Music

Music has the power to invoke an arrange of senses and emotions.
I thought about what this could mean for ones level of happiness. i know that sometimes when I'm doing nothing in particular such as driving in the car and music is play i always feel a sense of happiness and contentment like i am suppose to be sitting in the car enjoying music at this point in time and that everything is how it should be.

Music taste is a personal thing but it could be good to exercise your ears.
different music can create different mood. Some styles I'd personally recommend for expanding your mind and mood are classical and jazz which leave the mind to wander free and body free to feel the vibrations and changes.

if you need to vent I'd recommend grunge and death metal to scream and jump around to not to mention swear to your hearts content.

if your just feeling down however whatever makes you smile or reminisce is best. music can make you happy especially if you dance or sing along to it as those activities release enphorines (happy chemicals produced by your body)

AURORA

laughter

laughing is one of the quickest 100% effective methods of improving your mood and level of happiness. When we laugh it releases endorphines and improves oxygen flow round the body.
i've complied a list of ways to make your self laugh:

1. go see a comedy at the cinema
   
2. hang out with young children, you can't help but smile and laugh with them
3. catch up with old friends and reminisce about the silly things you did when you were younger
4. ask someone to tickle you
5. listen to a comedy show on the radio
6. get together with a friend or sibling and tell 'dad jokes' 2:30 time to go to the dentist
   
7. get together with friends and challenge each other to do funny dares.
   
8. turn up your music and dance around your bed room

even taking 5 minutes out of your day to laugh can drastically improve your day and level of happiness

AURORA

travel and happiness

In my research on the subject of happiness i've discovered trend:
person is unsatisfied with their life> person decides to travel> experiences a new way of life and is often humbled or changes their perspective on life and their level of happiness improves.

often experiencing a new culture especially one were the value system is different, what makes a family unit is different, the political climate is different, the religious beliefs are different, the prosperity of the nation is different can be extremely enlightening about what is really valuable in life.

Earlier this year i traveled to Thailand. I was shocked to see children as young as 9 years old selling flowers on the streets of the tourist district at 3am in the morning, i found it quite confronting because i have a younger brother who is 10 years old. i thought about what my brother would be doing and i knew at this time of night he'd be in bed fast asleep dreaming about Pokemon or some Playstation game he wanted and in the morning he's wake up eat breakfast and go to school.

i later was told that these children only go to school a few days a few and learn pharses in English, French and Thai to assist them in selling things to tourists.

experiences such as mine can be real eye openers to how lucky you are. Traveling can be a positive, enlightening experience that can improve your outlook on life and alter your level of happiness and life satisfaction.

AURORA

A goal

i always find that when i am busy with 100 things and constantly checking things off my to do list I am happy.
Human require a purpose. life for most us will near 80 years in length but it's important that it's 80 years in width as well.
one of my favourite saying saying states that one should "dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die tomorrow."
It's vital to ones seem of self, self esteem and happiness to be growing and achieving regularly.
naturally achieving meaning different things to different people. whether it's through formal education, working, traveling or developing socially one must set goals to develop. learning should not stop when you finish schooling. life is a learning process and it's up to what you learn. so why not be proactive and decide who you want to be and learn to fit the dream inside your head. The goals can be small like always saying please and thank you or large like learning a language and traveling oversea.
whether big or small achieving these goals will bring a great sense of satisfaction and happiness,

AURORA

A code

In my research regarding happiness i have many people cite their religion or moral code for living as a source of happiness.
As an atheist i have no belief in the divine but i do have a code which i live by.
perhaps "living according to gods rule" or your own is a little proof to yourself that your on the right track. One of my favourite which i constantly evaluate myself by is the Christian saying "Do unto other as you would have done unto you."
whenever i reflect on a bad experience or difficult time i ask myself did i treat others as i would want to be treated. if the answer is yes then i have no regrets and can move on.

whether it's the bible, the koran or a code of your own making perhaps this holds the key to ones happiness and confidence in life.

AURORA

living well

I was told once that "The best revenge was living well" as i thought about the concept of living i realised this could be a factor in ones happiness,
when i think of living well i imagine a healthy, life reinforcing lifestyle that includes a healthy diet, regular exercise and at least 8 hours of sleep a night.
I think this concept has a level of merit. Scientist have proven that the endorphines released when you exercise make you feel happy and positive.
personally i've noticed a difference in mood depending on how well one eats.
And as for the sleep factor just look at the universal saying "you woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Most people have experienced the the short temper and negative thinking caused by a lack of sleep.
The living well principle is a simple and cost effective way to manage your mood and is probably the first thing you should try but the last one you think of.

AURORA

material world and happiness

I was speaking to friends about my blog and happiness and whilst most agreed that happiness was eluding members of the first world they disagreed that it had anything to do with materialism.

my friends assured me that having their lifestyle and material possession was a key part of being happy. Things such as dressing on the outside how you feel on the inside was a key argument. another was the sense of progressing in the world and achieving more than your parents did whilst maintain your heritage.

as i thought about it i could see the value of the argument. alot of the material things like decorating your home and how you dress everyday have alot to do with family friends and belonging. whilst they don't guarantee happiness and fulfillment they are important in regulating ones sense of identity.


The material is a visible and clear link to your family background, culture, personal interests and social grouping.

AURORA

more on happiness

i've been researching as many different cultural theories for happiness as i can get my hands on.
This week i discovered some philosophy's on happiness from the Buddhist faith. The Dalai Lama in fact wrote a book call "The art of Happiness".
Buddhist have identified that unhappiness is caused by unsatisfied desires or wants. so to become happy one has to either satisfy your wants or to not desire anything.

I found this very interesting because we live in such a consumerist society. there are always things to want in our culture...BMW's, designer clothes, celebrity endorsed sunglasses, Ipod's, world class appliances, waterfront homes..and the list goes on.
but is it possible for anyone to attain all these material possessions. Is it healthy to desire so many material thing?

I thought about how one would apply this theory. So often i would desire a material item believing it would make me happy and make my wardrobe complete and once i obtained the item i was happy but it was never long before the same feeling would return that my wardrobe would be perfect if i purchased another item. This is a cycle and the Buddhist theory does provide a solution...stop wanting.
difficult i know but perhaps wanting less would make us happier.

AURORA

The exploration of happiness

As a resident of the developed world i've noticed that despite our modern conveniences, freedom from hunger and disease
happiness still seems to elude many of us.


anti-depressants are experiencing a vogue and i wonder why?
why are people who have everything....every material thing....more rights than they can remember...food, shelter, employment and educational opportunities..still unhappy, unsatisfied and unfulfilled?


I have decided to explore what is happiness and what makes people happy.
The first clue i found was a Greek proverb:
"happiness is living in a state of grace"
To be grateful for everything that you have everyday. I tried this... i sat down and i wrote down all the things i was grateful for. The list was long and encompassed people like family and friends, experiences from my past, opportunities that were available to me, the benefits of living in my home town, my city and country, my body and much more
and when i sat read my list i couldn't help but smile.
I thought about how this could be applied no matter your location.
to be thankful for the little things like good weather, your health, the relationships of family and friends.


AURORA