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Equipped to...Love Your Lifestyle

This newsletter draws on an interview I had with Cosmopolitan Magazine for an article entitled The Summer State of Mind.

There are reasons why we generally tend to feel happier in summer:

We are surrounded by colour – women celebrate the warm weather in bright, floral sundresses, and men wear board shorts. Flowers are out in abundance, enjoying the longer hours of sunlight. People flock to beaches and outdoor sporting events with coloured umbrellas, towels and coolboxes.

We do more physical activity – the days are longer, giving us more time after work for fun activities and socialising. Physical activity causes an increase in endorphins (our “feel good” hormones) and so our mood lifts.

We are exposed to more fresh air – we throw open doors and windows and we spend more time outdoors. A continual circulation of fresh air means we are less likely to become exposed to airbourne diseases like colds and flu.

February is Healthy Lifestyles Awareness month, so let’s embrace the spirit of this initiative. Let’s learn to carry our good, healthy, summer feelings into the rest of the year. You can love your lifestyle no matter what the weather’s doing!

Read the article Summer State of Mind on my website

How To Feel Like It's Summer When It's Not!

• Learn to laugh more - Host an “outrageous evening”. Invite friends around to your home. Tell them to wear something outrageous and bring something unusual to eat. Have a comedy evening – hire a funny movie on DVD and enjoy a good laugh with friends. Have an old-fashioned board games evening – you’ll be amazed at how much fun you can have!
• Introduce fresh, new colours into your home - Change the soft furnishings such as scatter cushions, throws, duvet covers and pillow cases. Bring in colourful objects such as ceramic ornaments, paintings and other art works. Paint a wall another colour to freshen up a room
• Do something altruistic - Volunteer to clean up the beach or waterways in your area. Help clear alien vegetation in a nature reserve. Make jams and pickles and donate them to the needy.

What do you do you help boost your mood when the weather turns wintery? Let me know!

What Benefits Does This Have For Me?

Being positive, happy and loving your lifestyle has many benefits. One of the most important is that a good attitude reduces stress and burnout, both of which have negative effects and serve to reduce our overall sense of wellbeing and confidence. Stress can lead to difficulty making decisions, forgetfulness and mental blocks, among other symptoms. If we’re stressed, we don’t get enough sleep, and this too has a knock-on effect, causing irritability, depression, delayed reaction time and a decreased ability to concentrate and problem solve, among others. 

Can I Fake it Till I Make It? 

Yes, you can! Psychological research shows us that if we pretend to be happy it does pay off with enhanced mood. So put a smile on your face, stand up straight, unfold your arms and walk with energy and vigour in your step.

• If you’re walking in a public place, smile at everybody as if you are the happiest person in the world. See if you can get people to smile back at you. Ignore anyone who looks at you as if you are strange or who refuses to smile back - pretend you are too happy to care! Think happy thoughts. After a while you will notice you feel happy!
• Music is an effective mood enhancer – research has shown that music can calm us, excite us and even make us happier or angrier.  If you want to feel happier, listen to cheerful, happy music. We form strong associations with music, so play music that you once played while having a good time. It will bring to mind happier times.
• Occupy your mind so you don’t have time to dwell on negativity and misery.

Have you tried this technique? Did it work? I’d love to hear your success story!

Image by: John Lustig

Have something to say?

Do you feel happier in Summer? What do you think we could try to ensure our Summer mood lasts all year? Please share your thoughts.

What's Next?

Watch out for my next newsletter where you will be
E-Quipped to...Get it Right!

Regards

More About Me

My goal is to inspire you to make the changes necessary to live the life of your dreams! I believe that by developing your YOU-Q - the term I have created to describe your unique intelligence, creativity and wisdom – you can find your Inner winner and live a Be-YOU-tiful life right now. On my website you'll find more ideas to get you thinking about life, love, work and other important STUFF - all based on my work as a practicing psychologist, speaker, trainer and life coach (and hat lover!)

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