{"id":1568,"date":"2018-05-22T10:00:57","date_gmt":"2018-05-22T10:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/happy-hospitals.com\/blog\/?p=1568"},"modified":"2019-01-08T07:10:11","modified_gmt":"2019-01-08T07:10:11","slug":"4-ways-to-plan-your-happiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happy-hospitals.com\/blog\/4-ways-to-plan-your-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways to Plan Your Happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>We put money in our 401(k)s. We take calcium supplements. We exercise. We hope these precautions will protect us as we age. But as we safeguard our money, bones and blood pressure, we forget to safeguard the one thing that can make a difference in the quality of our lives as we get older:&nbsp;our happiness.Decades of positive psychology research has shown high levels of subjective well-being (the combination of overall&nbsp;life satisfaction&nbsp;and in-the-moment positive feelings) can translate into better physical health and a longer life. In a 2011 report from the International Association of Applied Psychology, Edward Diener, Ph.D., a psychology professor emeritus at the University of Illinois, analyzed over 160 relevant studies and found that while positive feelings did not improve outcomes for people with certain diseases such as cancer, the evidence that happiness leads to better health is \u201cclear and compelling.\u201d<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-B4iVVcyRhFo\/WwTlaX8Ra9I\/AAAAAAAAAE0\/edqbpBdFcPseE4iqDOuQhWHq5IBZ-n5LwCK4BGAYYCw\/s1600\/Untitled-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"penci-gallery-image-content\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-B4iVVcyRhFo\/WwTlaX8Ra9I\/AAAAAAAAAE0\/edqbpBdFcPseE4iqDOuQhWHq5IBZ-n5LwCK4BGAYYCw\/s640\/Untitled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Create meaning.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWell-being is a state that occurs when we consistently\u2014and to the best of our abilities\u2014align our day-to-day actions with our values&nbsp;and goals,\u201d says Beth Vagle, a certified life and ADHD coach in Denver. \u201cAs we get older, this alignment is even more crucial to our well-being. We need to feel that our lives are meaningful. And rather than search for meaning, we need to actively create it.\u201d How do you create meaning? Take time to reflect on your values and then find activities that&nbsp;honor those values, Vagle says. If you love learning, for example, make a list of regular habits that would fulfill this value, such as reading before bed or visiting local museums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iYm4dfq4HIs\/WwTmvlkYLDI\/AAAAAAAAAFM\/C39D5TrrqccNY9f437IphO7E8vHx23HVwCK4BGAYYCw\/s1600\/Untitled-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"penci-gallery-image-content\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iYm4dfq4HIs\/WwTmvlkYLDI\/AAAAAAAAAFM\/C39D5TrrqccNY9f437IphO7E8vHx23HVwCK4BGAYYCw\/s640\/Untitled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Be specific.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The values and&nbsp;goals you identify in yourself&nbsp;will likely be broad\u2014\u201cI want to make art\u201d or \u201cI enjoy nature\u201d\u2014and that\u2019s OK. But for them to be useful, you need to dig deeper. \u201cHumans aren\u2019t very good at following through with action on abstract ideas such as, \u2018I want to help people,\u2019 \u201d Vagle says. \u201cSo get specific. Which people? Help them do what? Where can you do it? That might turn into something like, \u2018I want to help kids learn to read.\u2019 \u201d From there, you can research literacy programs and get started.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-GF5sTY_-59M\/WwTprMYsdMI\/AAAAAAAAAFw\/8YxGzlc0yIYHXW8GEOX8tbnUJgsai6PiwCK4BGAYYCw\/s1600\/Untitled-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"penci-gallery-image-content\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-GF5sTY_-59M\/WwTprMYsdMI\/AAAAAAAAAFw\/8YxGzlc0yIYHXW8GEOX8tbnUJgsai6PiwCK4BGAYYCw\/s640\/Untitled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><br><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Prevent regret.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>A key question to ask ourselves when&nbsp;planning for happiness&nbsp;as we get older, Vagle says, is \u201cWhat regrets don\u2019t I want to have?\u201d Write them down. Pick the one or two that feel most pressing. If you don\u2019t want to regret not spending enough time with your children or grandchildren, for example, devise tangible steps you can take, such as playing cards with them every night or planning a special trip together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vAc5sA-G1_M\/WwTpR6N7awI\/AAAAAAAAAFk\/-lG6GvwLnqIivtra0LgYDeg7dPWuI4wbQCK4BGAYYCw\/s1600\/Untitled-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"penci-gallery-image-content\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vAc5sA-G1_M\/WwTpR6N7awI\/AAAAAAAAAFk\/-lG6GvwLnqIivtra0LgYDeg7dPWuI4wbQCK4BGAYYCw\/s640\/Untitled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Be a work in progress.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPeople who see themselves as works in progress are often the happiest as they age,\u201d Vagle says. \u201cThese people always seek ways to&nbsp;be a better version of&nbsp;themselves&nbsp;than they were yesterday. That effort is satisfying in itself, but it also has a ripple effect on those around them.\u201d If you\u2019re working on being a better listener, say, it\u2019s likely your friendships or marriage will improve, creating what positive psychologists call an upward spiral of happiness.<br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We put money in our 401(k)s. We take calcium supplements. We exercise. We hope these&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1569,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>4 Ways to Plan Your Happiness - Happy Hospital<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/happy-hospitals.com\/blog\/4-ways-to-plan-your-happiness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"4 Ways to Plan Your Happiness - Happy Hospital\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We put money in our 401(k)s. 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