Who said that there’s no free stuff today?Apparently, everyone of us takes this for granted: Sleep. Yes, what are the alarm clocks and coffee at night means? We are avoiding sleep for the reason that time spent awake is more productive and further boots our overall life satisfaction.

It is wrong, according to numerous studies, having less than 8 hours of sleep a day causes more lack of productivenesses. Remember the pillow your officemates have in their desks? If the time spent sleeping at work is channeled to real work, unproductive decreases dramatically.

According to the T.V. show 60 minutes, having a good night’s sleep improves the body tremendously. It repairs nerve connections, aids in regeneration and improves mood. Of course, if the body feels go, so is the happiness levels.

But that’s not all, sleeping is also linked to weight loss: Sleep-deprived people are prone be obese as their hormones are released in different times and ways. Some sleep-deprived people feel hungry even if they just ate and some people eat because they feel the urge to do so.

Sleeping is not a hard habit to do. Here’s some tips:

• Turn off your alarm clock. If you wake in the middle of the night, look at the clock, smile and think, “Hurray! I have three more hours to sleep,” rather than worry about being awake.

• Add a half-hour to your sleep time one day at a time, until you reach eight hours of sleep. Go to bed at 9 p.m. if necessary.

• Follow the rule: Bed is for sleeping and intimacy, nothing else. Take your television out of the bedroom. And stop watching action, murderous TV and evening news programs at least one hour before bedtime.

• Decorate your bedroom to be an inviting, peaceful haven. Just as a nice table setting sets the stage for better digestion of food, climbing into a made bed with clean sheets can aid pre-sleep relaxation.

• If you find yourself worrying or even thinking, “Oh, no, now I’ll be sleep deprived,” get out of bed, read a book sitting in a chair until you feel drowsy. Then go back to bed.

• Warm, not cold milk, aids the sleep process.

• Alcohol impairs the sleep process. Nightcaps can actually cause mid-night awakenings and sleep turbulence.

• Take a luxurious, warm bath an hour before bedtime.

• Create family harmony. If you argue before bed, your stress hormones will be activated and interfere with sleep.

• Work stuff interfering? Make a to-do list for tomorrow before bed. If you are thinking about a task, rather than sleeping, get up and add it to your list.

Source: www.brandenton.com

Today’s society is plagued by several stressful elements: deadlines, traffic jams, arrogant managers and the like. One predictor of this is the endless supply of self-help books ranging from work stress relief to managing time efficiently.Many of these are purely subjective and just based on the author’s opinion and not on any scientific research or data. That’s why positive psychology researchers - experts in the field of happiness research - are skeptic.

Former president of American Psychological Association Dr. Martin Seligman saw this emerging problem and in 1998, he founded the positive Psychology Movement and presently, “it has grown into one of the most promising branches of psychology.”

Positive psychologist suggest that to attain an optimistic outlook in life, one must embrace that happiness has the power to control ones’ self and to create internal joy. They suggested these practical tips to be used on a daily basis:

1. Use Past Experiences Constructively

This involves avoiding sticking to negative thoughts from past experiences to be able to move on and live a ‘fresher’ life. Utilizing earlier life experiences and applying it to the present will lead to a brighter future.

2. Focus Energy on the Present

By making an effort to anticipate in advance potential positive occurences present in your daily life, you will be more alert to unanticipated positive events. Also, by taking “mental photographs” of momentary pleasures will help in capture these positive occurences. Lastly, it helps to have a routine to ponder the positive things that existed in a day as not to take some things for granted.
3. Work Towards the Future

Planning for the future is a good idea and it really is. Just keep it realistic and avoid shooting for fantasy.
4. Engage in Physical Activity on a Regular Basis

Athletes know this already that having an active physical life makes a happy person. Scientifically, physical activities allows the brain to release feel good hormones and chemicals that regulates and increases the mood of a person. Make an effort to find time to have physical activities as long your body is capable of doing it.
5. Explore Ways of Finding Meaning

By dedicating yourself in believing something bigger than you will provide you with a sense of purpose and worth that makes life more meaningful. One good example of this is by having a spiritual life.
6. Assume a “Big Picture” Perspective

Having a “Big Picture” perspective is like having a guide in your life. It is inevitable to one’s life to encounter problems or a stressful situation and having thi kind of perspective works. By asking yourself if the stress you are feeling is beneficial for you in the long run, you can save efforts in emotional investment and of course, time. Just keep an eye in your priorities by considering ways to use these as an opportunity for growth.
7. Invest in Relationships

There is a saying that “no man is an island;” this makes sense as people are created to be with other fellow human beings. Investing in relationships like family and friends provides comfort or a shoulder to cry on once a painful event occurs. They can also be an extension of your happiness in a way that you can share it all together.

Source: www. stamfordplus.com

My friend’s grandparents are about to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary in a couple of months. Through the years, they have shown good example of couples as lifetime partners.I asked them to give some points for a harmonious, lasting, and happy relationship:

1. Appreciate his/her work.
Saying a simple “thank you” does not require a lot of energy.

2. Make time for each other
Make it a point to often spend time together but leave a little space to breathe. Also spend time alone with each other, so that at the end of the day you could both share your experiences. This way, you’ll stay interesting with your partner.

3. Be faithful
Fidelity is the word needed here. Though he/she doesn’t see you all the time, make sure that your partner is the only one in your heart. Learn to satisfy with him/her.

4. Keep it hot
You can do it by traveling to different places. As environment changes, moods change as well.  Always have physical contact - as simple as holding hands, a massage or just plain leg rubbing.

5. Honesty is the best policy
Don’t lie or hide things. The problem will only get bigger. Don’t even hesitate to tell him/her the truth. If you got any problem, be opened.

