Studies have shown that exercising does make you happier, but the exact amount of happiness gained directly from exercise is impossible to calculate. Leaving aside the physiological effects of hormones and endorphins, the psychological effects of exercise include higher self-esteem and feelings of competence, as well as better sleep.

If you’re itching to go running right now, good! But before you do, stick around for a bit to find out how and by how much exercise can make you happier.

The role of physical exercise in our lives

You’ve probably heard the phrase “a healthy mind in a healthy body”. It’s often used as a motto for sports clubs and I bet that you’ve heard it at least once from your middle school gym teacher.

The saying is so popular because it’s true. Physical health is an integral part of mental health and well-being, and it would be useless to think otherwise.

The World Health Organization recommends that adults aged 18-64 should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity throughout the week. T

hat’s two and a half hours per week, which isn’t a lot in the grand scheme of things.

Why it’s hard to make a habit of exercising

I don’t think I have to convince you of the general importance of physical activity, either. It’s good to move regularly, and most people are very aware of that.

Most of my students, for example, know that they should be working out regularly, and many of them do. But when the going gets tough, exercising is often the first thing that we skip.

After having a rough day, we often prefer an evening of Netflix and chill over a long run outside.

Often, exercising is seen as a vanity project, a non-essential luxury, even though we know that it’s not. Exercise doesn’t only mean working out to become slimmer or fitter or stronger, it means moving for the sake of moving.

People also seem to forget that there are plenty of ways to move, and just because it’s popular to hit the weight room, it doesn’t mean it’s the only type of workout available.

Another misconception is that a gym membership is the only way to be active. It’s not! Unless you live in the arctic tundra, the outdoors offers numerous ways of keeping fit. There are workouts you can do at home, you just have to find the one that works for your needs and possibilities.

Time is another popular constraint. It’s true that sometimes time gets tight and our schedules get too hectic. I occasionally miss my dance class because I have to make a choice between getting important work done or practicing my pliés. And that’s completely okay. However, barring periods of crisis, we should find the time to exercise every week.

By the way: Do you find it hard to be happy and in control of your life? It may not be your fault. To help you feel better, we’ve condensed the information of 100’s of articles into a 10-step mental health cheat sheet to help you be more in control.

Don’t Miss Out On Happiness

Find happiness with this 10-step mental health cheat sheet.

Download The Free Cheat Sheet

How exercising makes you happier, according to research

So what do you get for those two and a half hours you spend exercising?

Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way first. Regular moderate exercise lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reduces your risk of heart attack, and helps you recover from illnesses quicker.

The keywords here are, of course, regular and moderate. There is no point in over-training once a month, hoping that it will make up for all the gym sessions you skipped. As professor Michael Gleeson from Loughborough University explains, too strenuous exercise can weaken immune resistance instead of strengthening it.

Moderate exercise also promotes sleep quality and buffers the negative effects of stress in students during academic examination periods.

According to a large review article, other scientifically-proven benefits of exercise include:

• Increased confidence and emotional stability.
• Improved cognitive functioning and reduced risk of developing dementia.
• Positive body image.
• Improved self-control.
• Decreases in anxiety and depression.
• Decreased feelings of hostility and tension.
• Reduction and prevention of addictive behaviors like smoking and alcohol consumption.

It seems pretty logical that you’re happier when you’re physically and mentally healthy, sleeping well, and emotionally stable. In fact, many people would say that this is what happiness is all about.

So exercise is a double-edged sword, in that it influences our happiness by decreasing negative feelings and increasing positive ones.

How much exercise do you need to be happier?

Researchers from the University of Michigan may have the answer.

A 2018 study found that there is a significant increase in happiness even if you just exercise 1 day a week and 10 minutes may be enough to make you happier.

However, if you’re already moderately active and exercise for 150-300 minutes a week, then being more active (exercising over 300 minutes a week) will not make you significantly happier.

There aren’t any differences between different types of exercise, either. As long as you do something active at least once a week, especially if it’s something you enjoy, your happiness level will increase.

Tips to exercise for maximum happiness

It’s clear that exercise makes you happier, but it’s difficult to say by how much. Most likely it depends on the type of exercise, the time you spend exercising, your previous experiences and many other factors.

But even so, it’s possible to get the most happiness out of your workout by following a few simple tips.

1. Don’t overdo it

Moderate exercise is where it’s at. Don’t try to run a marathon if your exercise history is patchy at best and non-existent at worst.

Start small – one day a week, then two, then three, and so on. You will reap the benefits and with each small success, your confidence and motivation will grow.

2. Choose your favorite form of exercise for maximum happiness

You don’t have to pump iron if you’d rather dance. For maximum happiness, choose the type of exercise that you actually like.

There are so many different workouts to choose from – from dancing to duathlons, running to rugby, basketball to boxing, you should be able to find something that works for you.

3. Consistency is key

A good workout is something you can stick to. If you decide to start working out or raise the intensity, make sure that you have the time and energy to stick to your new plan.

While short bursts of exercise will definitely give you some endorphins and lift your mood for a day, the key to a healthier and happier life is to be consistent with your workouts.

By the way: If you want to start feeling better and more productive, I’ve condensed the information of 100’s of our articles into a 10-step mental health cheat sheet here.

This Cheat Sheet Will Help You Be Happier and More Productive

Thrive under stress and crush your goals with these 10 unique tips for your mental health.

Download The Free Cheat Sheet

Wrapping up

Along with sleeping and eating, physical exercise forms the basis upon which we can build everything else. Keeping active is an integral part of our happiness and just once a week may be enough to boost your happiness levels. It’s up to debate how much can exercise make you happier, but we know it does make you happier – the odds aren’t exact, but they still look pretty good. What have you got to lose?

Feel free to share your thoughts on this article in the comments below! Have you found a form of exercising that makes you happy? I’d love to hear all about it!

Maili Tirel Author

School psychologist, teacher and internet counselor from Estonia. Passionate about coffee, reading, dancing, and singing in the shower, much to the neighbors’ dismay. Counseling catchphrase: “It’s okay!“

The post 10 Reasons Why Exercising Makes You Happier appeared first on Tracking Happiness.

There are lots of different activities that can bring you happiness. Spending time in nature, exercising your creativity, and breaking a sweat are all great ways to be happier. These can all bring you peace of mind, a boost of endorphins, or a sense of accomplishment.

In this article, we’ll look at some of the best activities for making you happier – both right away and in the long term.

Find happiness activities outside in nature

It may come as no surprise, but spending time in nature is a great way to boost your happiness. And yet, more and more of us are spending less and less time outside.

What science says about spending time outside

One study found that almost half the American population failed to enjoy recreational outdoor activities in 2018. And it’s no better for Europeans. The average time spent outdoors was found by one meta-study to be a mere 1-2 hours per day… And that’s during the summer!

One of the main reasons is that our schools, homes and places of work tend to be removed from nature, both physically and conceptually.

So what exactly are we missing out on? There are a number of ways that spending time in nature can improve your happiness.

In fact, one study identified more than 20 different pathways between time spent in nature and positive effects on mental and physical health, including increased cognitive function, faster recovery from injury, and reduced stress, blood pressure and heart rate.

People who spend more time in nature tend to report higher levels of happiness.

By the way: Do you find it hard to be happy and in control of your life? It may not be your fault. To help you feel better, we’ve condensed the information of 100’s of articles into a 10-step mental health cheat sheet to help you be more in control.

Don’t Miss Out On Happiness

Find happiness with this 10-step mental health cheat sheet.

Download The Free Cheat Sheet

How being outside can make you happier

How can you reap all these benefits?

Well, the easiest solution is also the most obvious one – spend more time outdoors! The practice of “forest bathing”, immersing oneself in nature, has become a popular pastime for Japan’s dense urban population. As one study concluded:

The beneficial effects of nature suggest a simple, accessible and cost-effective method to improve the quality of life and health of urban residents.

