Tag Archives: happy

3 Easy Random Acts of Kindness

How about committing a random act of kindness for three different people?: 

Someone you don’t know 

Someone you know 

Yourself 

 Someone you don’t know ; This is quite simple and can quickly become a habit. (That’s a good thing!)
Smile. When you’re in a depressingly long queue  at the bank, watching a parent deal with their toddler’s public meltdown, or sitting next to another car in traffic. A kind grin goes a long way when you’re feeling a bit hopeless about the daily hassles in life. 

 Someone you know ; Take a moment to think about who in your life may be a little touch-deficient. Maybe you know someone who is recently widowed, a single parent with older children, or a new empty-nester. Maybe even a young teenager in an especially introverted stage of awkwardness.
Make it a point to physically reach out to  someone. It could be a warm hand shake, high-five, or great hug, whatever is appropriate for that person and situation. Touch is shown to make us happier and healthier, and it benefits both you and the receiver! 

 Yourself; People depend on you, so it’s important to take care of yourself. If you’ve only got a few minutes, steal away and flip through a great magazine. If you can set aside some more time, go to a Restorative Yoga class, get a massage, go for a walk by yourself to recharge, or window shop and grab a coffee. 

 Kindness doesn’t have to cost you anything, and it doesn’t need to be a grand gesture. A little goes a long way!



Self care made easy…

 self care

Busy-ness is the trend these days. People carry over-packed schedules like winning trophies. “I’m SO busy at work!” “How do you have time to do that? I’m too busy to read/watch TV/exercise/do anything fun.” “I can’t get monthly massages or go to a yoga class I have too much to DO!”

Too much “busy” could be making you tired, sick, and probably cranky.

When do you give yourself time out or relax? RELAX. “Relaxation” is a word we hear lots, but don’t know always know what it means. Here, I’ve compiled some options for you.

re·lax  verb \ri-ˈlaks\

1: the state of being free from tension or anxiety.

2: a way to rest and enjoy yourself

3: recreation or rest, especially after a period of work.

4: the loss of tension in a part of the body, especially in a muscle when it ceases to contract.

5: something that you do to stop feeling nervous, worried, etc.

More importantly, what does relaxation mean to you?

If you’re not a “hot bath and good book” kind of person, you probably cringe at hotel spa photos of people with stones piled on their backs. But here’s the beauty: You can make your own definition of relaxation.

It’s your job to figure out what you enjoy doing, what makes you smile, and what makes you feel like you are a hundred miles from work or home jobs?

Then, make time for that.

You have a schedule. Write in special time for a hobby, a nap, massage, your favorite show, a weekend getaway, a new class, ANY thing you enjoy can be relaxing.

Here are some more ideas:

  • Spend part of the day alone.
  • Spend part of the day with your family, doing ONLY fun stuff.
  • Meditate – see the apps Headspace and Insight Timer if you have a smart phone.
  • Devote time to your hobby.
  • Sleep in. Or get up extra early. Whichever excites you!
  • Get the kids to school and pop back into bed for an hour…oh the loveliness!
  • Schedule a massage or reflexology! Here in Ananda Centre we offer both. See www.anandacentre.com for more details.
  • Come to one of my Rest & Restore Saturday morning workshops. 2 hours of gentle movement and blissed out, supported postures. Next on is Jan 24th 10am. Contact me on 085 1502378 to book your place.
  • If you’ve always wanted a day to “not leave the house” today’s the day! Wake when you wish, eat when you’re hungry, stay in your jammies and read a book.

Taking care of you is important. And, self-care puts you in a better frame of mind to take care of the people who depend on you. So find the thing that mellows you out, and make it happen!

Satisfaction With Life Seems Good for the Heart

Happiness in four key areas — job, family, sex and self — may protect coronary health, study suggests. (HealthDay News) — Being satisfied with your life can be good for your heart.

That’s the finding of a new study that included almost 8,000 British civil servants, average age 49, who were asked about their satisfaction in seven areas of their lives: romantic relationships, leisure activities, job, family, sex, standard of living and one’s self.

Over a follow-up period of about six years, higher levels of overall life satisfaction were associated with a statistically significant 13 percent reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Satisfaction in four main areas — job, family, sex and self — was also associated with a 13 percent reduced risk of heart disease.

The reduced risk, however, was not associated with love relationships, leisure activities or standard of living, the researchers found.

“Taken together, this research indicates that being satisfied with specific life domains — in particular, one’s job, family, sex life and self — is a positive health asset associated with a reduction in incident coronary heart disease independently of traditional risk factors,” the researchers wrote in a news release from the European Society of Cardiology.

The study was published online July 4 in the European Heart Journal.

The findings suggest that people at high risk for heart disease may benefit from programs to boost a positive state of mind, study author Dr. Julia Boehm, of Harvard School of Public Health, noted in the news release.

Yoga and Massage Therapy can help boost these positive changes in the state of mind. Meditation is great to create feelings of wellbeing, slow down blood pressure and reduce stress.

At Ananda Centre we have many therapies, classes and workshops to help. See www.anandacentre.com and speak to any of our therapists to find out what would suit you.