Health Live happily to 100, stress-free work, laughter
The Happiness Institute founder DR TIM SHARP reveals some surprisingly simple secrets
You may believe achieving true happiness requires adding things to your life, but the truth is you often find joy by simply changing direction, according to Dr Tim Sharp.
“We need to reassess and reflect on values as our priorities change,” he explains. “There are important areas at every age – healthy living, purpose and connectedness.”
Caring for yourself in these areas is your first step to achieving eternal happiness!
Find purpose
Optimistic thinking is a very powerful tool to help you lead a long and happy life, and creating purpose helps us live our best life.
“I encourage people to practise gratitude, look for the positives in life and be realistic with your goal setting,” says Tim. “If you seek constructive feedback and remain solutions-focused, it’s amazing what you can do, and happiness will come in the form of a sense of achievement.
“To make the most of your time – prioritise. Start each day with a clear idea of what you want to achieve and prepare, so you can take control of it.”
Connect with your community
In the past 20-30 years, research has shown the key to longevity could be loving and feeling loved. Tim says, “It’s w well-established p people who feel s socially isolated h have worse m mental health t than those who f feel connected. “In fact, a 2010 review of 148 studies showed people who felt less socially connected were more at risk of early death than those who smoked, drank or were obese.” Relationships and connecting, not just with children, parents and direct family but also with friends and community, provide resilience for stressful life events and transitions. It’s important to connect with like-minded people – whether it be through dance, music or even a chess club. “Join a club, walk down the street to the local RSL, or make the most of technology by picking up the phone or logging on to Skype to connect with friends and family,” Tim advises.
Invest in your health
Genes play a big part in longevity, but controllable lifestyle factors such as not smoking, not drinking too much, exercise and dieting, will improve your quality of life and ultimately make you happier, Tim explains.
“Decades of research and experience show intermittent fasting is not only an effective method of weight loss, but it’s also been proven to increase longevity,” he adds.
“I’m a big believer in the effectiveness of intermittent fasting, and recently designed a 36-week motivation coaching series for a new weight loss and healthy lifestyle program – the Superfastdiet.”