This article was written for the Oshwal Health and Care Fair Brochure as part of the Oshwal Health and Care Fair in June 2019 where Happy Life Habits had a talk on Stress and Resilience.

Why be Happy, Healthy, Wealthy and Wise?

Recently I read 

“You only live once. That is incorrect! You die once but you get to live every day.” 

Developing habits to be happy, healthy, wealthy and wise you can live a very happy, fulfilling, meaningful and harmonious life each and every day with great energy, focus and resilience, as well as problem solving capabilities.  I am excited to share scientific insights and practical tips on how you can do this.

What is Happiness? What is The Science of Happiness

Happiness is more than a fleeting emotion. It is an innate part of who we truly are. From my field, The Science of Happiness, I share the definition researcher and author of “The How of Happiness”, Sonja Lyubomirsky:

“The experience of joy, contentment, or positive wellbeing, combined with a sense of one’s life is good, meaningful and worthwhile”

Take a moment to reflect and absorb that definition.

The Science of Happiness does research and experiments to find out the things that make us happy, as defined above. It covers all of these areas in the diagram titled “Your Brain on Greater Good”.

What we in the field are finding is that many of the factors leading to following can be managed, so that we can lessen or prevent: 

Depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, overwhelm, loss of direction and low productivity.  We know how this all impacts our relationships, sense of loneliness and life balance.

The science show us that there are regular practices and habit which help rewire the brain and increase the happy chemicals - Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins - and all without the use of medicine or drugs.

What is Health? 

The World Health Organisation, WHO, defines health as: 

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”

Health is a dynamic condition resulting from adapting and adjusting to changes and stresses in our environment. 

For me it has 4 components; 3 of which are covered by the WHO definition. These 4, according to the Stephen Covey classic “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, make up the 4 human dimensions. They are: Physical, Mental, Social/Emotional and Spiritual. All 4 are interconnected and when any one of them is negatively impacted we feel imbalanced, out of sorts and not our whole self, not being able to fully engage with life. For example, a physical injury such as a sprained foot can impact your mental and emotional wellbeing with thoughts and feelings of pain. Or when you are stressed or worried about something, those feelings can manifest in physical conditions, such as not being able to sleep, loss of appetite and feeling down. 

All 4 dimensions are required to be healthy and live a full life. 

What is Wealth?

If you have jumped straight to this section without reading the previous ones go back!⇑

Wealth in some cases is described as a large amount of money or valuables that someone has. It is also described as a large amount of something good e.g. “He has a wealth of experience in teaching”. There are many options to learn more about wealth from individuals, companies, books and groups.

A lack of wealth can cause unhappiness and health concerns. In many cases the paradox is that the pursuit of wealth leads to a decline in health and then that wealth is needed to restore or manage the health.

A certain amount of money is needed to live well in the world. For each person this is a different amount. Consider how much you really need and how much is for your wants. The Science of Happiness says that earning above $70,000 does not significantly improve a person’s happiness. 

In research, one group were given some money, about $20, and told to spend it on themselves and another group given the same amount of money and told not to spend it on themselves. The group that spent it on someone else had higher happiness levels. Also spending it on experiences as opposed to material things led to more happiness.

My own take on this is that a certain amount of money/assets etc. is needed to live well - think how much you really need. However real wealth is bigger than the finances, money, assets, and properties. It cultivates an abundance mindset - that there is enough for everyone. It encompasses giving the wealth of our time, energy, knowledge, service and money for a greater good. Being present, being there.

That the wealth should flow and do as much good as possible. Earn it, save it, invest it, grow it, protect it and share it. 

Warren Buffet one of the richest person in the world and a great investor is quoted as saying 

“The best investment you can make is in yourself”

What is Wisdom?

Wikipedia defines wisdom as 

“Wisdom, sapience, or sagacity is the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight”.

From our health perspective The Serenity Prayer provides wise advice:

“God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change; 

Courage to change the things I can; 

And wisdom to know the difference.”

Keep learning. From the Science of Happiness we know that learning new things positively impacts our happiness. Talks on Dementia highlight that an active, learning brain can help prevent or reduce the onset of Dementia. When learning, the brain is making new associations, connections and wiring the neurons. Learning new positive habits helps us feel good, stay well and deal better with life challenges. Some happy habits are counting your blessings, 3 good things –listing 3 good things that happened to you each day and mindfulness. The key is to practice them regularly so they become a daily habit and part of your lifestyle.

Patch Adams

Patch Adams the real life doctor who was played by the magnificent Robin Williams in the inspiring film of the same name has said:

“When we treat an illness we either win or lose, but if we treat the person, listen to them and love them, we can’t fail”

“The most radical act anyone can commit to is to be happy”

Benefits of Happiness & How to practice

Often when we have something we do not appreciate it until we lose it. This is often the case with good health, we often do not worry about it or pay much attention to it until it starts to deteriorate or be lost. That is where the practice of Gratitude, being grateful and counting our blessings comes in. 

Some scientific proven benefits for happiness - in particular Gratitude - from Gratitude Researcher Robert Emmons:

• Practice of gratitude has dramatic, lasting and positive results: every time

• Journal Diary - 2 weeks - sustained reductions in stress (25%) and depression (16%) in health care practitioners

• 23% lower levels of stress hormones (cortisol)

• 10% improvement in sleep quality in patients with chronic pain (76 % had insomnia) and 19% lower depression levels

• Letter of gratitude reduced feeling of hopelessness in 88% of suicidal patients and increased levels of optimism in 94% of them

References

Lyubomirsky, Sonja : “The How of Happiness”

Greater Good Science Center, University of Berkeley: Image of Brain on Greater Good

Covey, Stephen : The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

WHO, Definition of Health : https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/frequently-asked-questions

Emmons, Robert : The Little Book of Gratitude

Williams, Nick - Patch Adams quote: The Work we were Born to Do 

About the Author

Shaileen Shah is a Happiness Coach, Speaker and Trainer. Previously having been in finance technology for the investment banking arm of RBS during the RBS takeover of Natwest, the RBS takeover of ABN Ambro and the financial crisis he has experienced the challenges brought by uncertainty, change and stress. He is certified in The Science of Happiness and shares through Happy Life Habits. Happy Life Habits Positively Impacts Happiness & Well Being Levels by creatively and uniquely combining Personal Development + The Science of Happiness + Spirituality. A business for Good; supporting the UNs Sustainable Development Goals. For more information see HappyLifeHabits.co.uk.