Unapologetically Marie

Writer, podcaster, mental health advocate

Home » mental health » Page 2

mental health

Does Where You Live Impact Your Happiness? (E79)

by

Happiness for Cynics podcast

This week, Marie and Pete talk about how our environment and where we live impacts our health and happiness levels. 

Show notes

Wealth distribution, Happiness and Quintiles

In the podcast Marie and Pete were discussing the wealth distribution in Australia and how research has shown a correlation between wealth distribution and physical health which can have a direct negative impact on our overall happiness. Pete also mentions quintiles in the podcast. A quintile is any of five equal groups into which a population can be divided according to the distribution of values of a particular variable. Put simply a quintile is one-fifth of a ranked list.

Transcript

[Happy intro music -background]

M: Welcome to happiness for cynics and thanks for joining us as we explore all the things I wish I’d known earlier in life but didn’t.

P: This podcast is about how to live the good life. Whether we’re talking about a new study or the latest news or eastern philosophy, our show is all about discovering what makes people happy.

M: So, if you’re like me and you want more out of life, listen in and more importantly, buy in because I guarantee if you do, the science of happiness can change your life.

P: Plus, sometimes I think we’re kind of funny.

[Intro music fadeout]

… [Whispered conversation]

M: That’s you… you’re up.

P: Are we on?

M: Yes, we’re on.

P: We’re on? Microphone’s on?

M: We’re on!

P: [Starts intro drumming theme song] Da da da!

M: Hey!

P: Laugh! It’s a bit like the Muppets, isn’t it? [High pitched Muppet voice singing] “It’s time to make the music. It’s time to light the lights.”

M: Laugh. We’re showing our age again.

P: I don’t care, the Muppets were brilliant, Jim Henson was a God.

M: I’ll give you that, definitely.

P: I watched Willow this week.

M: Oh!

P: That was my favourite little movie.

M: Yeah, I love it.

P: Yeah, yeah, it was cool.

M: Were you happy? Did it bring you happiness?

P: It did. I laughed and smiled a lot about Val Kilmer’s really bad acting, laugh.

M: The other one to watch if you were a Muppets fan is Dark Crystal.

P: Oh! That’s on a different level!

M: That’s gave me nightmares.

P: Yeah. It’s brilliant.

M & P: Laugh!

P: Mmm..mm, the Skeksies.

M: Yes, oh that’s it.

P: So, I’m going to get all hippie and back to my yogi routes. So, imagine me in my sarongs in a garden and clinging my little symbols and my singing bowls.

M: Mmm hmm.

P: I just want everyone to join hands for a second.

M: We can’t. We’re in lockdown.

P: Yeah, this is the whole point. We’re doing a virtual hand.

M: Doing a virtual handhold?

P: Doing virtual hands, yes.

M: I’m with you, I’m with you.

P: Okay, so. Unless you’re driving – everybody close your eyes join hands and just scan –

M: I’m in the correct pose and my belly’s rising.

P: Laugh.

M: Marie’s been doing meditation courses.

P: Laugh. So, this is a virtual handhold, because in Sydney, we are in lockdown.

Melbourne has just gone into its fifth lockdown. It’s a bit tough at the moment, and I want everyone to just scan their bodies and breathe into their backs, not into your belly. I want you to breathe into your back, into your lower spine. Think of your pelvis just above your pelvis at the back of your body, breathe.

Really important for us all to realise that there’s a lot of stuff going on at the moment and this is a really good way to get into your seat of power. Not only your seat of power, but it is also the best way to diaphragmatic breathe. And for those people out there who were sitting lots and getting a little bit of neck tension and upper a back tension. If you can increase your diaphragmatic breathing and breathe into your lower spine, feel your lower back against the back of the chair and push into it when you breathe. That is the best breath you’re going to take. And namaste. Laugh.

M: I feel great.

P: There we go. There’s a little tip for you. So, I hope no one was doing that when they were driving and then crashed into a pole, laugh.

M: Where are they going? We’re all in lockdown because the only the only people that we talk to is Sydney and Melbourne people, of course.

P & M: Laugh.

M: We were trending in Ireland the other week! So, hello –

P: Really the Irish like us?

M: – hello to our listeners in Ireland. I had a trip planned to your country last year that never happened.

P: We had a trip planned. Hello to County Cork.

M: We were going to kiss the… what is it?

P: Blarney Stone.

M: Yeah. I mean, that is disgusting if you think about it. Not covid safe.

P: Laugh, very not covid safe!

M: Laugh.

P: Mmm brimstone, yummy, laugh.

M: Mmm hmm. All right, well, what are we going to talk about today Pete?

P: So, I’m taking the lead I’m going to lead everyone down the rabbit hole here and I’m asking Marie specifically here to just hold my hand and make a jump here because I’m going to go down a path and I’m hoping you’ll all come with me. Laugh.

M: I’ve got sweats, I don’t like giving up control.

P: Laugh. Ah! Interesting you say that because this does have relevance to control.

M: Oooh.

P: So, coming across some information in my research in my first semester of university health and happiness are very much linked. And we’ve talked about this before, and some of the information that came out of the Torrens University by Professor John Glover of the Public Health and Information Service unit was all about healthy suburbs. And how in Australia in particular we can actually correlate your suburb to your health condition.

And the interesting thing is that suburbs that are next door to each other have vastly different presenting diseases. And they did a little example of this on the talk that I was listening to. So, something like Surry Hills in Sydney could be next to Erskineville and Erskineville could have high incidences of cardio heart disease, and Surry Hills has influenza. And this comes down to your suburb and what they did with the research was to find that there are differences, according to where you live to determine your health profile.

M: So, what you’re saying Pete is, you live up the hill from me, when we’re in Sydney.

P: Mmm hmm.

M: You could have high instances of diabetes in your area and I could have high instances of flu in my area.

P: Exactly.

M: Why?

P: It comes down to the access that we have in terms of where we live. The neighbourhoods that we have. It can also come down to a wealth distribution as well. We’ve talked before about money distribution –

M: So, money makes you healthier?

P: – being part of the factors of access to happiness. Money buys happiness, yes?

M: Money buys access to happiness.

P: There we go, laugh. So, in the same way, money buys access to health, healthy actions, healthy eating, healthy lifestyle choices.

M: So, if you can afford to buy organic that’s going to benefit you.

P: Mmm. Absolutely. To eat healthfully is more expensive than to eat unhealthily in the current Western society.

M: Yep, absolutely.

P: Okay, so if we go down the rabbit hole with this, doctor’s Glover talks about the quintiles and that Australia is divided into five quintiles of advantage and disadvantage. So, the quintile number one is 61% and above, quintile number five is 44% and below in terms of income, equality and wealth equality. Now –

M: Sorry, backtrack, backtrack, not following.

P: Okay, back it up. Laugh.

M: 65% are in the first of five quintiles?

P: No, in terms of wealth, wealth, inequality in Australia.

M: Yep.

P: So, if you’re in the top quintile, you’re 61% and above. If you’re in the bottom line, you’re 44% –

M: 61% of what?

P: Of wealth distribution. Income earning, basically.

The top income earners are 61% above the average median, whereas the low-income earners are 44% below.

P: Still not following?

M: What does that have to do with quintiles?

P: That’s got to do with… he’s classifying these quintiles for advantage and disadvantage. This comes back to the health factor. Keep coming with me. Keep coming down the rabbit hole.

M: Yep.

P: I know it’s a long, long process, laugh.

M: Yep.

P: So, it got me thinking in terms of health, correlation to happiness, can suburbs make a difference to our happiness levels? Where we live, does that impact our happiness? The answer is yes, laugh.

M: Absolutely. Well, we’ve already drawn the conclusion before or shown that the research and drawn the conclusion that physical health impacts your mental wellbeing and therefore your happiness. So, yeah, this is really interesting.

P: And mental well-being is a real term.

M: Yeah.

P: Yeah. So, I went further down the rabbit hole, and I found some publications by Helen L. Berry from the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University. And she cites certain characteristics of areas that are highly concentrated in terms of sharing health-damaging factors. And some of the things that she came out with, I won’t read them all, but I highlighted a few.

One was including pride in one’s home, and home as a refuge.

And this comes back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and feeling secure. It also comes back to the UN sustainable goals of being secure in your house.

M: And also the research that we showed, you know, once you’ve got the basic needs met, which in countries like Australia and Ireland there are very, very, very, very small proportion of people who don’t have that.

P: Mmm.

M: Generally, your homeless population only, which is a small percentage.

P: Mmm.

M: But the pride in the home piece we’ve explored as well with how your immediate environment can impact your mood and wellbeing. So just putting some plants in and making sure you have watered them, not let them die.

P & M: Laughter.

M: I have to keep remembering that, laugh. [It] can make a difference to, you know, your mood, your lighting, all of those things.

P: Definitely.

M: I’m really interested though Pete, to understand if you are not earning as much as the people around you. But you live in the crappiest house on an expensive street, whether you get the health benefits that everyone else around you gets or whether it is truly tied to money income only?

P: I’m probably not the person to answer that, but I’m going to I’m going to make an attempt. I would say that it is tied to income only because of the sense of control.

M: Ok. So, it’s got nothing to do with where you live. It’s just that where you live correlates to how much income you have.

P: That totally takes my argument in the opposite direction.

M & P: Laugh!

P: I wouldn’t say that it is actually.

M: It is your show! Your rabbit hole!

P: Laugh. Yeah, you’ve taken a sidebar ‘like Whoa!’

M: Laugh.

P: I think that there is a certain factor of where you live that does impact on your happiness levels, and that comes down to the environment.

