Building Health & Happiness

Happy and healthy – what more could you ask for? Well, maybe a whopping, great lottery win.

But seriously, if you want to enjoy life and protect your health, research suggests that a positive attitude and a little physical activity can make a big difference and neither costs a cent.

There are a lot of things that can contribute to happiness: money, achievements, having close and fulfilling relationships, being respected, education. However, of course, none of these things are guarantees.

There’s keen interest in what can help people be more resilient, that is to thrive and be happy in a range of circumstances, not least because the link between sustained unhappiness, stress and negative emotions and ill-health has been well established.

Negative versus positive

Sustained stress and higher stress hormone levels can take their toll and lead to increased risk of serious health conditions such as heart attack, stroke, and diabetes. Anxiety and stress are thought to increase inflammation in the body which can lead to hardening of the arteries, increased blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.

But researchers believe that focusing on negative emotions is looking at only half of the equation. For example, Professor Laura Kubzansky from the Harvard School of Public Health has found that emotional vitality or having a sense of enthusiasm, hopefulness, life engagement, and emotional balance in the face of stress, can help to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Children who can stay focused on specific tasks and have a positive outlook at the age of seven have better general health and fewer illnesses 30 years later.

Positive moods might therefore improve overall health. Researchers report that 70 to 80 per cent of heart attacks in the United States occur because of lifestyle choices that ultimately impact on human health, such as diet, smoking and exercise. Mood may influence a person to make right or wrong lifestyle choices.

Kubzansky suggests that having a positive attitude starts early and that we should aim to instill emotional and social competence in children so that they have not only good mental health but physical resilience.

But it’s never too late to take stock and cultivate a more positive attitude.

Tips for a happier, healthier life

Certain attributes can help some people avoid or manage diseases such as depression, heart attack, stroke and diabetes; including:

• Having emotional vitality – being enthusiastic, hopeful and engaging
• Being optimistic –  appreciate the brighter side of life where you can
• Developing a good support network of friends and family
• Learning ways to bounce back from stressful challenges
• Choosing healthy behaviours like exercise and good nutrition
• Avoiding risky behaviours like overeating and drinking too much alcohol.
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Body and mind

But it’s not all about thinking your way to resilience. You can get active – because there’s a wealth of evidence to support the notion that all types of exercise can promote mental well-being, as well as physical benefits.

More and more we’re learning about how exercise can help reduce and control depression and mood, improve blood flow to the brain, improve cognition and mind-body control; processes that can help reduce the incidence of falls and reduce the incidence and severity of dementia.

Exercise can be the steam valve you need when you’re stressed and simply need some clarity of thought. Setting aside time for exercise can help you with time management both at work and at home. Exercise can improve your fitness so that we can enjoy a healthier and ultimately happier life.

No magic wand

So, while there’s no magic formula to being happier and healthier, why not think about a couple of small changes you could make today? Changing the way you think can feel strange and forced at first, but if you persist, it does become easier, and remember that developing healthier lifestyle habits can help as well.