3 Keys to Happiness in Daily Life

It doesn’t take a whole new routine to instill a dose of happiness into your day—but it does take a little self-awareness.

1. Be grateful.

Research shows grateful people are happy people. It’s also important to understand that happiness is not the absence of negative feelings. Gratitude focuses on the present and appreciation for what we have now, rather than wanting more. Embracing gratitude as a state of mind can positively affect all aspects of life, including our happiness and overall satisfaction.

Up your mood by taking a moment daily to think of your world with gratitude. Start a gratitude journal or take a walk in nature, paying attention to all the gifts around us. Think of a person who helps you daily or weekly – a spouse, parent, friend, pet, teacher, cleaner, or babysitter.

Quiz: How grateful are you? Take the Gratitude Quiz published by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.

2. Flex your creativity muscles.

Do you have a passion or hobby? It doesn’t have to be a formal activity, simply engaging in creative thinking can enhance well-being by enhancing cognitive flexibility and problem-solving abilities. A recent study out of New Zealand, published in The Journal of Positive Psychology, explains that creative activities can trigger an “upward spiral” of well-being.

“Practicing an art — no matter how well or badly — is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” – Kurt Vonnegut.

Make some space in your day to create, even if it’s just for its sake. Try exploring unique textures or even natural and recycled materials to make something for your home or a friend and looking for some tips on how to add more creativity into your daily life? Read this list of 101 creative habits to explore.

3. Get connected, Stay connected.

Being a part of something larger than yourself can help bring perspective and a sense of belonging. Scientific evidence strongly suggests that feeling like you belong and are generally close to other people is a core psychological need, essential to feeling satisfied with your life. The pleasures of social life register in our brains much like physical pleasure does.

So take the time to nurture a friendship that is important to you. Make an extra effort to show you care, send a card, make a plan to have lunch, or give them a call and really listen to what they say. Smile and say hello to a stranger. Tell a story when someone asks how your day is going. Notice how you feel when you share something with someone new.

Struggling and need support? Join a support group and talk to others that can relate. Find your tribe: – a free online support community brought to you by TherapyTribe.

Tip: Check out the wellness tracker. It’s a simple but powerful tool designed to help you remember the promises you make to yourself. As you complete wellness activities your tree will blossom, and so will you!

October is National Depression & Mental Health Screening Month

“Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary.” — Fred Rogers

October is National Depression an Oid Mental Health Screening Month, a time when clinicians and their communities come together to spread awareness and combat mental illness. By working together, we can all promote the importance of mental health screenings while reducing the stigma associated with mental health illnesses.

Common Symptoms of Depression The following are some of the most common symptoms of depression. If you or someone you love has been experiencing one or more of these nearly every day for at least two weeks, it’s a sign you or they may be suffering from depression:

• Persistent sadness or anxiety

• Feeling hopeless

• Irritability

• Loss of interest in hobbies

• Decreased energy or fatigue

• Becoming more and more isolated

• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions

• Difficulty sleeping

• Loss of appetite

• Thoughts of death or suicide

What Clinicians are Doing

It’s common for people battling depression to feel worse during the holidays. That’s one reason why the month of October was chosen as the awareness month; because it gives people plenty of lead time to get help before the festivities hit. During this time, many clinicians, hospitals, and mental health facilities will either reduce or completely waive the fees for mental health screenings. This makes it far easier for those individuals who believe they may be suffering from depression to receive an affordable and accurate diagnosis. What Can You Do?

If you or someone you love is suffering from depression, it’s important to get screened. After your screening, a qualified practitioner will discuss a treatment plan with you that may include talk therapy, medication, or a combination of the two. If you are someone who has recovered from depression, it’s a wonderful idea to share your journey with others if you feel comfortable doing so. Often when people are struggling with their own darkness, knowing someone has walked through to the other side and is living once again in the light can offer hope and encouragement. If you or someone you love is interested in speaking with a trained therapist, please reach out to us today. We would be happy to discuss how we might help.

SOURCES:

• https://www.naccho.org/blog/articles/national-depression-and-mental-health-screening-month-provides-

• https://www.rtor.org/2020/10/08/national-depression-and-mental-health-screening-month/

• https://www.chconline.org/october-is-national-depression-and-mental-health-screening-month/
  

How To Find And Keep Inner Peace

In the modern-day world that we live in, peace has become the most valuable commodity. From the looks of it, it has become scarcer than the scarcest of resources as we have seemingly accepted that stress and anxiety are natural consequences of our lifestyle. This is unfortunate by any measure, as life is not meant to be so... devoid of peace!

Regardless, this is our reality, and we need to figure out ways to survive and thrive in it. Because the fact remains, no matter who you are, there will come the point where constant stress and anxiety will start taking a toll on your body. This will not only affect your physical and mental health, but it will also adversely affect the pursuit of your goals. To that end, let's take a look at some ways you can find and keep your inner peace.

1. Spend Time In Nature: Perhaps, our modern lifestyle's biggest drawback is that we simply don't get enough time to spend in nature. However, anyone who has ever spent some time in a forest, mountain, beach knows the healing and calming effect that doing so can have. It's like nature has this fantastic ability to recharge your mind, body, and spirit. So, make it a habit to spend more time in nature: exercise outside instead of going to the gym, having lunch outdoors, and spending as much of your weekends as you can out in nature. At the very least, get a plant for your office.

2. Focus On What You Can Control: It's a human tendency to want to control as many variables in life as possible. This tendency has probably been hardwired in all of us as it increases the chances of survival. However, as we are all aware, we can only truly control only a handful of things. So, when you find yourself worrying, take a minute to examine the things you have control over. You can't prevent a storm from coming, but you can prepare for it. You can't control how someone else behaves, but you can control how you react. It's much more peaceful that way!

3. Make Meditation A Way of Life: Meditation and peace are almost synonymous. There is something about sitting quietly and going inwards that just resets all your mental activity and psychological drama. Maybe that's why people have looked up to this practice since ancient times. Even scientific studies have shown that meditating regularly can have a plethora of positive effects on your physical, mental, and emotional health. Therefore, you should waste no time in making it a way of life.

4. Practice Gratitude: It's in our nature to always be in pursuit of something or the other. No matter how much we achieve, we are always looking for something else. In this race of life, it is only evident that you might forget about all the things you already have. All the blessings in your life might become a blur when all you can see in the future. This can keep you in a perpetual state of "not having." And that can be a significant source of stress. But if you can change your perception and start being grateful for all the great things, people, and situations in your life, you will be in a perpetual state of "having." This can be a source of peace and contentment. So, start making gratitude lists a habit!

Netsanet Tegegn, LCSW, is a Psychotherapist in Virginia Beach who provides individualized counseling services for those who wish to create long-lasting and positive changes in their lives...