Your capacity to care

What do you desire most? Some say it's a pay cheque. Others might argue it's a vacation in Hawaii after a long, cold winter. But happiness comes in a variety of packages, all wrapped up in a rainbow of coloured paper. Happiness could be a bright happy-face sticker on an assignment, marking efforts well-done. Happiness could be the text message from that cute boy or girl in your third period Algebra class. For new parents, happiness could be a good night's sleep or a successful toilet-training session. Happiness could be a letter or card from an old friend via snail mail. Happiness is anything that brings a smile to your face, but how does that smile get there in the first place? Most of the time,it's the unexpected events in our days that bring the most joy. Setting out to be happy never really works. Expectations often get in the way, forcing our happiness into the open with a painted on smile. It's the moments when there are no expectations that create the most satisfaction. A psychologist friend once said, "Plan the event, not the outcome." Letting your heart guide your actions can turn a mediocre day into one full of pleasant surprises.Random acts of kindness are all about striking out with your heart instead of your head. Giving from the heart is the most generous act of kindness anyone can offer, and it doesn't cost a dime. It's the doggie water bowls on the busy city sidewalks. It's spotting the first robin of the season, and sharing the news of spring with a friend. It's hearing a song on the radio that brings back a memory from your childhood and downloading it for your sister to see if she remembers. Generosity doesn't require bags of cash; only bundles of compassion. It's about thinking about the other guy instead of yourself. Spring is the optimal tine to test-drive your capacity to care when nature is waking up from its winter nap. Why not pick up that empty chip bag, blowing in the wind without a care in the world, and put it in the garbage to keep your community clean? Why not lend a hand, or an ear, or a moment of your time to someone else who needs it? Why not offer a smile or a hot cup of coffee to that living-breathing-down-on-her-luck street person you walk by every single day on your way home from work? Make the world more beautiful by being in it, and present. What do you get in return? Witnessing happiness brings happiness. If you have an opportunity, visit the link, www.thaigoodstories.com to view the heartwarming Thai commercial and witness what happiness can mean.

C'mon get happy!

It was news to me too, when I picked up a copy of a magazine called livehappy. On the cover, in large hand-written letters, was the subject: International Day of Happiness. Apparently, March 20th is the International Day of Happiness, designated by the United Nations to encourage countries to consider the happiness of their citizens when making policy decisions. This year, The International Day of Happiness coincided with the first day of spring, in and of itself a day to celebrate after the TRUE CANADIAN WINTER we've had. (Although, if you look out your windows today, winter's not quite ready to leave!!!) Nonetheless, the beginning of spring is a day when we can embrace a new beginning in our environment, our homes, and our bodies and minds. Think of it as a shift in our psyches. Alicia Silverstone, actor, author, and activist of kindness, has written two books entitled, The Kind Diet, and The Kind Mama. She says, "By choosing kindness as your creed, in how you treat yourself, the planet and other creatures, you are expressing the greatest power you have. Instead of trying to achieve peace, you are peace." She continues by saying, "I think most of us think of "kind" as outward, directed toward someone else. The focus is being kind to yourself first by really truly nourishing yourself and healing yourself and allowing yourself to become the strongest, most vital you that you could possibly be." Other celebrities have taken up the charge on kindness. Ellen Degeneres, actor, author, and talk show host, finishes each show with, "Be kind to one another." Shawn Achor, author of Before Happiness and The Happiness Advantage, believes attaching happiness to a goal or accomplishment interferes with our happiness, outcomes and success. "Looking at the goal in smaller, bite-sized pieces makes it more manageable, and creates more victories to celebrate. It also helps us stay positive and makes us less likely to berate ourselves if we have an "off" day. Becoming more realistic and staying committed while not making happiness contingent upon the outcome are important shifts in thinking that allow us to accept ourselves more readily- and be able to celebrate the accomplishment of simply taking better care of ourselves." It's crucial to adopt kinder, gentler thoughts and words about ourselves and others we meet each day in order to find personal happiness. The growing number of people suffering from anxiety and depression is staggering. Harvard Psychologist, Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D., during his PBS television program, Life (Part 2) said that "physical exercise, three times a week, is equivalent to some of our most powerful psychiatric drugs in terms of its effect on depression and anxiety." He also added, "avoiding exercise is the equivalent to taking depressants." Niyc Pidgeon, is a positive psychologist specializing in physical activity, sport and exercise, and she places "mindsets and optimism" as the necessary components for creating emotional well-being. "Optimism is associated with more positive and authentic relationships, better physical health and a longer lifespan. Exercise is proven to release stress, unleash feel-good chemicals in the brain, and enhance mood and motivation, but if we focus solely on the results of exercise, in the way of weight loss and body toning to make us happy, we will be disappointed." Dr. Ratey, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard and author of SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, says, "in general, it allows us to combat stress hormones directly within the body, but also to combat outside stresses overall. And all of those things contribute to our feelings of happiness. People know that it's going to have long term effects; it can fight depression and Alzheimer's and help them lose weight," he says. "But we've become too accustomed to only placing an emphasis on the physical...The thing that people need to think about is that they are doing something to make them feel better today...you're going to feel better about everything that happens that day. You're going to feel happier overall." There's a catchy sing-long-song on the radio right now by Pharrell Williams called "Happy" with the lyrics, "Clap along if you know what happiness is to you." Let's hope there's a whole lot of clapping going on out there!