Studies have also shown that the more connected you feel to nature, the more benefits you receive from being in it.

So do your best to practice mindfulness when spending time outdoors. It doesn’t take much.

A study found that a mere 2 hours per week is enough to see significant improvement in mood and well-being. And it doesn’t matter if it’s broken up into smaller sessions, or all at once.

Creative happiness activities

Many have claimed that a tortured soul makes for profound art – but unless your goal is to be the next Van Gogh or Beethoven, creativity can be a window to profound happiness.

Study after study after study has shown that being creative can increase your happiness on a day-to-day basis, and in the long term.

Studies on creative activities and happiness

There are a number of different ways that being creative can make you happier.

For example, visual creativity has been linked to mental resilience, which a previous article on Tracking Happiness demonstrated has lasting effects on your overall happiness.

But regardless of the exact reasons, the relationship seems to be one of causation, not correlation. A study by psychologist Dr. Tamlin Conner found that creativity on one day predicted happiness on the next. That is, creativity on Monday means happiness on Tuesday. Not only this, but the study found that creativity and happiness worked together to create an “upward spiral” of positive affect.

The happier participants were, the more likely they were to be creative, which in turn made them happier, etc.

Creative happiness activity ideas

There’s an almost endless range of creative activities that can bring you happiness.

• Music calms neural activity and reduces anxiety.
• Visual arts allow us to express ideas that we have difficulty expressing through words and allow us to integrate and process emotional stressors.
• Dance and physical movement improves our body image, self-awareness, and helps us to better cope with loss and illness.
• Creative writing helps us deal with anger, exercise control over pain, and help us recover from trauma.

When creative, people feel more connected to themselves and the world around them, and better able to express and understand their emotions. In other words, creativity gives us insight and appreciation.

You can be creative any way you like – and there’s no study linking aptitude to effectiveness.

You can be the worst guitarist in the world, and as long as you play guitar regularly, you’ll still reap all the benefits of being creative.

The possibilities are limitless, and there are lots of ways to integrate creativity into your day-to-day life.

My favorite happiness activity

Cooking is how I express creativity as often as possible. Sometimes it’s nice to follow a recipe, but more often than not, I just look at what’s in my fridge, pull out a bunch of stuff, and see what I can do with it.

Sometimes the results are fantastic! Sometimes it’s not…

But I still enjoy the process of using my hands, exercising my imagination, and tasting my creations. Find something that calms your soul, and try to do it a few times per week.

If you’re not sure how to start, make a list of different things you’d like to try, and go through them one by one. (Yep, even figuring out how to be creative can be a creative process!)

Physical happiness activities

Your level of physical activity has a profound effect on your mental wellbeing and happiness. Exercise and physical activity are linked to happiness through a number of factors.

For instance, greater physical activity leads to more regular and higher quality sleep, especially during stressful periods.

Studies on physical happiness activities

As with creativity, the relationship is not merely correlational. Being physically active causes feelings of happiness. As the authors of one study noted:

People who were inactive were more than twice as likely to be unhappy as those who remained active [And] a change from active to inactive was associated with increased odds of becoming unhappy 2 years later.

What’s the best way to be physically active? Well, it’s pretty much up to you — although there are some guidelines.

First of all, don’t overdo it. It doesn’t take much to reap the benefits of being active: just one day per week or as little as 10 minutes is enough to make you happier.

Besides, the relationship between positive affect (happiness) and exercise isn’t linear. Instead, it’s what’s known as an “Inverted-U” function:

Basically, there’s an optimal point at which you get the most benefit for your hard work. After that, the law of diminishing returns kicks in, and you’ll get fewer benefits the more you sweat.

So don’t kill yourself at the gym thinking it will keep you on cloud nine. Like all things in life, physical exercising is all about balance.

The good news is, it doesn’t really matter what kind of exercise you do, as long as you enjoy it!

You can run, play tennis, go swimming, skip rope, lift weights. Go for a walk in nature for a double-dose of happiness, or take up dance classes to be active and creative!

By the way: If you want to start feeling better and more productive, I’ve condensed the information of 100’s of our articles into a 10-step mental health cheat sheet here.

This Cheat Sheet Will Help You Be Happier and More Productive

Thrive under stress and crush your goals with these 10 unique tips for your mental health.

Download The Free Cheat Sheet

Wrapping up

To be happy, we must find activities to do – but not only for the sake of being happy. It’s important that activities bring you meaning and pleasure for their own sake. One of the goals of this article was to demonstrate the wide range of different activities that can help contribute to your happiness, so that you can find the ones that are best suited to you.

So get creative and find new ways to activate your happiness.

Christian Rigg Author

Academic researcher and writer with a passion for statistical analysis, neuropsychology and mental health.

The post These Are the Most Powerful Happiness Activities (As Per Science) appeared first on Tracking Happiness.

As you’ll discover below, exercising has a myriad of benefits for both mind and body. One of these is increased happiness. But specific ways of exercising can make you much happier than others. How long should you exercise for a happiness boost? Are certain types of exercise better for happiness than others? And how can you enhance the happiness benefits of exercise?

These and many more questions will be answered in this article. If you’re ready to turn your exercise routine into the ultimate happiness booster, just keep on reading.

What studies say about the effects of exercising on happiness

The idea that exercise increases happiness has been around for decades. But maybe you’d still like to hear the scientific proof behind it. Here is what studies say about the positive effects of exercise on happiness. 

1. Exercise increases happiness across all ages

First, one study compared activity levels among young, middle-aged, and older adults. It found that people with moderate to high activity levels had significantly higher life satisfaction and happiness than those with lower levels. 

This was true across all three age groups and in fact, life satisfaction and happiness increased along with age. So there’s really no such thing as being “too old to start”! 

In addition, the brain also releases the mood-enhancing chemicals serotonin and dopamine. These stick around for several hours after you exercise. 

2. Exercise causes happiness, not the other way around

This might raise the question, which came first? Are happier people simply more likely to exercise, or does exercise actually have an effect on happiness?

Another study found it’s the latter. For the first time ever, the research team found that a healthy lifestyle causes life satisfaction and happiness, not the other way around. So while the chicken and egg debate rages on, at least this conundrum has been settled. 

3. Exercise boosts both short term and long-term happiness

It’s easy to get our wires crossed when talking about happiness. Do we mean a temporary spike in happiness that equates to cheering up? Or are we talking about long-lasting happiness, also known as “life satisfaction”?

In the case of exercise and happiness, it’s both. Researchers have shown that it takes just about five minutes after a moderate workout for your mood to improve. So if you’re having a crabby day, taking a quick break to hit the gym might be the best cure! 

This means exercise can lift your mood almost immediately. If you go for a very heavy workout, the mood boost will take a bit longer to come – about 30 minutes. 

But even more importantly, consistent exercise also makes you happier in the long term. Studies call this kind of happiness “life satisfaction”. 

12 reasons why exercise makes you happy

It’s clear now that exercising makes you happier. But with such a broad statement, one wonders how exactly this effect works. What are the reasons why exercise makes you happy?

Let’s look at 12 science-backed ways that exercising increases happiness.

1. It increases happiness hormones

Firstly, exercise has a direct effect on happiness by increasing happiness hormones. In particular, exercising increases brain chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. 

This is what leads to the “runner’s high” feeling after a workout. It creates a positive and energizing outlook on life.

2. It fights off depression and anxiety

This might seem obvious based on the evidence above, but there are also separate studies that prove exercise helps ward off depression and anxiety.

In fact, researchers examining studies on exercise and mental health determined that exercise could be a powerful intervention for clinical depression. Another study also found it is an effective treatment, especially for mild to moderate depression. 

There are significant benefits for anxiety too. In particular, regular exercise can help people prone to anxiety become less likely to panic when they experience fight-or-flight sensations. After all, exercising produces many of the same physical reactions, such as heavy sweating and increased heart rate. 

