Positive health

Its MOvember!

veryhappyphil — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:57:28 +0800

It's MOvember! This month I’m growing a moustache to raise awareness for Men’s health! Join me! And thousands of men around the world.

Moustache + November = Movember!

For more info visit;

http://www.movember.com/

Thousands of men every year are diagnosed with depression or prostate cancer.
What are the signs of depression?
What are the signs of prostate cancer?

This week/Month; spread the word on men’s health, learn about men’s health, have a think about your health, raise money for men’s health by doing a fun challenge or just grow a moustache! It’s a talking point!

Have a happy GROWING A MOUSTACHE month!

Keep positive!
Phil McNally
Author & Happiness Expert

Remember,
Its MOvember!

PS What are the signs of depression?
Answers here;
http://www.veryhappyphil.com/content/how-spot-depression-and-deal-with-i...

PPS What are the signs of prostate cancer?
Answers here;
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cancer-of-the-prostate/Pages/Symptoms.aspx

We would all benefit from some therapy!

veryhappyphil — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:02:34 +0800

We all would benefit from therapy. We are all crazy

We are all creatures of habit. Some habits not as effective and beneficial as they could be.

If we were to experience a huge trauma or if we are clinically depressed. I will give you an example; Victoria Pendleton. “I wouldn’t be here (Olympics) now if it wasn’t for Steve (Peters, Psychiatrist). After Athens I got a lot of criticism about being too weak. Steve could see I was deeply unhappy with my performance, because I was not doing it for the right reasons. He taught me to care less about other people and more about myself, to be more assertive. The concepts Steve taught would help four out of five girls in everyday life. If I had known these at 14, I would have been much more happy and less full of teen angst”
Victoria Pendleton, Gold Medalist
“Imagine that inside your head there are 100 light bulbs — 30 red and 70 blue. The red don’t help you at all, the blue bring out the best in you. When you come to me, the reds are on, the blues are turned off. I help you to switch off the reds, switch on the blues, show you how you can do that, and then you’ve got to keep them that way. People will say you have changed, but you haven’t, you’ve just learnt some good mental skills. Vicky Pendleton can flick off her anxiety lights when they light up and switch on the lights that tell her she is a confident young woman.”
- Dr Steve Peters, Psychiatrist, GB Olympic Team, Undergraduate Dean at Sheffield University Medical School

Sex is a happiness booster!

veryhappyphil — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:37:57 +0800

One happiness booster that has been around since humans began is sex!

Sex can be a great stress reliever, with the physical and emotional release, bonding, and release of endorphins.

When you make love, cuddle with a partner, or have coffee with close friends, a powerful brain chemical called oxytocin floods your body with feelings of contentment and trust. This natural "love drug," produced by the hypothalamus, is responsible for human bonding. Oxytocin has been dubbed the "the cuddle hormone". Love making and hugging give us a free happiness booster!

Have a happy SEX week!

Keep positive!

Phil McNally
Author & Happiness Expert

Remember,
“Sex is a happiness booster!"

– Phil McNally, Author & Happiness Expert

PS More info on hugging here;
http://www.veryhappyphil.com/content/hugging-makes-us-happy

Singing is uplifting!

veryhappyphil — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:49:17 +0800

For those of us who sing along to our favourite songs in the car or shower or who attended recent concerts like T in the Park or Glastonbury, we could be boosting our happiness. There is nothing new about singing. I will give you an example; “If you look at any culture in any part of the world you will see a few things in common. They will gather in groups and talk, sing and dance. All over the world right now people are talking, singing and dancing! We have done it for thousands of years. Talking, singing and dancing are powerful for relaxing, expressing and healing ourselves.” Phil McNally, ‘Winning Mentality’

For some people singing has been known to lift depression and singing groups were started in Australia to uplift homeless people. Singing can uplift us all.

The benefits of singing include;
Deeper breathing relaxes body
Social contact
Fun
Singing uplifting songs uplifts mood
Opportunity to learn e.g. songs, breathing, singing technique Concentrated flow activity

See my website for more detail and previous emails on the benefits of fun, socializing, positive music, flow and learning

Here are a few of my favourite quotes which inspire me;

‘Sing like no one is listening,
Dance like no ones watching,
Love, like you’ve never been hurt before’.