6. Never prolong untoward issues.
If both of you are experiencing awkward things in your everyday life together, as early as possible, talk about it.

7. Look good
Stay fit & healthy for each other. Better if you’ll do exercise together. Afterall, who wants an unattractive partner?

8. Remove uncertainties
Doubt is the number one termites in a relationship. Trust can never be earned if doubt hinders your love. If you really love the person, believe in his actions.

9. Say “SORRY”
Say sorry when you’re wrong; even when pride prohibits

10. Support
Support each other’s dream. Be willing to follow your passions, support your partner in their decisions & create new ones together. Two heads are better than one.

Identifying each other’s victories is the secret to a successful romantic relationship.

According to Dr. Janet Hall, a family and relationship therapist from Melbourne, Australia, the way people engaged in a relationship respond to each other’s victories or sucesses - whether in work, school or personal life - plays a very important role in a lasting relationship.

For instance, praises or celebration regarding a new promotion at work gives an emotional boost for the couple, but doing the opposite - by playing it down or ignoring it can have a negative effect which can make the relationship fragile.

To make it work, Dr. Hall suggested five ways to d this:

1. EQUAL: Treat your partner equally as yourself and by always praising or encouraging them for every successes creates a positive bond.

2. APPRECIATION: Every time you show appreciation with your partner when he praises you is a fun way to benefit both parties. It is like showing gratitude every time.

3.BEING POSITIVE ALWAYS: Always say positive things like praises or congratulations while avoiding saying bad or negative things on each other; even on their backs.

4. RECOGNIZE SMALL STEPS: Acknowledging every small step your partner takes to reach the goal is better than congratulating him after the goal has been reached. The process is always better than the outcome and after all, if the process is enjoyed, it reflects in the job done.

5. TAKE A LOOK AT OTHER THINGS: When you have a hard time looking for positive things to say, don’t fret. Just take a good and observant look around you to find other positive things in your relationship and focus on that.

Source: Reader’s Digest Magazine, September 2007.

Since there may be no point in marrying rich (see previous), then marry happy. Research shows that depressed singles receive greater psychological benefit - from things such as intimacy and emotional closeness - from getting married than those who are not depressed. And for the married population, first of all, congratulations: people in committed relationships have been shown to be happier than those who aren’t, despite how satisfying their marriages actually are. Research done by an economist at the University of Warwick suggests that if you’re married to someone who is happy, then you are happy as well. The research concludes that happiness, like material things in a marriage, is shared. Awww…

Source: www.time.com

Go ahead. It won’t hurt you. It might actually make you happier, too. Based on the psychology that a person feels whatever emotion they are acting at the moment, you will probably feel better if you smile. To avoid what is called cognitive dissonance, in which our thoughts and actions don’t match up, our minds react to the change in our facial expression to bring our beliefs in line with our behavior. And, like laughter, it’s contagious. If you smile, chances are that those around you will too.

Source: www.time.com

We are unique creatures in that we can mentally simulate situations by remembering the past and visualizing the future. We can also play a hand at perhaps creating the future - at least in terms of preparing our emotional state for what may come. It’s a valuable tool and one that can lead to happiness when applied to specific goals. There is much research behind visualization and emotional changes, as it has been shown that positive thoughts have an impact on the brain’s biochemistry. Many psychologists ask people to imagine or picture what they would like in their life, creating a mental state that makes the person think that it is achievable. “If you experience that visualization with your eyes closed, your mind doesn’t know if it’s real or unreal,” says Mary Ann Troiani, co-author of Spontaneous Optimism. “Neuropsychological ways makes them feel as though they have it and tricks the mind into thinking they have [what they are visualizing] now. It makes them more confident about it.”

Source: www.time.com

Society is plagued by time bankruptcy. But what if people asserted more control over their time to optimize their use of it? “Maybe you need to burn bridges, discard habits or situations that waste time and avoid emotional vampires,” says Mary Ann Troiani, co-author of Spontaneous Optimism. “It’s like house-cleaning at that point.” Psychologists will say prioritize, set realistic daily goals that fit into the bigger picture and some time might be recovered. Troiani usually asks one pointed question to shock her clients out of their rut: How would you feel in two or three years if you still feel this way? “People sit there like a deer, Visualize Happiness in headlights,” she says. Her response: picture and imagine what you want to feel like. Maybe set aside two nights in your calendar to focus on those things that you’d like to spend more time on. Or as she puts it: cut the chase.

Source: www.time.com

When the first world map of happiness was released, Denmark is on the top position, and they had been the happiest European country for 30 years. Their secret? Keeping expectations realistic. More from www.time.com

Researchers in the British Medical Journal tried to understand why the Danes felt more satisfied than the Swedes or Finns, who share similar aspects of culture, and came up with two plausible explanations: the lasting impact of the Danes’ victory in the 1992 European Football Championship has kept them in a state of euphoria since; and the nation, while satisfied, has shown low expectations for the coming year, unlike the Greeks and the Italians who rank low on satisfaction. While there were other reasons that contributed to the satisfaction of the Danes, one thing is clear: the higher one’s expectations, the further they fall.

Source: www.time.com

The grin of our society is blue-toothed. With BlackBerrys and corporate email at home, we are tethered to technology unlike any previous generation. This newfound flexibility between our work and private lives works for some people but is problematic for others. In 2003, Michigan State University researchers found that those who establish boundaries between work and home are more connected to their families and have less conflict than those who integrate the two. The researchers divided people into what they call integrators and separators and suggested that knowing the appropriate boundaries between work and home can have an impact and improve happiness.

Source: www.time.com