DAY 255 - LAUGHTER... THE BEST MEDICINE

Day 255

Last night I went to see a show at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal.  The show was hosted by Modern Family star, Eric Stonestreet and featured an array of very funny comedians from all over the world.

At times, I was laughing so hard, I was crying.  Although, I believe I have a good sense of humour, I rarely find things hilarious to the point of abdominal muscle ache.  So, it was a great feeling.

All of us know that laughing is healthy. We’ve heard over and over again that, besides promoting emotional well being, laughter also has physical health benefits.

In fact, laughing is found to:

- Lower blood pressure
- Increase vascular blood flow and oxygenation of the blood
- Give a workout to the diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles
- Reduce certain stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline
- Increase the response of tumor- and disease-killing cells such as Gamma-interferon and T-cells
- Defend against respiratory infections–even reducing the frequency of colds–by immunoglobulon in saliva.
- Increase memory and learning
- Improve alertness and creativity

There really isn't anything better than having a giggling fit. Maybe it's not so good in some contexts... in church or at funeral, for instance (which embarrassingly has happened to me before), but laughter can really help improve your mood when you're feeling down.  It's a very efficient and quick fix  to a bad day!!!! It's just a matter of finding out who and what makes you laugh.  Once you've found it, get a daily dose of it!  It will work miracles!

"A day without laughter is a day wasted."
Charlie Chaplin

If you like this post, pass it along.  To receive posts as they're being published, you can either send me an e-mail at alina500daystohappiness@hotmail.com or join the facebook group:  500daystohappiness.

DAY 254 - AS SOON AS...

Day 254

Many of us have the tendency to look forward to the future and, along the way, sacrifice the present.  How many times have I heard people around me say stuff like: "As soon as this project is over, I'll be more relaxed" or : "I can't wait for this month to be over, then I'll really be less stressed."  My brother made us laugh on vacation.  Every day, he would say: "Come on, hurry up, let's go to the beach, I want to relax!"  Being in a hurry to relax... it seems a little contradictory, doesn't it?

Do you ever fell like your to-do-list never ends?

So many times, I'll postpone relaxation and fun to a later time myself.   It's as though I can't relax until there are no more chores left for me to do.  The problem is,  there is always either laundry to do, some drawer to tidy up, some windows to wash. The to-do-list never ends.  It just goes on and on.  That's why, although I don't work in the summer, if I'm at home, I don't really feel on vacation.  I'm always busy trying to finish up what I have to do, stressing about it, so that I can finally relax.  

The fact is, life isn't an emergency.  Nothing has to be done now!  Yet, I often feel that way.  I'll stress about deadlines that I will have created myself.

On vacation, I never felt that way.  It is true that I had no responsibilities...other than feeding myself and the kids.  But even if we had to take the bus at a certain time, the train or the plane, I didn't worry about getting there on time.  I didn't rush to do anything.  I took my time.  I felt relaxed.  Was I any slower?  I don't think so.  I was just calmer.

I'd love to be able to keep that calmness throughout the year.    Because it's really not only about the chores and obligations you have, it's about the mental state you're in while accomplishing them.   You can be accomplishing as much, but in a calm way.  Things don't get done faster if you're stressed or in a hurry to finish.

So, from now on, I'll try to avoid sentences such as "as soon as this is done, I'll be able to relax".  I'll really try to be efficient without feeling like there is a sense of emergency!  I'm sure it will benefit everyone in my family, not only myself!

If you like this post, pass it along.  To receive posts as they're being published, you can either send me an e-mail at alina500daystohappiness@hotmail.com or join the facebook group:  500daystohappiness.

DAY 253 - THE EUROPEAN LIFESTYLE

Day 253

Every time I go to Europe, I’m amazed to see how people live, especially in smaller towns.  North Americans are so stressed with efficiency.  Here, people seem to take the time to enjoy life!  Or maybe it is only my impression, because I’m on vacation and I’m not worried about anything else but the present moment, and everything around me seems to give me a sense of freedom.

Bruges, Belgium

In most towns we are visiting, cars are not allowed to go on many of the streets, so people walk a lot… along the way they stop for a quick espresso standing at a bar in the main square, which is also pedestrian.  Every week people meet at the market, which is held on the main square.

Maybe that way of life makes it easier to connect with others, to get a sense of community, which is something so  essential to happiness.

 I wonder if in those towns, less people suffer from solitude!    Big cities tend to make you invisible, as though you are part of a modern piece of art where all the colors blend into a dull grey…

There is so much we can learn from the European lifestyle.  Although, the way North American cities are built makes it hard for us to really do it!  Even in the smallest towns in Canada, the only pedestrian area is found in a shopping mall that you need your car to get to!!!!

If you like this post, pass it along.  To receive posts as they're being published, you can either send me an e-mail at alina500daystohappiness@hotmail.com or join the facebook group:  500daystohappiness.

