Sunday, September 27, 2015

New Neuroscience Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You Happy

Read the details. I'm sure your doctor is not doing anything in this category for you post stroke.
Thanks to everyone out there who reads my blatherings and gets the word out on how stroke needs to be fixed. There are times when I feel not only am I tilting at windmills I'm trying to complete a Sisyphean task.
http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2015/09/make-you-happy-2/

Sum Up

Here’s what brain research says will make you happy:
  • Ask “What am I grateful for?” No answers? Doesn’t matter. Just searching helps.
  • Label those negative emotions. Give it a name and your brain isn’t so bothered by it.
  • Decide. Go for “good enough” instead of “best decision ever made on Earth.”
  • Hugs, hugs, hugs. Don’t text — touch.
So what’s the dead simple way to start that upward spiral of happiness?
Just send someone a thank you email. If you feel awkward about it, you can send them this post to tell them why.
This really can start an upward spiral of happiness in your life. UCLA neuroscience researcher Alex Korb explains:
Everything is interconnected. Gratitude improves sleep. Sleep reduces pain. Reduced pain improves your mood. Improved mood reduces anxiety, which improves focus and planning. Focus and planning help with decision making. Decision making further reduces anxiety and improves enjoyment. Enjoyment gives you more to be grateful for, which keeps that loop of the upward spiral going. Enjoyment also makes it more likely you’ll exercise and be social, which, in turn, will make you happier.

Read the whole thing, it's very important for your mental health. You need that mental happiness to find the best recovery, because your doctors and therapists really do nothing in terms of your recovery.

1 comment:

  1. Dean,
    Just following the advice in this post by sending a thank you email for all the work you are doing to improve stroke care.

    I share your frustrations and I think it is making a difference, even though it seems like we are pushing a rope uphill.

    More specifically, your blog is my go to source for all things stroke. About 6 weeks ago, my health insurance tried to cut off my therapy, so I submitted an appeal that included 7 references to your blog as a reference to make my case.
    They approved my appeal last week!

    Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete