How You Can Increase Your Happiness

Do you sometimes think to yourself that feeling happy day in and day out is not possible? Or that true happiness is something that is out of your reach? I completely get it! I spent years thinking it was meant for others and not me, that some people were simply the happy go lucky kind of people and I was not one of them.

Well I want you to know that I don’t think anyone is born a ”happy and go lucky” kind of person. Some may have a predisposition to being happier than others because they’ve always been surrounded by people who had this attitude towards life. In that case, it was a learned behavior. As for others, like myself, I had to learn how to be happy. Happiness did not surround me day in and day out. I grew up in an environment where people were either always complaining or negative, or again simply unhappy. I had to learn how to be happy, and the ”One Page Miracle’‘ helped me to do exactly that! Go see my post titled ”The One Page Miracle” for more on this magical tool.

Now, besides our environment, we also need to consider our biology. When it comes to our personality, we need to know that there’s a genetic predisposition and an environment factor to take into account. When I am talking about our biology in regards to our happiness, I am talking about the biochemistry of our brain. As I’ve mentioned before and will continue to remind all of my readers, our brain is the organ of our mental wellbeing. Each brain is unique. Obviously there’s a genetic component to our brain, but this only counts for 30% of the equation according to many scientists. The other 70% is our environment! This means that you are not stuck with your brain. You can always make it better. You simply need to change your environment 🙂

However, before diving into biochemistry, I would like to share with you a story. While I was growing up, processed foods was part of my daily life. We used to eat Kraft Dinner, Aunt Jamima pancakes, oreo cookies, Froot Loops Cereal, and TV Dinners. If you grew up in the 80’s, you remember these. They were convenient, easy to prepare and most kids loved them! I used to hide the two sides of my oreo cookies behind furniture in our home, behind cushions, under our couch and underneath the bed, all this so I could eat the filling on its own! Pure sugar! This food was also feeding my brain, day in and day out. Unfortunately, it was void of nutrients. When I am talking about nutrients, I am talking about macro-nutrients, such as protein, fats and healthy carbohydrates filled with fibre, as well as natural vitamins and minerals.

Why am I sharing with you this story? To make you understand that your environment includes the food that you eat day in and day out. What do you think these foods all had in common? They were all part of a category called ”processed” foods. Processed foods are foods that have been transformed in any shape or form. They are no longer whole! Once they are processed, they most often end up being high in sugars, which means high in calories, often deep fried, and high in chemicals. Processed foods also include anything that is packaged and labelled natural, organic, gluten-free and non-GMO.

Now why are these foods so bad for you? Well… they are full of altered fats, chemicals, and sugars, which all have a negative impact on the health of your brain and consequently your mental health! Your brain needs healthy fats, whole foods full of vitamins and minerals, and as little sugar as possible to thrive. Oh, and also lots of healthy clean protein. You need a healthy brain if you are seeking happiness at its best! I’ll go into more detail about what exactly are altered fats, what do I mean by chemicals and what sugar actually does to your brain in another post, so do please check it out here. For now, all you need to know is that these foods are detrimental to your brain.

If you are struggling with your mental health and have a deep desire to be happier, calmer and feel fully alive, I highly encourage you to check out my website at www.brainhealthpourlavie.com and book a free Discovery Call with me. However these calls are for individuals seeking a more personalized approach to improving their health. They are free and do not commit you to anything, but are for people who are interested in possibly working with me as their personal nutrition and brain health coach 🙂

As usual, I would like to leave you with a quote, to inspire you to take charge of your health so you can become who you are meant to BE!