Happy Sundays!!!!

A few weeks ago I went to this hip yoga studio in St Kilda for a friday night yoga class, nibbles and screening of a new movie called Happy.

It was a great reminder and reality check......we all needs these from time to time right!!!!  So in a nut shell here is the synopsis.......

Fifty percent of our level of happiness is inborn - for those in the UK it would seem that Victor Meldrew really couldn't help himself - and Dale boy is one of the lucky ones!!!! So we have a baseline level of happiness that stays with us for life.  We think that certain things will make us really happy (such as marriage, a new car, a pay rise) or really sad (such as losing a job and getting a divorce) yet the research shows that while these circumstances do have an impact and we do become ecstatic (or depressed), the feeling is short-lived and we very quickly bounce back to our baseline level of happiness. Good news?

A further 10% of our level of happiness is impacted by the very things the majority of society are chasing after.  Status, how we look to others, wealth and approval have all been shown to impact the level of our happiness by up to 10%.  Great to know!?!  Don't you feel like mini genius' now!?! ;)

Now the good bit.  The researchers (psychologists, social scientists and psychiatrists) found that a whopping 40% of our level of happiness can be changed by actions that are within our very control.

Get your pen and paper ready darlings - and in no particular order, you can do the following:

• social connection - spending time with family and friends. (This is one of the very things that Dan Buettner who spent time researching communities of centenarians around the globe, found to be a key ingredient in their health and longevity - if you'd like to know more about Dan and his work you can go here)
• contributing to society........ giving back.  Whether this is sharing the veggies you grow with neighbours, volunteering or babysitting for a friend - big or small it doesn't matter (as arnie says it's one of the 6 rules to success - check out his video here, it's fab!!)
• doing the things you love - now as wonderful as it would be for this to be your job, it doesn't have to be.  It means making time to do the things you love and ensuring they are a priority.  For me this is yoga, cups of tea, making yummy healthy food (I get a kick out of it, I don't know why), seeing family, farmers markets, friends, walking and cycling, travelling....... It's those activities that you find yourself effortlessly consumed in.  When you feel focused and relaxed and inspired and passionate and all together present you've found it!!
• exercise - pumping those endorphins and feeling good about your body needs no explanation - it's well documented!

And trawling through my emails I just found this articles on foods to increase happiness - bonus!  Check out the article here.

Do you do any of the above?  What activities do you love?  Have a go and see what impact it makes on your life?