8/14/2019 How to Be a Shiny Happy
1/2
How to be a shiny, happy personBy: Fiona Fernandez
Date: 2010-01-12
Against a backdrop of depression-related suicides, Active
focuses on smart ways
to stay happy. It's all doctor-recommended and doesn't hurt
When Bobby McFerrin got the world to hum his multiple-Grammy
Award winning
track, Don't Worry, Be Happy, therapists must've silently
rejoiced that playlists were
finally sounding upbeat. After all, you don't need a shrink to
tell you that listening to
music (the easy-on-the-mind kind) works well to lift your
spirits. But what is it that
ups the Happiness Quotient? Is there a set formula or a
carefully cultivated state of
mind? There might be more questions than answers to counter the
big depression.
Have Bananas, not Maida
Dr Nirmala S Rao, practicing psychiatrist and founder of
Aavishkar Centre of SelfEnrichment, says there's no specific mantra
to stay happy; it's more about maintaining
moderation in every sphere. "Identify what returns you strive
for. Justify if it's actually
worth it. It boils down to a work-life balance."
There's great news beyond the couch. Naini Setalvad,
Mumbai-based dietician
confirms that your intake is directly linked to being upbeat.
There are two "feel-good"
hormones in your body -- serotonin and dopamine. "Eating
bananas, brown bread,
potatoes, Omega 3 fatty acids, cocoa (the cocoa content in
chocolate gives you a high)
and Vitamin B12 helps regulate these hormones," she says.
Making a regular routine of what you enjoy doing can play
de-stressor, reveals
Yogacharya Anandji, Founder-Proprietor of The Yoga Training
Centre. "Follow it, forat least 30 minutes daily." Of course, tomes
have been written of how yoga and
meditation helps chase the blues away.
Demand is the culprit
Dr Rao believes professional lives are centred on the
growth-rewards cycle. "Our
growth is weighed by the rewards secured. Unknowingly, we assume
that sadness is
linked with expectations at work/ school, when in reality, it is
the demand," says Dr
Rao. We crave for immediate rewards, which our professional/
academic life
provides. Meanwhile, our personal lives get marginalised; while
we harbour similar
expectations here too. Slowly, depression creeps in and could
get serious."
Johnson Thomas, Director, Aasra Helpline, suggests that a
suicidal streak is thanks toa rapidly changing value system.
"Family systems that provide us with emotional
stability are diminishing. Hopelessness emerges from a breakdown
of support
systems." Aasra dealt with an average of 50 suicide calls every
day, last week. "The
caller is someone who hasn't experienced a great deal of pain/
rejection/ difficulty and
is suddenly faced with numerous demands from people and society.
Those between 15
to 25 years are most prone," he shares.
8/14/2019 How to Be a Shiny Happy
2/2
4 quick ways to beat melancholia
Smile more. Studies show how simply smiling can send serotonin
levels soaring,
making you feel better, physically. Avoid booze. Alcohol is
actually a central nervous
system depressant. Have 100-200 belly laughs a day: the
equivalent of a high impact
workout, it helps burn up to 500 calories. Ask for a hug. A
40-year-old study on child
rearing practices conducted atHarvard University says, those
kids who were huggedand cuddled more grew up to be the
happiest.
Japan refused to be happyThe only country that Bobby McFerrin's
chart topper wasn't No. 1 was in Japan,
because (Emperor) Hirohito was dying at the time and the
Japanese felt it was
inappropriate to be humming along to Don't Worry, Be Happy.
Depression as a defence mechanism
It's common knowledge that depression attacks people in their
most productive years.
Dr Rao says most professionals use work as an escape route from
depression. "Work
is an antidepressant; that's why people push themselves into the
rat race. Work
becomes their identity."
