HOW TO BE HAPPIER
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PESSIMISM IS A LEARNED BEHAVIOR
Anyone can also learn to be optimistic
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THINK POSITIVE
- If you tend to dwell on what you think you lack, try directing your attention to what you have
- Keep a gratitude journal, where you write down something you're grateful for every day
- Before you go to bed try to do one of these
1. Write down 3 - 4 good things that happened that day
2. Write a gratitude letter to someone in your life - The Journal of Research in Personality found that writing about positive experiences for
just 3 days in a row has lasting effects on mood
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VOLUNTEER
Spend as little as 2 hours a week & you'll feel happier
- Visit a senior in your neighborhood & listen to their stories of the 'old days'
- Take a senior who can't drive shopping
- Take your friend to the airport so they don't have to pay for a taxi or parking at the airport
- If your community has a Tomchei Shabbas that packs up & delivers food to families that
don't have the money to buy a lot of food for shabbas & holidays, go as often as you can - If your community doesn't have a Tomchei Shabbas, try to organize one
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EAT FEEL- GOOD FOODS
- There's no 'Happiness Diet' but some foods can make you happy
- Turkey, ice cream, healthy sweets & latkes can give your mood a lift & may help ward off depression
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TOUCHING & HUGGING
- Can release your body's natural feel-good hormone
- Intimacy can boost your self-esteem & happiness
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LISTEN TO MUSIC &/OR SING
- Listening to music or singing along with the music can make you happier
1. When you're cooking
2. When you're walking your dog - Avoid the songs that may make you sad
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PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
- You don't need to run marathons to reap the benefits of exercise
- Take a walk & get some sunshine every day
- Even short workouts release certain brain chemicals that create feelings of joy & contentment
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YOGA
- Yoga stress relief combines deep breathing exercises, physical postures & stretching that warms the body & engenders feelings of peace
- Feeling happy has everything to do with the chemical reactions in your body
- Doctors recommend the mind-body connection achieved through yoga as one of the most effective & natural ways to treat stress and depression
- Yoga triggers the release of the essential hormone oxytoc which floods your body with
feelings of happiness & well-being - Meditation can also work
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LOOK AROUND YOU
- Notice the beauty of the trees & flowers in your neighborhood
- Enjoy the smiles on your kids or grandchildren when you take them out for ice cream or to
the park - These positive experiences helps train your brain to observe more good things
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HEALTH BENEFITS OF BEING OPTOMISTIC
- According to a recent study from the University of Pittsburgh, women who expect good things
to happen have a 30% lower risk of heart disease - Optimism was also linked to a lower risk of stroke in a University of Michigan study
- A study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that as they age, optimists tend
to get fewer disabilities & live longer than pessimists
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