M: Yeah.

P: And one of the things that Berry talks about is the cleanliness of environment. So, we know that neighbourhood areas that are well kept that looked after by the local community have a sense of care at a sense of pride, and that correlates with what she’s talking about in terms of the characteristics of highly concentrated areas that don’t have health-damaging characteristics.

M: And I’m going to bail you out a little bit here.

P: Laugh.

M: I asked a question that I know the answer to.

P & M: Laugh!

M: There is a fabulous article in Ms magazine, which is titled Want to Make Your Country Happier? – Elect Women.

P: Ahh.

M: Yes, and it talks about how certain nations come out year, year on year as more happy in the World Happiness Report.

P: Mmm.

M: And those nations have higher levels of government spending on human infrastructure. And so, taking that down to the suburb level. These are the suburbs that probably have public libraries, community centres, parks that are well kept, good roads without potholes, nice areas where people can gather and be social, all of those things with the good infrastructure.

P: Yes, exactly.

M: They may also have female mayors.

P: That would be interesting to look at, at the data.

M: Laugh.

P: I wonder if we can search out and find some of those stats that that would be really interesting. And I’ve come across that as well in terms of the female quotient of leadership. And there’s a fabulous series on ABC, which is a national broadcaster here in Australia at the moment called Ms Represented and it’s hosted by Anitta Crabb –

M: Ah, Anabelle Crabbe.

P: – and, oh sorry, Annabelle, my apologies. But FABULOUS series. Really interesting.

M: It’s great.

P: I’ve liked the first ten episodes and yeah, worth a look if you’re going down that road. Um, bringing it back, if we can bring it back to your point exactly about the environment, Marie and how they impact [health and happiness]. Berry states that exposure to clearly visible symbols of poverty and degradation send powerful messages that nobody cares about the neighbourhood or its residents. This has a direct correlation to mental health.

M: Yep, absolutely.

P: So, characteristics that generate direct health risks, such as:

  • Facilitating spread of disease,
  • Discouraging physical activity, and
  • Negative health behaviours.

[These] can be reduced by:

  • An increased perception of community involvement,
  • [Good] health,
  • Pleasant surroundings.

M: Safety.

P: Yeah.

M: So, if you feel that you’re safe in your neighbourhood and can walk around or go to the park or meet people in local areas and enjoy the space, you would get out more.

P: Absolutely. Yeah. There was a study done by Dalgard and Tambs published in the British Journal of Psychology where they studied 503 people in Oslo in Norway and their mental health issues were declining initially in poorly functioning neighbourhoods. This improved over a decade after they were shifted into slightly more encouraging neighbourhoods with [better] environmental factors. It did take 10 years, but science says that it had a decrease in psychiatric morbidity.

M: There are, I was just, I was doing some research for my book, and I can’t even remember the name of the city anymore. There’s a city in South America that is held up as the shining example of good investment in infrastructure, and they turned around their city from being one of the most crime riddled cities in the world to being a tourism hub with great world class universities.

P: Mmm.

M: And it was all due to, I think, we’ve spoken before about the 15 minute city?

P: Yep.

M: It was due to investment in infrastructure and gardens and ponds and bringing wildlife back into the city, creating trees for birds and all of those fabulous things, you know, fixing graffitied walls and cleaning that up. And all of the things that we’re talking about.

P: Mmm, yeah. We talked about that before in terms of Vancouver. Vancouver did that as well.

M: I think quite a few cities. Well, France. Paris is definitely one of the city’s that’s held up as a model for the 15 minute city, they’ve done a lot of work. London’s doing a lot of work on that, Melbourne as well.

P: Mmm.

M: A lot of big cities are including Vancouver, I’m sure.

P: Mmm, yeah. Reclaiming the space and turning it by changing your environment, you can actually directly impact your mental health and thus your happiness levels.

M: Another great example is Singapore, and one of the things I noticed when I visited Singapore was it is so dense it is denser than Sydney. I don’t know how dense it is compared to New York, but I imagine it’s pretty similar. They’ve run out of space. They can’t go into New Jersey.

P: Laugh.

M: Like New York can. They’ve only got a tiny little island for their country, and every single inch of it is planned and built on. However, every block has a certain amount of land that is, that must go towards green gardens, so you’ll find these beautiful big skyscrapers with a whole lot of beautiful gardens as part of the entryway and foyer area. Whereas we would build all the way to the sidewalk here.

P: Mmm, yeah.

M: So, our concrete jungle is truly a concrete jungle, whereas a far more densely packed city like Singapore, just looks really green. When you walk around it, it’s beautiful.

P: Yeah. That comes down to city planning and architecture design.

M: Yeah, yep and prioritising that over more buildings.

P: Yeah, density of population.

M: Mmm hmm.

P: Ah, we’re going to run out of time. So, I’m going to quickly bring this back to what can you do if you’re living in a disadvantaged area about [your] happiness levels?

M: Ahh.

P: So, what are some practical things to do? And I’ll come back to the original discussion that we had with Helen Berry.

  • Invest in your community.
  • Make some gardens.

It can be as simple as creating a little laneway garden in the back-alley way if you can get the community to be a part of the environment and bringing that up. We saw this with the rise of graffiti artists in places like New York and San Francisco, where all of a sudden, they were being employed to do their graffiti art and the community was involved.

M: Yes.

P: So, that encourages social connection, which we know has a huge impact on our happiness. And even if you can just make that slight change. As the study in Oslo showed, it’s enough to tip the balance in your favour coming back to what we talked about before Marie in terms of looking at your home de-cluttering the whole, what was it, Mariko? What was her name? [Click, click]

M: Marie Kondo.

P: Marie Kondo yeah! Laugh. The Marie Kondo effect.

M: De-cluttering, yep.

P: And getting rid of those what they call psychosocial stresses, enabling yourself to be part of – to eliminate social instabilities, things that are distressing to you. Try and minimise those in the home.

M: I think that’s a really good point, because if you don’t have a lot of money a lot of times… And when I was in UNI, I was a lot more materialistic. When you don’t have and you see other people around you who have more than you, I found that I used to buy stuff I didn’t need a lot more often than I do now when I have a full-time job and I’ve been saving for a number of years.

P: Mmm.

M: And now I’m really finding the mental health benefits of being a bit more minimalistic in what I have in my home.

P: Mmm.

M: You have to clean or dust or look after as much. And it’s much easier to come home to a house that you can be proud of that isn’t cluttered.

P: Mmm. And you could also invite other people into which, again, that increases social connection.

M: Yep.

P: Yeah. So, in summary, we’re going to wrap it up. Looking after the social environment and the physical environment around you and in your local area is actually a real key to happiness. So, if you’re not happy with your current neighbourhood environment, maybe this is your chance to do one activity to try and bring that into a better space or an easier space for you to be a part of where you can experience better happiness.

M: What I love about we’ve spoken about tonight is that you can take control.

P: Mmm.

M: So, if you are in lockdown right now, a lot of things have been taken out of our control. So, particularly with working out of your own home, minimalising, decluttering or bringing some greenery in, you can control all of that right now and then maybe when we’re out of lockdown or if you’re not in lockdown currently, getting a crew together to work on your neighbourhood is such a valuable and joyful thing to do.

P: Yeah, very much so. And on that note, have a happy week.

M: Bye.

[Happy exit music – background]

M: Thanks for joining us today if you want to hear more, please remember to subscribe and like this podcast and remember you can find us at www.marieskelton.com, where you can also send in questions or propose a topic.

P: And if you like our little show, we would absolutely love for you to leave a comment or rating to help us out.

M: Until next time.

M & P: Choose happiness.

[Exit music fadeout]

Please note that I get a small commission if you buy something from my site. Your support helps to keep this site going at no additional cost to you. Thanks!

Are Strong Friendships the Answer to Your Covid Woes?

by

Why Strong Friendships are Even More Important Right Now

Whether you’re in lockdown for the first time or the fifth, or you’re hanging out for a holiday or just a break from the monotony, people all around the world are struggling with Covid and its impacts on our mental health. But there is a simple, science-backed solution to help you regain your resilience and bring happiness back into your life… reach out to your friends. 

A good friend will support you through bad times, boost your confidence, keep your secrets and enrich your life for the better. It’s not about always being there but being there when it counts. They will teach you about yourself and challenge you to be the best version of yourself. They will laugh and cry with you and love you even at your worst. A good friend is not perfect, but hey, neither are you! 

According to Lydia Denworth, author of Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond, a quality friendship must at a minimum have these three attributes: 

  • It’s a stable, longstanding bond;  
  • It’s positive; and  
  • It’s cooperative—it’s helpful, reciprocal, I’m there for you, you’re there for me. 

International Friendship Day

It has always been advantageous to forge strong, mutually beneficial relationships with others. Yet friendships are often overlooked and under-nurtured – particularly in today’s world where it’s easy to like a social media post and think you’ve had a meaningful interaction (FYI – you haven’t).  

Every year, the world celebrates International Friendship Day on 30 July and this year (2021) marks the tenth anniversary. This day was created by the United Nations in the hopes of uniting people and bridging the gaps between race, gender, religion, and other factors that keep people apart. Governments, and other organisations worldwide are encouraged to use this day to promote friendship through listening, communication, expression of feelings and emotions and teaching the foundations of good friendships. Which begs the question, what can we doing to strengthen our friendships? 

Today, with the constant influx of information coming at us from all sides, things are stressful enough. Add in Covid and more lockdowns and it is not a wonder that mental health issues are on the rise. So, what can you do to strengthen those friendships, be good role modals for younger generations and maintain your mental wellbeing during Covid, lockdowns and other tough times? Read on to find out! 

