An Awesome Blog Post I Want To Share With You Guys!

I recently found this blog called The Feelgood Lifestyle. It's basically what it sounds like, which is sort of the same idea I'm going for with my blog. Anyway, one of my Facebook friends shared this blog post a few days ago and it's pure genius. You should all check it out! 

It's called "Act Your Shoe Size: Five Lessons You Can Learn From Kids" by Rebecca Hunter.

It discusses some great things that we can take from children on how to be happy and carefree. I've been doing a few of these things myself lately and it definitely works.

Click here to read it!

The Four Agreements, Pt. 4

I'm back! And finally, here is the fourth agreement:

The Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best

Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick.  Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

This is not a new concept. You've heard it before. But that's only because it's the best advice! Life is hard sometimes and we are all occasionally faced with tasks that are more challenging to us than they might be to others; don't let that discourage you. For some it might be relationships, or maybe it's a workout routine you're trying to accomplish, or even your math homework, (for me, it's that microeconomics test I took yesterday)... If you can look back on something and truthfully say you gave it your all, then you have nothing to be ashamed of.

Happy ~A Documentary

I watched this incredible documentary last night called Happy.

It sort of explores the idea of happiness all throughout the world, not only talking about how to be happy, but also following the lives of certain people who are very happy today, despite horrific events that have occurred in their past. It also shows different cultures in the world who are the most happy or the most unhappy, and includes several interviews with psychologists who discuss the ways to measure happiness.

It is very interesting and incredibly touching! I highly, highly recommend it. You can find it on Netflix available for instant streaming. Here is the trailer!

The Four Agreements, Pt. 3

Sorry I have been kind of lack-luster with my blogging lately. As it turns out, I'm a college student and also have a part-time job, so my free time is ideally spent sleeping. (Though I have used my laptop keyboard as a pillow more times this week than I care to admit.) Nevertheless-- I'm back with the third agreement!

The Third Agreement: Don't Make Assumptions

Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

I'm gonna be honest. This is probably the agreement that is the most difficult for me. And we've all done it some time or another. For instance, finishing people's sentences in an argument. Assuming that because they don't apologize, they don't care. It goes hand-in-hand with the second agreement of not taking things personally. The truth is, the world is full of so many distractions, situations, and events and everyone reacts to them in their own strange way. Some people can rant all day long, pouring out their feelings, while the mere thought of speaking up is enough to make another person's heart race. But that doesn't indicate that those two aren't thinking the same thing. You will never truly know what is going on in the head of someone else unless you simply ask. And there is no harm in doing that.

So next time you're upset at someone, take the time to really listen to what they have to say before you jump to conclusions and walk away! It could really save you a lot of unnecessary drama.

Faith.

Have a little faith! In yourself, in others, in your goals, in God.... Even if you are not religious, this can really be useful in whatever you do.

Exercising: A Secret Ingredient to Happiness

Alright, I'm gonna take a little break from The Four Agreements thing and talk about exercising, because it has really been helping me lately!

You've probably heard that exercising is a great way to de-stress, which is true, but there's more to it than that. One of the first things doctors ask their patients who come in seeking anti-depressants is if they've tried other things such as meditation or exercise.

Repressing a high amount of stress can be detrimental to your long-term mental health. Why? It wears down the connections between nerve cells in your brain, making you more susceptible to anxiety and depression, and affecting your memory and ability to take in new information. Exercising, however, allows you to take that energy and put it toward something that is beneficial to your physical health. It’s also great for your mental health because it stimulates the production of endorphins.

Endorphins are powerful little things. They function as neurotransmitters in your brain, produced by the pituitary gland during excitement, pain, orgasms, love, consumption of spicy food and—you guessed it—exercise. The effect of endorphins is similar to that of opiates because they’re your body’s natural painkillers and bring about a feeling of wellbeing and happiness. Ever heard of “runner’s high”?

So next time you’re feeling down or just stressed out, get your butt up and head to the gym, or better yet—make it a routine.