"The types of people I recommend take up singing are stressed individuals or desk workers who, due to being in a slumped sitting position for much of the day, do not use their diaphragms sufficiently.” -Dr Danny Williams, British Osteopathic Association member

Celebrate! Sober!

veryhappyphil — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 20:38:25 +0900

Happy New Year! I will tell you a little story; I attended the only sober New Years party in Perth! Hosted by happy wise Buddhist monk Ajhan Brahm, the event was fun and full of great people.

Over the last two weeks I celebrated Christmas and New Year and a friends wedding AND I did them all without alcohol! I had a great time! Of course we don't need alcohol or food or presents to celebrate anything! There are many reasons why I choose not to drink alcohol and at least one relates to happiness;

Drink is a depressant!

There are pros and cons to drinking alcohol as well as pros and cons of not drinking alcohol. I stopped drinking alcohol about 4 years ago. Here are a few of my reasons why I don't drink;

More happiness/positive
More energy
No alcohol mood lows/swings
Better mental and physical health
Clear head, especially the morning after
Driving ability
Self Control
Challenge! (Peer pressure and culture pressure to drink like everyone else)
Save money
No alcohol induced misbehaviour/aggression/violence
Avoid the empty calories and nutritionless contents of alcohol
Inspire kids to do the same
Inspire others to do the same

Pros of drinking;
Some research shows Moderate drinkers outlive teetotalers and heavy drinkers. (But I am very healthy and I think I will outlive drinkers and non drinkers!)
Some people 'need' alcohol before they give themselves permission to have fun and enjoy themselves!
Some friends may feel uncomfortable/insecure if you don't drink alcohol with them

More mindfulness = more happiness!

veryhappyphil — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:05:30 +0900

The more we increase mindfulness, the more we increase happiness. Mindfulness can begin the moment we wake up till the moment we fall asleep, and every minute in between. I will give you an example; I recently had lunch at the monastery of Abbot monk Ajahn Brahmavamso. He eats his lunch in silence! He finds it interesting that people go to expensive restaurants and talk while eating the food!

“Some people’s minds are three bites ahead! One in their mouth, one on their fork and their mind on the next one they will fork.”
- Ajahn Brahmavamso, ‘Opening the door to your heart’
(UK and USA book title is ‘Who ordered this truckload of dung?’)

“‘Opening the door to your heart’ is a brilliant and hilarious book. Abbot Monk Ajahn Brahmavamso is a great, funny and memorable teacher and one of my favourite happiness gurus. His book is full of simple stories that I found helpful and inspiring and I can see why the book has helped many happy and many unhappy people. I highly recommend it. Buy it at his website here;
http://www.bswa.org/

Listen to one of his free talks ‘Decisions, decisions, decisions’ here;
http://www.bswa.org/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?cid=4&lid=767

“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judge mentally.”
Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., Mindfulness expert and author of bestsellers “Full Catastrophe Living” and “Wherever You Go, There You Are”

Challenging stress is good! Chronic stress is not good!

veryhappyphil — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:26:37 +0800

Is stress good or bad? ‘Challenging’ Stress is good. Chronic stress is not good. Stressful experiences and short periods of stress are beneficial and good for us. I will give you an example; I have starting a new job a stressful new challenge. After a short period I get used to the work and become comfortable (within comfort zone) and I grow in confidence, thereby making it less stressful than when I first start. The same could be said of starting a new course or new hobby or doing an examination. They can be stressful experiences, however ultimately beneficial to our future. Our lives would be worse off (and we would be less happy) if we avoided stress altogether, avoid challenges outwith our comfort zone. Taking the 'road less travelled' is challenging which is why less people take that route.

‘Flow’ is the description used to describe an optimal experience which is challenging and just within our ability. If the challenge is too difficult it is a stressful experience and if it is too easy it’s boring!

Stress can save our life. Stress can help us jump out of bed if we hear a smoke alarm and jump off the road if a car approaches. Too little stress is not ideal and may be a sign that our life is not challenging enough.

We are all different. Some people find driving or flying stressful, other don’t. Attitude makes a difference. I will give you an example; people that are optimistic cope better in times of stress than those that don’t.

Meditiation is great for happiness! and health!

veryhappyphil — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:43:47 +0800

Hello!

