Your health and happiness are linked. Your level of happiness really can impact the level of your health.

Increased psychological research on mental health has enriched our understanding of the human experience of flourishing in health and happiness. Studies on topics of happiness and health are very telling. What we now know for certain about these life-affirming topics can help everyone live healthier, happier lives while reducing negative, stressful emotions at the same time.

Your happiness and your health

Key factors contributing to human flourishing the link between happiness and health are vital. Positive daily experiences can buffer the effect of negative daily experiences, all while positively impacting your physical, mental and emotional health and well-being.

Three foundational conditions that enable you to flourish and break through in a healthy manner are:

Positive individual traits (compassion, optimism, resilience)

Positive relationships (families, social relationships, communities)

By recognizing the powerful impact of these, you will have greater understanding and insight on how to better manage your overall happiness and well-being.

Understanding positive emotions and happiness

While positive can be a feeling where theres a lack of negativity, the most popular positive emotions are joy, gratitude, peace, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe and love. They can be triggered by your thoughts, people, things and places, along with events you experience. These micro-moments of positivity accumulate over time, putting people on a trajectory of growth by broadening awareness and building a sense of flourishing in happiness.

Happiness is a broad term describing the experience of positive emotions, such as joy, contentment, and satisfaction. Emerging research shows that being happier doesnt just make you feel better, it brings a host of potential health benefits.

Research underscores that positive emotions are more than just feeling good, theyre accompanied by great benefits that make you not only happier but healthier:

Improved physical health from your heart and immune system, and decreased pain

Buffers against depressive symptoms while helping dissipate stress (cortisol) levels

Shown to help prevent and speed up recovery from illness, including the common cold

Helps undo undesirable effects of negative emotions while developing resilience and resourcefulness

Fosters healthy social connectedness

Drives healthier lifestyle habits with more physical activity (increasing energy, strong bones, lower blood pressure); healthier choices of diet choices (helps decrease heart disease, stroke, diabetes risks); and better sleep habits (improves mood, focus, concentration, productivity, good decision-making)

Overall combating negative states, further increasing the likelihood of health

Improves the quality of life and also longevity (living longer)

Fostering positive emotions

There are great opportunities from taking a walk, meditating, mindfulness to listening to your favorite music, as well as outlining good, supportive steps in managing people/projects/time or taking time to relax.

Engaging with those you love to getting quality sleep, eating healthy and being active all contributes. Your dear relationships can be a wellspring in helping you to experience positive emotions.

Exercising positive emotions can take practice, but the good news is that you can help yourself (and others) become more positive by consciously challenging negative, self-limiting thinking and replacing the thoughts with more optimistic thought patterns.

Love is a significant positive emotion ingredient and a driving force behind the health benefits of positive emotions. Your love can be expressed for people, places, hobbies, animals, great outdoors, baking, gardening, decorating, holidays, the arts and so much more. Take time to enjoy your favorite life passions.

Gratitude is vital. Experts remind folks to ask, Which aspects of my current situation might I consider a gift to be cherished? Allow yourself to appreciate that understanding.

Optimism is distinct, and involves hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. In other words, that positive events are to come.

Research shows that the difference between people who are flourishing and those who are not lies in the magnitude of positive emotions they are able to self-generate from everyday pleasant activities.

What is foundational for a healthy, happy life is not occasional grandiose gifts of fate. Rather, the ability to use your strengths, gifts and virtues for a purpose and a steady diet of those micro-moments of positivity. Good news is that occasions for such moments are much more prevalent than it may sometimes seem. Stay mindful of your emotions, track how you are feeling and what you are thinking. Take stock, re-focusing or reframing when needed.

Your day-to-day positive emotions function as nutrients for your overall well-being. And todays positive emotions do not simply exemplify todays well-being, they also help to create and serve as the foundation for your well-being tomorrow and the day, week, month, and years after. Nourish your mind, body and soul with positivity.

Dr. Nina Radcliff, of Galloway Township, is a physician anesthesiologist, television medical contributor and textbook author.

This article is for general information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions and cannot substitute for the advice from your medical professional.

Dr. Nina Radcliff, of Galloway Township, is a physician anesthesiologist, television medical contributor and textbook author.

Email questions for Dr. Nina to editor@pressofac.com with Dr. Nina in the subject line.

This article is for general information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions and cannot substitute for the advice from your medical professional.

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Your health and happiness go hand-in-hand: Dr. Nina Radcliff - Press of Atlantic City