Tag: Happiness

Friendship: The Medicine Of The Soul

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Have you ever stopped to notice how insular we’ve all gotten? Look up and down the high street on a busy day, and you’ll see people with their eyes turned downward with headphones firmly placed over their ears, blocking themselves off from the world. Our evenings have become less about life, love and laughter and more about Netflix and chill. In an age where being social means logging onto an app, we are all in danger of losing something truly special. Because spending meaningful time with our friends is extremely important for our general wellbeing. It can keep anxiety, stress and negative feelings at bay, help us to focus on the positives in life (even when life feels overwhelmingly negative) and even make us more attractive…

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Social media is not social

Social media absolutely has its place, but it’s no substitute for spending quality time with the ones we love. Social media has an unfortunate way of distorting our perception of others and ourselves. We feel obliged to present the world with a semi-real, stage managed version of our lives while making us feel with nagging certainty that everyone else is having more fun than us. Ditch the apps and get social!

Your friends make you feel valued

Friends who listen, really listen, are precious as they value us and help us to value ourselves. If you’re having trouble with your partner, your know that your friends will listen and advise as best they can without judgment. If you’ve just been to get a hearing aid fitted, they’re anxious to learn more. If you need to have a lengthy rant about work they’ll be there for you while you get it off your chest and if you’ve had a promotion or a bonus they’ll share in your joy.

Your friends break up your routine

We all know the danger of falling into a routine. Wake up, eat breakfast, work, make dinner, eat dinner, tidy up, sleep. It can all make you feel less like a human being and more like an anonymous drone. That’s why you can never underestimate the value in dropping everything for coffee and a catch up with a friend. It can break up the routine and put us back in touch with who we really are inside. If you haven’t touched base with your friends in a long time, pick up the phone tonight!

Your friends make you feel younger

Old friends have a habit of turning us into young friends. The kinds of friends we make in high school and college tend to stay with us for life because you’re able to dip into that wonderful bank of shared experiences which you can reach into and feel the years melt away.

Your friends even make you prettier!

You’re never more attractive than when you smile! Taking time to hang out with your friends inevitably results in lots of smiles and laughter which are not only great ways of boosting your mood but helps you to look and feel prettier without a single beauty product!

How To Live A Healthier And Happier Life

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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There are many things that we can do to live a healthier and happier life. It’s your responsibility to make sure you’re doing them, because no one else will do them for you, unfortunately.

So here’s what you need to do.

 

Eat healthy foods.

A big part of why people don’t want to eat healthily is because of the effort that needs to be put in. Sure, fast food is simple and takes no time to prepare, and it’s fine for a one off, but if you’re eating junk food every single day, then your body isn’t going to be in the form that it should be. Not only will you be overweight, but you will be putting yourself at risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol. – It’s not worth putting your body through that for a quick fix.

There are many easy meals out there that you don’t need to be a chef to make, and the benefits that they will have on your body and mind will pay off. You won’t just be healthier, but you’ll look so much better too.

 

Drink plenty of water.

It was once suggested to drink eight glasses of water every day, but experts now say ten to twelve. Water is so important for our bodies; it’s amazing for our skin, fights off old age, gets everything flowing through our body how it should and so much more!

If you ever have a headache that just randomly starts nagging at you during the day, a reason for this could be dehydration, and you may not even be aware. So carry a water bottle around with you so there’s no way you can just ‘forget.’

Exercise regularly.

Even thirty minutes are enough exercise if you do something every day, so there’s no excuse for not having the time. You don’t need to do anything too intense, just listen to your body and do as much as you can. Whether you like to swim, run, box or dance, as long as it’s getting your heart beating and the blood pumping – you’re doing what needs to be done.

Get enough sleep.

If you have ever gone a night without sleeping, you’ll know all about the effect lack of sleep has on your body and mind. It can make you feel so weak, and physically and emotionally exhausted too, so try to get as much sleep as you can to avoid this.

Eight hours is a good number – you should feel great in the morning, full of energy and ready to take on the day ahead of you.

 

Quit the bad habits.

Whether that be nail biting, smoking or alcohol, if you know it’s not good for you, cut it out of your life. Of course, that’s a lot easier said than done, but there are plenty of resources out there that help battle addiction. So open yourself up to the idea of getting assistance if you aren’t able to do it alone.

 

Treat yourself.

This doesn’t mean going overboard and spending all your savings on that car, house or boat you had your eye on. But if there’s something that you’ve wanted for a while now, and you can afford it – treat yourself. It’s a great little pick-me-up that will leave you feeling very pleased with yourself.

 

Get some real friends.

‘Real’ is the key word here. There are two different types of friends that you will have in your life, the ones that seem really fun to hang around with, but that just end up using you for what you’ve got, and there are the people that would sit with you in silence for hours on end, just to let you know they’re there for you.

Stick to the second option…

 

Find a hobby.

If you haven’t already found something that you enjoy – try a whole bunch of things until you find one that makes you happy. Explore music, art, dance, and sport. Join clubs and groups; you may even meet some like-minded people that turn into great friendships.

 

Get out of the house.

Don’t be confined to four walls every day; it’s so important to get out and be social; otherwise you will just get depressed. Human beings need to be stimulated or we will just end up getting stuck in a rut and having no way to climb out.

So take a walk in the park or meet some friends for a game of soccer. Whatever appeals to you – go ahead and do it.