Be Happy
With 2019 around the corner, I started shopping for a new Planner to partner with my daily program, “Make Yourself a Priority”. For the past 3 years I have been using The Happy Planner, and and have been satisfied with its functionality enough to use again.
The title to this planner made a connection my passion for holistic health. I was reminded of the variety of skills I have learned over the years while raising our six children. One statement stuck out more than the others and caused me to reflect back on a question I have been asked many times throughout my life, “Why are you always so happy?” My answer was always the same, “What is the other alternative? Sad? Depressed?” Neither of these emotions are unfamiliar to me, yet it is a proven fact that more can be accomplish from a state of happiness.
Being happy is a hot topic right now, and everyone has a different meaning of what happy is to them. For me, it means making the choice each morning when I open my eyes, to declare that this day is going to be a great day. I enthusiastically welcome the day, choosing to feel happy no matter what negative situation might end up surrounding me.
To Be happy is a challenge for someone who unexpectedly finds their life turned upside down from the absence of a loved one, or a major life change. From personal experience, I know that the parting of the clouds can come through the strength of our Savior Jesus Christ. He is the author and finisher of true peace and our happiness.
How do you get Happiness?
A question often asked is, “How do you get happiness?” The list is endless of the things that can bring us momentary happiness. But true, lasting happiness, comes from the mind. A state that is produced when certain chemicals are release. These chemicals are….
- Dopamines – plays a role in pleasure and reward behavior
- Serotonins – acts as a mood stabilizer and prevents depression.
- Endorphins – possess morphine-like effects and blocks pain.
- Oxytocins – provides feelings of love and trust
So powerful are the cravings for these chemicals, that often one does not care whether the consequences to their actions are positive or negative. Their focus becomes solely on finding ways to release these chemicals, for another dose of fleeting happiness, than on what their actions could be costing them.
Transform your happiness.
According to Dr. Sara Gottfried, in her article,
Thanksgiving: What Gratitude Does to Your Brain, Nov. 13, 2016
“An attitude of gratitude upgrades your hormones,
- from oxytocin to cortisol, and your neurotransmitters, including dopamine and serotonin.” Gratitude releases the hormone Dopamine……
- Gratitude interventions have been shown to result in improved sleep, more frequent exercise and stronger cardiovascular and immune systems.
- Specific brain regions are affected as long as three months after expressing gratitude in writing.
According to ABC News in a recent broadcast on, “How to use 21 minutes each day to transform your happiness.”
They said, “Four habits that take up just 21 minutes each day can be the key to more happiness in life, according to Shawn Achor, author of ‘The Happiness Advantage.'”
“One of the habits, spending two minutes a day thinking of what you’re grateful for, can have dramatic results on your health and happiness, Achor’s research show. Expressing gratitude to someone else once over the course of the day can do the same.” This is easily done in a hand written note, or email or text. I believe that the physical act of expressing through writing helps the mind to release one or more of the “happy chemicals”
The article goes on to say, “Not only do we train our brain to become more optimistic and positive, but if we keep the pattern going, it actually allows us to make the choice of happiness an easier choice,” Achor told “Good Morning America.”
Other ways to release these chemicals are found in….
- the concentrated effort of choosing powerful thoughts,
- having the ability to build passion in what we do by meeting at least 3 of our personal needs,
- giving ourself physical exercise, and the list goes on.
`Happiness is contagious. One person choosing to radiate an attitude of happiness, will soon find that others will lift their spirits in an attempt to resonate the same feeling. Smile at someone, and typically they will smile right back.
Maintaining happiness involves more than positive thinking. So to keep me on track I created a MAKE YOURSELF A PRIORITY check list that covers what I call the fantastic four components, needed each day for my health and wellness.
Real Positive Change – Make Yourself a Priority
covers 4 Major, important areas in one’s life that will raise their energy to feel motivated in accomplishing their goals.
A note from a client who has started using this check list. “Facing a critical change in life, I decided to set up a phone session to help me maneuver through a rough time. At the beginning of our call I did not notice a difference due to my highly charged emotional state. But as we continued to talk and shift my thinking I started noticing a change taking place. By the end of the conversation I felt so much lighter and more positive. These short sessions helped me to think more clearly and respond in a calm manner to my situation. I noticed that this process helped to prim me to seek a more successful avenue than leave me to my own negative reactions.”
Free Chart
Fill in the form and download your own “Make Yourself a Priority” chart. This plan I follow everyday to make sure that I am taking care of my own needs so that I have the energy needed to make my day successful.
Happiness is a gift we can give ourselves. Creating happiness may be simple with purposeful planning, focus and intention. For me, I designed and created the “Make Yourself a Priority” plan to keep me on course. If you are involved in serving others, then you will benefit from this plan also. Because just like the instructions given during an airplanes take off, “If in the case the oxygen mask drops from the compartment, take a breath first then offer a breath to your child”. When you take care of your health and wellness, you then will have more to give to others.
Pictured is the planner I purchased, “Be Healthy, Be Active, be Happy” theme. Like other planners it lays out flat, or can fold back on its self; making your writing experience comfortable and easy.
My favorite feature is the quick and easy access I have to take out papers and put them back in. This is done with a disc system. You will need to purchase their specialized paper punch.
Below is my latest planner inserts, with a creative Christmas twist, ready to go into my new planner. Why wait for 2019…… let’s get start today!