Researchers proved this in an experiment, explaining that: 

Exercise in many ways is like exposure treatment. People learn to associate the symptoms with safety instead of danger.

3. It improves your health

How does exercise improve help? Let me count the ways.

Actually, that list would go on forever! So here are just a few of the dozens of health benefits of exercising:

• It strengthens your heart.
• It increases energy levels.
• It lowers blood pressure.
• It improves muscle tone and strength.
• It strengthens and builds bones.
• It helps reduce body fat.

4. It improves your sleep

Another health benefit of exercise is that it improves the quality of sleep. And anyone who’s woken up crabby in the morning can attest that sleep is very important for our happiness and wellbeing. But of course, there’s a study that proves that too. 

5. It leads you to eat healthier

Most people who start working out are told they should start eating well too. But if both habits are too much for you to implement at once, then get started with exercise first and a healthy diet will naturally follow.

As science shows, exercising regularly leads people to start eating healthier over time. And eating healthier has the added side benefit of making you happier. 

6. It keeps you from getting sick

Aside from having an excuse to stay in bed all day marathoning the latest Netflix show, being sick isn’t much fun at all. We’re generally much happier when we are healthy, and that’s another way that exercise contributes to happiness.

Doing regular exercise helps keep your immune system from weakening as you age, keeping you stronger and healthier for longer. 

7. It improves your memory

Maintaining a good memory is very important to many people’s sense of well-being. And research shows this is another thing that regular exercise helps with. In particular, cardio exercise improves working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control among adults who are at risk of cognitive decline. 

8. It gives you more energy

Imagine having enough energy to do all the tasks you need to do in a day. You’d probably enjoy even the mundane tasks, like cleaning your garage, much more.

Well, studies show you can have this benefit by being physically active. Even though exercising may feel tiring while you’re doing it, in the long term it increases energy and reduces fatigue. 

9. It boosts self-esteem

Another benefit of exercise is that it increases self-esteem, but not in the way you might think. It might seem obvious that people who are fitter are also more confident in themselves.

But actually, a study found that exercising increased self-esteem even if participants didn’t experience any physical changes. Just the fact of exercising, without any real improvements in fitness, was enough to boost confidence in oneself. And greater confidence has been shown to increase both life satisfaction and happiness. 

10. It reduces stress

Feeling stressed? Exercise can help with that too. A study found that exercise reduces stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. 

11. It helps you breathe better

It goes without saying that exercise requires you to breathe deeper and heavier. But did you know that breathing has a drastic effect on happiness too? 

In particular, proper deep breathing (from the diaphragm) reduces stress levels and boosts positive emotions. A study even found that training on deep breathing had greater benefits than mindfulness and emotional intelligence training. 

12. It improves your relationships

Last but certainly not least, exercising with other people can improve your relationships. Studies have shown that group exercise deepens bonds between people. And what’s more, having deeper bonds with the people you exercise with leads you to exercise better. Talk about a positive feedback loop! 

Another study showed that exercising with others can increase long-term trust and friendliness.  

And you probably don’t need science to tell you that strong social connections are absolutely essential to happiness and wellbeing. 

How to get started with exercising

It can be hard to get started with a new habit. If you’re new to exercising, you might be wondering about the best way to get started to maximize your success. 

Well, the best way to form any habit is to create a positive association with it. As mentioned above, moderate exercise can have an immediate boost to your mood. But a heavy workout will have a delayed effect of about 30 minutes. 

For this reason, it’s best to start with moderate workouts rather than trying to go all out right from the beginning. You’ll get a near-instant mood boost after your workout, helping you to feel good about your workout and look forward to the next time you do one. 

Professor of Psychology Michael Otto also suggests focusing on the mental benefits rather than physical changes. Unfortunately, it can take months before any physical results of your hard work in the gym are visible.

But the mood boost can provide an instant reward. That’s why Otto suggests tuning into your mental state after exercise in order to form a positive mindset and create a lasting habit. 

What kind of exercise should you do to boost your mood?

With a world of ever-growing options, it can be hard to figure out what kind of exercise you should do. 

If your goal is happiness, pretty much anything goes. Many studies found that the type of exercise didn’t seem to matter. Researchers recommend doing the exercise you like the most because then you’ll be able to sustain the habit over the long term. 

Here are just some of the options you can choose from:

• Running or jogging.
• Biking.
• Swimming.
• Hiking.
• Practicing a team sport.
• Outdoor sports.
• Rock climbing and other physical hobbies.
• Yoga.
• Cleaning (at a brisker pace).

But if you can’t make up your mind, here are two types of exercise that have particularly clear benefits for happiness.

1. Aerobic exercise

The vast majority of studies on exercise and happiness look at aerobic exercise, so it’s clear that there is a strong link there. This includes running, biking, or swimming. 

2. Dancing

If you get bored with repetitive motion and you’d like to apply your creativity, give dancing a go. It’s been shown as an excellent way to relieve stress. Actually, it may have more benefits than any other form of exercise!

How long should you exercise to boost your mood?

There are dozens of studies on exercising and happiness, providing a wide range of answers to this question. 

Researchers seem to be in agreement that any amount of exercise is better than none, and more is better. 

Some studies showed that people were happier with even very small amounts of exercise:

• Once or twice per week.
• 10 minutes per day.

But generally, more exercise leads to more happiness. Studies show that happiness hormones are released after 20-30 minutes of cardio activity. 

How often should you exercise to be happier?

We’ve already shown that exercise has both immediate and lasting benefits for happiness.

So if happiness is your goal, you can combine these short and long-term effects for the best boost. 

You can use exercise as a quick mood fix anytime you feel down. As Professor of Psychology Michael Otto explains: 

Many people skip the workout at the very time it has the greatest payoff. That prevents you from noticing just how much better you feel when you exercise. Failing to exercise when you feel bad is like explicitly not taking an aspirin when your head hurts. That’s the time you get the payoff.

So you can do a quick 20-minute workout anytime your day seems to be heading south. 

But to get the long-term benefits, you’ll naturally need to make workouts a regular thing. People who exercise for at least 30 minutes at least 4 days per week (the standard American and European recommendation for good health) feel significantly happier overall than those who do not meet the guidelines. 

And that seems to be the happy middle, at least as far as happiness goes. A review found that happiness levels were the same for people who exercised between 2.5 and 5 hours per week versus those who went over 5 hours. 

So this recommendation is a pretty good one to stick to. This will help ensure a higher baseline of happiness so that you don’t sink down into a depression after the immediate effects wear off. 

Where is the best place to exercise for happiness?

As with the questions above, exercising anywhere you can is much better than doing it, well, nowhere. 

But there’s one place that can send your happiness levels through the roof. And that’s our beautiful great outdoors.

Studies show that walking in nature for 1.5 hours is very effective at dispelling negative thoughts. In fact, you don’t even need to do exercise. Just immersing yourself in nature is enough. 

The Japanese have even made a practice called “forest bathing” around this. It’s essentially spending time or walking in a forest. This has been proven to both decrease depression and increase liveliness.  

But even if you don’t have access to a forest or a park, there’s one important part of nature you can probably find: the sun. 

Just 10-15 minutes of exposure to sunlight increases two happiness hormones:

1. Serotonin.
2. Endorphins.

But make sure not to go overboard, as getting sunburned can be very dangerous to health. If you’re in direct sunlight at peak hours or plan to do a longer workout, apply sunscreen before you start. 

5 habits to enhance the happiness effects of exercise

You’re all set to start exercising and become happier than ever before. But before you pack your gym bag, here are 6 powerful habits to help ensure the greatest success. 

1. Set attainable goals

If you’ve ever tried to drive somewhere without knowing the destination, you’ll know why having a goal is so important. This applies to hitting the gym as well. 

