Happiness can be found in numerous ways. For some, it is spending time with the love of their life, others long for travel that leads to new experiences, and some can’t help but smile every time they enjoy their daily dose of caffeine. Please don’t judge.  

If you are looking for an easy way to improve your mood, try practicing gratitude. Not only is it likely to make you happier, it often spreads joy to others.  

In a study by psychologists, Dr. Robert Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Michael McCullough of the University of Miami found that participants who wrote about things they were grateful for once a week for ten weeks were happier about their lives and had fewer doctor visits than a group that wrote about things that upset them on a weekly basis. 

Another study by Psychologist Dr. Martin Seligman revealed that individuals who wrote and delivered a letter of gratitude to someone they had not properly thanked had an immediate increase in happiness that could last for a month. 

Happiness is hard to measure but practicing gratitude costs you nothing and takes very little time.  

Try the suggestions below, and you’ll likely be surprised at how much happiness you can find in the little things. 

Tip #1: Write letters or notes to friends and loved ones. In a digital age, when communication is easy and fast, it is special to receive a handwritten letter or note expressing feelings of gratitude. 

Tip #2: Journal your thoughts. You don’t need to craft elegant prose or write in complete sentences. Just get happy thoughts on paper. It can even be a mixture of words, drawings and scribbles. 

Tip #3: When you are grateful, note it on a notepad app on your phone. It can be anything, perhaps finding a $5 bill in your coat pocket, discovering a new author that you enjoy, or your boss praising you at a staff meeting. Then when you are feeling down, go back and scroll through your list. The happy memories will often drown out why you are sad. 

These gratitude tips are simple ways to make you smile and feel better. If you are suffering from depression, please contact your family doctor.  

If you are looking for an easy way to improve your mood, try practicing gratitude. Not only is it likely to make you happier, it often spreads joy to others.

Kindness is doing things for others without expecting anything in return. It can be as simple as holding the door for somebody, offering a compliment, paying for coffee for the person behind you in line or volunteering.  

Did you know that in addition to often improving the atmosphere around you, kindness can also improve your health? Being kind: 

• Produces a hormone called oxytocin that leads to your heart’s blood vessels opening wider and reducing your blood pressure.  

• Improves your mood through a release of serotonin, a natural compound that improves the way you feel. 

• Reduces pain by releasing endorphins. 

There is also research that suggests being kind reduces stress, anxiety and depression.  

If you are not naturally inclined to commit acts of kindness, Dr. Ritchie Davidson from the University of Wisconsin has compared being kind to training for a sport or job. That with practice, anyone can become kinder.  

“There is enough research to indicate being kind is good for your health. However, even if being kind did not improve your health, it is something we should all try to do more,” said Megan Miller, D.O. board-certified family medicine, Genesis Primary Care. 

Did you know that in addition to often improving the atmosphere around you, kindness can also improve your health?

Weighted blankets have become a popular purchase in recent years as many find the blankets help promote sleep, calm anxiety and help with relaxation. The blankets weigh between 4 to 30 pounds and are made with heavy fabrics. The extra weight in these blankets adds pressure that mimics a therapeutic technique called deep pressure stimulation.  

Deep pressure stimulation uses pressure and weight to relax the nervous system as it has been shown to boost the production of serotonin. Serotonin is a hormone that maintains a person's mood and feelings of happiness. An increase in serotonin has been shown to relieve anxiety and stress. There's also evidence that deep touch pressure reduces cortisol (stress) levels. The relaxation benefit from lessening anxiety can help ease pain, improve one's mood and reduce stress, like the benefits of massage therapy. When wrapping the weighted blankets around the body, the same pressure is experienced. For many people who have anxiety, insomnia or autism, weighted blankets may provide more immediate relief than traditional therapies or medication. Research has shown that weighted blankets may help reduce symptoms and manage these conditions by producing a calming effect, and many users also improve their sleep quality.  

