Tag Archive for healthier

Meditation and Happiness

August 29, 2012 / / Comments Off on Meditation and Happiness

Can meditation make you happier?

Yes. 🙂

People who practice meditation regularly report feeling less stressed and more emotionally balanced.  Researchers have even seen changes in the physical structure of the brain after regular meditation.

Numerous scientific studies have shown meditation reduces anxiety as well as stress – people who meditate tend to worry less about the problems they are facing in life, and are therefore happier as a result.

Here are some of the benefits that you may get from meditation:

Physiological benefits:

– Leads to deeper levels of physical relaxation
– Decreases muscle tension, aches and pains
– Enhances the immune system and lowers blood pressure
– Helps with pain control in chronic diseases
– Reduces headaches & migraines
– Produces lasting beneficial changes in brain biochemistry

Psychological benefits:

– Increases serotonin level, positively influencing mood and behaviour
– Helps us take control of our thoughts
– Helps with focus & concentration, learning ability and memory
– Increases emotional stability
– Reduces feelings of aggression and anger
– Reduces anxiety and tendency to worry
– Gives composure to act in considered & constructive ways

‘Spiritual’ benefits:

– Provides peace of mind, happiness
– Helps you discover your purpose
– Increases your compassion and wisdom
– Leads to deeper understanding of yourself and others
– Increases one’s acceptance of oneself
– Helps learn forgiveness

– and you might even reach spiritual enlightenment! 🙂

People report a whole range of benefits from meditation, and many of them are backed up by scientific research.

If you would like to try meditation, in the comfort of your own home, for free, then I would highly recommend the website below:

http://www.getsomeheadspace.com/

All you do is register, for free, then you get ten days of guided meditation (just ten minutes a day) for free.  Andy does of course offer paid-for meditation packages on his site, but they don’t pressure you to sign up for them or anything.

I should say that I don’t know Andy Puddicome, but I have tried the 10-day freebie and found it really good.

There are of course plenty of other internet sites and books where you can read about meditation, but I think Get Some Headspace is a good place to start.

Good luck!

And, tell me what you think – share your thoughts on meditation and happiness, and how you have got on with meditating – what difference has it made?  – 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

Category: Buddhism, meditation / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Eat your way to happiness

August 1, 2012 / / Comments Off on Eat your way to happiness

Is it possible to eat your way to happiness? 

Most of us know intuitively that our mind and body are very much connected.

The human body is the best picture of the human soul

— Ludwig Wittgenstein

Why do we so often reach for chips, and sugary drinks?  Do they really make us feel better, or are we just comforting ourselves with food rather than hugs.  How do you really feel after you have eaten piles of junk food and had too much to drink?

Is your body a temple… or a toilet?

Happiness of mind is clearly linked to having a ‘happy’ body.

I have talked before about choosing to fill our minds with positive thoughts.  It is equally important to fill our bodies with positive nutrition.

I am not saying you need to become a supermodel and live off rabbit food, but just to stop and think before taking a bite.

H.A.L.T. – why I am I eating/drinking this?

Am I Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired?  Or maybe even just bored or thirsty?

If you are genuinely hungry, then eat.  If you are considering eating for any other reason, then food isn’t the answer.

So over the next few days, try to be mindful of giving your body what it needs to function best, rather than comforting your mind with food that ultimately won’t make you happier.

Good luck!

And, tell me what you think – share what you have done differently, as a result of being more mindful about food, to work towards happiness with your physical self – 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

Category: Diet / Tags: , , , , , ,

Happiness Workshop – How to feel happier

June 8, 2012 / / Comments Off on Happiness Workshop – How to feel happier

People living in the Manchester, UK area might be interested in this Happiness Workshop next Tuesday:

Do you feel Happy?  Successful?  Fulfilled?

 Would you like to feel Happier?

 Spring-Clean Your Future – the Happiness Workshop

 Tuesday 12th June, Chorlton Library

Doors open 7.15pm       Workshop starts 7.30pm

 BOOK your FREE place at:

http://www.Happiness-Workshop.co.uk

 

  • What happiness means to you
  • How you can take control of your own happiness and well-being
  • 9 steps to a happier life; things we can all do to feel better
  • 2 things which, done daily, can help  increase your happiness
  • How to set a fulfilling personal goal, and how to achieve it

Workshop Limited to 50 people –  

RESERVE YOUR PLACE TODAY!

Workshop facilitated by

Chorlton’s own Happiness Coach,  Mary R. Perkins

on behalf of Manchester City Council

Category: Events / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Can exercise make you happier?

May 8, 2012 / / One comment

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

Category: Uncategorized / Tags: , , , , , ,

How to have happier relationships with others

April 10, 2012 / / 3 comments

The 7th step in my “Steps to a Happier Life” is to Engage with Others, and it is all about having happier relationships.

People with strong and broad social relationships are happier, healthier and live longer.

This has been on my mind over the Easter break, as I have connected with those close to me like my Father, who came to visit.

Springtime is full of new life, and some people celebrate springtime, or Easter, by giving one another eggs – I bought my Dad a mint chocolate egg, which seemed to go down well! The ancient Zoroastrians painted eggs for their New Year celebration, which falls on the Spring equinox. Later, Christians began exchanging eggs as a symbol of Christ’s tomb (or the boulder at its entrance) from which they believe Jesus rose, alive once more, on Easter Sunday.

In many traditions then, eggs symbolise new life. And they are often exchanged as tokens of friendship, love, or good wishes.

Gifting small tokens is one of many ways we can strengthen our relationships and connections with others. And strong relationships become happier relationships, increasing our own happiness too.

Answer the questions below to get you thinking about your connections with others:

– Which groups of people do you connect with at the moment? (e.g. family, friends, neighbours, work colleagues, community groups, charities, hobbies, sports…)

– What other groups exist nearby that you could consider getting involved with?

– Who could you have some fun with this month, to strengthen your relationship? What might you do together?

– What could you do to improve your relationship with your partner?  See this website for some ideas:

http://www.actionforhappiness.org/take-action/enhance-your-relationship-with-your-partner

– Who haven’t you telephoned for a while, that you could call?

– Who haven’t you seen for a while, that you could arrange to meet up with?

– Who could you connect with more at work, perhaps for lunch, or for a coffee/pint after work?

– Think about all the relationships and connections in your life – list all the possible things that you could consider doing to strengthen them?

One of the things I work on with my coaching clients is building happier relationships with the people close to them.  Amongst other things I help people to examine their behaviours in their relationships, to identify any limiting beliefs about them that are holding them back and to take action to make all their relationships better.

The questions above are just the starting point to thinking about how better to engage with others and develop good social connections, but hopefully it has given you some food for thought…

Good luck!

And, tell me what you think – share what you have done to strengthen your relationships and develop new ones, and how you felt 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

 

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