1. List I reviewed this week…
If there’s one thing that we ALL want, it is to BE HAPPY. Sonja Lyubomirsky has a great book, The How of Happiness, which lists and explains twelve proven actions and strategies you can use to increase your happiness. I’d recommend implementing one, two, or maybe three of them. Here is that list of twelve intentional activities, within our control, proven to boost happiness…
- Expressing Gratitude: Regularly acknowledging the good things in your life
- Cultivating Optimism: Developing a positive outlook and expecting good things to happen.
- Avoiding Overthinking and Social Comparison: Reducing rumination and comparisons to others.
- Practicing Acts of Kindness: Doing good deeds for others.
- Nurturing Relationships: Investing in and maintaining supportive social connections.
- Developing Strategies for Coping: Learning effective ways to deal with stress and hardship.
- Learning to Forgive: Letting go of anger and resentment.
- Doing More Activities that Truly Engage You: Seeking out activities that induce a state of flow.
- Savoring Life’s Joys: Mindfully appreciating positive experiences.
- Committing to Your Goals: Pursuing meaningful objectives.
- Practicing Religion and Spirituality: Exploring your spiritual side and finding meaning.
- Taking Care of Your Body: Engaging in healthy habits like exercise and sleep.
2. More on happiness…
I love learning new stuff. I learned a few things this week watching Robert Waldinger’s Ted talk, What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness. It also reiterated a few things I already knew, but loved hearing again. One quote from that talk… “The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this… good relationships keep us happier and healthier… period.” Check out the talk. It’s worth watching…
3. A realization I had this week…
I found myself being disappointed with myself this week. Why? Because I got caught up in some projects this past month that I let consume me. They interfered with my exercise, my hobbies, and even time with my family. It wasn’t catastrophic, and we still had dinner together as a family most nights, but my attention got pulled too much into those projects. I am a huge proponent and believer in balance… and the idea that you can do it all. I let that slip this past month and found myself disappointed in myself for letting that happen. BUT… I am pretty much done with those projects… am committing to getting back to the other stuff the rest of the summer… and making a point to pay better attention to that in the future. I could have committed to those projects, got them completed, AND worked on the other stuff. There will always be times in life when things are not perfectly balanced, but you have to check in from time to time and make sure you get things back on track.
***Help us help others…***
This month, we are doing our Community Supply Drive where we will be collecting personal hygiene products for Our Community Hunger Center in Twinsburg. They are in need of toothpaste, toothbrushes, body wash, deodorant, shampoo, laundry detergent, hand soap, razors, Q-tips, and combs. All donations can be made at our office… and any donations are GREATLY appreciated. And to boost donations, any of your family, friends, or co-workers who want to get checked as a new patient in our office can do so for ONLY $25 with the donation of ANY supplies. See flyer below for more details. And THANK YOU in advance for helping us help others!
