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| Image from occupationalhealthadvisor.co.uk |
After having a few weeks of not feeling 100% – it’s made me realise just how important our health is – and do we take “feeling good” for granted? Stress can cause immense damage to your body in a very short space of time, and sometimes we miss the most obvious signs.
One of the key elements of living a minimal stress-free life is by being happy – sometimes easier said than done! I quite often see home giftware signs along the lines of “Happiness is not to be achieved but to be lived daily”
According to an article last week from the Daily Mail, there is a formula for a happy life!!
Here is is: (Mx16 + Cx1 + Lx2) + (Tx5 + Nx2 + Bx33)
Simple? Well this is how it breaks down…
M – Live in the moment – appreciate the sounds, smells and sights that you take for granted everyday. Remind yourself every waking hour to do this.
C – Be curious – explore the unfamiliar, mysterious, complex, and uncertain aspects of our world once a day.
L – Do something you love – if there is anything that provides the framework for a well-lived life it is the presence of activities that are important to us and excite us. Do this once at work and once at play.
T – Think of others first – offer compliments, do a good deed and listen. This is not intuitive because many believe you need to love yourself before you can love others. Science has found this to be false. Do this five times a day and you’ll soon see it feels good to make someone feel good.
N – Nurture relationships – dedicate time to a partner, friend or family member twice a day. Scientists have discovered that when you observe the happiest people on the planet, every single one has a close, significant relationship with another person.
B – Take care of your body – no, you do not need three per cent body fat, nor do you need to be able to pound through three sets of 15 unassisted handstand push-ups. Taking care of your body is about healthy eating at least three times a day and committing 30 minutes per day to exercise.
Did you note that B is the most important factor in this equation? Take care of you body…and this means being healthy, which means less stress!
I’ve used an image of a Yoga meditation pose for this blog-post, that’s because last weekend I hit the Yoga mat for the fist time in probably 15 years! I thoroughly enjoyed the class, and realised quite quickly that even just standing still and breathing was so calming for the body.
If your feeling stressed, may I recommend having a cup of tea and start to think about the question “what needs to change in my life…?”