If you want to exercise, for any reason, you should have a goal for how you want to do it. This can include:

• What kind of exercise you want to do.
• Where you will do it.
• How long you’ll do it.
• How often you’ll do it.
• What results you’re hoping to achieve.

Otherwise, you’ll have no idea if you’re moving towards what you want or not. 

But setting goals has another added benefit to happiness. A four-year study found that setting attainable goals – even if you didn’t actually achieve them – greatly increased mental and emotional wellbeing. This effect comes from having a higher sense of control over your life. 

2. Drink lots of water

Drinking water is clearly necessary to sustain physical exercise. But it also has a direct effect on your happiness. 

As the human body is up to 60% water, it makes sense that our brains are very sensitive to being dehydrated. Not drinking enough can easily lead to a drop in mood.

If you struggle to drink the recommended 2 liters of water per day, you could try using a bottle with time markers. These show how much you should drink each hour in order to drink the recommended minimum by the end of the day.  

3. Eat healthy and happy foods

Exercise and healthy eating go hand in hand like rhythm and blues. 

Research found that eating fruits and vegetables regularly was a key part of a happy lifestyle, along with exercise. This makes sense, as it’s hard to have the energy to do a good workout if you’re feeding your body junk food all the time. 

If you’d like to get more serious about exercising, you will also need to make sure you eat enough protein to fuel muscle growth and recovery. 

There are also many protein-high foods that have particular mood-enhancing effects: 

• Foods high in tyrosine and phenylalanine: turkey, beef, eggs, dairy, almonds, soy, and legumes (increase dopamine).
• Foods high in tryptophan: milk, canned tuna, turkey and chicken, oats, cheese, nuts, and seeds (increase serotonin when eaten with carbohydrates).
• Foods containing probiotics: yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut (increase dopamine).

If you’re struggling with healthy eating, don’t stress about it and just focus on exercising for now. As mentioned earlier, making a habit of exercise will naturally lead you to make healthier food choices over time. 

4. Practice good posture

“Sit up straight!” We’ve all heard these words from a parent, teacher, or personal trainer. 

If you haven’t been heeding this advice so far, here’s a good reason to start. Keeping good posture can make your memories of an experience significantly happier. This is another way you can make a positive association with working out, so make sure you pay attention to how you hold your body.

But don’t throw this out of your mind as soon as the workout is over. Sitting upright also has several mental health benefits, including greater confidence and enthusiasm. You can continue to use this practice as you sit back down to work and go about the rest of your day. 

5. Cultivate self-control

Let’s face it, we’re all busy. Between work and family commitments, fitting a workout into your day can feel akin to a game of Tetris. 

That’s why researchers point to a crucial factor in the happiness equation: self-control.

This is the ability to put off dinner, Netflix, or meeting friends in order to stick to your workout habits. It has a major influence on your lifestyle choices, and ultimately on your life satisfaction. 

That’s why we should all see healthy choices like regular exercise as “money in the bank” for our own happiness. Making the right decisions is like investing in a better future and getting high interest in return. 

By the way: If you want to start feeling better and more productive, I’ve condensed the information of 100’s of our articles into a 10-step mental health cheat sheet here.

This Cheat Sheet Will Help You Be Happier and More Productive

Thrive under stress and crush your goals with these 10 unique tips for your mental health.

Download The Free Cheat Sheet

Wrapping up

Now you have the ultimate guide on how to exercise for the greatest benefits to both health and happiness. You can keep your motivation high, knowing 12 science-backed ways that you’re boosting your mood with your workout. You’ll be able to choose the what, where, when, who, and how to implement these effects. And, you’re equipped with 5 powerful tips to enhance all the benefits. All that’s left for you to do now is grab a towel and start sweating!

Silvia Adamyova Author

Born in Slovakia, raised in Canada. Online English teacher, editor, copywriter, and translator. You’ll find me holed up in a bookstore, typing in a cafe, or immersed in a philosophical debate.

The post 12 Reasons Why Exercising Makes you Happier (with Tips!) appeared first on Tracking Happiness.

While volunteering may not pay in money, it does have other benefits that you don’t want to miss out on. Besides looking good on your resumé, volunteering can support both your physical and mental health, lower your stress levels and help you find new friends. And you don’t even have to devote your whole life to volunteering to reap those benefits, just a little of your time will do.

In this article, I will take a closer look at the benefits of volunteering and how to make the most of it.

Why do people volunteer?

According to the 2018 Volunteering in America Report, 30.3 percent of adults volunteer through an organization, and many more are thought to volunteer their services to friends and communities informally, which makes the actual number much higher.

According to the UK’s NCVO organization, there are several reasons why people choose to volunteer, including:

• Giving something back to an organization that has impacted a person’s life.
• Making a difference in the lives of others.
• Helping the environment.
• Feeling valued and part of a team, and gaining confidence.
• Gaining new or developing existing skills, knowledge, and experience.
• Enhancing a CV.

Volunteering is sometimes a part of an educational program. For example, I have graduated from and now teach in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, where one of the core elements is CAS – creativity, activity, service. In the service component, students are expected to volunteer their services to an organization or individual in a way that has a learning benefit for the student.

Example of why I volunteer

So, as a part of my high school education, I volunteered at the local library, where I held Saturday reading hours for children and helped organize the books. Although I only started volunteering because I had to (that’s a bit ironic, isn’t it?), it gave me valuable experience and helped me build lasting relationships and find my place in the world.

I am now watching my students go through the same process and devote their time to animal shelters and tutoring others. The most rewarding part is seeing them discover new activities and thrive spending time on worthwhile causes.

My volunteering journey didn’t stop after graduation. In university, I was a member of several student organizations and spent my free time organizing events and writing articles for the student journal. Nowadays, I’m a volunteer internet counselor.

What does volunteering give me? First and foremost, valuable professional skills and experience, but also a sense of belonging and an ability to help others. There are times when it gets busy at work and I think about quitting volunteering, but at the end of the day, the benefits outweigh the costs for me.

The surprising benefits of volunteering (as per science)

You don’t only have to take my word for it – the benefits of volunteering have been scientifically proven, too.

A 2007 study found that people who volunteer consistently report being healthier both physically and mentally than those who do not. Another important finding of this study was that those who were less well socially integrated benefited the most, meaning that volunteering may be a way to empower groups who are socially excluded otherwise.

Similar results were found in 2018 – volunteering seems to have beneficial effects on mental and physical health, life satisfaction, social well-being, and depression. There is a ‘but’, though – the benefits are greater if the volunteering is other-oriented.

Other-oriented volunteering

Other-oriented volunteering is offering your services simply because you want to help and give to your community. Self-oriented volunteering is directed at improving your skills and polishing your resumé. So paradoxically, you reap greater benefits if you’re not volunteering for the benefits.

This finding is supported by a study from 2013, which found that volunteering can buffer the effects of stress on health, but these stress-buffering effects are limited to individuals with positive views of other people.

Volunteering also allows you to spread happiness by working closely with other people and giving back to your community. And it can make you happier, too! According to researcher Francesca Borgonovi, volunteering can contribute to an individual’s happiness levels in 3 ways:

1. Increasing empathic emotions.
2. Shifting aspirations.
3. Making us compare ourselves to people who are relatively worse-off.

While the last point – social comparison – may not be the best way to boost your happiness level, it is also one that you cannot ignore. By helping the less fortunate, you are forced to evaluate your own life and make you count your blessings.

Science on volunteering for the elderly

There is one social group that is notoriously lonely and who might benefit from volunteering – the elderly.

In 2012, the then First Lady of Estonia, Evelin Ilves, proposed that instead of raising pensions, we should find ways to offer volunteering opportunities to the elderly. This plan was met with ridicule, but the idea itself isn’t bad.

