervousness in your stomach, a never named the vagus can be exploited for soothing anxiety too. 

 

Try To Get Sunlight Daily

 

People in colder climates have been observed to develop a condition known as SAD (seasonal affective disorder), which comes on during the winter months when sun exposure is limited. 

 

Symptoms of SAD include depression, irritability and increased anxiety, all of which resolve upon exposure to sunlight. If you do live in such a climate, and are unable to get exposure to the sun when winter comes, artificial light therapy also helps improve symptoms.

 

Consume More Omega-3 Fats

 

Omega-3 fatty acids are strong anti-oxidants, and may help to stem the cause of your anxiety. Typically, the two hormones that are elevated are cortisol and adrenalin, both of which respond negatively to the influence of oxidation. 

 

Omega-3 fats combat excessive oxidation and are anti-inflammatory, helping boost production of serotonin and dopamine, and helping keep your anxiety response normal.