How to Gain Energy and Boost Happiness

There’s something magical about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Jelly on toast is good. The same with peanut butter toast but when you smash the two together OMG!  It’s too good to be true.

I think there’s the same magic between energy and happiness.  You can have each one independently but when you smash them together BAM!

Here’s how I see the relationship working. When you soothe your nerves, you build up an inner abundance and boost your energy. In turn that energy boosts happiness. 

I like to have a “playbook” of my go tos when my energy is low. If I'm having a bad day a bubble bath, or reading a book can reset my mind and get me out of my headspace. Here’s another one that’s a bit more challenging, random acts of kindness. BONUS: it fills the tanks of others. 

I'll share a quick example. I was out on a girl’s night to celebrate a birthday. The waitress came over and said, ” somebody sitting in the restaurant wants to send you girls champagne, they can see that you guys are celebrating a birthday.”  The birthday girl didn’t drink so we declined. A few minutes later she comes back to take a dessert order courtesy of our sweet stranger. You can change the world. One random act of kindness at a time.

Ready to take the energy gain a bit further? According to Steven R. Gundry in his book The Energy Paradox, a few common energy disruptors are:

• Antibiotics because they kill the bacteria in your gut that is responsible for releasing chemicals that reduce inflammation. Inflammation depletes your body’s energy and makes it more difficult to absorb vital nutrients.
• Your sunscreen if it contains oxybenzone. This blocks your body from absorbing vitamin D leaving you a bit tired.  I just googled my favorite sunscreen and WHEW it’s safe to keep slathering on.
• All those screens (you were expecting this one) but it’s not for the reason you might guess.  Research shows that exposure to blue light in the evening prolongs the time it takes to fall asleep, delays the circadian clock, suppresses levels of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, reduces the amount, and delays the timing of REM sleep, and reduces alertness the following morning. I was hoping to buy this kindle soon-and hope the claims that the warm light won’t disrupt sleep are true.

Now that we know what to do and what to avoid to fuel our energy, we can move to happiness. 

Many people expend loads of energy searching for happiness.  They may spend loads of $$ too.  It is a waste of energy because we cannot find happiness. It has to come from within and the joy in the journey.

Yes, I’m happy when I can buy that new handbag I’m coveting. That happiness dwindles after the joy of the purchase.  

Here are a few quick ways to boost your happiness:

• Be realistic
• Celebrate your wins
• Let go of perfectionism
• Remember this too shall pass

Want a fast track to that last tip? Pull out your phone and scroll through those Facebook memories. You will be jolted into how far you’ve come.