For example, a 2010 study found that volunteering has a positive effect on depression in people over 65. A 2016 study from Finland found that older adults who engaged in voluntary work were happier than those who did not.

So why not invite your grandma along the next time you’re going to walk the dogs at the animal shelter?

How to volunteer for maximum happiness

Now you know the benefits of volunteering, but perhaps you’re unsure where to start. Here are a couple of tips on how to make your volunteering experience beneficial for everyone.

1. Consider your skills and interests

There is little point in devoting your time to something you aren’t passionate about because you’re more likely to quit that way. Before you sign up as a volunteer anywhere, take a moment to figure out what’s important to you and where you can put your skills to good use.

Are you a wizard in Excel and love teaching? Volunteer to tutor someone less mathematically-inclined. Perhaps you have a wonderful intonation and would like to offer some company, so why not offer reading services at a retirement home.

2. Don’t burn out

If you’re passionate about a lot of things, it’s easy to overbook your schedule. However, you’re no use to anyone – least of all yourself! – if you burn out in a month. Make sure you keep your volunteering projects at a reasonable level that allows you some rest, too.

Before you commit to a highly stressful activity like crisis relief or volunteer firefighting, make sure that you’re in a place where you can handle the extra stress.

3. Bring your friend along (or your grandma)

Volunteering for the first time can be scary, so bring someone along. Not only will the experience be less scary, but it can also be a wonderful bonding activity for you, as you can share a cause close to you.

Plus, according to the science we discussed, getting your grandparents to volunteer will probably benefit them more than you, and one of the secrets to a happy life is definitely a happy grandma.

By the way: If you want to start feeling better and more productive, I’ve condensed the information of 100’s of our articles into a 10-step mental health cheat sheet here.

This Cheat Sheet Will Help You Be Happier and More Productive

Thrive under stress and crush your goals with these 10 unique tips for your mental health.

Download The Free Cheat Sheet

Closing words

Volunteering has many other, and arguably more important, benefits than just looking good on your resumé. It can improve your physical and mental health, lower your stress levels and just plainly boost your happiness. Plus, there’s usually a cool t-shirt in it for you (just kidding). Even without the t-shirt, what are you waiting for? It’s time to take voluntary action!

Do you want to share your own experience with volunteering? Or do you have a funny story on how volunteering made you happier? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

Maili Tirel Author

School psychologist, teacher and internet counselor from Estonia. Passionate about coffee, reading, dancing, and singing in the shower, much to the neighbors’ dismay. Counseling catchphrase: “It’s okay!“

The post The Surprising Benefits of Volunteering (How it Makes you Happier) appeared first on Tracking Happiness.

Mother Nature has gifted us an incredible world. Our planet is rich with exquisite landscapes, plants and animals. Science has proven time and again that those of us who connect with nature are happier. 

Maybe you already appreciate nature. But could you find a deeper connection? In this article, we will discuss how nature can make you happier, including 5 tips on how to embrace nature.

The healing effects of nature 

Adults who spend over 120 minutes a week in nature report greater health and wellbeing than those who don’t spend time in nature. 

Nature impacts our emotional and physical wellbeing and improves both. Being in nature, or even seeing images of nature reduces our fears and anxieties. It also increases our pleasant feelings. Physically it reduces our blood pressure, heart rate, stress hormone production and muscle tension. 

In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect.

Alice Walker

When I am feeling overwhelmed and panicked, my body creates an internal calling to go to the beach. I crave the inner peace of an early morning walk on the beach with my dogs.

All I can hear is the ocean. All I can feel is the wind on my face. Nature has a remarkable way of absorbing my mind into the present. Nature merges our thoughts with the landscape around us. 

Experience nature with your senses

When we engage all our senses, we find a deeper connection. Very often we go through life relying on one sense at a time. We may not pay attention to all the sensory information coming our way. Heck, we might not have time. But let’s make the time. 

I would love for you to experience nature with all of your senses. Next time you go for a walk in nature, focus on one sense at a time. 

What can you see, feel, taste, hear or smell? When we engage all of our senses we find a grounding and invite a sense of calm. 

On my walk yesterday, I could smell the sweet coconut smell of the budding gorse bush. I could hear the flow of the water in the river. I could feel light raindrops on my face. And I could taste a dampness in the air.

Spring is coming and my senses are acutely aware of this. I feel alive and full of hope and anticipation for the newness to come. I associate spring with opportunity. 

5 ways to embrace nature 

We all have access to nature. Think about it. Even if we are stuck in a hospital bed, what is a common gift people bring? Why, plants and flowers of course. 

Even when nature seems inaccessible, there are always ways to embrace nature. Maybe we could press flowers or paint landscapes. Perhaps we would enjoy collecting shells on the beach, using them to create art. 

Here are 5 ideas to help embrace nature and discover the many benefits that nature has on our mental health. 

1. Get out the gym  

Are you someone who spends hours in the gym? Firstly, good for you. I admire your discipline. But you are missing the greatest gym of all time. The gym that Mother Nature created.

How about lacing up your trainers and experiencing a trail run. Use branches for pull-ups. Get mud on your hands doing press-ups on the ground. 

Listen to the birds, feel the rising sun on your face as you run. Find yourself lost in the present moment.

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.

John Burroughs

When compared to exercising inside, exercising outside is superior in many ways. It improves our mental wellbeing, leaves us feeling more revitalized, energized and positive. Participants of this study reported feeling a greater sense of enjoyment when exercising outside. 

2. Take up gardening 

If you have a garden, fantastic. Roll up your sleeves and get your hands covered with soil. It’s time to get creating, designing and planting. Do you want to go with something aesthetically pleasing? Or perhaps you want a functional and edible garden. Maybe you want an insect-friendly garden? 

And not to worry. If you don’t have a garden, you can still garden. 

Many community centers take on volunteers to help with the gardening. Why not seek them out?

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. 

Albert Einstein

It may come as no surprise that gardening is associated with improved public health. Not only has it been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. But it is also linked with an increase in quality of life, sense of connection and cognitive function. 

As if you need any other reason to get your hands dirty!

3. Go on adventures

We all have a different sense of adventure. There is nothing wrong with this. What is a challenging adventure for me can be a mere breeze for you. An adventure might be hiking in the Himalayan mountains, or walking in your local woods. We define our adventure. 

The important thing is we go on adventures that meet our own definition of adventure.

Maybe that’s camping. Maybe it’s hiking up a mountain. Or maybe it’s working with an animal orphanage in another country.

Whatever an adventure looks like to you, seek it out. Plan it and live it. 

When we take ourselves on adventures, we merge the sense of a journey with exercise or movement. We stimulate our senses and boost our confidence with a sense of accomplishment.

Adventures are great for the soul. We are never too old for adventures. 

4. Seek to observe animals in their natural habitat

Have you ever watched a swan fly above you? Their wingspan is incredible! Have you observed dolphins frolicking in the sea? Next time a butterfly passes you, stop and watch as she flies in a drunken haphazard line to the next flower. 

There is an indescribable wonderment that comes from watching magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.

I remember spotting koalas in the trees during my backpacking days in Australia. I came across several bears in my time in Canada. Both times I was overcome with a sense of marvel and privilege.

Those moments have stayed with me. They bring me joy just recalling them. 

5. Encourage nature 

We can all do our bit to help and encourage nature. From placing water dishes out for wildlife to building bee hotels.

A while ago, I spotted a rare red squirrel in my garden. Determined to increase these sightings I built a couple of squirrel feeders and attached them to the trees. Now, I am visited on a daily basis by at least 3 red flames. I can sit in the comfort of my own bedroom and watch my squirrels play. When I first saw them use the feeder, I cried tears of joy. 

When we create an overlap with nature, we experience a sense of connection. A bridge between ourselves and Mother Nature. Believe me, it’s beautiful. 

If you build it, they will come. 

From bird feeders to insect hotels. A little bit of online research will keep you right.

