Tag Archive for Can exercise make you happier

Do you pass the Happiness Test?

What if there were a happiness test, to measure how happy you are?  And to highlight the parts of your life that might be worth improving, to help you to feel happier.

Numerous tests and quotients have been developed by scientists to measure people’s happiness, and there has been general agreement on the key factors that affect happiness.  And, by the way, most of these factors are under our own control.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you right now?  Well, see what your answers to the following Happiness Test questions tell you about yourself, and your happiness level: answer simply YES or NO to each question.

– Happiness Test

  1. Do you feel safe in your everyday life?
  2. Do you feel you have enough of what you need to be happy?
  3. Do you have moments when you take stock and look at the whole of your life, instead of the events of the day?
  4. Do you often find a quiet place to enjoy a moment of self-reflection?
  5. Are you satisfied with your finances, relationships, and career?
  6. Are you optimistic about your life?
  7. Are you grateful for the way that your life is unfolding?
  8. Do you often experience peace of mind?
  9. Would you rate your health an well-being (physical and mental) as being above average for your age?
  10. Do you often find yourself feeling content and comfortable with where you are at this moment in life?

These Happiness Test questions were developed by the clinical psychologist W. Doyle Gentry. The more of them that you can truthfully answer YES to, then the happier you probably are.

How many times did you answer YES?  That is your score out of ten.

If you want to think of it as a percentage, 5 out of ten would be 50% happy, 6 out of ten would be 60% happy, and so on.

Looking at the questions you answered NO to, what life changes could you make to turn your answer into a YES?

These questions highlight some of the areas that my clients often work on with me – and they tell me they get huge benefits from making changes, with my help, in these parts of their lives.

Several of the articles that I have already posted in this blog also focus on these areas – for example, the last entry was about one aspect of gratitude (question 7).  So, if you would welcome some ideas,  read back through my previous entries.

– How will you increase your score in the happiness test?  How can you make changes, to improve your happiness level?

Good luck!

And, tell me what you think – share what you have done differently, as a result of reading this article, to put more happiness into your life – how did you feel afterwards?  – it’s great to hear your experiences, and I feature some of them in my newsletters.

Leave a comment here, or email me: Mary@Coach-me-Happy.co.uk

 

Can exercise make you happier?

Can exercise make you happier ?  Really?

Yes, it can!

Stretching your body, with even gentle exercise, releases chemicals that enhance your mood.

Ways to stretch your body might include:

  • move more; be active; exercise;
  • join a yoga class, a walking group, or a sports club;
  • go outside and smell the flowers or play games with friends;
  • use movement, breath and proper rest to energise you

Our body and mind are connected – so not only does moving more make us physically healthier, being active makes us happier.

Questions to help you think about how to put more movement into your life:

1. How could you put more movement into your journey to work, or journeys to visit friends, etc?  E.g. get off the bus one stop earlier, cycle, etc

2. How could you put more movement into your day generally? E.g. take the stairs rather than the lift, etc.

3. What sort of activities might you enjoy doing outside, in the fresh-air, which would get you moving more? E.g. walking, playing Frisbee with friends…

4. What groups might you join that would involve movement? E.g. walking club, football team, aerobics classes….

5. What sort of movement have you never tried before, that you might fancy trying or learning? E.g. salsa dancing, rock-climbing, paragliding….

6. What do you do to help yourself to sleep well?
For more information on better sleep see:
http://www.coach-me-happy.com/2012/03/sleep-yourself-happy/

7. What could you do to relax and breathe deeply, to get more oxygen to your brain, in a gentle way? E.g. yoga, meditation, etc
For more information on meditation see:
http://www.actionforhappiness.org/take-action/learn-how-to-meditate

The questions above are just the starting point to thinking about how to put more movement into your life, but hopefully it has given you some food for thought…

Good luck!

And, tell me what you think – share what you have done to put more movement and/or exercise into your life, and how you felt afterwards – can exercise make you happier ?  – it’s great to hear your experiences, and I feature some of them in my newsletters.

Leave a comment here, or email me: Mary@Coach-me-Happy.co.uk