Finding Happiness

For many of you who have lost jobs or are struggling with the downturn in the economy, this has been an especially difficult year. The distress you experience can have an undermining and negative effect on your sense of well-being, health and happiness. Even smaller stressors - small daily hassles, if they are frequent and we don’t feel in control of them, may contribute to poorer health and a diminished sense of well-being. Consider beginning right now to counter the stress in your life by making some positive changes.

How to start? Begin by taking some time out to contemplate and reflect on who you are and what really matters to you. Reflect on the positive people, relationships and experiences that have been most memorable and meaningful to you. Research supports the notion that for most people, having meaningful relationships and experiences with family, friends, loved ones and significant others are key to experiencing a sense of well being. Work on becoming mindful of your distress and when you experience it, stop and take time out to reflect on your positive relationships and experiences. Practice switching to this positive frame of reference several times each day.

And then consider this. Did you know that happiness may be contagious? In the published article in Behavioral Medicine Journal (Dec. 2008), entitled Dynamic spread of happiness in a large social network: Longitudinal analysis over 20 years in the Framingham Heart Study, Fowler and Christakis’ findings suggest that the relationship between people’s happiness extends up to three degrees of separation (for example, to the friends of one’s friends’ friends), and that if you are surrounded by many others who are happy and these people are central to your circle of friends, you may be more likely to become happy in the future.

Is there anything valuable you can take from this research? Yes! Begin with working on your own positive attitude. Remember to take time out for meaningful relationships and events. And surround yourself with those who have a more positive approach to life and you may find that you too have an improved sense of well being and happiness.