Then, just sit back and enjoy the interaction.

By the way: If you want to start feeling better and more productive, I’ve condensed the information of 100’s of our articles into a 10-step mental health cheat sheet here.

This Cheat Sheet Will Help You Be Happier and More Productive

Thrive under stress and crush your goals with these 10 unique tips for your mental health.

Download The Free Cheat Sheet

Wrapping up 

When we take time in nature, we are giving ourselves time to connect with ourselves. You don’t need to be a mountaineer or an environmentalist to embrace nature. You can find a way to experience nature that brings meaning and wellbeing into your life.

Are you aware of the importance of nature on our happiness? Do you find happiness while being outside in nature? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Ali Hall Author

Kindness is my superpower. Dogs and nature are my oxygen. Psychology with Sports science graduate. Scottish born and bred. I’ve worked and traveled all over the world. Find me running long distances on the hills and trails.

The post Why Nature is so Important for Your Happiness (with 5 Tips) appeared first on Tracking Happiness.

While jogging is a great activity too, walking has many benefits that people don’t often think about. Walking improves mental health, decreases stress, and increases well-being, as well as provides an ideal condition for problem-solving. In fact, there are many more mental benefits of walking. And what’s best, all of these benefits are available to you whether you walk in the city or in the forest.

In this article, I’ll take a look at why walking has fallen out of fashion as an activity and why we should bring it back, as well as some ideas on how to make the most of your walk.

Walking improves my mental health

In the midst of this global lockdown, I have rediscovered walking as an activity in and of itself, just like many others. That isn’t to say that I didn’t walk before. When possible, I walked to work and ran my errands on foot instead of taking the bus. I would take walks with friends. But I can’t recall taking walks just for the sake of walking and getting outside.

But now that my entire life is confined to my one-bedroom apartment, I’m willing to meander aimlessly through the streets for hours just for a change of scenery. And I’m definitely not alone.

Why walking is less popular nowadays

It’s understandable that walking has fallen out of favor as a pastime. From jogging and yoga to CrossFit and pole fitness, there are literally hundreds of exciting athletic activities to choose from. Our relationship with personal fitness is so much different now than it was a hundred, or even just fifty years ago. We want to be stronger, faster, and more toned, and we want to get there as fast as possible. As a result, walking simply doesn’t cut it anymore.

Walking used to be the athletic activity. According to Wendy Bumgardner, in the second half of the 19th century, walking was the leading sport in Europe and America. Long-distance walkers could earn more per race than basketball players do today.

A hundred years later, in the 1990s, walking was still the most popular form of exercise in the US, if we consider the number of regular walkers (65 million). However, it’s a different story when it comes to respect for the sport. Advertising was geared towards running and professional sports. Just like nowadays, it was reserved for those whose joints couldn’t handle more intensive sports.

Many city marathons now include a walking event, but it’s definitely overshadowed by the runners. Racewalking is an Olympic event, but I bet most people have never seen a walking race.

If you’re as intrigued by the sport as I am, I recommend watching this video by Vox for more information.

I think it’s time we took walking seriously again. While you won’t get killer abs or gain much upper body strength from walking, there are some wonderful mental benefits in it for you. And the good news is that you don’t have to be a competitive walker to reap them.

Mental benefits of walking according to science

According to a 2018 review conducted by scientists from the UK and Australia, walking can have many mental health benefits, including:

1. walking alone or in a group can be used as a treatment for depression, and there is some evidence that walking can also prevent depression;
2. walking can lower anxiety;
3. walking can have a positive effect on self-esteem;
4. walking can be used as a potentially promising intervention to decrease psychological stress;
5. walking can support and improve psychological well-being;
6. walking is associated with higher subjective well-being.

In addition to these areas of mental health, the researchers also studied the effect of walking on resilience and loneliness but found no evidence.

Raymond De Young from the University of Michigan writes that walking can help us cope in this constantly changing world. Mental vitality, which includes creative problem-solving, behavior restraining and planning, and emotion management, is key to flourishing in our environment.

Unfortunately, this resource is depleted rather quickly by modern culture. According to De Young, “the simple activity of walking in natural settings, particularly walking mindfully, may be all that is needed for restoration [of mental vitality]”.

Walking can also have a restorative effect, according to a 2010 study. The researchers compared people with good and poor mental health, and the effect of walking in either rural or urban settings on people’s mood and personal project planning. They found that both urban and rural walks benefited people with poor mental health more, improving their mood and reflection on personal project planning.

Another mental benefit of walking: it’s great for problem-solving

I have found that walking is great for problem-solving. For example, when I run into a creative dead end, I can spend hours in front of the computer in my optimal working conditions, and it won’t help. But a short walk seems to make my brain generate ideas almost too fast for me to keep up. Many people are familiar with this phenomenon that can be explained by different modes of thinking.

According to Barbara Oakley, the author of A Mind for Numbers, when we are struggling to solve a problem, we are in focused mode. Focused mode allows us to concentrate on solving problems that we already know how to solve. For example, when you’re trying to add up numbers, which most people are able to do, focused mode allows you to complete the task quickly and (mostly) correctly.

The other mode, called the diffuse mode, is useful for more creative problem-solving. It allows us to gain new insight into a problem we are struggling with and see the big picture. In diffuse mode, our attention is relaxed and our mind is wandering. It’s precisely this wandering that allows us to find new solutions to old problems.

It should come as no surprise that walking activates the diffuse mode. Wandering around physically also allows your mind to wander, which is not only relaxing but can help you find solutions to your problems.

How to make the most of your walks to become happier

Everyone knows how to take a walk. But there are some things to consider to make the most of your experience.

1. Be consistent

As is the rule with everything else, if you want maximum benefits, you have to be regular and consistent. While a long walk once in a while can clear your head, long-term stress-relieving and mood-boosting benefits come from consistent walks. Why not plan a daily 30-minute walk or a longer walk twice a week.

2. Grab a friend… or don’t

Walking with a friend can make it less boring and make you feel less weird, but if you’re looking to do some thinking while walking then a solitary stroll is the better option. A friend can keep you accountable and make sure you’re really taking the walks you promised to take, but also disturb the wandering of your mind. Whether you should bring company or not depends entirely on your goals.

That said, dog owners are in luck and get the best of both worlds – company with no conversation.

3. Leave the earbuds at home

If you’re like me, you like to bring your soundtrack with you wherever you go. I got into the habit of listening to music while outside in high school, when music made daily bus rides more bearable.

But when you’re taking a walk, especially in nature, it’s sometimes useful to listen to your surroundings. It helps you to be more mindful and stay in the present, not to mention that being aware of your surroundings is important from a safety standpoint anyway.

By the way: If you want to start feeling better and more productive, I’ve condensed the information of 100’s of our articles into a 10-step mental health cheat sheet here.

This Cheat Sheet Will Help You Be Happier and More Productive

Thrive under stress and crush your goals with these 10 unique tips for your mental health.

Download The Free Cheat Sheet

Closing words

Walking has an undeservedly low reputation. While it won’t give you the athletic benefits of jogging or weightlifting, it has many mental benefits that people don’t think about. From improving symptoms of depression and anxiety to increasing well-being, and giving you space to think, walking is a great activity. Especially in times when your whole life might be confined to your home.

So when I tell you to take a walk, I only have your best interests in mind!

Do you want to share your own experience on how walking improves your mental health? Did I miss another tip that makes your walks more meaningful and enjoyable? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

Maili Tirel Author

School psychologist, teacher and internet counselor from Estonia. Passionate about coffee, reading, dancing, and singing in the shower, much to the neighbors’ dismay. Counseling catchphrase: “It’s okay!“

The post Happiness Benefits Of Walking: Explaining the Science appeared first on Tracking Happiness.