3 Benefits of Strong Friendships 

Friends Are Good for Your Physical Health 

Having a strong circle of friends around you has been proven to decrease feelings of loneliness and also increases your longevity. According to a 2010 study by Live Science, people with strong social connections increased their odds of survival, over a certain time period, by 50 per cent. People with strong social support also have a reduced risk of many significant health problems including diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and an unhealthy body mass index (BMI). 

Friends Help Build Your Confidence 

A good friend will cheer on your successes and encourage you to do your best. Everyone has self-doubts and insecurities every now and then and that’s why having supporting and loving friends can give you that boost when you need it. A friend can give you praise and reassurance to build your self-esteem and allow you to grow and in turn help others with their confidence issues. 

Friends Help You Beat Stress 

Stressful events are often a part of life, but the good news is research has shown how strong friendships can help you through. Having a good friend in times of high stress is invaluable to you both. You can listen, share, cry and commiserate together. You can be each other’s sounding board and try to work it out together. Knowing that you have someone around that has your back no matter what, can be all you need to beat that stress. 

A 2019 study by Harvard Medical School, revealed that people who have close social connections, have reduced levels of Cortisol (stress hormone) release. Further study suggests that caring behaviours trigger the release of stress-reducing hormones such as Oxytocin, lowering blood pressure and strengthening the immune system.  

Building Strong Friendships 

A good friendship can do so much for us, but what can we do to strengthen those bonds and create new and rewarding friendships? Many of us were brought up with certain values like respect, kindness and honesty, but were we taught to value friendship? How did we miss such a vital life skill that can elevate so much in a person’s life? The good news is it’s never too late to forge a knew friendship, deepen an existing one or even rekindle an old one.  

Here are some great ideas and activities you can do to help strengthen old friendships and create new ones: 

  • Call, video chat or dare I say it, go old-school and catch-up in person with your friends. Let them know how important they are to you and how you appreciate their friendship. 
  • Invite the neighbours or your work colleagues over for afternoon tea, a chat, drinks, or a barbeque. You never know where you’ll find your next best friend. 
  • Get creative. A handmade gift speaks volumes, and your friends will appreciate the time and effort you put into making something for them. 
  • Plan a special day or activity with your friend. It could be spending time at a spa, doing some retail therapy, or going for a walk in the park.  
  • Send a card or letter to let someone know that you’re thinking about them. Sometimes a surprise on a random day can be that much more rewarding. 
  • Bake or cook a meal for a friend or neighbour and drop it off, nothing says ‘I love you’ more than good food! 
  • Google ‘Love Languages” with your friend and work out each other’s love languages. Then you can know how best to show your friend how much they mean to you. 

Whether you’re celebrating International Friendship Day or just any day, remember that true friendship can last a lifetime and needs to be nurtured.  

Listen to our podcast: All About the 5 Love Languages (E30) 

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!  

Take Control of Your Happiness This Mental Health Month

by

Why you Need to Take Control of Your Happiness

Feeling ‘meh’? Or just not sure what to be feeling at the moment? May is Mental Health Month, and it’s time to take control of your happiness and mental wellbeing.

A few years ago, I stopped to ask ‘why’ and it has changed my life. Why was working hard the ultimate goal? Why was achievement so valued by our capitalist society? Why was a busting my *ss for a corporate company which was just as likely to make me redundant in the next restructure as the next guy? Why?

Many people follow the script. They work hard through school, get into a “good” university, get good grades and head out into the workforce. They marry and have kids, get a mortgage and a house, get a promotion, or two, and then one day, they look around and think, “is this it?” You might also know this as the mid-life crisis.

But some people have found another way to live… one where your happiness is placed at the centre of your decision making. Let’s be clear, chasing happiness does not work, but by following the below steps, you can bring happiness, satisfaction and mental wellbeing into your life.

In this article, we explore how to take control of your happiness and mental wellbeing. Read on!

Get to Know Yourself

Over the last few decades, many studies have shown that journaling is a great tool to help you understand yourself better, unpack old issues and let them go, and give your mind the knowledge to understand how you see and react to the world around you. It has also been shown to increase happiness, help to reach goals and even have some positive physical health benefits.

And if you’re someone who is generally not comfortable opening up to people, studies show that journaling might be the most beneficial to you.

“When we put our thoughts and feelings down on paper, we’re not just transferring them—we’re also transforming them. Writing forces us to arrange our ideas into a sequence, one after another; over time, themes and patterns start to emerge; new insights and perspectives start to bubble up.”

Kira M. Newman, Greater Good Magazine.

To get started all you need is a notepad, and you need to get into the habit of doing it. Generally, you want to set a timer and just keep writing for at least 20 minutes. However, research suggests that even writing for a few minutes can be beneficial. You also want to start making this a practice. Try to write for four days a week, but as with all new habits, remember to forgive yourself if you fall short and just pick up where you left off (in other words, keep going!).

Research shows that what you write about and how you write it matters. You want to write about the things that are bothering you and try to work through your thoughts and emotions… but you also benefit from ending each entry with three things that went well that day or that you’re grateful for.

Once you’ve spent time looking at the past and present, try spending some time focused on the future too. Growth mindset theory says you’re never too old to learn more and keep growing – in fact, the research shows that people who are curious and commit to lifelong learning are happier. You can try finding your passion and purpose through the Japanese art of Ikigai, or you could explore your strengths. Or, you can subscribe to some podcasts or explore new ideas with Ted Talks, or even sign up for a new course.

Achievement is not the Path to Happiness

So, if constantly striving for success isn’t the path to happiness, what is? There are now decades of research into what makes people happy, and her research boils down into three broad foundations. Here’s how to take control of your happiness:

Find Meaning and Purpose. Happy people have meaning and purpose in their lives and this is often tied to a strong sense of identity and self. They have spent time understanding themselves, and know their strengths and their emotional baggage. This is also about having something to get you out of bed in the morning, and about having goals, plans and commitments. These people also tend to practice gratitude, which helps you retrain your brain to scan for the positives in life.

Community and Connection: Happy people have strong community and connection. They have a core group of people they can talk to and depend on. They also tend to have a wider community network, through activities like church, regular volunteering or actively practicing kindness. They find ways to laugh and play with their friends and family, and they also limit their social media activity, which is often not as social as we might think.

Health and Wellbeing: Happy people practice and prioritise positive habits for a healthy body and mind. It could be getting exercise by out into nature for walks, going to the gym, or playing on a sports team, or it could be meditation, drinking water, and making sure they get 8hrs of sleep. The activity itself is less important, the main point is that resilient people prioritise their preferred self-care habits, even when life gets busy.

Resources

Happiness is a skill that you can learn – you can take control of your happiness. However, it’s important to note that this article is written for people who have it within themselves to take control of their mental health and make changes to bring more joy and satisfaction into their lives. These are tips to help people who are generally in good mental health yet who are struggling with day-to-day, manageable issues like low-level stress, burnout and anxiety.

If you are experiencing more sever mental health issues, such as depression or a diagnosable mental condition, or if you are not coping, these activities will not treat your condition and they are unlikely to fix any underlying issues. Visit Psychology Today to look up a professional counsellor in your area.

If you need additional support, here are some amazing Australia-based organisations.

If you are in immediate danger, please call 000 right away.

Mental health, stress and crisis support

Sexual assault, family & domestic violence

Financial hardship

Legal aid

  • Each state and territory has its own Legal Aid Commission. Google “Legal Aid Australia.”

Coronavirus / COVID-19

LGBTIQ support

Veterans & Their Families

Men & Their Families

Kids

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics or sign up to my weekly newsletter for the latest happiness news & resilience resources!

The Science Behind why Hobbies can Improve our Mental Health

by

hobbies can improve our mental health
Source: Pexels

Ciara McCabe, University of Reading

The pandemic has taken its toll on many peoples’ mental health. Given the fear of the virus and the government restrictions on movement many may understandably be feeling more lonely, anxious, and depressed than usual. The World Health Organization (WHO) has even issued guidance on how people can look after their mental health during this difficult time. Key advice includes trying to keep a regular pattern of eating, sleeping, hygiene and exercise.

But a less obvious recommendation is to make sure you’re still finding time to do the things you enjoy. In fact, research shows that having a hobby is linked to lower levels of depression – and may even prevent depression for some.

Losing interest and joy in things you normally like doing is one symptom of poor mental health. Known as anhedonia, this is a common symptom of depression and is something patients say they would most like relief from – possibly because the drugs used to treat depression target other symptoms and don’t seem to alleviate it.

For some people, anhedonia is one of the first symptoms of depression, and can even be used to predict the severity of depression a person might experience.

So, finding time for your interests and pleasures – such as a hobby – during lockdown could be one way of avoiding anhedonia and depression. In fact social prescribing is a treatment method where doctors can ask patients with mild to moderate depression to take up a non-medical intervention (such as a hobby) to improve their mental health. As antidepressants can be less effective in those with mild depression, this treatment strategy may still help patients with depression find relief from their symptoms.

Source: Pexels

So far, some studies have shown that social prescribing programmes that ask patients to take up hobbies such as gardening or art are beneficial for mental health and wellbeing.

Evidence also shows that even for those with clinical depression, certain psychological treatments – like behavioural activation, which requires patients to schedule in time to do things that bring them pleasure and joy – improve symptoms of depression. A wide range of activities and hobbies may play a role in social prescribing and behavioural activation, such as exercising, playing an instrument, drawing, reading or handicrafts.

