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| Happy People Win Newsletter |
Volume 6, Issue 9
September 2012 | |
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Happy September!
Last month I had one of the most magical days EVER.
I live about 15 minutes south of Avila Beach, one of my favorite spots to just be. Be happy. Be relaxed. Be peaceful. I had heard that humpbacks were feasting on the bait balls (swarms of fish swimming together) in the Bay. Very rare sighting. So my mom and friends decided to go and see if we could spot any action.
We arrived to hundreds of pelicans and gulls flying and floating in the water. Pelican's dive bombing the water is a sight to see. It was lovely. Once we were situated, sitting on the pier enjoying the sun with our feet propped up on the railing, we also were treated to pods of dolphins and sea lions. Definitely more action than usual. Incredible.
Then we saw the humpbacks. WOW. We sat for an hour enthralled by their size and magnificence as they glided in the water. One swam closer, feeding on the other side of the pier. We rushed over and were rewarded with a breathtaking sight. I stood there, tears running down my face. Amazed at the beauty and that I was able to witness this spectacular creature up close. Best. Day. Ever.
Photo by Marlin Harmes
"We owe it to our children to be better stewards of the environment. The alternative? A world without whales. It's too terrible to imagine."- Pierce Brosnan
"Communion with nature offered me rare moments of awe and ecstasy." - Margaret Wettlin
Awe and ecstasy. Fits.
Hope YOU have magical moments this month.
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Physical Wellness for All Ages
- Prevention 2012 -
Most of us eventually develop plaques and tangles in our brains, warnings of Alzheimer's disease. But new research says you can counteract their effects by living a life with purpose. "Someone who is focused on having meaningful experiences has about 30% less cognitive decline over 10 years," says researcher Dr. Patricia Boyle. To join their ranks, volunteer, travel, or tutor a child. "Positive behaviors promote cognitive health as we age, " Dr. Boyle says.
According to a 2012 study published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, after taking yoga two or three times a week for 10 weeks, 11th and 12th graders were less likely to feel anxious or in a bad mood than students who took a standard gym class. "The slow, deep breathing used may help teens relax. It can also teach teens to look inside themselves instead of to their peers for acceptance and affirmation, which can help lower stress and anxiety.
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Little Health Tips for BIG Results
Weave more small touches into conversations with your spouse, family, and friends -- it's another way to show loved ones how much they mean to you. Squeeze your spouse's hand when you're riding an elevator together, or rub your daughter's back when you chat about her day. We're cuddle bugs by nature -- our endocrine systems release a cascade of positive pleasure chemicals when we receive a caring touch, making us feel more connected and content and less anxious. (One study found that waitresses who touched their customers even earned bigger tips.)
Six calming breaths in 30 seconds can reduce your systolic blood pressure by nearly 10 mmHg, Japanese research has found. Even occasional blood pressure spikes -- like those during an insanely nonstop day -- might put you at increased risk of stroke, according to a study in the Lancet.
Keep track of your good deeds. Go ahead, toot your own horn. When people were asked to track kindnesses they showed others, their own happiness skyrocketed. Leave a more-than-generous tip for waitstaff or let someone cut in front of you in line at the supermarket. Jot down your good deeds every evening, and you may act more kindly simply to lengthen your list. But that's okay. According to researchers, you can become happier and more grateful by paying attention to how nice you are.
- MSN Healthy Living
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- Positivity -
"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough" - Oprah Winfrey
"The only time you fail is when you fall down and stay down." - Stephen Richards
"If you see the world and yourself through a lens smudged by negativity then you'll find much misery. If you look outwards and inwards through lens brightened by positivity you'll find much to be happy and appreciative about. - Henrik Edberg
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Happiness
Women Are Happier Than Men, Science Finds
Earlier this year, a study found that women are happiest when men can empathize with their sadness. For men, the key to happiness is a bit simpler-they're happy when women are happy. 
Well, there's good news for guys. Women, apparently, are quite happy. In fact, we're happier than most men, according to research from the University of Florida. To read the entire article go to: The Happiness Gene |
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Good Grief: Nurses Cope with Patient Deaths By Cathryn Domrose
Jean's note: My friend Melanie quit her job working as a Pediatric Oncologist after one child too many died. My sister Suzie who is an air ambulance nurse, has mandatory debriefs after each call. This is the beginning of an excellent article to help avoid compassion burnout:
Rowena Orosco, RN, BSN, had been working at Johns Hopkins Bayview Burn Center in Baltimore for three years when a family with seven children was brought to the hospital after a fire destroyed their home. The one survivor, a 7-year-old girl, was transferred to the burn center with burns over 70% of her body. As the medical team worked desperately to save the girl, Orosco sat with her, crying and holding her hand as she died. This moment haunts the nurse 15 years later.
"I got through that day, but after that I thought about quitting," Orosco says. Instead she attended a debriefing, exchanged many tearful hugs with colleagues in the halls, talked a lot with a co-worker and kept working. "You kind of put your emotions aside because there are other patients waiting for you."
Nursing students might learn how to help family members grieve, but seldom learn how to deal with their own feelings of sadness or loss. Research about how nurses cope with patient death is scarce and mostly anecdotal. But what studies there are suggest nurses go through a unique grieving process when patients die, and how they manage this process is important to their well-being.
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