Happiness

I really enjoyed a continuing ed class I took to renew my nursing license on HAPPINESS. One idea shared was that happiness is made up of two elements, pleasure and meaning. I'll go a step further and offer that often we spend our time in search of pleasure, which can bring more immediate gratification, but put meaning on the back burner, when we should occasionally seek pleasure and regularly seek things that will bring long term meaning into our lives.

While there are many benefits of health mentioned, one I found interesting is that happy people have lower levels of cortisol, and therefore better immune systems. Happiness is a predictor of long-term health and long life as well. Those who are happy are also "more likely to have community involvement, fulfilling marriages and relationships, high incomes, a long life, superior work performance and robust health. Positive emotions and sustained happiness are often associated with characteristics that parallel success, including altruism, energy, optimism, originality and sociability."

The author also found multiple sources that said about 50% of one's happiness is genetic, so that's considered a "set point." After that 50%, 10% is due to life's circumstances, and another 40% is determined by factors that are under our voluntary control, like if we seek meaningful activities, keep a gratitude journal, etc. I liked those numbers!

Strategies for happiness that are listed include:
Connect socially
Keep a positive attitude
Tend to your body
Leave baggage behind. "Forgiveness is the feeling of peace that emerges as we take our hurt less personally, take responsibility for how we feel and become a hero instead of a victim in the story we tell."
Be grateful. One study actually showed that "writing down three things that went well each day and their causes every night for one week increased happiness and reduced depressive symptoms for six months." That seemed very remarkable to me!
Be kind to your mind
Pursue goals (The most beneficial goals are positive. Instead of not getting into an argument, make a goal to make a new friend.)
Live a meaningful life (Identify character strengths and virtues on which to focus.)

And I liked this thought for a tangible plan to become more mindful and happy.

One way to start is to track your time for a week or two and then create a table that lists your activities, the meaning and pleasure (on a scale of 1 to 5) you assign to the activity, how much time you spent on it and whether you want to spend more or less. Remember that it takes time to change behavior. As many people point out: “Happiness is a journey, not a destination.”