THE CONNECTION BETWEEN HAPPINESS & HEALING

Many people are searching for paths to happiness these days. Our world is heavy, and we are all navigating a lot, so of course that includes barriers to happiness. Happiness and healing are deeply connected!

Why is Happiness so hard?

Remember, we have that fun thing called our Reticular Activating System (RAS), which is a network of neurons in the brainstem that focus on behavior, motivation, fight versus flight, etc. The RAS has the job to show us what we think is important to us throughout the day. If we are going through our day to day struggling in a negative mindset, our habits and behaviors can hinder how we determine happiness, satisfaction, or things like our overall sense of accomplishment and integrity of our choices. We can get in our own way of obtaining happiness in our lives. We underestimate that impact of our mindset greatly. Our day-to-day things may feel small, but they can make a massive difference to our health and psychological functioning. 

Don’t forget, our genes play a role too! As much as half of our happiness comes from our genetics, according to several studies throughout the years.That shows us that we indeed have a lot of control with creating an improved sense of functioning and mindset in an effort to experience happiness, solely based on our actions and thoughts. Now, I know, there are a lot of external factors that play a role in happiness. It is so important to challenge ourselves and really question, “What’s in my control?” These external  circumstances account for a small percentage of our happiness, around 10% according to studies. This just further supports the need to constantly work on our self-awareness and self-compassion when we want to experience and sustain happiness. The alternative is holding onto things you truly don’t have any control to alter. This doesn’t mean that whatever the external circumstances are hindering happiness are invalid. It simply means, you have control on how you respond and heal. Take a moment and notice the emotions that arise when you think about that. Do you think you can try to validate and aim to gain a new perspective to the situation? How might you empathize with yourself and get out of the cycle of pain, resentment, or avoidance? Adversity is part of the path to happiness.

Achieving and Sustaining Happiness and Healing

Happiness requires self-awareness, self-compassion, resilience, and focusing on what is deserving of your effort and attention. How often do you demonstrate kindness and compassion towards yourself? Unfortunately, the majority of us tend to be harder on ourselves than we are on others. We can often demonstrate kindness and compassion as we care for others but have great difficulty demonstrating these same patterns when it comes to our own self. How many of you can relate to, “putting yourself on the back burner? I want you to consider some reflections to challenge your state of mind and begin navigating your journey to happiness and healing.

• How do you define happiness? Is it positive emotions, meaningful experiences, a sense of connection and satisfaction?

• How would you describe your interpersonal connection? We live in a world full of opportunities to connect with others. However, the quality of interactions are often hindered. How can you enhance the quality of our relationships?

• How do you work towards forgiveness for your own healing? When we are hurting, we deal with a lot of difficult emotions. We know how much this can affect not only our mental health but our physical health. Our gut is our second brain! How can you work towards health, happiness and forgiveness?

• How can you feel a greater sense of integrity or meaning in your life? What is your purpose and how are you working to fulfill that, or what is truly in your control if barriers exist to your overall sense of quality right now?

• How do you “Stay present” in the moment? Positive moments can occur, yet our lives are so busy that we quickly go on to the next thing requiring our attention. How can you let the positive moments sink in a bit more? This doesn’t mean you have to journal in order for these positive moments to get credit and stand out in your day, but it does mean you need to consider savoring these positive moments so you can obtain the powerful effect it has on your happiness and healing journey!

  
  

• How do you take care of your body and promote wellness? Journaling, exercising, eating well to get the nutrients for happiness like magnesium, vitamin D or Omega 3’s, relaxing your muscles, are all options of course. But the most important thing is doing something that is purposeful and enjoyable for you! We know that practicing some aspect of intentional wellness helps reduce physical stress, lower anxiety, chronic pain and even sleep barriers. All of these areas tie into our overall happiness right? What can you try to do more often? Set realistic expectations and goals for yourself!

The reason I ask you to consider all of these things discussed in this blog, is because these are all areas of control that are entirely possible to promote an improved sense of happiness and healing. Use your mind to enhance the emotions you want to experience more often. Allow yourself the opportunity to be challenged and motivated to see yourself, your relationships and your world in a different way, all in an effort to foster healing towards your highest peak of wellness. You have the right to be happy and to heal.

With gratitude,

Julie