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10 Tips for a Happier Life

Guestpert

Mr. Peter Bedard MA, C.Ht.

Category

health, fitness, and beauty

After a near-death experience, Peter Bedard was faced with the greatest challenge of all: Living a life in severe physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. The former dancer soon discovered that the anger and frustration he felt because of his injuries were not only keeping him in pain, but were waiting to teach him the greatest gifts of his life.   Now, a celebrated author and healer, he helps thousands of people globally to live a life of full potential while integrating the lessons of pain into balanced living. Peter is the owner of ConvergenceHealingTeas.com and Peter's book, Convergence Healing: Healing Pain with Energetic Love, is in bookstores now! His newest book, "When Happiness is Work, A 30 Day Guide to Creating a Life of Joy and Healing Depression" is taking pre-orders NOW prior to publication!

For many Americans, happiness is on the decline and pain is on the rise! This is according to a recent study published in The National Bureau of Economic Research by David G Blanchflower and Andres Oswald (http://www.nber.org/papers/w24087). They found that, "Strikingly, Americans appear to be in greater pain than citizens of other countries, and most sub-groups of citizens have downwardly trended happiness levels. There is, however, one bright side to an otherwise dark story. The happiness of black Americans has risen strongly since the 1970s. It is now almost equal to that of white Americans." 

 

 

If you're one of those Americans struggling with pain and unhappiness there are things you can do! Check out my Top 10 Tips for Living a Happier Life below! It doesn't have to be that hard.

 

 

10) Take a Sound Bath - Sound is an incredibly healing tool. There are several different types of Sound Therapy (healing sound) and one of my favorite is to attend an evening of drum and gong playing. The practitioner will lay you down in a room (often with a large group of people) and basically give a concert of percussion on gongs. The sounds will vibrate through your entire body and lift your spirits while calming your heart and mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AoEfhFXqwA  

 

 

9) Meditate on a Mountain (or anywhere) - Find the highest place near where you live (it may be the roof of your apartment building) and climb to the top. Take in the view of all that life going on below you as well as all the life happening on the mountain and in the sky above you. Take it all in, sit as quietly as possible, and simply absorb it all in. Let the sounds and bustle around you just be. No need to engage it. Just be! Simply sit, meditate, breathe, and give yourself the gift of quiet.

 

8) Breathe of Fire - So often it's as if we forget to do this basic thing called breathing. Breath is super powerful. It clears the mind, flushes the body, clears stagnation and grief from the lungs, and opens the heart. When you do the Breath of Fire you're rapidly breathing through the nose while pumping the belly in and out. Try it for a good three minutes every day for a week and see what happens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKqWXieA_8c

 

7) Take in the Waters - For thousands of years cultures across the globe have understood the power of water. Somehow in our modern times we've forgotten this healing experience. Find a spa or visit a natural hot spring and get naked while letting your body take in the healing energies.

http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/topcalifornia/a/ca_hot_springs.htm

 

6) Create - So many of us think that creativity is something left for artists and those creative types. Well, that's not true. Take a moment and think about what you're doing even as you're reading this. What if you read this creatively? What would that be like? What would it be like to take a new route to work? If you're making pancakes then make them in creative shapes...flowers, Mickey Mouse ears, etc.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200910/everyday-creativity

 

5) Walk Your Neighborhood - Do you know who your neighbors are? When was the last time you visited that little "mom and pop" store down the street? How about that little dive restaurant on the corner? Whether you live in a rural community or a bustling city just get out and be part of the fabric of your community. Their are so many opportunities for new friends and exciting places to be and experience. Walking in itself is super good for our bodies and engaging in the life around you will lift your spirits literally make the world a happier and friendlier place. AND, according to Psychology Today, it will even make you smarter!

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201102/get-out-and-walk-your-brain-will-thank-you

 

4) Say Hello - In our world of connectivity (cell phones, iPads, You Tube, etc.) we have created a place of disconnect. When we do go out we rush from place to place and don't even notice the people around us unless they're in our way or causing us a problem. Be a little radical and actually make eye contact with a total stranger and simply say "Hello"! Attention is the most powerful gift you can give to anyone and sometimes the gift of being recognized can change a life. So, take a moment and connect...in fact connect in the elevator, smile in the line, shake a hand in the lobby, and simply SEE those around you who are sharing this beautiful world with you.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://us.reachout.com/blog/the-importance-of-seeing-being-seen 

 

3) Learn/Read - So often we get trapped in a way of thinking that no longer serves us. When we open up and take off our "Expert Hat" then we can truly take in new information and experiences. Learning and reading expands our minds, our hearts, and our worlds. It keeps us healthy and is scientifically shown to stave off Alzheimers and even depression. Give it a shot...sign up for a class and read a book! 

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Top_10_Benefits_of_Lifelong_Learning.html

 

2) Sleep -   When was the last time you allowed yourself to get a good night's sleep that resulted in a waking experience that feels refreshed and rested? Most of us are walking around in various states of sleep deprivation and that's not okay! Give yourself a night of going to bed early. Set aside the work, do your best to quiet the worry (reassure it that with a god night's sleep you'll need to worry less), indulge in an evening just for you, and give yourself the sleep that you know you need.

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/important-sleep-habits

 

1) Gratitude - Practice giving thanks. Gratitude is probably the most powerful tool in the Universe. People who practice some sort of daily form of gratitude have been found to, "...exercise more regularly, have fewer physical symptoms, feel better about their lives as a whole, and feel more optimistic...". So, if you want to lose weight, feel better, experience better health then find a way to be grateful! I have a “Gratitude Box” in my home just for this purpose! It really works!

http://www.umassd.edu/counseling/forparents/reccomendedreadings/theimportanceofgratitude/

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