May: A Whole Month of Happiness and Wellbeing

Posted on 01. May, 2011 by Julia Barnard in Articles, happiness

May is the fifth month of the year and is named after the goddess Maia.

For a month of happiness, we will draw from three events happening in May: World Laughter Day, International No Diet Day and a little known celebration observed in the US, Visit Your Relatives Day. If we take advantage of these events this month, we can make a difference to our overall happiness and wellbeing.

The benefits of laughter

Stress is no laughing matter. When we are stressed, the hormone cortisol enters the bloodstream. If left unmanaged (i.e. you remain in a stressed state), it can cause problems, including: high blood pressure, lowered immunity and blood sugar imbalance, which can lead to diabetes. However, laughter has been found to lower cortisol levels. It has also been shown to improve blood-vessel function, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, improve the immune system, relive pain and lower blood pressure. It can also alleviate symptoms of depression.

So there are very good reasons for laughter, so this month take the trouble to ensure you have a few laughs. Some people laugh more readily or loudly than others. They see the lighter side of life. Others think we shouldn’t be laughing because life sucks. Life is a challenge yes, and it is perhaps for this reason that we should all have the courage to lighten up and laugh. You will feel better for it and you will raise the spirits of the people around you.

Easy tip

Watch your favourite comedy DVD, alone or with others.

More challenging suggestion

Have the courage to laugh at yourself. Far better than getting moody and defensive.

Read more about laughter

Laugh, laugh, laugh: the benefits are many

Forget diets

How about for the whole of this month, you forget all about dieting, embrace a positive body image and start to feel good about yourself, no matter what your size? Too much? Well how about just a day? May 6th is International No Diet Day where all over the world people forget their diets and promote acceptance of you just as you are.

There are two issues worth addressing here. First, diets just do not work. You restrict what you eat for a certain period of time, possibly following some celebrity-endorsed fad and you lose weight. You could say the diet was a success. But what happens now? Do you continue on your diet, depriving yourself of certain food groups, vowing to eat three Brussels sprouts for breakfast for the rest of your life? Or do you come off your diet and resume your old eating habits? Neither is good. In the first instance, your body needs to obtain nutrients from a wide variety of foods and anyway, depriving yourself of something will result in cravings. In the second instance, you will put the weight back on as you are eating the same amount of calories you were before.

Now I want you to be healthy and happy. So it is worth being aware of foods that are not good for you. Particularly those high in saturated fat and sugar. You can eat them, but in moderation. I know I need my chocolate fix and each week I buy three or four small chocolate bars that last me the week. This works for me. If I didn’t do this and deprived myself, I know I’d be down the shops buying a block of chocolate and eating it in one go. Don’t restrict yourself of anything, but do take care with foods that can harm your health.

Second, if you want to be a happier person, self-acceptance is important. And this includes acceptance of your body. No matter what size you are, it is very easy to believe you aren’t thin enough or the right shape. I remember an incident where I was encouraged to step on the scales with a bunch of dieters. For years I’d battled with the belief that I was fat. I’d check charts and my BMI would be in the ideal range, but still I wasn’t happy. Finally I took the hint and accepted I was fine. I felt good about myself and could focus on more important things. The scale incident came just a few weeks later and because it had clicked for me, I refused. It annoyed her, but I didn’t care, I was happy with my body. Yet just a week later I was told that I was ‘too thin’ by another person altogether! I couldn’t really win, if my intention was to please others. You’ve got to feel right in your own body, no matter what size you are and what other people think. It makes living with yourself so much more enjoyable.

More food-related articles

How foods can impact on mental health

The problem with emotional eating and how to overcome it

Family ties

Visit Your Relatives Day is observed on the 18th each year. It’s pretty clear what you have to do. Go and meet up with your family. At the very least it’s a chance to think about your family members, especially those of your extended family that you don’t hear from very much. Cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, grandparents… Social connections have been shown again and again to benefit our health and happiness and the more you have, the better off you are. So use the 18th as an opportunity to get in touch some way with your family members. If your family members aren’t close by, you can always send an email or write them a letter. How pleased will they feel to receive a handwritten letter from you?

Perhaps this is also the time to practise forgiveness if you have lost contact with a member due to a longstanding conflict.

Here are some forgiveness tips you may find helpful.

Remember

Every month there is a reason to be happy.

Tags: acceptance, body image, change, conflict, control, courage, depression, diabetes, emotional eating, family, food, forgiveness, happiness, health, laughter, mental health, mood, people, play, self-acceptance, stress, weight, wellbeing