Reward system

The reason that finding time for hobbies can work has to do with how they affect the reward system in the brain. When we take part in a hobby that we enjoy, chemical messengers in the brain (known as neurotransmitters) are released – such as dopamine, a chemical which helps us feel pleasure. These feel-good chemicals can then make us want to do the hobby again, and feel more motivated to do so.

So even though we may not feel motivated in the beginning to spend time on a hobby, once we start it and feel the associated pleasure, this will kick-start our reward system and subsequently our motivation to do it again. This is something we’re researching in greater depth in our lab.

Alongside pleasure and motivation, hobbies can also bring other benefits. Physical hobbies can, of course, improve your fitness, and others can even improve your brain function. Research suggests that some hobbies – like playing a musical instrument – can improve your memory, while artistic hobbies (such as reading or board games puzzles) are reported to prevent dementia later in life.

So if you’re feeling lower than normal during the pandemic, perhaps try to find time to re-engage with some hobbies that you may have enjoyed in the past – or try new ones. You can also seek help or guidance from your GP or a therapist to find the best treatment for you.

Ciara McCabe, Associate Professor, Neuroscience, University of Reading

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Want to know more about how hobbies can improve your mental health? Sign up to my email newsletter for more tips and advice!

The Key to Resilience, According to Bestselling Author Hugh Van Cuylenberg

by

What’s the Key to Resilience?

Want to know the key to resilience? Last year I interviewed best-selling author of The Resilience Project, Hugh Van Cuylenberg (listen to the podcast). We talked about his journey and experiences, and the amazing work he’s doing in Melbourne and around Australia to teach kids, athletes and corporate big-wigs how to be more resilient in today’s hectic world.

Hugh also shared the key to resilience, which is the premise behind what Hugh teaches and his book – a nifty little acronym called GEM, which stands for Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness.

Read on to find out how Hugh teaches people around Australia how we can use the GEM this info to achieve a happier, healthier life.

Click to buy the book

The GEM Principle

“I was living in India and I was volunteering in a school community. When I got there, I thought, ‘Oh my God, there’s no way I’m going to stay here (…) because I was thinking I can’t sleep on the floor here for two weeks. I can’t walk half an hour down to the river to get water every day. I’m not going to sit in the river for a bath, like that’s just not going to happen.”

“But I remember on my first day in the school, which I planned to be my second last day in the whole community, I met a kid who was nine years old and slept on the floor like everyone else. But I remember thinking to myself, ‘I have never in my life seen joy like this before. This kid’s the happiest person I’ve ever met. I’ve never seen anything like him. How incredible. How is it this kid’s so gleefully happy?’

I was living with the principal and I remember I went back to his little mud hut, and I (…) said, “No, I think I need to stay a bit longer.” And the reason I wanted to stay longer is I was thinking ‘What do these people do every day that makes them happy, what does this kid do that makes him happy?’

It wasn’t just this kid, it’s everyone right. Everyone was just so full of joy. I remember looking out the hole in this, well it wasn’t a window. It was like a hole in the mud brick wall at this school. I’m looking across thinking ‘there’s nothing here, there’s nothing in this village. Like I mean, there’s a beautiful view of the Himalayas, and that’s about it. I don’t know what these people are so full of joy.’ So I decide to stay there as long as it would take me to work out what it is those people do every day that makes them so happy.

And I ended up staying for three and a half months, and in three and a half months I saw three things. I mean, there were many things going on. I mean, they were surrounded by awe all the time. I watched what those people did. And every day they practiced Gratitude, Empathy, and Mindfulness.

Gratitude

“I would watch these kids in particular this boy stands out. And when he saw something he was grateful for, he would just stop and point it out to me, and he would try and say the word ‘this’ but couldn’t pronounce the ‘th’ so he’d say ‘dis’.”

“As people who’ve read the book will know, he’d say “Sir, dis! Dis, dis, dis,” you know, whether it was his shoes that were too small because he can’t afford to buy new shoes. But he was pointing at them saying “How lucky am I, I’ve got shoes on my feet. Some of the kids here don’t have shoes. How lucky am I?” Whether it was the rice he got for lunch every day, he only got rice every single day. Just rice. That’s it, from the school. But he couldn’t afford to bring lunch to school. So, the fact they got provided lunch. ‘Sir, dis, dis, dis. Look I get fed here every day. How lucky am I?’”

“Moments he loved. If he realised in a good moment, you know, he’d stop, and he would just point out the things he was really grateful to have like the things that were happening. He loved Bollywood dancing, so often I would walk past him, and he was doing a ridiculous, choreographed Bollywood dance, but he’d say “Sir, dis, dis, dis.” What he was saying was, ‘I’m so lucky I’m doing this right now.’ That’s actually a really, that was quite a life changing, I won’t say moment but a realisation for me. We need to get better at paying attention to the good stuff as it happens.”

Empathy

“What I saw with this community in India is these kids were so unbelievably kind. This kid particular, if he saw saw someone by themselves [he’d go] straight over to them “just checking you’re ok. Do you want to come play with us?”

“If someone wasn’t in school, he would swing past their mud hut after school and say ‘Hey, just checking in, are you ok?’”

Mindfulness

“And mindfulness, they practised it every single day. They had a half an hour meditation before school, every single day. It was optional, so no one had to be there. Yet every single child turned up for it, and I think essentially because they just got instinctively how good it was for them.”

Some Parting Advice from Hugh…

“The most simple thing to do, I think, in order to experience more joy and positive emotion, that’s what creates resilience. So that’s why I’m bring this up. But I think that the easiest thing to do a really practical one, is just to write down three things every day that went well for you. Not three things that have been life changing, not three things you’re grateful for because that’s impossible to keep that up every day and not get bored.”

“What are three things that went well for you today? Had a nice coffee. You saw the sunrise. Had a nice text message for a friend.”

“Whatever it is. If you do that every single day, you actually physically rewire your brain to start scanning the world for the positives. And that makes you a happier person. And it’s something you look forward to. Write it in a note pad next your bed, in a journal, on the shower screen door. However you want to do it, totally up to you. But what you’ll find is you’ll start to experience more moments of joy, and you’ll be more aware of them as they happen, which is a really nice starting point for all this stuff.”

About Hugh and the Key to Resilience

Hugh van Cuylenberg has been working in education for over 15 years. The highlight of his teaching career was the year he spent in the far north of India, volunteering and living at an underprivileged school in the Himalayas. It was here that he discovered resilience in its purest form.

Inspired by this experience, he returned to Melbourne and The Resilience Project was born. Having completed his post graduate studies looking at resilience and wellbeing, Hughes developed and facilitated programs for over 900 schools around Australia for the National Rugby League, The Australian Cricket Team, The Australian Netball Team, The Australian Women’s Soccer Team, The Jillaroos, 10 AFL teams, and he has presented to over 500 corporate groups. Hugh is also the best-selling author of The Resilience Project.

You can find Hugh and get more resilience tips at www.TheResilienceProject.com.

Hugh Van Cuylenberg
Hugh Van Cuylenberg

Want to learn more about the key to resilience and the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!

COVID’s Mental Health Fallout Will Last a Long Time. Here’s How we’re Targeting Pandemic Depression and Anxiety

by

Source: Pexels

Richard Bryant, UNSW

Although Australia is now largely COVID-free, the repercussions of the pandemic are ongoing.

As the pandemic enters its second year, many people will be continuing to suffer with poor mental health, or facing new mental health challenges.

The effects of recurrent lockdowns, fears about the effectiveness of the vaccines, restricted movement within and beyond Australia, and the bleak economic outlook are taking their toll on psychological well-being.

Now is the time to think about sustainable, evidence-based mental health programs that will serve Australians as we confront the mental fallout of the pandemic in 2021 and beyond.

The evidence is in

We now have incontrovertible evidence mental health has deteriorated during the pandemic. Large studies that assessed people’s mental health before and during COVID-19 have reported marked increases in anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress since the pandemic began.

Although many experts predicted people with pre-existing mental disorders would be most vulnerable, we’ve seen even greater increases in psychological distress among those without a history of mental illness.

Unemployment and financial stress have exacerbated psychological problems during the pandemic. The major concern is that the increase in mental health problems will persist for years because of the economic downturn facing most nations.

Importantly, suicide rates increase during economic downturns. One study showed each 1% increase in unemployment was associated with a 1% increase in suicides.

The impact of unemployment and financial hardship on mental health is relevant for many Australians, as fears of reduced support from the JobSeeker and JobKeeper schemes loom. Although the government this week announced the JobSeeker payment will go up, welfare groups have warned it’s still not enough.

So what can we do?

The question now facing many nations is how to manage the unprecedented number of people who may need mental health assistance. There are several challenges.

First, lockdowns, social isolation, and fear of infection impede the traditional form of receiving mental health care in clinics. These obstacles might now be greater in other countries with higher infection rates, but we’ve certainly seen these challenges in Australia over the past year.

Second, many people who have developed mental health conditions during the pandemic would never have had reason to seek help before, which can impede their motivation and ability to access care.

Third, many people experiencing distress will not have a clinical mental disorder, and in this sense, don’t require therapy. Instead, they need new skills to help them cope.

Since the pandemic began, there’s been widespread promotion of smartphone mental health apps as a remedy for our growing mental health problems.

While these programs often work well in controlled trials, in reality most people don’t download health apps, and even fewer continue using them. Further, most people who do use health apps are richer, younger, and often in very good health.

Evidence does suggest apps can play a role in delivering mental health programs, but they don’t represent the panacea to the current mental health crisis. We need to develop more effective programs that can be scaled up and delivered in an affordable manner.

