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Just Dance

Just Dance

just-dance-humbSometimes if you hear a good beat, you just can’t help but move to it. I know I am always finding myself dancing in weird places like grocery stores at restaurants. I probably get some weird looks from doing this, but I don’t care. It makes me happy.

I’m sure many of you have had a bad day, and put on a good song that made your day just a little bit better. Well this can also work with dancing. If any of you have ever been to a club, can you honestly tell me you can walk away from there not feeling better than you did coming in? Letting the music move you and just not caring about what you are doing can be very liberating. Therefore it can put you in a great mood.

This idea does not only apply to clubs though, or even parties. In fact, nobody has to be around at all. All you need is some upbeat music, and a  lot of space. This is also good if you are self conscious about dancing in front of others.

Besides lifting your spirits, dancing can also have some great health benefits. If you work up a sweat while dancing, you can get a great workout. If you do this regularly you might even be able to lose some weight. This can lead to a greater self confidence, and who knows, maybe you might want to take those moves out of your home, and into the club.

Hang Out With Animals

Hang Out With Animals

hang-out-with-animals-thumbYou always hear people say dog is mans best friend, but never really think much of it. It really might be true though. Think about it. An animal appreciates you no matter what you look like, what your skills are or what your status in life is. An animal will like you just for you, and will never judge you. This is more than you can say about other people sometimes. This is one of the reasons being around an animal can make you feel good. As long as you pay attention to it and treat it well, it will like you.

There are many other benefits to being around animals. Sometimes when I have had a bad day, I can hold my cat for a few minutes and all of a sudden I feel a bit better. Come on who could be mad when those big eyes look up at you? Animals are smart too, sometimes it seems like they can almost tell if you are upset sometimes. I got into a car accident a few years ago, and my cat would stay on my bed from the time I woke up until i kicked her out when it was time for bed. Animals can be great companions, and can always be there when you need them.

Animals, especially cats and dogs, can also be fun to play with. Dogs are great for people who have an active lifestyle and spend a lot of time outside. They are great to run around the yard with and play catch. Cats can also be really fun to play with. Get a long string and dangle it in front of a cat. It will make them go crazy! Although no cat toy is quite as fun as a lazer. You have never seen a cat jump and lose it’s mind until you point a lazer at the wall.

Along the same lines animals can also be a great source of entertainment. I’m sure you have all been around a parrot at some point in your life. Parrots are very unique since they can mimick sounds around them. You can teach these birds to say things, or just watch and see what they pick up. Be aware though, they are still animals so watch what you say around them. You don’t want them repeating certian things in the wrong company.

Now i know animals can be quite expensive, and be kind of a hassle to maintain. However, you do not have to own an animal to enjoy their company. Chances are you know someone who has an animal that you can play with for a few hours. You can have a fun time and maybe even improve your mood a bit. The animal will probably appreciate it too since they love attention.

Cheer Someone Up

Cheer Someone Up

cheer-someone-up-thumbEveryone will inevitably have bad things happen to them. The difference a lot of times between a bad day, and just a bad event can be determined by a caring friend. You all know you have had times were everything is going wrong, and you feel like there’s no hope. Then all of a sudden your crazy friend walks in the room and says something hilarious. Just this little act of kindness can make a huge difference in whether someone has a good or a bad day.

Everyone appreciates someone making them smile when they feel bad, but why not repay the favor. As I have pretty much said before, help others, and they will help you. Making someones day, or even just cheering them up a little can actually be one of the greatest sources of happiness.

Cheering someone up can actually be really simple. One of the things that can make my bad day better is laughter, and even better if someone else makes me laugh. There is a whole bunch of ways to do this. It can be as simple as just a joke or reminding someone of a funny time you have shared.

If humor is not your thing, there are many other ways to cheer someone up. You can offer to take them out somewhere to get away. This is good because it gives them a distraction, and can also brighten their mood if its something they have a fun time doing. Also something as simple as sending an email or text message can let them know you care. Often its just as easy as lending an ear, and letting them talk about whats bothering them.