DAY 252 - AN EGYPTIAN FAMILY GOES ON AN EXCURSION IN THE SPANISH MOUNTAINS

DAY 252

For two full weeks, we were in Spain with my entire family.  My parents, my brother and their wives and their respective children.  In all, we were 18 people.  Traveling with 18 people can be very challenging.  Especially if there are 18 Egyptian leaders (we are known to be a little dictatorial) and no followers… yes, even the children in my family constantly have an opinion.  When it comes to making a decision, every single person in my family has something to say.  It could become quite confusing!

Thank god we all have a great sense of humour... without it, some of us could have come back injured!!!!    

Mijas

Quite miraculously, yesterday, we managed to all agree to go visit a small white village in the mountains called Mijas.  We decided that with the number of people we were, it would be best to get there by bus rather than rent cars and follow one another trying not to get lost in the middle of the Andalusian mountains!!!!

To get to the village, the bus went through a whiny road near the edge of a cliff similar to the one Road Runner takes to escape the Coyote!!!!  The bus driver was going quite fast and, as we were going higher and higher on the mountain, I saw my brother, who’s naturally dark and, because of the sun had gotten even darker, turn whiter and whiter…. He suffers from vertigo and simply hates having his fate in the hands of someone else!  I was nervous myself, but I tried to stay calm not to worry my children.  Let's say it was an experience.

However, when we arrived at the village and, from the top of the old Roman city walls, we saw the breathtaking view of the Mijas Sierra and the Mediterranean sea, all fear dissipated.  Beauty has a way of restoring joy and serenity in times of stress and anxiety!   Nature has so much beauty to offer, yet we often pass right by it without paying much attention.  Often, to get rid of stress, going to a place where you can admire nature and taking the time to soak it in is all you really need.  And we really got to experience that on our little excursion of yesterday afternoon.

If you like this post, pass it along.  To receive posts as they're being published, you can either send me an e-mail at alina500daystohappiness@hotmail.com or join the facebook group:  500daystohappiness.

DAY 251 - CAUSE I'M LEAVING ON A JET PLANE...

Day 251

On June 23, as soon as I stepped foot on the plane, I was touched and surprised… My brother had reserved tickets for us in first class, which meant being able to lie down (the seats convert into beds), if not sleep (I have a very hard time sleeping on airplanes), during the 7-hour flight that was bringing us across the ocean.  It also meant being treated with special care, having a menu to choose from, being the first off the plane, being asked regularly if you need anything.   How lucky I felt being there!

It made me think about something I had once read. Those experiences are wonderful as long as you don’t start expecting them.  Otherwise, you are doomed to disappointment.  Am I ever going to be able to be happy in economy class, or am I always going to think of how great it was up there in the front of the airplane?  Even my children could become dissatisfied with not being in first class.  As soon as we boarded the plane, my oldest daughter asked me if we were also going to go back home in first class.

When you haven’t experienced something, you can’t miss it or expect it.  Unhappiness often comes when you lose something you had… even if you only had it once!  So learning to lower your expectations and to be grateful for everything you have, no matter what it is, has to become a priority.  If not, you could end up going through life without much joy.  I, for one, know some people like that... they have everything, but they still manage to always be dissatisfied!  When you don't expect much, you can only be happily surprised!

If you like this post, pass it along.  To receive posts as they're being published, you can either send me an e-mail at alina500daystohappiness@hotmail.com or join the facebook group:  500daystohappiness.


   

DAY 250 - BACK TO LIFE, BACK TO REALITY

DAY 250

We finally got back from a dream vacation.  I always find it hard to come back, no matter how long I was away for. I realize, however, that I am fortunate to have had the chance to travel in Europe for a whole month. Being a teacher has its advantages.  I always have the summers off.

Nerja, Spain
One of the coastal villages we visited

What I find especially hard is to readapt to responsibilities, schedules, obligations...  When I'm away, I lose track of time.  I can't remember what day it is, I never know what time it is; I truly live in the present moment, which is something so difficult to do in ordinary life.

When I'm away, I get to experience the true meaning of freedom!  Decisions are made and, in the split of a second, they are changed!  I don't hang on to any pre-conceived image of what I want to do...  I go with the flow.  If only I could learn to live life in that way!!!!

On this trip, we visited Brussels, Bruges, many small towns in the South of Spain and we ended our trip in Germany by visiting Mainz, Wiesbaden and Rudesheim.  My kids walked hours with us, never complaining of being hot or tired!  I was so impressed and proud of them...

Did I miss anything?  I don't know if I did... I was not thinking about Montreal and my life here!  I was living in the moment and my only preoccupations were to figure out  where, when and what I was going to eat and where I wanted to spend the day!  I completely disconnected.  Isn't that what vacations are all about?

But I'm back and although it took me a few days to land, I'm now ready  to complete the second half of my project!

In the next few days, I will publish posts that I wrote while I was away.  They are mostly impressions and thoughts written while traveling!

If you like this post, pass it along.  To receive posts as they're being published, you can either send me an e-mail at alina500daystohappiness@hotmail.com or join the facebook group:  500daystohappiness.