Good relationships keeps us happier and healthier.

Research on happiness shows that social relationships are important for people’s happiness, and that social exclusion makes people less satisfied with life. The most important thing is not to have many friends, but the quality of the relationships matters. Connecting or having good relationships makes you feel a sense of belonging and you are valued by others.

Several factors contribute to everyday happiness, and here are some tips:

• Do something good for others. Delighting others gives a good feeling. It can also be a great way to connect.
• Be physically active. When you are active, your thoughts will flow. It gives a feeling of well-being and reduces depression and anxiety.
• Learn a new skill. It gives a sense of mastery and better self-esteem.
• Be more present here and now. Try to relax, observe things around you or let thoughts and emotions flow through you. It helps you deal with stress, and sort out what is important or not.
• Be grateful. Enjoy all the good things that happens in your life.

We have different levels of happiness over the course of their lives.

A number of research reports have shown that people have different levels of happiness over the course of their lives.

Population-wide surveys show that a person’s average satisfaction with life begins to decline slightly towards the end of our twenties. After that it continues to decline, until it reaches its lowest level during our mid-forties. Then the trend reverses, so that as we pass 50, we are increasingly happy, a situation that is happily not reversed until the last few years of our lives.

A survey that involved 72 countries on every continent was conducted to look at how the midlife crisis manifests itself across cultures. The results were remarkably similar in countries as diverse as Germany, Laos, the Philippines and Brazil.

Feelings of despondency and emptiness can creep into a person’s life during their middle years. The spirit and joy of youth can disappear and life can be experienced as heavy and without much meaning.

• The survey results showed that the experience of a midlife crisis is quite similar whether you are male or female, rich or poor.
• It does not seem to make a difference whether you are single, living together, married or whether you have children or not.
• Most of us perceive our midlife years as the hardest part of our lives.
• There are indications that this trend is independent of people’s economic and social backgrounds.

What gives you energy?

Many people ponder the meaning of life, and one way to protect yourself during a crisis is to have something meaningful in your life.

Think about your life situation:

• Which situations are the most challenging for you?
• What gives you energy, or stresses you and saps your energy?

An important part of Mindfit is that it allows you to keep track of positive things that happen during your daily life. Taking note of the good things in your life will help make you more aware of what gives you energy, so that you can better identify the priorities you want to focus on – and thus feel happier.

Do more of what gives you energy 🙂