Weighted blankets can be used to help kids and pets with anxiety, but there are some things you should consider. For kids, use a smaller, lighter-weight lap pad. Lap pads are more compact than a weighted blanket and can be placed over a child's lap while sitting at a desk or on the floor. The size makes them more accessible for a child to use safely. Children under 3 years old should not use weighted blankets or lap pads due to the risk of suffocation.  

“Weighted blankets aren't for everyone,” said Thomas Rojewski, M.D., director of the Genesis Sleep Disorders Center. “Before using a weighted blanket, you should discuss it with your doctor. There are some health conditions that could be negatively impacted by these blankets.” 

Your doctor may not recommend a weighted blanket if you are experiencing any of the following: 

• chronic health conditions 

• menopause 

• circulation issues 

• respiration issues 

• temperature regulation issues 

If you and your doctor agree a weighted blanket may help you, select a blanket that's close to 10% of your body weight and one made from natural fibers, such as cotton. Blankets made from synthetic fabrics such as polyester can be much hotter. 

Weighted blankets have become a popular purchase in recent years as many find the blankets help promote sleep, calm anxiety and help with relaxation. The blankets weigh between 4 to 30 pounds and are made with heavy fabrics.

A lot of people cringe when they hear the word change, but it often leads to better things.  

With effort and time, ordinary things can become beautiful and great. Leaves change colors. Caterpillars turn into butterflies. And you can change the parts of your personality that you wish were different. 

It is commonly accepted to be better at basketball, the piano or hopscotch; you need to practice. So, it makes sense that you need to practice if you want to change your personality. 

“It is a common misconception that we cannot change our personality traits. Some people have a natural tendency to be more outgoing or nicer, but with effort, anyone can change. It’s also important to embrace who we are and not be too critical because our personality is unique.”

A 2019 study by Nathan Hudson at Southern Methodist University explored this idea. Students were able to pick a personality trait they wanted to improve. They were then given tasks to practice their desired skill set. Although the research is limited, it has a logical approach.  

If you are ready to change, try following these simple steps from the Hudson study: 

1. Pick a personality trait you want to change. For example, maybe you want to be more kind. 

2. Think about instances when you tend to be rude and what causes it. For example, when your food order is wrong. 

3. Plan and practice ways to deal with the triggers that tend to upset you. Try asking politely to exchange the food for the correct order. Keep in mind you make mistakes too and how it feels when somebody is unkind to you because of a mistake.  

4. At the end of the day, think about how you reacted when faced with a situation that normally caused you to be unkind. 

5. Set a goal. Develop a system to track when you act like you want versus how you used to. When you reach your goal, celebrate.  

“It is a common misconception that we cannot change our personality traits. Some people have a natural tendency to be more outgoing or nicer, but with effort, anyone can change. It’s also important to embrace who we are and not be too critical because our personality is unique,” said Denise Williams, Licensed Independent Social Worker in Behavioral Health Therapeutic Services, Genesis HealthCare System.  

A lot of people cringe when they hear the word change, but it often leads to better things.

Do you dread winter because you get the blues? If you had the blues or felt depressed the past two winters but feel better in the spring and summer, you may have seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

The holidays can be a time of happiness and joy, but despite your best intentions, they can encompass all sorts of stressors. The stressors can tempt us to overindulge or stop taking care of ourselves as the season keeps us busy. Pressures related to finances, extended family, loss of loved ones, work-life or weather can be challenging during this time. While many anticipate happy holidays, others dread the season. If you feel stressed, the obligations at holiday time can take their toll on even the most cheerful of people. 

First ask yourself what exactly about the season makes you feel stressed.

Your feelings may be triggered by the following: 

• Unhappy memories 

• Relatives who are particularly difficult 

• Personal loss 

• Cooler temperatures, eating more and sleeping less 

• Financial stress  

Here are some tips to help you minimize holiday stress: 

• Don’t feel you must meet all obligations or invitations. Make a list of the reasons why you participate in some holiday traditions to help you decide what events you should avoid and what to join.  

• Don’t simply do something or go somewhere because of tradition, especially if it makes you unhappy. 