One approach

Man experiencing COVID mental health fallout
Source: Pexels

A few years ago, the World Health Organization and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) jointly developed a mental health treatment program.

The program consisted of face-to-face group sessions teaching people affected by adversity new skills to manage stress more effectively. It has been shown to reduce anxiety and mood problems in multiple trials.

My team at UNSW has adapted this program during COVID-19 to specifically address the mental health needs of people affected by the pandemic. A clinical psychologist leads weekly sessions via video-conferencing over six weeks, with four participants in each group. The sessions cover skills to manage low mood, stress and worries resulting from the pandemic.

Typically, mental health programs have attempted to reduce negative mood and stress by using strategies that target problem areas. A newer approach, which we use in this program, focuses on boosting positive mood, and giving people strategies to optimally experience positive events and pleasure when faced with difficulties.

In controlled trials this strategy has effectively improved mental health outcomes, even more than a traditional program.

Trialling this tailored program around Australia in recent months, we’ve found it effectively improves mood and reduces stress. Although we haven’t yet published our results in a peer-reviewed journal, our preliminary data suggest the program results in a 20% greater reduction in depression than a control treatment (where we give participants resources with strategies to manage stress and mood).

This raises the possibility agencies could provide simple but effective programs like these to people anywhere in Australia. Delivering a program by video-conferencing means it can reach people in remote areas, and those not wishing to attend clinics.

One of the common patterns we’ve seen in previous disasters and pandemics is that once the immediate threat has passed, governments and agencies often neglect the longer-term mental health toll.

Now is the time to plan for the delivery of sustainable, evidence-based mental health programs.

Australians experiencing distress related to the pandemic can express interest in participating in the trial program here.

If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Richard Bryant, Professor & Director of Traumatic Stress Clinic, UNSW

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Are you feeling COVID’s mental health fallout? Sign up to my email newsletter for more tips and advice for reducing stress.

10 Reasons Why 2021 Will be The Year of Better Mental Health

by

better mental health

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 000 in Australia, or your local emergency services number.

We know mental health is an issue, but will we finally do anything about it in 2021?

We all know, and we’ve been saying it for long enough, 2020 was shit (s’cuse my language, but it was). Too many things that were simply out of control were impacting our lives – leaving us powerless to do much of anything except resolve to be kind to ourselves and others….

Actually, to be fair, that’s only if you’re self-aware enough to know how to respond to major change, or trauma or crises like what many of us went through last year. The sad truth is that so many people have never been taught how to assess their emotions, to step back and work out a logical (not emotional) way forward. They were never taught how to build resilience and what makes a good life, a happy life.

To be fair, neither was I. I grew up in an era when we still played bullrush and brandings in the playground. I still remember being the nominated person to change those clear plastic sheets on the projector in science class. We didn’t talk about emotions or bullying, and we didn’t have mobile phones or social media. I came from the suck-it-up era, which our grandmothers had instilled in us because they’d seen real depressions and war.

The world is just so different nowadays, and we’re not coping. Even pre-pandemic, and pre 2020 bushfires, and pre-Trump, and pre-Brexit, our mental health was on the decline. We’re not coping with this new world, but finally, after 2020, I think we’re starting to realise that this isn’t just fluff, it’s a problem.

So, check out the latest mental health stats from around the world and decide for yourself: will 2021 be the year of mental health?

1. Around the world, mental health issues are a problem

There are approximately one billion people around the world with a mental, neurodevelopment or substance use disorder – although mental health disorders remain largely underreported, so estimates vary and researchers disagree (Our world in data). But, even with some room for error, the numbers are quite simply staggering.

  • Four million, or 1 in 5, Australians are living with mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression.
  • In the U.S., the numbers are similar with recent stats showing also that 1 in 5 (20.6 per cent) of adults experienced mental illness in 2019 (51.5 million people). (NAMI)
  • Similarly, in any given year, 1 in 5 Canadians experiences a mental illness or addiction problem (CAMH)

2. Mental health and the elderly

The global population is ageing rapidly, with estimates that 1 in 5 people will be over 60 by 2050 – that’s 2 billion people. The most common mental and neurological disorders in this age group are dementia and depression, which affect approximately 5 per cent and 7 per cent of the world’s older population. With this demographic in particular, mental health problems are under-identified by health-care professionals and older people themselves, and the stigma surrounding these conditions makes people reluctant to seek help. (WHO)

In the U.K., depression affects around 22 per cent of men and 28 per cent of women aged 65 years and over, and it is estimated that 85 percent of older people with depression receive no help at all from the NHS. Research shows the five factors that affect the mental health and wellbeing of older people are: discrimination, participation in meaningful activities, relationships, physical health and poverty. (Mental Health Foundation)

Additionally, this group is particularly prone to social isolation and loneliness, which can cause poor mental health outcomes. Loneliness is a complicated issue that has gained increased visibility over recent years. In the U.S., about 28 percent of older adults, or 13.8 million people, live alone, but many of them are not lonely or socially isolated. At the same time, some people feel lonely despite being surrounded by family and friends. (NIH)

3. Mental health and teens

The World Economic Forum states that mental illness is the leading cause of disability and poor life outcomes for young people today, yet investment into mental health is insufficient worldwide. Most mental illness has its onset in adolescence and early adulthood with 75 per cent of mental illness presents by the age of 25 years. (World Economic Forum)

In Canada, 70 per cent of adults with mental health issues begin experiencing symptoms in adolescence, and teens aged 15 to 24 are more likely to experience mental illness and/or substance use disorders than any other age group. This is why the country is looking toward new models of care for their youth. (The Conversation)

In the U.S. 16.5% of U.S. youth aged 6-17 experienced a mental health disorder in 2016 (7.7 million people). Yet stats show that about 50 per cent of U.S. youth with a mental illness get any treatment. Additionally, In the U.S., suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-34 in the U.S. and overall, 46 per cent of people who die by suicide had a diagnosed mental health condition. (NAMI)

4. Mental health and gender

Most mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar and eating disorders, are more common in women than men. This pattern appears to hold true across most countries. Yet alcohol and substance abuse tend to be higher in men than women. While in Canada, as with many other countries, more than three quarters of suicides involve men, but women attempt suicide 3 to 4 times more often. (CAMH)

Unfortunately, during COVID, women are more at risk of financial insecurity. In a survey of more than 10,000 people in nearly 40 countries, 55 per cent of women reported a significant impact from COVID-19-related income loss, compared with 34 per cent of men, while 27 per cent of women experienced increased struggles with mental health issues, compared with 10 per cent of men. It’s becoming clear that the pandemic could have lasting impacts on the economic and mental well-being of those on low incomes. (World Economic Forum)

5. Mental health and finances

Unemployed people are less mentally and physically resilient than those in work according to a range of studies which have shown a strong correlation between unemployment, as well as job insecurity, and increased risk of depressive symptoms. (Our world in data)

Yet it’s a bit of a vicious cycle, with studies showing that people with a mental illness are much less likely to be employed, with unemployment rates are as high as 70-90 per cent for people with the most severe mental illnesses. Not only that, but people who have jobs but are in the lowest socio-economic groups are also at risk of increased mental health conditions. In Canada, people in the lowest income group are 3 to 4 times more likely than those in the highest income group to report poor to fair mental health. Additionally, studies in various Canadian cities indicate that between 23 per cent and 67 per cent of homeless people report having a mental illness. (CAMH)

6. Mental health and domestic violence

An Australian study analysed almost 500,000 police reports of domestic violence and found that mental health was an issue in both perpetrators and victims. A total of 16 per cent of the examined domestic violence events had at least one mention of a mental illness for either the perpetrator or the victim. In 76 per cent of cases, mental illness was mentioned for the perpetrator only, 17 per cent for the victim only, and 7 per cent for both victim and perpetrator. The researchers also found that mood affective disorders, which include depression or bipolar disorder, were the most common in both victims and perpetrators. (The Conversation)

7. Mental health and the LGBTIQ++ community

The prevalence of mental illness among U.S. adults who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual is more than twice as high all other demographic groups bar one at 44.1 per cent (mixed/multi-racial follow at 31.7 per cent, with all other groups sitting at 22 per cent or below). On top of that, Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are 4 times more likely to attempt suicide than straight youth, and transgender adults are nearly 12 times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population. (NAMI)

Sadly, the LGBTIQ++ community still faces abuse, bullying, homophobic or transphobic attitudes and a lack of inclusion in even the most liberal countries and this can and does have a serious impact on many in the community’s mental health.

8. Mental health impacts physical health

In Australia, a study in 2018 showed that people with mental health conditions are at greater risk of chronic physical disease and much greater risk of early death. In fact, having a mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression, increases the risk of every single major chronic disease. This includes heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, back pain, diabetes, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and cancer. More than 2.4 million people have both a mental and at least one physical health condition. (The Conversation)

In Canada, they also found that mental and physical health are linked, showing that people with long-term medical conditions are more likely to experience mood disorders. On the other hand, people with mood disorders are at much higher risk of developing a long-term physical condition. (CAMH)

U.S. stats support these finding and show people with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases than the general population. (NAMI)

9. Mental health and Indigenous peoples

In Australia, stats show Aboriginal people are much more likely to suffer from depression or dementia than other Australians. More than 30 per cent of Aboriginal people suffer from some form of psychological distress (general population is 20 per cent). Additionally, about 12 per cent of Aboriginal people aged over 45 years have dementia, with Aboriginal people living in remote communities being 10 times more likely to develop dementia than people living in countries such as Africa, India or Indonesia. (Australia and New Zealand Mental Health Association)

In Canada, First Nations youth die by suicide about 5 to 6 times more often than non-Aboriginal youth. Suicide rates for Inuit youth are among the highest in the world, at 11 times the national average. (CAMH)

10. The economic impact of poor mental health

Research shows that out of all the non-communicable diseases, youth mental health problems present the most serious burden to GDP due to the lack of the return on investment in the individual and the duration of the problem. The report estimated that by 2030 mental illness would lead to losses to global output equivalent to US$16.1 trillion. (World Economic Forum and Harvard)

In Canada, the economic burden of mental illness is estimated at $51 billion per year. This includes health care costs, lost productivity, and reductions in health-related quality of life. And in any given week, at least 500,000 employed Canadians are unable to work due to mental health problems. (CAMH) Across the U.S. economy, serious mental illness causes $193.2 billion in lost earnings each year. (NAMI)

What’s next?

