Life Balanced

A recent study came out saying that happy people are less likely to get sick and are healthier overall. I’m a happy optimist by trade and am rarely ill, but I do notice that when I’m going through a tough period in my life, I’m more likely to get sick.

Carnegie Mellon University researchers found happy people exposed to cold and flu viruses were one-third less likely to develop a cold than their more negative counterparts. And if they did get sick, the symptoms were less severe and went away sooner (Source: Ivanhoe Newswire).

I was recently talking to a friend about this who pointed out that when we are upset or unhappy about something, it triggers reactions in other parts of our body that affect our health. For example, most stressed out people tend to sleep less which may make us more vulnerable to getting sick. When I’m upset, I lose my appetite or wolf down a lot of Ben & Jerry’s which means I’m eating less healthy. It just goes to show how interconnected our body and mind are to each other. 

Below are five areas (in addition to being happy) that are important to take care of in order to keep your health in balance. Moreover, if any one of these is off, they can quickly and negatively impact the other areas because they are all interrelated to each other.

1. Sleep. When you get sick, what is one of the first things you do? Go to bed! Although sleep needs vary between individual and age, studies have shown that people who do not get enough sleep increase the likelihood of obesity (lack of sleep stimulates appetites), and risk of diabetes and heart problems. Lack of sleep also affects your mood, productivity and ability to remember things.
2. Healthy Diet. It is easy for me to eat well when I’m healthy, but I always lose my appetite when I am sick – the time I need food most. There is definitely something to the saying, “You are what you eat.” Take control of your health by making sure every meal includes servings of fruits and vegetables (organic is even better).
3. Exercise. This not only benefits your physical health, it benefits your mental health. I’m always amused how good I feel after working out for a number of days in a row. Even though my body hasn’t visibly changed at all, I feel so much stronger, in shape and happier. Same holds true when I don’t work out for an extended period of time.  Even though my weight may not have changed at all, I feel blah. Exercise also help people sleep better.
4. Relaxation. This is very important - I’ve seen firsthand how job stress can bring about physical pain and serious illnesses in people close to me. Whether it’s yoga, meditation or just reading a good book, we all need to identify tools to relieve stress and bring relaxation into our lives.  
5. Positive People. I don’t know of any studies that say being around positive people will keep your health in balance, but I do know that negative people bring will bring you down. And if you’re down, you’ll be unhappy. And if you’re unhappy, the areas I’ve discussed above are also at risk.

Be Happy!

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