Send This Page Link to a Friend

Holistic Medicine and Health : HAPPINESS

From a holistic health and medicine perspective happiness is the key to optimum health, well-being, and joy in life.  But, if everything seems to be combined against us to bring us down and make us miserable, can we do anything about it?

"The billion-dollar question is, is it possible to become happier?" asks psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky of the U of CA, Riverside.  "Despite the finding that happiness is partially genetically determined, and despite the finding that life situations have a smaller influence on our happiness than we think they do, we argue that still a large portion of happiness is in our power to change."

1. Followers of Holistic Medicine and Health are Grateful - Study participants were asked to write letters of thanks to those who have helped them in their lives. People who participated in the study found that weeks, and even months, after they wrote these letter (and formed a habit of doing so), found that they had higher levels of happiness than before.  Interestingly, they did not even have to deliver these letters - just the act of writing them on a consistent basis was the catalyst for happiness.   (This directly ties in with #3)

2.  Followers of Holistic Medicine and Health are Optimistic - Optimism is another practice that seems to help.  Study participants were asked to keep a journal over a period of weeks where they visualize what they want in the future: A good relationship, a great job, etc. and write these down in a journal.  Participants found that by doing this they increased their level of happiness and feelings of well-being.

3. Followers of Holistic Medicine and Health Counts the Blessings and Good Things in their Lives - It has been found that people who consistently write down three good things that have happened to them over the past week have higher levels of happiness.  By writing them down, it is believed, they are better able to focus on the good in their lives and the reasons they have to be happy.  (Conclusion:  Keep a daily, or at least a weekly journal and write down the good things of your day.)

4. Followers of Holistic Medicine and Health Know their Strengths and Utilize them to their Fullest Advantage - In another study people were asked to identify their strengths and then focus more on them.  For example, a person who is good with telling jokes might do so in tense situations and lighten the mood with a touch of appropriate humor.  People who did this found that they also felt overall better.

5. Followers of Holistic Medicine and Health are Kind to Others and Generous with their Time and Resources - There is no doubt about it, when we help others (genuinely, without expectations of reward or recognition) we truly do help ourselves.  People who donated money to worth causes do feel better.  But, interestingly (yet not surprisingly) people who give of themselves by giving of their own TIME to help others had a much more elevated and sustained feeling of happiness.  (This is not to say we needn't give money to charities in which we believe.  That is very important.  But, rather, giving of ourselves more deeply by giving of our time to help others in service is even better still.  Both are important to happiness.)

On this website we will add another very important step to happiness that was not mentioned in these studies (given the nature of today's society this is not a surprise):

6.  Followers of Holistic Medicine and Health are able to Forgive Sooner or Later (with "Sooner" being the ideal) - We cannot enjoy the wellness that we seek without forgiving those who we believe (correctly or incorrectly - it really doesn't matter) have wronged us.  Without true and complete forgiveness we hold rancor and malice, possibly even hate in our heart which will corrupt our spirit and emotions - a side effect being that our physical health also suffers, making us perpetually more miserable.

Anger is something we actively choose.  It is possible to choose to not feel or express anger ever again (same with hate, malice, envy, desires of retribution, etc.).

The first step in holistic medicine and health is forgiveness of others and, just as importantly, forgiveness of ourselves as needed!