HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!...

Yes I do look slightly deranged in the video so you might want to close your eyes and simply listen!!!

So you know - it goes
Breath focus : Inh 5 - hold 7 - exh 8 counts ( count quickly if need be!)
Smile for at least 20 seconds
Inhale and then exhale with a 'ha ha ha'...

Then I hope you're laughing!!! Maybe at me!!....

Human beings are wired for negativity, it keeps us alive especially when we were hunters.. The thing is we’re not anymore but we still have that ‘instinct’ in us and also we are generally surrounded by unhappy news - pick up a paper or read headlines on line and well it’s often all ugh.

2017 was an eventful year in many ways and when I googled to find events from it, there was a whole lot of not so happy things - not going to mention here as this is a happy blog!!

I searched a different way and found these stories below, which I love!!   Not mainstream big wooohoooooo items, (like the Royal Engagement) - they are things that everyday people did that brought a smile to another and definitely brightened my day as I wrote this….

Wouldn’t it be great if we all heard more of these acts of kindness!!!?  They really warm my heart and give me faith in the human spirit!!  We do all pull together and do our bit for others...


To explain the video a bit more…  It’s a really simple way to change your mood.  Research has shown that breath and changing our facial expression alters our physiology - so if you’re feeling ugh and a bit down in the dumps you now have a way to get out of it…. 

Here’s a bit of science for you:

The Vagus Nerve:

The longest of the cranial nerves, the vagus nerve is so named because it “wanders” like a vagabond, sending out fibers from your brainstem to your visceral organs.
The vagus nerve is literally the captain of your inner nerve center—the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest), it’s not the only nerve in the parasympathetic system, but it’s by far the most important one because it has the most far-reaching effects.
Like a good captain, it does a great job of overseeing a vast range of crucial functions, communicating nerve impulses to every organ in your body.
It reaches the brain, gut (intestines, stomach), heart, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, kidney, ureter, spleen, lungs, fertility organs (female), neck (pharynx, larynx, and esophagus), ears, and tongue.
Because of its far reaching wandering ways it is largely responsible for the mind-body connection.
It’s intimately tied to how we connect with one another — it links directly to nerves that tune our ears to human speech, coordinate eye contact, and regulate emotional expressions.
It influences the release of oxytocin, a hormone that is important in social bonding.
Studies have found that higher vagal tone is associated with greater closeness to others and more altruistic behaviour (ie we care more for others).

How to keep our vagus nerve in tip top condition???

          breathe as we did at the start
          smile
          laugh
          sing out loud
          chant
          move especially dance
          take a cold shower
          work the core!!…

And to add to your happy mood, some wonderful stories I found from 2017:

80 heroic bystanders formed a human chain to save a drowning family on a Florida beach

Eighty people worked together to save the swimmers.
When 34-year-old Roberta Ursrey's two young boys were swept away by a riptide in the waters of a Panama City, Florida, beach in July, she and most of her family members jumped in to rescue them. Then, all six relatives became trapped by the strong current. Others who tried to rescue them also struggled to get back to the shore, leaving nine people fighting for their lives.

That's when 80 people formed a human chain from the beach to pass the distressed, exhausted swimmers back to safety. "To see people from different races and genders come into action to help TOTAL strangers is absolutely amazing to see!!"

I’ve included the photo as I thought it was awesome…

ALS ice bucket …. remember that challenge!??!

ALS is a rare, lethal disease where motor nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord are damaged and killed by the body's glial cells, leading to atrophy, paralysis, and eventually death from respiratory failure.   After the famed "ice bucket challenge" helped raise money to research a cure, Israeli scientists at Ben-Gurion University found a way to stop the increased activity of glial cells, restoring the nervous system's immune defenses and increasing life expectancy, The Times of Israel reported.   “This could also have major implications on the life expectancy of other neurodegenerative disease patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s,” Dr. Ora Horovitz, senior vice president of business development at BGN Technologies, the university’s technology transfer company, told The Times of Israel. “Our new drug candidate may prove effective in boosting the self-cleansing mechanism of the human brain, thereby improving the lives of millions of people.”



Operation Pets Alive:

When a hurricane like Harvey devastates a city, it's not just people that are affected. Pets and rescue animals find themselves stranded as shelters become overcrowded or refuse to allow animals in.  Southwest Airlines stepped in to rescue more than 60 animals from overcrowded shelters in an effort they called "Operation Pets Alive!” A Southwest flight transported the furry passengers from Houston to San Diego, where they found new homes through the Helen Woodward Animal Center.

When disaster strikes, it's comforting to know that all those affected will be taken care of, humans and animals alike.



We Dine Together:

Students at Boca Raton Community High School in Florida wanted to make sure that no one has to eat lunch alone or feel like they don't have anyone to talk to. They founded We Dine Together, a group where members spend their lunch period with a different person every day.  The simple act of sitting down next to someone eating lunch by themselves and starting up a conversation benefits everyone.

“The club has introduced me to so many different people that I didn’t know before,” We Dine Together member Nathaniel Hopwood told People. “I’ve definitely gained so much doing this — it’s cool to have such a diverse group coming together to share lunch and stories about their lives.”



Cookie Delivery:

Mark Chalifoux was accidentally added to a family's group chat as they discussed sending care packages to "Christian" (name changed to protect his privacy), a relative of theirs serving in the military.  Instead of replying "wrong number" and forgetting about it, Chalifoux started a GoFundMe page to raise money to buy cookies for Christian and his unit. The silly but heartfelt campaign gained momentum as it was shared by celebrities on Facebook and picked up by news outlets. A local Girl Scouts troop even donated cookies of their own.  Chalifoux raised enough money to send 40 pounds of cookies, plus a second shipment of essentials like toiletries and more nutritious non-perishable snacks, to the soldier. He's still receiving their group text messages.



Wedding dinner for the Homeless

Sarah Cummins called off her wedding and couldn't refund the $30,000 she had put into planning it. Instead of letting the hall rental, decorations, and food go to waste, she invited a local homeless shelter to enjoy the spread instead of her wedding guests.  Cummins told the Indy Star that she wanted to make the best of a difficult situation.

"I will at least have some kind of happy memory to pull from," she said. "I wanted to make sure it would be the perfect wedding.”


Thanks for smiling and spreading joy..!!
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