Cheering someone up when they are having a bad day can be one of the most satisfying ways to bring happiness to others and yourself. It often requires very little effort, but just one nice thing could make someones whole day. One day you might be the one who has a bad day, and that friend you cheered up before might pay back the favor.

Natural Happiness

Natural Happiness

natural-happiness-thumbYou’re sitting in your office. You feel sick, tired, and bored, but aren’t really sure why. There are plenty of things you could be doing, you just aren’t up to it. So you head outside to just take a break, and suddenly your mood sudden improves. You also seem to have a lot more energy.

Maybe it goes back to caveman times when people lived outside, maybe its the warmth of the sun, but whatever the reason people seem to be happier when they’re outside. Have you ever noticed people seem to usually be running around and having a good time when they’re outside? Also when people stay inside all day they can get tired and moody. Taking a short break to go outside at least once a day might help some of this moodiness, and maybe even give you a better outlook on the day.

Going outside for a whole day can be even better. Now I realize this can be rather difficult during the week with work, errands, and other commitments. However if you have time on the weekends an outdoor getaway can be something healthy and fun to do. There are many fun and interesting outdoor activities to do including:

Walking
Running
Biking
Wandering around the city
Going to an outdoor mall
Going to a Waterpark
Going to the park
Playing Sports
Swimming
Going to the Beach

Most of these activities can be done for relatively cheap, or even free. For more fun outdoor activities look online or ask a friend. Many towns will also host fun outdoor events in the summer that are also sometimes cheap or free.

But what do you do in the winter? We all know about fun activities such as ice skating, sledding or building a snowman. These activities are great, but what about when it gets below zero? It can be dangerous to go outside in these temperatures. In times like these, (depending on how much snow there is on the road) taking a short car drive can be a nice way to enjoy the sights of nature away from the bitter cold.

I think humans are meant to spend time in nature. Whatever the reason may be, it just makes us feel better. It seems almost impossible to be in a bad mood after you’ve spent the day outside. Taking even a short break everyday to go outside, can help put you in a better mood and make your problems easier to handle. You may even find that over time, you get less stressed about the small stuff, and your day seems much easier to take on.

Healthy Happiness

Healthy Happiness

healthy-happinessEveryone has had those times where they feel sluggish and tired, but don’t know why. If you are getting plenty of sleep and have a proper diet, there is probably a different problem. You are probably simply not getting enough exercise.

Now you might be thinking you do not have enough time to exercise, but that is not true. Exercise can be done in minutes a day through something as simple as a short walk or even a game such as wii fit. Several months ago I started using wii fit and have found that it can be a great way to exercise.  In case you’ve never heard of it, wii fit is an accessory you can buy for the wii game console.   This is a great way to get kids to exercise too, since to them it is basically jumping around and playing video games. However what they don’t realize is their muscles can be getting a great workout at the same time.

Another simple way to exercise is to go for a walk. (For more on walking as a source of happiness read the article, “Walk it off”) This can be a great way to exercise because it does not really feel as though you are exerting yourself, but it does stretch your muscles and get the blood flowing, which can make you feel much better.

Joining a sports team can also be a great way to exercise. This is fun, and can give your body a great workout. You might be just as tired as you would be from running around the block, but I bet you will have had more fun. Sports teams also have the added social aspect and many times people end up becoming good friends with the people on their teams.

These are just some easy and relatively inexpensive ways to exercise. However if you want to put in the time and money there are many other ways to exercise. You could join a fitness club or go to a gym. Some people even buy gym equipment to use in their own home.

Now how does any of this make you happy? Well, exercising can stretch out your body and make it work better.  This all  can lead to you getting sick less, and being an overall healthier person. As we all know, people are much more happy when they are healthy, than when they are sick. Also exercising can help you burn calories, and lose weight. This can lead to better self esteem, which could make you a more confident person. This could even possibly, maybe even lead you to having a better quality of life.

Walk It Off

Walk It Off

walk-it-offYou always hear about the physical health benefits of walking, however there can also be many emotional and mental health benefits to walking.  Everybody has had those days where everything seems to be going wrong, and you feel like you just need to get away from everything for awhile. Taking a short walk can sometimes be the perfect way to get away from everything for a little bit and clear your head.

