3 Factors that Contribute to Happiness

Posted on October 07, 2020 by Rhonda Daley, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

Most people of sound body and mind can easily distinguish between what makes them happy and sad. When confronted with a choice, we make split-second decisions on the things that make us feel good or happy. If you think about it, is that not what we all really want anyway? Abundance, peace of mind, a higher quality of life, comfort, security… the list goes on. Basic emotional markers like; love, joy, and peace are at the root of all human life needs. This is why we can clearly say, happiness rules the universe.

Although we recognize what happiness looks and feels like, sometimes we need a little nudge in the right direction to make it happen. We get stuck in our everyday struggles of just living and at times the line can become blurred. That is why there are rules for happiness. These rules are exercises designed to help set the stage for a lifetime of happiness for the whole person.
When we consider the whole person, every part needs to work in harmony with the other. Just as in an orchestra, many instruments are playing different parts of a composition, yet all parts come together to make one amazing symphony. When one instrument is out of synch, there is much discord and uncomfortable confusion in the orchestra pit of our brain. Happiness is a symphony of our mind, body, and spirit working in harmony.

A Beautiful Mind:

The mind is a beautiful complex organ that racks a tremendous amount of power over our well-being. If the brain is off-kilter, signals to other parts of the body are affected. Over time, we see the effects in the forms of; stress, pain, fatigue, autoimmune diseases, and other chronic illnesses. A person neglected for long periods of her childhood can suffer emotional damage that may take a lifetime of therapy to repair. There are countless clinical examples of physical and mental illnesses directly associated with unhappy family experiences.

Our emotional health is all about taking care of our minds. How we process situations and choose to react is a combination of pre-wired and new experiences over time. For example; by taking a deep breath before responding to a verbal attack, our brain adjusts to consider the consequences of our actions and weighs in on the situation emotionally. The mind can then decide to what harm our response will do to our physical or mental being. We must learn to tune-in to our emotions and regularly get an emotional check-up.

This type of check-up can uncover triggers that are keeping you stuck in a loop towards your goals. Such triggers may be in the form of depression, fear, anxiety, or even attitude about something based on past experience. Understanding the roadblocks will help you push beyond the barriers and achieve greater success in your life.

The Body:

The body requires nourishment to feed the needs of the brain, which sends the signal to the rest of the body allowing us to experience happiness. Our bodies were designed for self-healing. Minimally, we need to get the proper amount of rest to set the stage. Inadequate sleep can cause high blood pressure and other physical problems.
Get a vitamin and mineral deficiency checkup. We go to our healthcare providers for everything else, but a vitamin deficiency checkup from a certified nutritionist or naturopath will change your life. Certain vitamin deficiencies can play a role in depression, insomnia, irritability, and mental confusion.

You’ve got to move it, move it…and keep on moving it. Studies show that exercise acts as a natural anti-depressant and the opposite of depression is happiness. Are you guilty of parking your car at the closest spot near the mall? Try adding some distance between you and the door, and log a few more steps. There are so many everyday tasks we do that can be beefed up to count towards our efforts to fit exercise into our daily routines.

The Spirit:

Spirituality is becoming a growing component in the medical community as studies confirm its powerful effects in the operating rooms across the world. Our traditions and wisdom dictate how we access and view our spiritual selves. Whatever your spiritual orientation may be, developing a connection will provide an inner peace during times of adversity. Think of it as a safe haven in your mind where you can go in private and contemplate your deepest and most challenging concerns.

A healthy spirit can help you find hope, understanding, comfort, and inner peace throughout your life. For some, religion provides that needed spirituality. But, there are countless ways to have a spiritual connection such as; through music, nature, and artistic expression. Whatever your preference, a relationship with your inner self is vital for healthy existence. Scientists are now looking at how DNA is influenced by spirituality, in particular when it comes to self-healing. They suspect it may be hardwired into our DNA. So, it is clearly an important part of the human orchestra for healthy living and true happiness.

This article is an excerpt from Rhonda Daley’s forthcoming book, “Happiness Rules” Copyright 2020.