• Ask others for assistance. For example, ask a relative to host the family get-together, or make it a potluck and have everyone contribute to the meal.  

• Make a to-do list in chronological order to minimize stress. 

• Enjoy the present day and try not to worry about what may not be perfect. 

• Limit your alcohol intake.  

• Stay active and continue to eat a balanced diet. 

• Create a new tradition such as volunteering, especially if you feel lonely.  

• Make time for yourself and your needs, even when hosting guests in your house. 

• Don’t overspend; make yourself a budget and stick to it with no exceptions.  

• Learn to say no. It’s OK not to do everything. 

Also, your mood may take a turn for the worse in the winter season. When there is less sunlight and shorter days, some suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Make a point to be in the sun when you can. If you feel down and stressed, consider talking to your doctor. 

The holidays can be a time of happiness and joy, but despite your best intentions, they can encompass all sorts of stressors.

Breathing is something we do every day without thinking about it. However, pausing to check how you breathe can benefit your health.  

Stress can cause breathing difficulties. When you have problems with your breathing, you lower the amount of carbon dioxide that’s normally in your blood. This leads to a wide range of symptoms, including: 

• Shortness of breath 

• Chest tightness 

• Tingling or numbness in the arms, fingers, toes, or around the mouth 

• Feeling dizzy and light-headed 

• Weakness 

• Heart pounding and racing 

• Heart palpitations 

• Sweating or hot flushes 

• Headaches 

• Feeling sick 

• Fatigue 

These symptoms can appear out of the blue and can also lead to panic attacks. 

Your breathing difficulties may be related to: 

• Shallow breathing (breathing in too quickly) 

• Over-breathing (breathing in more air because you feel like you’re not getting enough). Examples of over-breathing include yawning or sighing frequently. 

Test your breathing: 

1. Put one hand on your chest and one on your belly. 

2. Breathe for a few seconds. Which hand rises? 

3. If it’s your chest, you might have developed a habit of shallow breathing. 

You can reverse the habit of shallow breathing with daily practice. The next time you feel anxious, take a moment to notice your breathing. Focus on breathing through your stomach so that your belly rises when you inhale and drops when you exhale. 

Here’s a belly breathing exercise you can practice for 5 to 10 minutes a day: 

• Inhale gently, lightly, and slowly count to four, expanding your belly as you do so 

• Hold that breath for a count of two 

• Slowly exhale though your mouth for a count of six 

This is called belly breathing, and research shows that practicing regularly can help you feel calmer in weeks. 

Breathing is something we do every day without thinking about it. However, pausing to check how you breathe can benefit your health.

Do you ever feel stressed because there are too many things to do and not enough time to do them? Do you sometimes worry you’ll forget something important? Do you ever notice physical symptoms of stress, like a rapidly beating heart? 
 
Okay. Take a deep breath. We can deal with this. 

First, know this: it’s normal to feel these ways once in a while. But if stress starts dominating your every waking hour—or is starting to keep you up at night—you need to do something about it. 

The good news is, you can start reducing your stress right now by goal setting.  

Do the words “goal setting” sound daunting? Don’t worry. Goal setting doesn’t have to involve reassessing your entire life or take hours of planning to be helpful. 

In fact, making lists with your daily goals is one powerful, yet incredibly simple way of reducing stress. When you write your daily goals down in the morning, several positive things happen automatically—before you’ve even done anything on the list: 

1. It takes the pressure off: you no longer need to worry you’ll forget something. 

2. It allows you to see the “big picture,” so you can better decide which items you should tackle first. 

3. It helps give structure to your day and more often than not helps you realize things aren’t as bad as they seemed. 

You don’t need to get goal setting apps or software, unless, of course, you want to—in fact, stepping offline and jotting things down by hand, on a small notepad can often be stress-reducing in itself. 

Then, when it comes time to take care of your tasks, stay realistic about the time it may take to complete them. Cut yourself some slack if you don’t get everything done. Remember, tomorrow is another day. 