Sometimes even going for a walk as short as 10 minutes can help. I’m not sure if it’s the sunshine, or the outdoors, or just taking a break from everything, but walking always makes me feel a little better no matter how stressed I am.

Walking with a friend can sometimes make you feel even better than if you are just by yourself. They can be there to lend an ear, and help you out. Although maybe all you really need is someone to make you laugh, and realize that things will improve.

If you are looking for more intense activity, a nice run or bike ride can also do the trick. Not only can this help your mental health, but if done regularly, it can also help improve your physical health. This in turn can possibly also make you happier, because you feel better about your body.

However what happens in the winter? You certainly can’t go for a walk or bike ride when its below zero out. In these cases getting in your car and going for a drive can work just as well. Playing some calming music while doing this can also help your mind escape from the days stresses. Be aware though, that with gas prices this can get expensive, and driving in several inches of snow if you don’t have to, would not be something I would recommend either.

Whether it be by walking, biking, or driving, sometimes we just need to get away from life for awhile and clear our heads. Taking some time out once in awhile to do some light physical activity or even just go for a drive can help calm you down and gather your thoughts. This might even cause you to be able to think clearer and make more productive use of your time.  This can lead to more happiness because you will be able to do more of what you really want.

Happy Hobbies

Happy Hobbies

happy-hobbies-thumbA lot of times you might find yourself getting angry, stressed out, and worrying to much simply because of the fact that you have too much time on your hands and not enough to do. Sometimes just getting up and doing something can make you feel a hundred times better. Many people have hobbies or things they like to do to keep them busy. However if you don’t currently have a hobby, these bored times can feel like torture. This is the perfect time to start a new hobby, if you do not already have one.

Even if you do have a hobby, it might be a good idea to start a new one. Eventually you might get bored with what you are currently doing, and want to try something new. This can keep your life interesting and exciting. A hobby could be something as simple as starting a dog walking service in your neighborhood or taking a class to learn a new skill.

A fun way to get into a new activity is to try it with a friend. Find out some things your friends have been interested in doing, but never have. It doesn’t even have to be something you do all the time, maybe just something really interesting you do every once in awhile. Lets say you really thought it would be interesting to go jet skiing, but never did it. Talk to a friend and see if they might want to do it with you. This could get expensive to do regularly, but it could be a fun escape from boredom.

If the outdoors are not your thing, a hobby could also be as simple as picking up a new game every once in awhile for something different to do. (See the Game Away article on this site for more information on games as a stress reliever) Some games are even multi-player, so this is another way to try out new things with friends. In the case of online games you might even make some new ones as well.

Doing something new and interesting is a great way to keep from getting bored. Whether it is a hobby you do everyday, or something big and exciting you do every once in awhile. Even if you only get to do something once, the point is that you did it and enjoyed yourself. We all need to get out every once in awhile, and you would be surprized at how just one new thing could change your entire mood.

Call on a Friend

Call on a Friend

call-on-a-friendBottling your emotions seems like a good thing to a certain extent because you know that if you told your boss what you really think about his new company plan, you would probably get yourself fired. However doing this is kind of like filling up a water bottle. There is only so much you can hold, and eventually it all comes out and makes a big mess. These explosions of feelings also don’t tend to come at the most opportune times either.

To avoid embarrassing yourself with sudden outbursts, it is better to get these feelings out before they build up. Letting your feelings build up to the point where they explode can sometimes lead to very undesirable consequences. This can be anything from getting your best friend so mad that they don’t talk to you for a month, to losing your job because you talked back to your boss.

Talking to a good friend, spouse, significant other, or close family member when you are feeling upset or angry is a good way to keep from loosing your lid. However often you are too busy to drop what you are doing and make a phone call. If you have unlimited texting, I find a good thing to do in this situation is to send a long text out to some of your close friends venting your feelings. Often at least one of them will write back quickly with reassuring words or just something to make you smile.