I share this information in the hope that we can have more open and honest conversations about mental health. I do not want to stigmatise people with mental health issues, instead I hope that we can potentially dispel myths about mental health and raise awareness about certain groups’ vulnerability. Mostly, I hope that we can start to take systemic and meaningful action that will make a real impact on these numbers.

Interventions and programs to help people develop mental wellbeing can benefit from WHO’s breakdown of potential adverse and protective factors for mental health, which are broken down into three categories:

  1. individual attributes and behaviours, such as genetics or personality traits;
  2. social and economic circumstances;
  3. environmental factors.

These factors often interact, compound or negate one another and should therefore not be considered as individual traits or exposures.

LevelAdverse FactorsProtective Factors
Individual attributesLow self-esteemSelf-esteem, confidence
Cognitive/emotional immaturityAbility to solve problems & manage stress or adversity
Difficulties in communicatingCommunication skills
Medical illness, substance usePhysical health, fitness
Social circumstancesLoneliness, bereavementSocial support of family & friends
Neglect, family conflictGood parenting/family interaction
Exposure to violence/abusePhysical security & safety
Low income & povertyEconomic security
Difficulties or failure at schoolScholastic achievement
Work stress, unemploymentSatisfaction & success at work
Environmental factorsPoor access to basic servicesEquality of access to basic services
Injustice & discriminationSocial justice, tolerance, integration
Social & gender inequalitiesSocial & gender equality
Exposure to war or disasterPhysical security & safety

Source: Our World in Data

Want to learn more about the science of happiness and how to look after your mental health? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!

It’s Time to Ditch the Cynicism and buy Into Self-Care

by

New book explores why we don’t buy into self care and how to navigate the anxiety and stress of day-to-day life and a global pandemic

Self-care is church for non-believers

From the creators of the podcast “Happiness for Cynics” and just in time for World Mental Health Day, comes a little book of happiness: “Self-Care is Church for Non-Believers” (eBook ISBN: 978-0-6489180-0-4)

A decline in church attendance and an increase in overall scepticism mean that many Australians don’t practice self-care activities. Yet, we need to prioritise strong self-care habits more than ever.

Around the world, we’re seeing a rise in loneliness, anxiety, stress and depression:

  • The Pew Research Center estimated that 52 per cent of working fathers and 60 per cent of working mothers found it somewhat or very difficult to balance work and family life.
  • The 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer revealed that 83 per cent of employees feared losing their job, attributing it to the gig economy, a looming recession, a lack of skills, cheaper foreign competitors, immigrants who will work for less, automation, or jobs being moved to other countries.
  • The World Health Organization noted that depression and anxiety have an estimated cost to the global economy of $1 trillion per year in lost productivity.

Even worse, since the pandemic hit, there has been a dramatic increase in stress, anxiety and overall poor mental health across Australia. We need to buy into self care!

“Quite simply, we have to do a better job of looking after ourselves, and the self-care activities we used to practice at church like kindness, service to others, and practising gratitude are proven to help,” says co-author Marie Skelton. “People who no longer go to church are often neglecting the habits that lead to resilience, happiness and mental wellbeing.”

Let’s be clear. This is not a book about religion. As the Dalai Lama said, “I believe the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in that religion or this religion, we are all seeking something better in life. So, I think, the very motion of our life is towards happiness…”

This book is for people who are looking for more… more happiness, more satisfaction, more contentment. Or maybe they’re looking for less… less stress, less pressure, less anxiety. It’s a book for the cynics and the sceptic, those who need to reassess their habits, and buy into self care.

“Australians are sceptics and cynics by nature, which means self-care has often been seen as self-indulgent or just fluff. However, the self-care interventions we discuss in the book are science-backed and proven to help build resilience,” says co-author Peter Furness. “It’s time we opened up the conversation and start prioritising our own mental health. This isn’t fluff, it’s science.”

In their funny, and light-hearted way, authors Marie Skelton and Peter Furness break down misconceptions, discuss the science, and show readers the path to a happier and more fulfilling life.

About the Authors

Marie and Pete

Marie Skelton is an Australian writer, speaker, and change and resiliency expert, currently living in Sydney. She started her career in journalism before working in public affairs and then specialising in organisational and culture change for some of the world’s largest tech and financial services companies, both in Australia and the U.S. Marie played volleyball for Australia and on scholarship in America, but following a motorbike accident overseas that nearly took her life, and leg, she began researching change and resiliency to find out how people cope with major life changes and why some people are resilient while others struggle. She is passionate about mental health and writes about happiness, resiliency and maintaining mental wellbeing at www.MarieSkelton.com. 

Peter Furness is the owner of Max Remedial and a qualified remedial therapist. He has worked all over the world with professional athletes, dancers, sporting organisations and medical professionals. Peter is now settled in sunny Sydney. His practice is influenced by his interest in Eastern philosophy and he works closely with Western, Chinese and Ayurvedic practitioners, approaching the body from the principles of classical medicine alongside Western-based science. Peter has practiced Ashtanga yoga for 20 years, currently trains in movement and gymnastics and combines these principles with his approach to health. Peter was also an award-winning contemporary dancer in Australia and in the UK. 

Is it Even Possible to be Happy During COVID? (E34)

by

Happiness for Cynics

This week, Marie and Pete discuss a recent study that looks at whether positive psychology interventions work during a global pandemic. Is it even possible to be happy during a pandemic? The answer might surprise you.

Transcript

M: You’re listening to the podcast happiness for cynics. I’m Marie Skelton, a writer and speaker focused on change and resilience.

P: And I’m Peter Furness a champagne swilling, fried chicken cooking over-indulger of gastronomy. Each week we will bring to you the latest news and research in the world of positive psychology otherwise known as happiness.

M: So if retail therapy isn’t working.

P: Or bingo day isn’t the same without a drag queen.

M: Or you might be a bit interested in all this positive psych. stuff, even though you’d never tell your friends.

P: Then this is the place to be.

M: And today we’re talking about whether you can even be happy during a global pandemic.

[Happy Intro Music]

M: Thanks for joining us today. I have moved to Tamworth, so I’m going to apologise right now if our Internet bandwidth isn’t what it used to be. And if there are some technical and or its sound issues. But I hope that you forgive us and stick with us and enjoy the show. All right, Pete. So today we’re talking about a recent study that’s come out about positive psychology interventions during Covid and during the pandemic.

P: Mmhh.

M: And before we get into what that research showed, I think maybe we need to back up a little bit, just summarise some of all of the research and stats that talk about positive psychology and what’s going on and what we’re seeing in Covid. So we know that pre-Covid things weren’t looking so great.

P: No..

M: To be quite frank. The Pew Research Centre estimated that 52% of working dads and 60% of working moms found it somewhat or very difficult to balance work and family life. So there was stress on working parents.

P: Yep.

M: The Edelman Trust barometer revealed that 83% of employees feared losing their jobs. This is a global study that actually was the 2020 study that came out just before Covid here. So 83% of employees feared losing their jobs, and the World Health Organisation noted that depression and anxiety have an estimated cost of the global economy of $1 trillion per year in lost productivity.

P: Hhmm only half what apple make.

M: Really? Trillion? two trillion really?

P: That’s their share values.

M: Yeah.

P: So if you work for apple, pat yourself on the back and have a glass of champagne.

[Laughter]

M: So that’s just three stats, there are so many more that talk about loneliness, depression, anxiety, mental health more broadly and how just as a society things are about to hit that breaking point.

P: Mmhh.

M: I think the straw that broke the camel’s back kind of moment and that was all pre Covid.

P: Yep.

M: And now since the pandemic hit, we have seen a dramatic increase in stress, anxiety and overall poor mental health across Australia.

P: Ok.

M: So in June, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on two studies, one suggested that the number of people displaying symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression in the community have risen between 13 to 21%.

P: Uh huh.

M: While the other found that roughly one in every five people is experiencing clinically relevant depression symptoms.

P: Right.

M: Now that one to me isn’t as scary because I think people have been saying for a while now in Australia at least that one in five people will experience depression in their lives, so that’s pretty much on par. But for one in five to be, currently all experiencing depression symptoms, that’s a bit of a difference as well.

P: Ok yep. The Danish study, published in April, found that 2458 people reported an increased level of stress and anxiety. This is alongside an American study that found people were eight times more likely at the moment to fit the criteria of serious mental illness.

The interesting thing about the American study is that those between the ages of 18 to 44 were more likely to be adversely affected than the older generations. And I think that’s an interesting point because that’s right in that bracket of people who are not as secure maybe and not as relaxed in their approach, they’re, you know, up and comers. They’re trying to make their way and get their careers secure or getting, launching them even if you’re 18 to 23 you know there’s a lot of pressure on that generation. You know, “Go generation.. what are we at Y or something”

M: Millenial. They’re Millenials.

