Inside + Out
Seven ways to a happier, healthier you
International Self-Care Day has been celebrated on July 24 since 2011. And in 2019, Health Canada released a statement maintaining that “self-care is about taking care of yourself and making choices that help your physical and mental health, like eating healthy, getting enough sleep and exercising. July 24 is a reminder that self-care is important to lifelong health, and its benefits are experienced seven days a week, 24 hours a day.” So, how do you put a feel-good focus on you in times of trouble? Start where the heart is – right at home. And put an emphasis on the things that, yes, spark joy. A positive perspective can also lower stress and even encourage a hale and hearty longevity. Here are seven ways to a happier, healthier you.
1 STAY ENGAGED WITH YOUR SURROUNDINGS
According to Daniel Levitin, the author of Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives, staying engaged can help boost our mood-enhancing hormones and make our immune systems stronger. “You should at least be engaged with something meaningful to you,” says Levitin. For him, it was birdwatching, a hobby that can be done while walking through a forest or, for the less mobile, through a window. Take along Birds of Canada, 2nd Edition, edited by David Bird, just released in a pocket-sized version.
2 STAY SMILING
Do this, and you’ll soon believe you have reason to smile, whether you do or not. After combing through more than 50 years of testing and 130-plus studies, researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Texas A&M published a paper in the Psychological Bulletin in 2019 showing that our facial expressions do have a small impact on how we feel: smiling makes people feel happier, while scowling can result in anger, and frowning can bring on feelings of sadness. Oh, and go the extra step and actually try the physical act of laughing. Laugh and laugh a lot.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the short-term benefits of a good laugh – beyond just brightening up your mental state – include stimulating your organs through bursts of oxygen-rich air and increasing the brain’s ability to release “happy” endorphins.
Other reasons to laugh out loud? It “fires up and then cools down