However if you do not have unlimited texting, this option can cause even more stress when you get that phone bill at the end of the month. (Texting can get rather expensive). If this is the case, a good idea might be to write an email to one of your close friends just letting them know you had a bad day, and to just write you back when they get your message. Although the response might not be immediate (people tend to check their phones more than their email), at least you got your feelings out and avoided getting yourself in an potentially embarrassing or unpleasant situation.

Getting out your feelings little by little as they happen could also make you a happier person, since you are dealing with your feelings as they come and not walking around being mad all the time.

Mellow Out

Mellow Out

mellow-outWe all have those days where we swear if we get yelled at again, or the printer jams up one more time we feel like are going to snap. Well there’s less violent ways of dealing with those situations, other than punching your boss in the face or taking a hammer to the printer. I find one of the best things to do when you are stressed is to listen to some mellow music. The right album or song can just seem to melt away your stresses. Sometimes it can almost seem to take you to another reality where everything is calm and good.

Different people listen to different things to calm down depending on their individual tastes. Try out different albums from your music collection and find out what works for you. Also you can try talking to other people, and find out what music calms them down. Switching up your calm down music every once in awhile is good. If you listen to the same cd all the time, eventually you might get sick of it, and it might stop calming you down. Another thing you could do is if you find that a certain cd really seems to work for you, go online or to your local library and see if that band has any other cds.

Getting a good pair of noise canceling headphones is also good idea to help reduce stress while listening to music. It can block out external distractions and stressors, making it easier to calm down and relax.

Listening to the right music can sometimes calm you down no matter how mad you are, and make it much easier to deal with those things that were stressing you out. You might even come to realize that the stupid thing which made you so angry, wasn’t even worth getting mad about in the first place.

Clothing Cleanup

Clothing Cleanup

clothingcleanupOut with the old, and in with the newly organized.

Clothing can be one of the biggest sources of clutter and disorganization in a living space. This is partly because articles of clothing are so easy to just leave around, and partly because we just have so much. Hanging on a door knob, on the floor, and even stuck between couch cushions. You name it, clothing can clutter it.  Sometimes a living space can become vastly more livable by just getting rid of excessive amounts of clothes lying around.

There are two major things that can be done to cleanup your wardrobe. The first being to get rid of old clothes, and the second being to improve your current organizational methods of any clothes you find the desire to keep.

Lets start with the first method, getting rid of old and unused clothing. Before you begin on this task, you are going to need some motivation which will make it easier to make some of those potentially hard choices on what to toss and what to keep. Whenever facing a task that you would normally put of, it can be a good idea to start with trying to find reasons to motivate yourself to actually do it.  After all, a big part of why you put something off is probably due to a lack of proper motivation.

To help get yourself motivated, first start by listing out all the benefits you want to enjoy by doing this task.  You could write them down on paper, type them up on a computer, or even just recite them in your head.  However you do it, the point is to find some basic reasons that you would want to go through the work of doing this task.  If your having trouble finding reasons to motivate you, here is a list of benefits to get you started (although you are encouraged to at least try to make up your own!).

Benefit #1: The Stress Remover.
Does having lots of stuff laying around irritate you?  Constantly having to push things from one side of the room to the next, just to find what your looking for can be a real drag.  By reducing your wardrobe, you’ll have less stuff to worry about.  This can easily lead to having much less stuff laying around your place.  By not having to sort through piles of clothing when you need something, you can sometimes save yourself a great deal of frustration.

Benefit #2: The Time Saver.
Say you want to find a specific shirt to wear. A disorganized closet can have you searching for much longer than you really need to be. An organized closet can make finding clothing faster and easier. Even if organization only saves a few seconds a day, eventually it adds up. Every 10 seconds you save through organization is worth over an hour of time per year(365X10 seconds = 3650 seconds = 60.83 minutes), assuming  your delay is on a daily basis.