Now, a final word to the wise: if you don’t deal with the stress you are experiencing, it could lead not only to more serious mental health challenges, but physical problems like heart disease, obesity and/or high blood pressure. 

If you’re looking for additional ideas to maintain your positive mental health, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recommends the following: 

• Getting professional help if you need it 

• Connecting with others 

• Staying positive 

• Getting physically active 

• Helping others 

• Getting enough sleep 

• Developing coping skills 

Source: https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health 

Do you ever feel stressed because there are too many things to do and not enough time to do them? Okay. Take a deep breath. We can deal with this.

Not all habits are made to be broken. Good habits, like making your bed every morning, using manners and not spending more than you earn should be kept. But habits like stress eating, excessive drinking and nail biting, like it or not, are bad for you. Changing your habits is doable. Here’s how: 

1. Identify Cues 
   Something has to trigger a habit, and a cue can be anything. Maybe stress makes you crave chocolate, or the sound of your alarm triggers you to hit the snooze button. Identifying cues helps you understand what puts your habits into motion. 

2. Disrupt 
   Once you know the cues, you can throw bad habits off track. If the alarm cues you to hit the snooze button, put the alarm clock on the other side of the room so you’re forced to get up.  

3. Replace 
   Research from 2011 in a Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin shows that replacing a bad behavior with a good one is more effective than stopping the bad behavior alone. The new behavior “interferes” with the old habit and prevents your brain from going into autopilot. Deciding to eat fruit every time your mind thinks “cookie” substitutes a positive behavior for the negative habit. 

4. Keep it simple 
   It’s usually hard to change a habit because the behavior has become easy and automatic. The opposite is true, too: new behaviors can be hard because your brain’s basal ganglia, (the “autopilot” part), hasn’t taken over this behavior yet. Simplifying new behaviors helps you integrate them into your autopilot routines. 

5. Think long-term 
   Habits often form because they satisfy short-term impulses, the way chewing on your nails might immediately calm your nerves. But short-term desires often have long-term consequences, like chewed up fingers. Thinking about the long term while trying to change some habits will help you remember why you’re working to change the habit. 

6. Persist 
   Research published in Health Psychology Review has shown that what you’ve done before is a strong indicator of what you’ll do next. This means established habits are hard to break. But the good news is, if you keep at it, your new behaviors will turn into habits, too. Persistence works. 

With a bit of time and some effort, healthy behaviors can become second nature. 

Not all habits are made to be broken. Good habits, like making your bed every morning, using manners and not spending more than you earn should be kept. But habits like stress eating, excessive drinking and nail biting, like it or not, are bad for you. Changing your habits is doable.

Does the pursuit of a healthy work/life balance seem impossible? When working from home the lines between career and down time, can be blurred. Many of us feel torn between juggling long workdays, relationships, caring for our parents and children and fitting in exercise or hobbies. 

At home 

• Unplug. Make yourself available to your employer, especially if you’ve earned the right to flextime, but realize the need for personal time. 

• Set family time as a goal. A specific amount of time together can ease the stress. 

• Don’t over commit. If you’re overcommitted with activities, learn to say, no. 

• Divide and conquer. Make sure chores and responsibilities are clearly distributed, so you aren’t shouldering the entire burden. 

• Be active. Regular exercise reduces stress, depression and anxiety. 

• Stay healthy. Be sure to eat right, exercise and get enough sleep. Don’t rely on drugs and alcohol. If you are suffering from substance abuse, seek help. 

At work 

• Set achievable goals each day. Checking things off our “to do” list helps us feel in control and gives us a sense of accomplishment.  

• Make the best use of your time. Evaluate when and if it is necessary for you to do, “busy work.”  

• Request flexibility. Flextime and telecommuting are becoming necessities in today’s world. 

• Give yourself a break. Taking small breaks clears your head and improves your ability to deal with stress. 

Does the pursuit of a healthy work/life balance seem impossible? When working from home the lines between career and down time, can be blurred. Many of us feel torn between juggling long workdays, relationships, caring for our parents and children and fitting in exercise or hobbies.