I’ve been teaching yoga for 3 years now, and I’m going to do my best to explain how yoga can be used to find more happiness in life. How does yoga combine meditation with movement? How can yoga help with your balance, both mentally and physically? This article will contain the answers.

If you’re one of the people that’s not sure whether or not yoga is for you, allow me break it down for you!

How yoga can improve your movement and meditation

Yoga is all about movement and meditation. In order to fully experience the benefits of yoga for your happiness, it’s important to be aware of both.

People who are into yoga often use the words Asana and Dhyana for these two aspects, which originate from Hindu culture. Asana is used to describe yoga poses, while dhyana stands for meditation.

The benefits of practicing movement through yoga

Yoga is a beautiful way to move your body. The movement you find on your mat works every muscle, every joint, and every ligament in your body.

I started practicing yoga to help look after my scoliosis. Yoga helped me understand my body and my back, but it’s helped me to look at those ‘pain points’ within my body as a positive. Because with those ‘pain points’ comes queries and questions, and with those queries and questions comes answers as to how to look after our bodies and feel good. And boy, does yoga make your body feel good.

There are many different types of yoga styles, so I would always encourage everyone to explore and experiment different lineages of yoga and find the best one for you. Here are just a few of them:

• Vinyasa – continuous movement, creative like a dance, linking the breath to the movement of the body
• Rocket – designed to get you there faster, an energizing power practice full of handstands and all the fun stuff!
• Yin – the complete opposite to power yoga, a calming soft and relaxed practice, holding a set of postures for multiple minutes to encourage the muscles to lengthen with time, creating more space in the body
• Power yoga – fast, energizing, think HITT on your yoga mat!
• Ashtanga – a demanding series of set postures all designed to work the body, carried out in an orderly structure.
• Hot yoga – think Vinyasa or Ashtanga in a sauna (35-42 degrees)! A fabulous way to sweat through your yoga practice, where the muscles relax and lengthen more as a direct reaction from the heat! (Definitely one of my favorites!)

I teach Vinyasa and Yin, which both compliment the body and mind. If you want to experience the benefits of yoga, you can book a class with me here. If you email with a mention of Tracking Happiness, I’ll give you a free class…to make you happy!

Practicing meditation (Dhyana) for better happiness

In addition to the movement of your physical asana practice, yoga has a strong connection to meditation. The work you do on your mat becomes a moving meditation. However, yoga isn’t always about the relationship you have with your mat. More so, yoga is about the work you do off your mat – in meditation.

On a more personal note, I struggle with meditation. But there are extra ways within the tools of yoga to help practicing meditation. Meditation can be done seated, standing, listening to music, gazing into candlelight, even when walking the dog or dropping the kids off to school! Meditation can be 10mins or 2 hours – whatever works for you.

Here’s a good introduction on why meditation is so important if you’re interested.

When we can calm the mind down, and learn to meditate, our relationship changes to the world and the reactions it demands from us. This makes us more calm and relaxed, ultimately giving us more peace and happiness.

A monk’s guide to happiness

This video beautifully explains how meditation is made up of three things:

• Breathing
• Noticing
• Returning

Over and over again. And if your physical asana practice is a moving meditation, then notice the journey of your breath returning over and over again throughout your yoga class. 

Gelong Thubten also beautifully describes how your meditation practice is like the sky:

Your mind is the sky and your thoughts are the clouds… let them pass by.

Gelong Thubten

Simple. Beautiful.

How does yoga help you find happiness?

If you’re still on the verge of yoga and are a bit skeptical, here are 4 more reasons why yoga can improve the happiness in your life.

1. Yoga helps you find your “why”

Yoga connects movement and meditation. You are bringing your mind, body and soul all together, through your asanas, through your dhyana and through your pranayama (breath). All of this together helps bring you into the present moment so you can experience happiness, achievement, peace, and connection to self, all together.

When you’re connected to your inner-self, it helps you find your “why” in life. Your why is your driving force, to power through those tough times, your reason to exist, and your reason to get up in the morning when you have no energy.

Personally, my “why” is to be ‘strong and confident on and off the mat.’

• Strong and confident on my mat with my asanas (arm balances, inversions, headstands, handstands – you know, all the fun stuff but all the hard stuff!)
• Strong and confident off my mat in daily life and the challenges it brings (enter Covid-19 and lockdown!)

So, I would urge you to find your “why”. And if you don’t know what it is – that’s fine. Explore it, dance around it, then connect and nurture it through your yoga practice.

2. Yoga helps with your balance (both physically and mentally)

So, not only do we learn how to balance on the mat in poses like Dancers Pose or Crow Pose, or Handstand…but through the philosophy of yoga and learning yoga off the mat, we learn to balance life on and off the mat.

This is one of my favorite areas to work on to create a well-balanced and happy life. We need to continuously work on all areas within our lives to keep us balanced, happy and healthy.

If you’re interested in a fun exercise that will help you find balance in your life, click the link below to immediately access the My Balance Bible Wheel exercise. This opens up a PDF file that will take you through some exercises that will help you achieve balance in life, on or off the yoga mat!

3. Find happiness through achievement

Okay, so I know we shouldn’t mark ourselves against success, but we’re only human, right?

Through the physical asanas you practice on your mat, you can see the fruits of your labor as you come back again and again to your mat. What I noticed early on in my yoga practice was how you could easily measure your success and development.

There is nothing like the feeling of trying to balance in Pincha (forearm arm balance with legs in the air) – a pose you might have been trying to accomplish for ages – for you to finally ‘get it’ and hold it, and nail the arm balance, if only for 2 seconds! The smile on your face stretches from ear to ear as you punch the air with your fist and you do a little happy dance!

All the hard work you do prior to that ‘get it’ moment has paid off – this is known as ‘the edge.’

The edge is where we come up right up against ourselves and what we can do and be. It is the boundary between where we are and where we grow, the place of comfortable discomfort, where all the growing and healing happens. The edge is the point in every pose when you are still within your capacities but are challenging yourself to go just a little bit farther. Stepping up to this edge and daring to leap is how you break through and thus break with old ways of being.

Journey Into Power – Baron Baptiste

4. Yoga helps you make social connections

Last but not least on my little list (it was hard to narrow it down to only 4!) is friends. Making new friends through new loves, new passions, new hobbies, is always good, and always delivers happiness!

Cherish the new friendships and new journeys your friendships take you on – yoga retreats in Ibiza or Portugal, yoga festivals in the English countryside – you name it I’ve done it! And all with friends and smiles on our faces!

By the way: If you want to start feeling better and more productive, I’ve condensed the information of 100’s of our articles into a 10-step mental health cheat sheet here.

This Cheat Sheet Will Help You Be Happier and More Productive

Thrive under stress and crush your goals with these 10 unique tips for your mental health.

Download The Free Cheat Sheet

Closing words

So there you have it folks, my top 4 ways to find happiness through yoga. Yoga is a practice that makes you more mindful and more present – so ask yourself this: why wouldn’t you want to be more mindful of your happiness? Why would you want to maybe take that happiness for granted?

Next time you smile, take the time out and witness the feeling in your cheeks as your lips curl up either end and your eyes widen with excitement and happiness! Enjoy the moment. And hey, this could even be your meditation for the day! Embrace it!

If you have any questions or would like to know more about yoga, then please feel free to get in touch. If you want to experience the benefits of yoga for yourself, you can book a class with me here. Email me with a mention of Tracking Happiness and I’ll give you a free class!

Anna Kitchenside

Yoga teacher

Anna is a yoga teacher who teaches with a strong emphasis of asking her students to find and connect to their “why”. Your “why” is a driving force that guides you through life. Anna teaches Vinyasa and Yin, and her classes are relaxed and friendly.

The post 4 Ways To Find Happiness Through Yoga (From A Yoga Teacher) appeared first on Tracking Happiness.