Benefit #3: The Helper.
When you get rid of unused clothes, you can donate them to those who may really need or appreciate them.  This does not necessarily need to be the poor or homeless (although that is a great choice!).  Your donation target can be a friend, neighbor, co-worker, etc. If you are the type of person who gets the good feeling inside them whenever they help those in need, this can be a perfect motivator. Also, there is a bonus motivator here for those conscious about the environment.  This green motivator works best when giving away stuff to those who could otherwise buy it themselves,  which is a great way to recycle.

Okay, so now that you hopefully have some ideas to get you motivated on this task. Lets talk about where and how you can start.  Actually starting something like this can be the biggest obstacle.  I have outlined for you a basic set of steps which can help in not only starting, but also finishing your cleanup.

Step 1: Decide where to look.

Begin by planning out the various places you will need to sort through.  Some places to start looking for old clothing are in closets, under the bed, under the couch, in the laundry room, and maybe even in the attic. Finding and collecting old clothing can be done all at once, or little by little each day.  Whatever works best for you really. Eventually you will want to end up with a pile of clothes that you label as stuff you don’t need anymore.

Step 2: Stay strong, and remember why.

It can be much easier to actually get together a pile of clothes and say you are going to get rid of them, than it is to actually get rid of them.  This is where staying strong, and remembering why comes in.  Once you have made the conscious decision to get rid of your clothing, keep your motivators in mind when trying to actually commit to your decisions.  Remember the reasons why you are doing what you are doing, what benefits you will hope to enjoy.  Then when you are ready, you can use your motivators to get rid of some stuff.

Step 3:  Find your inner organized self.

Once you have your old stuff packed away, you can consider a structured organizational method for the items you keep. There are hundreds of closet and wardrobe organizers to choose from. The type of organizer to choose mostly depends on what would be most effective for you. You may even already have an organizer that can be made useful again by just getting rid of some of the extra stuff cluttering it up.

Step 4:  Finish the job.

Once you get done with finding an organizational method you are comfortable with, its time to actually finish the job and go through the work of actually carrying out your plans.  Again, this is a good place to remember your motivators.  Also, it can be easy to stop at this point and let boredom and frustration set in.  The key is to just keep your motivators with you, and keep with it.

Opinionated Eating

Opinionated Eating

opioninated-eatingThere are many different opinions on what types of food are considered healthy.   The entire topic of health food in itself can be very subjective.  Each person probably has their own idea on what a healthy food actually is.

For example, lets consider a typical sandwich with some sort of meat and cheese.  Depending on who you ask, this may or may not be considered healthy.  Someone may look at the type of bread being used and decide that it does not have enough fiber to be considered healthy, while others may consider bread in general to be a good dietary choice.   The cheese may also lead to some controversy on whether not the particular type is good for you, or even if any type is good for you.    Then there is the meat.  Most of you are probably already at least somewhat aware of the various controversies surrounding meat and its varying types.

There is such a large amount of controversy and debate on just about everything that is edible.  With all this conflicting information, how are you ever supposed to figure out what information is right,  and what isn’t?  One way is to make the decision to stay informed about any current health food information which interests you.

Even if I could give you the single most important food you should eat today according to the most current research, who’s to say that next week some other study wont find that the same food isn’t quite as good as originally thought?  Current research may be able to give you an idea of what our current level of knowledge is on a particular food, but really it is your responsibility to keep yourself informed on the subject because you never know what might change.

On top of reading about the latest research, another great method of finding out what foods are right for you is to listen to your own body and use a bit of common sense.  Sometimes you can tell when a specific type of food does not agree with you.  Finding what does and does not work for you can take time and effort to figure out, but eventually if you put your mind to it, you might be able to get a better picture of what you should be eating.

A good sense of what you should and should not eat can be gained and maintained by applying a combination of common sense, and knowledge you have obtained. If you notice an improvement in yourself, it will reinforce your knowledge with experience. If you notice the opposite, it will also reinforce that new knowledge and give you reason to avoid certain things.  Likewise, if you read up on a particular food and experience consistently good results from wherever you read it, eventually you can get a good list of places you can look for useful information.

Just keep in mind that research and knowledge are a great starting point, but it is also just as important to listen to your body to know if you are really being benefited. What works in a book or web article, may not always work for you.