Driving back and forth to my yoga classes I've been listening to Dr Rangan Chatterjee's book Happy Mind Happy Life: 10 Simple Ways to Feel Great Everyday on Spotify. If you're a subscriber have a listen in and see what you think. I think that's an amazing service, there are SO many audiobooks I want to listen to. Happy Mind Happy Life is filled with helpful ways to create a happy life.
"During his 20 years as a GP, Dr Rangan Chatterjee has seen first-hand how motivation isn’t always enough for us to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It’s only when we learn how to support our own mental wellbeing and cultivate core happiness that these choices become easy."
One of the things that Dr Rangan said that made sense to me, was that each day from the time we get up, we're faced with these micro hits of stress inducing choices. These micro hits, trigger the fight or flight response. In years gone by, we weren't aware of all the awful things happening in our beautiful world. But these days, we hear and watch so many things every day, that can tug on our heart, or make us infuriated. The amount of choices we have every time we go to a supermarket or look at a menu in a cafe, can all contribute to our stress levels.
I don't know about you, but over the last few months, the news coming out of the USA I've found deeply concerning. A lot of my family lives in Washington State in the US, and I have many friends living in many states of the US. Many of them are truly distressed at what is happening to their beautiful country.
So what actions can we take to deal with this stress?
In Happy Mind, Happy Life, Dr. Chatterjee introduces ten actionable strategies designed to enhance daily well-being. These include:
Simplifying Choices: Reducing decision fatigue by limiting options in daily routines.
Digital Detox: Creating boundaries with technology to foster presence and reduce overstimulation.
Mindful Breathing: Incorporating brief breathing exercises to alleviate stress.
Embracing Criticism: Developing resilience by reframing negative feedback.
These techniques are grounded in scientific research and are designed to be easily integrated into daily life, making them accessible tools for those seeking stability amid external chaos.
