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The recipe for feeling happier 

23 Jul 2022

By Rukayya Zamroon What exactly is burnout? Burnout is a syndrome often caused by workplace stress or other forms of stress, where one feels exhaustion, increased mental distance from their usual activities, or feelings of negativity towards one’s usual job or routine. With the constant repetition of stress that has been going on lately, have you ever been sick and tired of it all? Have you been fed up with everything recently? Then you might be experiencing burnout. You’re tired of this continuous cycle of stress and work, and you feel exhausted despite how much rest you’ve been taking. In other words, you feel drained. You don’t know how to feel more enthusiastic, and you can’t seem to figure out what to change to feel refreshed. Here are some little tricks that, despite how silly they may seem, can change how you feel. Spend time with your pets The first tip is proven to be the most effective – spend time with your pets, or if you don’t have one, watch some videos of little animals. Research proves that interacting with animals increases the levels of a hormone called oxytocin. Oxytocin has a variety of effects on one’s body: it slows your heart rate, steadies your breathing, reduces blood pressure, and restrains the production of stress hormones. There is absolutely no doubt that animals are adorable. If you don’t have any pets, watching videos of them can be good for your mind. Seeing cute things activates the amygdala and other emotional areas of the brain. Amygdala is the interactive centre of emotional behaviour, and when one sees something so incredibly cute, it often stimulates a feeling called “cute aggression” (the name suggests its purpose). Cuteness also ignites fast brain activity in places like the orbitofrontal cortex (it sits just above your eye sockets), which is linked to emotion and pleasure. Take a break Now, take a break. Loosen up; shake your arms and your legs and stretch. Once you’re done, sit down and cross your legs. Place your arms on your thighs. Now, take ten deep breaths. Make sure to take your time with this – the longer and slower, the better. Taking deep breaths activates your stimuli and sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax. These messages are then translated throughout one’s body, reducing tension and relieving stress. This is proven to be very effective when you feel anxious or overwhelmed. This is called deep breathing; it is an efficient body-mind training for dealing with stress and other psychosomatic conditions.  Smile Smile. Not feeling up for it? Doesn’t matter, do it anyway. Stand in front of a mirror and smile, just for a moment. When you smile, your body releases three hormones that make you feel better: dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin. These signal to your body that you are happy (even if you’re not), and in turn, you proceed to feel happier. Endorphins can act as a pain reliever, and serotonin is an antidepressant. Dopamine is a feel-good hormone; it is an important part of your brain’s reward system.  Expose yourself to nature Go outside and look at the sky. Touch some grass. Water a plant and smell the damp soil. Exposure to nature can improve your attention, lower your stress, heighten your senses, increase calmness and joy and, most importantly, increase your empathy. A gentle soul is a solution to many problems. Increasing your empathy will in turn improve your capacity to communicate well with and understand others. You will feel what others feel, and you will avoid responding aggressively or impulsively if confronted with an issue. This can give you more satisfying relationships with others and give you a more positive aura. Giving off pleasing vibes will make you feel more satisfied with yourself overall. You will learn to give good to the universe, which will give you good in return – that is a guarantee. Compliment others Compliment others. Develop this habit; giving compliments helps you notice and appreciate the positive factors of things around you, and helps you note what you like in them. Try writing down all the things you like in the people you meet and what you see every day. Do you enjoy a certain feature of someone, like their eyes or their laugh? Tell them. This daily practice will trick your brain into focusing more on the positive which will, in turn, create a more optimistic outlook on your life. Not only will this make your problems seem smaller and make you more grateful, but this habit will also make you a more sweet and pleasant person overall. Others will notice how appreciative you are and will in turn appreciate you more. When you give a compliment, you’re most likely to receive one. This will help others to practise the habit too, making them perceive things more positively, and will lighten the atmosphere altogether.  Prioritise yourself Finally, prioritise yourself. Most of us are raised to be selfless and to put others before ourselves. But this lesson shouldn’t apply to everything, especially when it means you are risking your mental health. If you constantly prioritise the needs of others as well as your work over yourself, you can drain yourself of energy and desire. You won’t be able to make time to do what you like because of your need to constantly satisfy others and finish your work. You then lose yourself in the “do, do, do” mentality. You take on different jobs and roles in your relationships and your work life, constantly doing things that consume your time and your energy rapidly. Doing this will make your self-worth basically invisible to you, and you rarely stop to notice your efforts and claim your achievements in helping others. It is not selfish to put yourself first. Your mental well-being and balance in your social life, work, and personal life is more important than satisfying others. Take a break – and while doing so, always acknowledge that you owe no one an explanation as to why you’re doing so. You don’t need to tell others why you are slower at work or why you missed their calls. If they fail to understand and respect your need for a break, then it’s life’s way of warning you to keep a distance from them. Kick back, curl up and read your favourite book, and listen to your favourite music. Your life isn’t wasting away if you’re enjoying it.    PHOTOS © ISTOCKPHOTO, GETTY IMAGES, PEXELS, STOCK PHOTOS


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