In May 2015, the OECD Better Life Index reported that the average life satisfaction score of people around the world was 6.6 out of 10. That’s 66%, which isn’t too bad, is it?
Yet there are many other recent studies that suggest many of us are miserable. For example, the National Opinion Research Center’s report says that married couples are becoming unhappier by the year (rising from 2.8% in 1973 to 3.5% in 2014), while the Happiness Research Institute has found a link between Facebook and depression. Perhaps life satisfaction is more easily gauged and changed on an individual basis. With that thought in mind, we’re sharing four ways each and every one of us can improve your lives right NOW!
- Detox Your System
Although detoxing is often something we associate with celebrity Instagram endorsements and branded gimmicks, committing to a structured, healthy detox can result in a huge range of scientifically proven life benefits. You don’t necessarily have to sign up for a program or even join an online community, all you have to do is make healthy choices to detox your system.
For a basic detox, replace trans-fat and caffeine with water, fruit and vegetables, then work on reducing your craving for sugars by eating more protein and avoiding artificial sweeteners. These dietary changes will result in energy boosts, a cleansed colon, better skin and a stronger immune system due to all of the natural vitamins and minerals nourishing your body. Another benefit for anyone interesting in shedding some weight is that detoxing will aid weight loss, so we recommend you keep a food diary to see which meals you like the most and add them to your diet after the detox.
Many take detoxing a step further and remove meat from their diet for a week or two, replacing meaty meals with vitamin-filled veggies. Professional poker player Daniel Negreanu is a perfect example. He is a passionate supporter of good nutrition and also a vegan who gave a great description of detoxing when he said “I wanted to change my body from a sugar burner to a fat burner.” This is exactly what your body is supposed to be doing, and a healthy detox will help you achieve this. The poker pro has spoken at length about how his nutrition has allowed him to become a better player, and we can’t argue at all. He is on the very top of the global poker earnings list of all time (with over $32 million dollars in live earnings!), a member of Team PokerStars and the winner of many important tournaments. Not only have researchers discovered that vegetarians have lower blood pressure, smaller risk of cancer and a lower chance of heart disease than their meat-eating mates but, according to a study conducted in 2012, a meat-free diet can also improve your mood in just two weeks.
2.Choose Your Fate
According to a 2015 YouGov poll, 52% of Americans believe in fate. So it’s no surprise that the feeling of being out of control is so common. There’s a chance that at some point in your life you have found yourself somewhere you never intended to be. This could be a class you had to take, a job you had to settle with or a home you’re not happy in. It also could be as simple as a change within your that means you are no longer on the same path.
Now is your chance to figure out where you want to go, where you want to be and what you want to do. Instead of asking yourself “how did I end up here?” begin to ask yourself “how am I going to get there?” Set goals and create a plan that will enable you to accomplish your dreams. Even if you can’t begin this exact minute, you will have that plan in place for the future. As Rehan Choudhry, founder of Music and Arts Festival Life Is Beautiful, says: “There’s no ‘right time’ to take the leap; you can take it at any point in your life, and should.”
3.Be Kind and Support Others
In a world where even McDonald’s will occasionally allow customers to buy their food with hugs, kindness is a hot commodity. Kindness is by far one of the best gifts you can give to a fellow person, plus kindness is a pretty simple trait to manifest and there are plenty of benefits for you. When you are kind to others, your body releases a hormone called oxytocin, which in turn releases nitric oxide to dilate the blood vessels. Your blood pressure will lower, protecting your heart, whilst your level of free radicals and inflammation will reduce which significantly slows the aging process. Meanwhile, the brain begins to produce more endogenous opioids including dopamine, which, according to studies by Dr. Katherine Nelson, boost your mood significantly. Overall, being kind to others is one of the best natural remedies there is!
Plus, there are the obvious social benefits. The people around you are not your enemies, they are not competition and they are not above or below you. They are humans with flaws and faults similar to your own. To get through our daily lives we need to begin spreading kindness and support to others, as this will help create a feeling of community and comfort, where before there was seclusion and rivalry.
4.Remove Toxic People From Your Life
No matter how hard you try to find the good in people, some simply do not work on the same frequency as you. They may come in the form of a consistently nasty relative, a frenemy who chooses to continually take away from your friendship but give nothing back or a co-worker who constantly begrudges your success.
If you can link your bad self-esteem, poor mood or lack of confidence to one person on multiple occasions, then chances are they are a toxic person. From now on, you must make a conscious effort to not react to their vitriol, to be the bigger person and sever the ties between their words and your life.
Fortunately, where there are toxic people there are often others who have nothing but your best interests at heart. These people are the ones you can put your energy and time into now, as you both deserve to have a true friendship filled with kindness, support and love.
Though it can sometimes feel as though our lives are spinning out of control, we are always able to use our inner strength and free will to make improvements. When external pressure becomes too much and makes you feel trapped or miserable, simply make a conscious effort to make these changes in your life. Even if you start by making tiny changes, there will come a time when you notice an incredible difference.