I recently attended the Happiness & Its Causes Conference in Sydney 8 May 2008 and two of my favourite tips were; exercise and meditation! I don’t like or understand big complicated words so I used to call meditation relaxation and now I just call it breathing! Every morning I do some breathing with my eyes closed! I do about 8 hours every night as well!

What is meditation?
Focusing the conscious mind on something, like breathing, while the subconscious mind relaxes.
Meditation is as simple as breathing! Anyone who can breathe can do it!

Six Common Meditation Techniques;
Counting breaths
Repeating a word, mantra or chant (sometimes called Transcendental
meditation)
Focus on physical sensations (sometimes called Vipassana meditation)
Focus on visual object or image
Focus on awareness of present moment e.g. focus on breathing, etc
Loving kindness

“The truth is, you can learn the basics of meditation in five minutes. Just sit in a comfortable position, straighten your back, breathe deeply, and follow your breath.”
-Stephen Bodian, ‘Meditation for Dummies’

How do I meditate?
1.Back straight. (sitting or lying –but not lying in bed unless I want to fall asleep)
2.Comfortable (posture and temperature. I often sit on a chair rather than the ground.)
3.Relaxed (safe environment)
4. Quiet (undistracted if possible)
5.Breathing in and out through my nose
6.Hands and Palms together in my lap (hands together boosts relaxation)
7.Eyes closed

A good sleep is good for happiness!

veryhappyphil — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 18:53:41 +0800

Hello!

I hope you got a good sleep last night?! One simple way we can boost our happiness is sleeping! Quality and quantity are important. A recent health study on sleep found people that got 7 hours sleep were healthier. Sleep is also good for happiness! I will give you an example; "Research has shown that happy people tend to sleep better and that people who sleep better tend to be happier. Clear, deep, uninterrupted sleep is what makes us happiest" ('QED: How to be happy', Brian Edwards and Wendy Sturgess)

Lack of sleep can severely impact performance, judgement, memory and mood. Here are a few of my favourite quotes which inspire me;

"The two best physicians of them all; Dr Laughter and Dr Sleep."
– Dr Gregory Dean

"We are a sleep-sick society. Each of us has a specific daily sleep requirement. If this amount is not obtained, a sleep debt is created. The only way to reduce your individual sleep debt is by obtaining extra sleep over and above your daily requirement. The average sleep requirement for college students is well over eight hours."
-William C. Dement, M.D., Ph.D, sleep expert

56% of adults in a Gallup Poll survey reported that drowsiness in the daytime was a problem.

One in five major accidents on UK roads are caused by tiredness. You cannot be happy (or unhappy) if you are dead!

Drowsiness means danger! Anyone drowsy will be less healthy, happy, safe and effective!

Sleep is good for health, happiness and beauty! (Readers Digest 2008)

Have a HAPPY SLEEPING day!

Keep positive!

love, hugs and happiness,

Indoor exercise makes us happy!

veryhappyphil — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 03:13:36 +0900

Hello!

I have been enjoying my 'happy' walks during the last 7 days. I enjoyed reading the research for this weeks happiness booster on exercise. Last week I mentioned the benefits of outdoor exercise and this week I'll champion the benefits of some types of indoor exercise! I will give you an example; Scottish country dancing! This is due to three elements; music, dancing exercise and social contact! It comes highly recommended by one of the original happiness gurus, the great late Prof Michael Argyle PhD.

Some forms of indoor exercise and outdoor exercise are proven to boost happiness! In order to remind us all of the MANY reasons to exercise I will share with you an inspiring list of benefits I found in a book by Jane Scrivner 'Detox yourself'. The book includes a list by the Fitness Industry Association in the UK for reasons exercise is good for us;

Promotes increased stamina
Relieves symptoms of menopause
Reduces Cardiovascular Disease
Prevents osteoporosis
Reduces the risk of breast cancer
Lessens arthritis pain
Controls cholesterol
Burns fat
Speeds up metabolism
Alleviates PMT (Premenstrual tension)
Improves neuromuscular (nerve and muscle) coordination
Increase the vodys ability to fight off infection
Reduces risk of glaucoma
Decreases the risk of colon cancer
Lowers blood pressure
Reduces the risk of obesity
Burns calories
Relieves constipation
Prevents endometriosis
Helps you to stop smoking
Relieves depression
Relieves anxiety
Improves sexual performance
Improves mental sharpness
Improves concentration