P: Millenials, they’ve got a rough deal. We’ve said it before and they really have.

M: I think also, they’ve never been tested. Whereas the older generations had Vietnam, they had their recession in the eighty’s as well and their uncertainty and financial insecurity through that period, the recession that Australia had to have.

P: Yep, all that sort of stuff. Good old Paul Keating.

M: Ha ha.

P: I feel that, I feel that with what you’re saying is that it’s the snap at the co-worker, it’s the yelling at the kids when you don’t realise it. And I think they’re little things to be aware of in terms of the … experience of the Covid lock down, which we’re, we’re an international podcast. But obviously our audience I think is very Australian based.

M: Yep.

P: I think it’s really important to recognise the influences. So if you are feeling a bit crappy and you do have a little bit of a snap at someone, you take it on board and go, Yeah, the stress and anxiety that is being experienced is making an impact on our daily lives. Our interactions with our wives, spouses, children, housemates, friends all that sort of stuff is making a difference.

M: Yeah, absolutely, even in the most resilient of us.

P: Exactly. Definitely.

M: So in normal times we would not, we would say, to people who are experiencing normal, manageable levels of stress, anxiety and depression. To.. I’m sorry, I hate to use the word normal there, I’m taking that back.

P: [Laugh]

M: But manageable day to day levels of sadness, anxiety, stress, we would say institute some positive psychology interventions, and you will see results.

P: Yes, yes that.

M: Overall, there are thousands of studies that confirmed that many positive psychology interventions help people to feel happier overall, and they lower levels of depression and anxiety.

P: Yes.

M: Some interventions work better than others. You’ve also got to match the person to the intervention as well, but they do show effects. Now where I want to talk about today is whether or not positive psychology interventions work in Covid times?

P: Ok.

M: So There’s a study that just came out two weeks ago by Webster University. It’s a small study, and it was completed during the pandemic, with a small group of 45 women and men between 23 to 40 years old. And they had a control group and another group that were asked to do Positive Psychology Interventions and what they found, unlike pre Covid time studies is that not very much happened with the overall levels of happiness in the participants.

P: So there’s no increase in levels of contentment and happiness necessarily.

M: Or subjective well-being. No, this is new, this is different. But here’s the but.

P: [Laugh]

M: There’s a but, there’s always a but.

When it came to levels of depression, anxiety and stress, the participants who did the positive psychology interventions had lower levels.

P: And that’s the gold.

M: Yep. So it’s not that it made people happier, but it stopped them from being sadder.

P: Stopped them from going down that hole, yeah. And let’s face it we know that doing some things on a daily basis, which we’ve talked about a lot during this podcast that makes a big difference to your general well-being. And it’s those small things that stop you from going deeper down a hole of stress in times of great anxiety and heightened awareness that is most important.

M: Absolutely.

P: Maintain, maintain a balance, ride the wave and stay it, stay at that plateau if you can, if you’re doing that, you’re doing well.

M: Yep, so being in a neutral mental health space is better than being in a negative mental health space.

P: And that’s what you want to hold on to in times of crisis, you want to just maintain that, that level of calm if you can. And I think, I think that’s my mother’s generation and my mom is a war baby and they were on rations in the middle of the outback in Australia and the relative experience is if you’ve got food on the table at the end of the day you’re doing well. It doesn’t have to be fillet mignon.

M: No.

P: Food on table and you’ve got a shirt on your back. It’s all good, and I think that maybe this is our defining moment when, when we look at the studies and a reference before about that American study, saying that the 18 to 44 year old’s are more likely be adversely affected. Our parents are more [mentally prepared], especially my parents who are slightly older than a lot of people. It’s a relative experience and it comes down to those basics and again, mindfulness, which we talked about a lot and appreciating the small things and the basic needs being met at a time when everything is… let’s face it, going to shit.

M: Yep. Well, it is good that you mentioned being thankful there because this study, again just a small group. But I think it makes sense to me right. It makes sense that this is something that could apply a bit more broadly but this group did gratitude exercises as part of their positive psychology interventions, and they showed a decrease in their levels of low moods, anxiety and stress. And all it took was 14 days.

P: Yeah wow.

M: So doing activities in the positive psychology sphere of things you could do like gratitude, it only takes a little is 14 days to recalibrate your, you know, we call it the Corona Coaster of emotions.

P: [Laugh] Do we?

M: It’s up and down. Well yeah. The corona coaster, we’re all on it right now. Some of us have just doing those little up, down, up, down, up, downs and a pretty like [ok] but some of us are going 90 degrees up and then 90 degrees down, right.

P: [Laugh]

M: What you want is those little fluctuations?

P: I always was a moderate rollercoaster boy. I didn’t want the big ones. [Laugh]

M: Yeah, well, you don’t in mental health terms either.

P: [Laugh]

M: It [Positive Psychology interventions] just helps to stabilise you is I guess what I’m saying. So you’re not having those lows.

P: Yes, staying on that even keel. And in times of anxiety, that’s the point. You don’t want those big moments of happiness. You don’t want to be running down the street screaming ‘my life is fabulous!’ You just want to be on that nice, ‘Yeah, I’m doing well. I’m going alright, everything is normal, I’m okay.

M: Everything’s normal. Some thing’s are bad, some things are good. I react accordingly and appropriately but in general I’m staying strong.

P: So I’m going to bring in some stuff here from BBC Future, which I was having a bit of research of.

The top things to do during the Covid crisis.

Actual tips that you can do that are actually going to make a difference today. And this goes on the back of all positive psychology work. So we know that those things of gratitude, graciousness, meditation, self-care, all that sort of stuff helps.

Distraction was the first one. Distract yourself. Go and do something that distracts your mind.

M: Mmhh, I would say this equates to having a hobby or something to do.

P: Something that takes your mind completely out of the stress of looking at the news.

For me and you Muz, it’s volleyball.

M: Yep, you’re writing Pete.

P: I will read a quote of yours Muz, ‘Volleyball is its own little bubble.’

M: Oh, it always is. That was a coach, quote, wasn’t it?

P: Yes. It was in fact and I love it, I’ve used it many times. But that’s the idea is you use something that actually takes you away and gives you complete mindfulness at that point, which is great. So from my mum, it’s orchid gardening.

M: Yep.

P: Good old Mum.

M: Gardening is something we can even do in isolation and in shut down. So as long as you’ve gotten the equipment beforehand, even people who are living in apartments can do little gardens on their balconies.

P: It can be as easy as shifting the plot plants around like I did that today. I shifted some plants in the back to the front, and it was 15 minutes in the sunshine because it was a beautiful sunny day in Sydney today and that’s enough.

M: Yep.

P: Moving on.

Meditate, ah Marie your favourite past time.

M: Sorry I missed that.

[Laughter]

P: Meditate, Marie’s favourite pastime.

M: [Noise of derision] Yeah, no I was joking. I prefer to sleep than meditate. It’s the same thing in my mind.

P: Look, meditation is hard and it’s the whole thing of… And I think what I would actually insert here as opposed to Meditate is being mindful. Today I sat on the front veranda with my cup of tea and my little lunch, and the first time in, I’d say 11 years, I’ve been in this house for 11 years, I heard the wind whistling through the Cyprus pine across the road. It’s the first time in 11 years that I’ve heard that sound.

M: Was it a windy day.

P: Yeah. Meditation. It’s Mindfulness. Spend two minutes being silent, that’s all it is. You don’t have to meditate, you don’t have to clear your mind. All that stuff, reference our previous episode on meditation.

M: Yeah, and so if meditation isn’t your thing, I would offer have a bath, have a device free, distraction free, bath.

P: Yep.

M: And as you’re sitting in the bath. Go top to bottom and get all your muscles to relax.

So I feel the stress leaving. And then this is actually meditation. I sit in the bath and actually feel the stress. Leave your, your face, your neck, your shoulders and go down your arms.

P: Yes, love it.

M: Leave your book out of the bathtub. Leave your devices, your music. Turn it all off and have a bath.

P: Yep, have quiet time. Love it.

M: Yeah.

P: Next one,

Don’t obsess over being happy or positive.

M: Oh yeah, this is so true. Yeah.

P: You’re not feeling great, don’t worry about it.

M: Yep, but also don’t chase it. This is also-

P: – I love that you said that Marie. Don’t chase it.

M: It’s the journey.

P: Yeah, definitely. And it comes right back to our original episode.

Happiness is not a destination. Happiness is the journey.

M: Mhm.

P: Don’t expect, don’t set these high expectations for yourself and maintain this plastic smile on your face, like Barbie. [Laugh] We love Barbie but you know, even her cheeks got sore in Toy Story.

M: [Laugh]

P: Watch the credits, you’ll see the reference I’m talking about. All right, moving along.

Focus on the small things.

So a small cup of tea during the day can actually be enough. If you can have a cup of tea and sit down for five minutes, that’s enough. If you can maintain that sort of level of normalcy, you’re doing well.

M: I think the other thing to add in here. A lot of what we talk about need to be done as habits. So you need to set up the routine of gratitude, journaling, exercising, practicing kindness. The second it’s not scheduled in somewhere, it gets forgotten or overlooked, or it gets bumped out of a busy day.

P: Exactly, yes.

M: So, focus on the small things. I’ve just finished reading the Atomic Habits by James Clear and something that is so valuable that he says, is when you’re starting new habits, make them small. Make them so easy that you have to trip over yourself not to do them, right?

P: Ha ha, I like that.