At the time of writing this, a large amount of the population is forced to stay home due to the coronavirus, and for some, boredom may already be setting in. We all get bored, and it’s okay to be a little lazy sometimes – this is what makes us humans, instead of robots. But maybe you’ve finished Love is Blind on Netflix and want to consider more productive alternatives?

In this article, I’ll take a look at what boredom is and some simple and productive things you can do to relieve it.

What is boredom?

Psychologically speaking, boredom is fascinating. As of yet, we don’t have a way to reliably measure it, nor do we have a specific definition of what boredom is. Yet, most people report feeling bored fairly often.

While doing research for this article, I found that the following description from a 2006 article resonated the most with me:

“Findings indicated that boredom is an extremely unpleasant and distressing experience. […] Feelings comprising the experience of boredom were almost consistently those of restlessness combined with lethargy.”

Boredom does make me restless – I can pace ten laps around my apartment while trying to figure out what to do. If you’re a naturally more anxious person like me, you may recognize yourself in this.

5 types of boredom

If you don’t, that’s okay – in fact, there is evidence of five different types of boredom. In their 2014 paper, Thomas Goetz and colleagues propose the following types of boredom:

1. Indifferent boredom, characterized by feelings of relaxation and withdrawal.
2. Calibrating boredom, characterized by uncertainty and receptiveness to change or distraction.
3. Searching boredom, characterized by restlessness and active pursuit of change or distraction.
4. Reactant boredom, characterized by high arousal and motivation to leave the boring situation for specific alternatives.
5. Apathetic boredom, characterized by unpleasant feelings similar to depression.

According to the researchers, these types of boredom are more related to the boring situation, rather than individual differences between people. There is, however, evidence of individual differences in proneness to boredom.

How prone to boredom are you?

Boredom proneness is a stable personality trait, meaning that some people are more prone to boredom than others. Among other things, boredom proneness is correlated to higher levels of paranoia and belief in conspiracy theories, emotional (over)eating, and anxiety and depression.

By now, you’re probably thinking that boredom is something terrible. However, there is a silver lining, as reported by researcher Andreas Elpidorou:

“Boredom helps to restore the perception that one’s activities are meaningful or significant. It acts as a regulatory state that keeps one in line with one’s projects. In the absence of boredom, one would remain trapped in unfulfilling situations, and miss out on many emotionally, cognitively, and socially rewarding experiences. Boredom is both a warning that we are not doing what we want to be doing and a “push” that motivates us to switch goals and projects.”

On that note, let’s look at some productive things to do when bored.

Productive things to do when bored…

As we’ve learned, not all boredom is the same. Since boredom is often dependent on the situation you’re in, I’ve divided my tips into three categories that are situation (or location) based:

• Productive things to do at home
• Productive things to do at work
• Productive things to do on the road

Productive things to do at home

1. Learn a new skill or language

Even if you’re not going to start a YouTube channel in Italian, you never know when some knowledge of video editing and Italian vocabulary might come in handy. From Skillshare to Coursera to Duolingo, there are so many learning platforms available for free or less than the price of Friday night takeaway, so why not give them a try.

2. Get creative

Painting, writing, crocheting, or sewing can be productive in different ways. Firstly, if you’re making something you’ll actually use, you’re being productive by definition. But secondly, creative pursuits are a great stress-reliever, which will make you more productive in the long term.

3. Journal

Journaling is a great way to learn about yourself, which is always a worthwhile pursuit. Have a look at one of my previous articles for specific tips on journaling for success.

4. Exercise

Working out is good for your body, soul, and happiness. The best part about working out is that you don’t have to join a gym to do so! You can jog around your neighborhood, go hiking in the forest, or do yoga or bodyweight exercises in your living room.

There are thousands of tutorials on YouTube to get you started, but here’s a quick shoutout to my favorites:  Adriene’s yoga flows are beginner-friendly and her voice is very calming; but if you’re after something a little more active, Maddie Lymburner’s aka MadFit’s short workouts choreographed to your favorite pop songs are sure to leave you gasping for breath.

5. Go Marie Kondo on your closet

A boring afternoon is a perfect time to sort out your closets and cupboards and let go of the things you don’t need anymore. You can use the KonMari method or develop your own, as long as you’re letting go of your old stuff.

6. Fix that light

You know, the one you’ve been meaning to fix for the last 6 months. Or put up the shelf that’s been standing in the corner since you moved in. When you’re bored at home, a little home improvement seems like the perfect cure.

Productive things to do at work

1. Organize your computer/emails

Take the time to declutter your desktop and go over your correspondence. If you haven’t already, create a system and stick to it. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself when work gets busy.

2. Organize your desk/drawers

Unsure if there even is a desk under all the papers? Find out by clearing out what you don’t need and creating a system for your physical files and materials. Again, you’ll thank yourself when it gets busy and you can find the necessary stuff in seconds.

3. Plan ahead

Take some time to make a plan for the coming weeks. Not only are you making things easier for future you, but I’ve found that planning gives me a sense of control even in the most hectic of times, which is a nice psychological bonus.

4. Move a little

When you’re bored at work, chances are that you don’t have anything time-sensitive on your plate anyway. So why not take an active break? Take a short walk around the office or do some office yoga at your desk. Moving will give your brain a boost, so it’s definitely better than endless scrolling on Reddit.

5. Do some professional development

This may not be the case with every job, but the 40 hours a week I spend at work is supposed to include time for professional development – keeping up with the latest findings in my field, going to training sessions, finding and testing out new tools. The rare times I find myself bored at work, I usually take a look at my favorite databases and professional blogs and familiarize myself with new methods and tools that I don’t need right now, but might need in the future.

The next time you find yourself bored at work, try finding a development resource in your field and seeing what’s new.

Productive things to do when you’re bored on the road

1. Read

This is a very simple one. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a bus or a plane, reading is the easiest productive way to pass your time. It also doesn’t matter if you read educational non-fiction or indulgent fiction, as long as you’re keeping your brain engaged.

2. Listen to a podcast or watch a TED talk

If you get travel sick and reading while moving is not an option for you, try these audio-visual alternatives. There are thousands of great podcasts and talks to choose from and often, you can download them beforehand so you don’t have to worry about having wifi on your journey.

3. Answer emails

During my last year in university, I used to travel between two cities a lot: I went to university in Tartu, but my thesis advisor lived in Tallinn. The last month before the deadline, I spent 5 hours a week on the train, 2 and a half hours each way. If there’s one thing I learned from this, it’s that traveling is the perfect time for correspondence.

It’s a little harder if your emails are confidential, which mine mostly are, given my profession, but I bought a privacy screen for my laptop screen that only allows you to read the screen if you’re looking straight at it.

Being on the train gave me a deadline, too: I always aimed to get all the necessary messages sent and answered before reaching my destination.

4. Practice your new skills/language

If you’ve recently taken up martial arts, practicing your skills on your commute is a little difficult, but you can definitely get some language practice. It’s especially easy if you’re using an app like Duolingo, but you can always try reading or listening to something in your target language to get some practice, and long commutes are perfect for that.

By the way: If you want to start feeling better and more productive, I’ve condensed the information of 100’s of our articles into a 10-step mental health cheat sheet here.

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Closing words

We all feel bored sometimes, and for most of us, it’s a profoundly unpleasant feeling. However, boredom can also push us to try new things and why not make those things productive. From organizing and exercising to learning a new language, there are so many things you can do instead of flipping between the same three apps on your phone for hours on end. Why not give these things a try?

Did I miss an awesome thing to do when bored? Do you want to share your own experiences? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

Maili Tirel Author

School psychologist, teacher and internet counselor from Estonia. Passionate about coffee, reading, dancing, and singing in the shower, much to the neighbors’ dismay. Counseling catchphrase: “It’s okay!“

The post Productive Things To Do When Bored (Staying Happy In Times Like These) appeared first on Tracking Happiness.