Family happiness starts with you

A GROWING number of Filipino adults are understanding the importance of mental health. Recognizing the profound influence of happiness on mental health and overall well-being, it becomes clear that each individual has the power to cultivate their own happiness. In fact, this relationship works both ways—a healthier person tends to be happier, and a happier person tends to be healthier!

According to an article by Dr. David Heber, MD, author, chairman of the Herbalife Institute, and Herbalife Advisory Board Member, happiness is the physical, mental, and emotional state of well-being. It can be achieved by boosting your physical health as well as optimizing your emotional and mental welfare. Following a healthy lifestyle of balanced nutrition and physical activity can result in a lower heart rate, blood pressure, and anxiety, all of which can be linked to happiness. Additionally, happiness is associated with the release of endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters associated with brain health.

An Ipsos survey found out that for most people, “the greatest happiness” involves their health and well-being (both physical and mental), their family (partner/spouse and children), and having a sense of purpose. Next comes their living conditions, feeling safe and in control, being in nature, having a meaningful job, and having more financial security.

Here are several proactive tips that can help you in your happiness journey and in achieving better overall health long term: n Fuel yourself. Science shows that healthy eating contributes to happiness. The physical state of well-being is largely determined by how you fuel your body, a vessel that can only run optimally the better you take care of it. Try adopting daily habits of practicing balanced nutrition and a healthy, active lifestyle. n Exercise regularly. Exercising regularly and maintaining an active lifestyle can benefit both our minds and bodies. When we exercise, our muscles and brain benefit from an increase in blood flow, delivering oxygen and nutrients to our brain cells. Our dopamine pathways in the brain are also stimulated which activate our pleasure center. For this reason, exercise is used for treating mood disorders, depression, and addictive behaviors including overeating. n Make time to relax. There’s a reason why the worldwide interest in self-care is growing—making the time to relax and recharge is one of the best ways to find true happiness. The most effective way to do this is by igniting the relaxation response. This theory shows that relaxing has many effects on the body including lowering blood pressure, and pulse and calming the mind. The step-by-step process to triggering the relaxation response includes 1) Sitting quietly in a private spot 2) Relaxing your muscles from head to toe by contracting and relaxing each muscle 3) Focusing on your breathing 4) Breathing deeply and 5) Thinking of a relaxing image like ocean waves. Practicing this for just 20 minutes a day can recharge your mind and help you get better sleep. n Finding your purpose. A key principle of “positive psychology” is finding your “why,” or your hipster jeans and other pants with side zippers, less bulk at the front and stretchy waist bands for wheelchair and prosthetics users. She included front thigh pockets for easy access while seated.

Older kids, she agreed, remain underserved. No Limbits hopes to rectify that in future drops.

“We’ve been talking to a lot of parents and there’s a lot of anxiety around kids aging out of the kids sizes in adaptive clothing. Suddenly they’re in the junior section and there’s nothing. That’s still where the gap is,” Cole said. Kimberly Peterson in Knoxville, Tennessee, does everything for her 14-year-old daughter, Tilly, who was born with a rare genetic condition, Joubert Syndrome. The teen is non-verbal, in a wheelchair and severely developmentally delayed. Before openings for gastrostomy bags went on the market, Peterson cut her own. Today, she still struggles with long-sleeve tops, outerwear and sweaters for her 4-foot-8, 85-pound daughter. A full zip or fabric fastener in the back of winter jackets and long-sleeve tops would help, especially purpose. True happiness comes from living a life that you choose because it fulfills your personal purpose. To find your purpose, elaborate on these four steps: 1) Find your passion or what you love, 2) Establish your mission or what you feel the world needs more of, 3) Work for which you can be paid, 4) Have confidence in what you’re good at doing. n Remain grateful. Reframing your mindset can go a long way—rather than complaining about things that are wrong in your life, focus on the good things, large or small. While this may be easier said than done, psychological research shows that concentrating on what is good in your life and expressing gratitude will make you happier. Keeping a gratitude journal or making a brief gratitude list every day giving thanks for all you have can help improve your mood. n Focus on things you can control. All of us have a circle of influence and a circle of concern. The circle of concern is made up of all the external factors that are out of your control, while the circle of influence includes things you can control, like your personal habits. Choose a proactive approach, and work on the things you can change rather than worrying about the things you cannot change. Having a proactive mindset allows you to focus on change, rather than being inactive, which paralyzes your growth through worry and anxiety. One of the best ways to improve your happiness is to develop healthy habits in all aspects of your life. le arnIng platform solutIon enhances dynamIc educatIon

Happiness is not an accident, or something that just happens, but something that you make happen. It is a physical, emotional, and spiritual sense of wellbeing, that when found, should give you a lasting feeling of contentment. Use this month to consciously create your own happiness by implementing habits that will positively impact your physical and mental health, enabling you to maintain a sense of inner peace.

WiTH the recent addition of the University of Santo Tomas in the philippines and Duke University in the US, the learning management system Canvas created by global edtech firm instructure, has emerged as the preferred learning platform solution of four of the philippines’ top-rated universities and all ten top-rated universities in the United States.

Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), De La Salle University (DLSU), University of the philippines (Up) and University of Santo Tomas (UST), which recently landed in the top ten places in the 2023 Times Higher Education impact ranking, use Canvas LMS to enhance the dynamic learning experiences of their students by providing a secure, interactive cloud-based platform that facilitates online, blended and face-to-face education.

The adoption reflects a substantial milestone in powering up the teaching and learning systems at the universities with the use of the instructure Learning platform, that includes Canvas LMS, impact, Canvas Studio, and Canvas Credentials.

“At instructure, we firmly believe that education is for all and are proud to power the best classrooms in the world,” said Steve Daly, CEO of instructure. “Through close customer partnerships, we intentionally design each of our products to elevate student success and amplify the power of teaching. We are working for the advancement of education worldwide by enabling more institutions to adopt technology that facilitates equal access to education and fosters lifelong learning.”

The decision to employ Canvas LMS bolsters the collective visions of the universities to administer an efficient grading scheme for teachers, enhance data and analytics usage, and content sharing and attain learning outcomes between students and faculty. Through Canvas, universities are able to deliver experiences that serve undergraduate, graduate-for-credit curriculums and co-curricular initiatives.