Home Care Services in Shelby Township, MI
6 Ways to Feel Happier, Be Healthier
How a positive attitude really can make a difference
A good mood not only influences how you feel today, it can have a powerful impact on your health for years to come.
Scientists urge us to be as attentive to our moods and attitudes as we are to our physical health. Two recent studies underscore the importance of that advice.
A paper in Current Directions in Psychological Sciencenotes that a positive attitude can protect against poor health later in life and may be a powerful antidote to stress, pain and illness.
Another study, published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, found that happy people tend to live longer and experience better health than their unhappy peers.
“Happiness is no magic bullet,” says University of Illinois psychologist Ed Diener, the lead author, “but the evidence is clear and compelling that it changes your odds of getting disease or dying young.”
Eating well, exercising, not smoking and getting enough sleep help keep you healthy, but how do you develop a positive attitude?
Here are six mood boosters to make the world look rosier. Add them to your life, and odds are you’ll feel both happier and healthier. If you rarely walk on the sunny side of the street, now’s the time to cross over.
1. Adopt an Animal Companion
Pets provide more than companionship and a warm welcome home. They lend a willing and helpful ear — even if they have fins or feathers instead of fur.
Many pet owners confide in a pet because pets don’t judge, condemn or talk back. Studies have found that dog owners are often as emotionally close to their pets as to their closest family members
An astonishing 97 percent of dog and cat owners reported that they talk to their pets, notes Alan Beck, director of the Center of the Human Animal Bond at Purdue University. “The other 3 percent lied,” he quips.
People talk to their pets because they don’t have to worry about what they say or worry about the response.”Just as it’s more relaxing to walk in a park than a parking lot, it’s more relaxing to be with an animal than to be alone. It’s as calming as looking at a sunset.” says Beck.
If you’d like to have a pet in your life but don’t want the responsibility of owning a dog or cat, you can volunteer at an animal shelter or zoo, offer to walk a neighbor’s dog on a regular basis, set up an aquarium, consider a parakeet or put out bird feeders.
2. Turn Up the Music
Even before we’re born, we can hear music, and it holds us in its power throughout life.
Soothing, melodic music blunts stress and provides comfort. Bright, upbeat tunes set toes tapping and boost flagging energy. Relaxing music serves as an easy and safe way to improve sleep. Music helps keep both mind and body healthy and resilient, and it activates specific brain regions involved in emotion and memory.
“If you listen to a song that triggers a memory from your past, it evokes generally positive visual and emotional memories,” says Petr Janata, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of California, Davis. He suggests listening to familiar music that you know puts you in a good mood. “Up-tempo, bright and cheery music is always a good bet,” he says. “It will help you get out of bed in the morning in a good mood.
Music remains a part of people’s lives no matter how old they are.
“We’ve just finished a study where we created customized playlists based on music from their past for people with Alzheimer’s disease,” Janata says.
The researchers found that the men and women were substantially less agitated and anxious when they listened to this music. “We often don’t think to play music for people who are no longer able to ask for it, but it’s important that we remember.”
”Music affects every part of the body,” adds research professor Adarsh Kumar of the University of Miami Medical School. “If you relax with music, your body chemistry changes, and your behavior changes.”
3. Have a Good Laugh
Laughter prompts physical changes that help the immune and endocrine systems function better.
There’s even more. Scientists know that stress has a negative effect on the heart and causes blood vessels to narrow.
“New information coming out of our lab and others shows that a positive emotion like laughter has the opposite effect, releasing chemicals that allow blood vessels to open,” explains cardiologist Michael Miller, M.D., of the University of Maryland Medical Center. “We believe that it’s good for your heart to laugh regularly,” says Miller, “and now we have direct evidence to support that.”
Miller’s prescription for laughter is at least one good belly laugh a day. So take yourself a little less seriously, find something that tickles your funny bone, and share this wonderful, free gift of laughter with others.
Eight Reasons to Be Socially Engaged – Shelby Township, MI
Over the last few decades, researchers have been fine-tuning a definitive “prescription” for healthy aging, defining the building blocks that combine to help us maintain the highest possible level of function and quality of life in our later years.
Immune System
A 2007 UCLA study demonstrated that loneliness decreases the efficiency of the immune system. The study’s author, Dr. Steven Cole, says, “The biological impact of social isolation reaches down into some of our most basic internal processes—the activity of our genes.” Several other studies also confirm that people with strong social connections exhibit stronger immunity against disease.
Blood Pressure
University of Chicago researchers released a study in 2006 showing that loneliness is linked to high blood pressure. Stress seems to be a key element of this connection. Author John Cacioppo points out that lonely individuals are less likely to approach stressful situations with “active coping and attempting to problem solve,” which leads to a hypertension-promoting passive reaction. For humans, discussing one’s problems with someone else is an instant stress buster.
Brain Health and Memory
People who are socially active may be less likely to develop cognitive impairment. In a University of Chicago study, MRI scans confirmed the negative impact of loneliness on brain health. It is important to note that in these studies, the researchers were careful to rule out “reverse causation”—the possibility that study participants were less social because they had memory loss, and not the opposite.
Physical Activity
Physical activity is frequently called the number one ingredient for healthy aging, and numerous studies demonstrate that social connections lead to increased exercise. For instance, it is more fun to walk with someone. If it’s more fun, you are more likely to stick with it.
Depression
Depression is a common challenge of growing older. One of the most important and powerful ways to fight depression is to interact and engage with others. Untreated, depression can cause a senior to withdraw from social engagement, but spending more time with others can help “jump start” recovery.
Pain
Chronic pain can have a major negative impact on quality of life. Maintaining social connection with others can be an important tool in decreasing the impact of pain. And people who are coping with chronic pain also report the positive effects of participating in support groups with others who are dealing with the same challenges.
Nutrition
Gerontologists have long known that social isolation is a big risk factor for malnutrition. Seniors who live alone often say that it is “just too much trouble” to fix a nutritious meal for one, and they may skip meals or get in the habit of snacking on junk food. This can lead to a serious weight loss—or in some cases, to obesity, when a lonely person turns to food for companionship.
Relationships
It may seem paradoxical, but socialization with a large number of people has been shown to have a positive impact on our primary relationships. Married couples who become too insular tend to expect their partner to meet all their emotional needs. In the same way, too much reliance on the parent/child bond can also be stressful for both, even when parents and children are the kinds who describe each other as “best friends.” Studies show that seniors who socialize not only with family members but also with their peers have better emotional, intellectual and physical health.
Contact Pure Home Care today…we’re here to assist Shelby Township and the surrounding area with all your home caregiving needs. Our number is (586) 293-2457.
Source: Caringnews.com