M: So if you want to be a runner, run for three minutes to start with and do that until it drives you crazy and you have to do four, and then push it to five. So easy, to just write once a week, something you’re grateful for and set an alarm on Sunday nights, or whatever it is that you pick. But make it small. And so when you say focus on the small things, I know that’s not exactly what you were talking about, Pete.

P: I still agree.

M: But when it comes to a lot of the positive psychology interventions we talk about make them small so that there’s really no excuse not to do them.

P: Brilliant. Love that. That’s really, really good. Well done. Ok, three more.

Clean.

Do some cleaning, go and clean out the closet.

M: Why am I being punished? What’s going on here?

P: [Laugh] No, it’s really good because it ticks so many boxes.

M: Hold on, declutter? Or clean?

P: Declutter, that’s a very [Marie] Kondo-esque way of looking at it.

M: I’m down with the declutter.

P: The cleanings, brilliant, like I actually love it like going and cleaning the bathroom. You’re in this moment. I’ve just gotta get it clean. And you can be really obsessive about cleaning. So, it ticks a lot of boxes. It takes your mind out of the situation. It gives you a task. It distracts you. It gives you a sense of achievement at the end of it. There’s a lot of positive things about doing some domestic cleaning.

M: OK, alright.

P: Getting fluff off the carpet in the hallway when you’re vacuuming. You’ll be thankful when you walk on it the next day [laugh].

M: I hear what you’re saying, actually, and I think the bit that sold it for me was that feeling of satisfaction and also the focus of doing a task and completing it. Yeah, all right.

P: If you’re feeling absolutely shit go and clean something.

M: Alright, I’ll give you that.

P: Okay, alright.

Balance your social media.

M: Mhm.

P: Beware the social demon and know that I’m aware of this, Marie, be careful of going on social media and getting caught in the scroll moment.

M: Yeah or mindlessly doing stuff. I think one of the best things that I’ve done since moving up to Tamworth is I’ve got myself a morning routine. As I said, I’ve been reading atomic habit, so making some changes and I have forbidden myself from looking at my phone until mid-morning when I have a cup of coffee.

P: Oh, brilliant. That’s awesome.

M: So I get up, I do some exercise, I write, and then I start work. And so all of those, and have some breakfast. All of those things happen without any social media or other things pulling me away.

P: Your friends, a friend of mine, started this years ago. He started charging his phone in another other room so that he didn’t wake up and reach for his phone. So important people get off the bloody devices.

[Laughter]

P: Alright, last one, last one.

Get out of town.

Now this is difficult for some people. It’s very difficult, especially if you’re in lock down, such as our lovely friends down in Melbourne, who I feel very, very painful for every time I reference them. But if you can get out if you can change your surroundings.

I’m going to quote here “[As little as] a 20 to 30% increase in blue space visibility– What’s blue space Marie?

M: The ocean or a lake or river? Any water? A large body of water.

– could shift someone from moderate distress into a lower category”.

That’s from the BBC Future’s website. So get out of town people. Go and change your perspective. Get out of the concrete jungle go and get into nature, do some forest bathing.

M: [Laugh] Nice. Alright, we might wrap it up there. So what was our conclusion Pete, can you be happy during Covid?

P: I say, yes, you’ve got to put the work in, but you could do it.

M: Look, I think that there are certain people, so they say that there’s three parts to being happy.

One is low negative affect like so if you’ve lost your job or really struggling, then bad luck, sorry. I think the most you can hope for is to be neutral and to put in the work to just grit and bear what is not a great situation for you.

And then there’s positive affect, and there’s probably not a lot of positive affect going on right now.

P: No.

M: But there’s still things that we can look forward to and see, even if you can’t be going to weddings or overseas trips, etcetera, all that stuff stopped.

So that then leaves the people who aren’t going through particularly tough times. I think those people can be relatively happy.

P: You’ve got to take control… the thing is it comes down to doing the work you have control over your reactions and your perspective and if you exert that control and take ownership of it, yes, I believe you can be happy during a global pandemic.

M: Well, on that note, I’m going to say Thank you for joining us today. If you want to hear more please remember to subscribe and like this podcast and remember can find us at www.marieskelton.com. Which is a site about how to find balance, happiness and resilience in your life. You can also send in questions or propose a topic.

P: Ooh, please propose a topic. We love this, give me something to do.

M: Or reach out if you have people you’d like us to talk to or interview.

P: Oh, yes. Definitely and if you like our little show, we would love for you to leave a comment or rating to help us out.

M: Yeah, that would make us happy.

P: [Laugh] until next time people, choose happiness.

[Happy Exit Music]

Related content: Read Moving On article 5 Ways to Overcome the COVID Blues, listen to our Podcast: What is Happiness? (E1)

Three Quick Ways to Improve Your Mood

by

Feeling Down? Need a Quick Pick-Me-Up to Improve Your Mood? We’ve got you Covered.

Understandably, many people nowadays are feeling anxious and stressed, but if you’re sick of feeling down, there is something you can do about it. A recent study found that 89 per cent of people think that their happiness can be controlled— which means most people’s beliefs align with the latest research in positive psychology.

To back this up, researchers went one step further and assessed respondents’ subjective wellbeing level. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the people who believe they have control over their happiness were 32 per cent happier than those who didn’t think that happiness can be controlled. The average happiness rating given by participants who think happiness was controllable was 7.39, as opposed to 5.61.

As happiness and its benefits are something we could all use right now, here are some quick ways to circuit break a bad day.

3 Ways to Improve Your Mood

Here are 3 ways to improve your mood in less than 10-minutes.

1. Have Some fun

It’s time to channel your inner child, cut loose, and be silly.

As we get older, we get caught up in being productive and successful.  We become more self-conscious, and playing feels silly, unproductive and time-wasting. Play is delegated to something that’s only for kids.

However, play has many benefits, including improved stress management and wellbeing, and helping to improve your mood. One study found that people who engaged in leisure activities were 34 per cent less stressed and 18 per cent less sad than those who did not. Even more interestingly, the activity didn’t matter, as long as it was something the subject found pleasure in doing.

Here’s how

There are many ways you can bring play and silliness into your life. Here’s one that might work for you. Explain the science to your friends or family and ask them to join you in a silly dance-off. Put on some fun music (throw caution to the wind and make it loud too) and take turns doing dance moves. The people in the group have to guess which decade the dance move is from. Whoever guesses right goes next.

Here’s some inspiration (you could put these on pieces of paper and draw from a hat):

  • 50s – Hand Jive, Cha Cha
  • 60s – The Twist, The Swim, The Mash Potato
  • 70s – YMCA, Funky Chicken, The Nutbush, Lawnmower, Sprinkler
  • 80s – Moonwalk, Electric Slide, The Worm, Breakdancing, The Robot
  • 90s – Running Man, Hammer Time, Macarena, Vogue
  • 2000s – Single Ladies (Beyonce), Krump, The Dougie, Cha Cha Slide
  • 2010s – Gangnam style, Harlem Shake, The Floss, The Stanky Leg

If you want to up to up the difficulty level, make people guess the name of the dance, not the decade.

2. Put a Pen in Your Mouth

Research from the University of South Australia shows that the act of smiling can trick your mind into being more positive. In the study, a smile was induced by participants holding a pen between their teeth, forcing their facial muscles to replicate the movement of a smile. The researchers discovered that the facial muscular activity led to positive emotions.

“When your muscles say you’re happy, you’re more likely to see the world around you in a positive way,” said Lead researcher and Human and Artificial Cognition expert, Dr. Fernando Marmolejo-Ramos.

“In our research we found that when you forcefully practice smiling, it stimulates the amygdala—the emotional center of the brain—which releases neurotransmitters to encourage an emotionally positive state. For mental health, this has interesting implications. If we can trick the brain into perceiving stimuli as ‘happy’, then we can potentially use this mechanism to help boost mental health,” said Marmolejo-Ramos.

Here’s How

Like a dog with a bone, put a pen or pencil between your teeth and then pull back your lips to show your top and bottom teeth. Hold this for 30 seconds. That’s it!

If you’re feeling like being social, do this with friends. It becomes even funnier, often making you truly smile, and of course, helping to improve your mood.

3. The 5-Minute Exercise Intervention

We all know that exercise is good for us physically, but it’s also really good for our brains, releasing feel-good chemicals and helping us to get rid of the stress chemicals. A recent study also showed that exercise helps fuel positive emotions, even during these uncertain times.

“The tie between time spent on these sorts of activities and positive states was particularly strong for people who felt more of the negatives states,” she continued. “So, the more stressed, anxious, lonely or depressed you are, the more it matters that you take the time to exercise and care for yourself,” said Barbara L. Frederickson, the Kenan Distinguished Professor in the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and Director of the PEP lab.

Here’s how

The point here is to get your heart beating faster, even if it’s just for a few minutes. So rather than trying to boil the ocean, start small – you’re also more likely to do an activity if it’s relatively quick and easy.

STEP 1: Set a timer for 5 minutes.

STEP 2: See how many times you can get through the below series of exercises.

  • 10 jumping jacks
  • 10 lunges (5 each leg)
  • 20 calf-raises
  • 10 squats
  • 10 push-ups (you can do these on your knees, or against the wall)
  • 5 knee-high jumps
  • 30 seconds of rest

STEP 3: Congratulate yourself on getting in some exercise and boosting your mood!

If you’re feeling up for a bit more exercise (only 20 minutes), you can try The ‘No Excuses’ Beginners Exercise Plan.

Related reading: The Secret to Surviving Isolation

Don’t forget to subscribe for our monthly newsletter for more tips, freebies and subscriber-only content!