Project Happiness Articles — health

From an evolutionary perspective, we know that we have not experienced any meaningful genetic mutations from our Sapiens ancestors who roamed the planet some 70,000 years ago. Yet our culture and lifestyle are completely different now. Then, we used to be hunter-gatherers. We walked anywhere from 7km to 18km a day [1], we ate a balanced, healthy diet of whatever was available in one place – from fruits to edible roots, plants, and the odd animal – and we slept through the night.

Limiting your daily technology use is a goal almost anyone can undertake. It can be a New Year’s resolution, and (funnily enough) there are plenty of apps to help you out. Here are just a few reasons you should think about minimizing how much technology you use.

For someone who has spent a lot of time fighting for a more positive, fulfilled life and committing to never give up on attaining mental freedom, surrendering wouldn’t have come up as a word I ever particularly resonated with. It didn’t ooze the strength and tenacity that I wanted to exude; my mind equated it with weakness and would stubbornly avoid that idea of it.

I used to be what you’d call extrinsically motivated. Meaning, when things went my way I was happy and when they didn’t, well, I was a pill. I didn’t get that allowing external circumstances (more often than not, beyond my control) to dictate my happiness was actually making unhappy...

Dreams…I get that warm, fuzzy feeling just thinking about this. The space, the creativity, the opportunity to DREAM! To think of the kind of life, career or business you’d love to create for yourself. It’s one of my favourite things to do. But sometimes the map to achieving our dreams is not nearly as fun, or inspiring. Sometimes it’s hard. Really, really hard.

I started to realize that my meaningful conversation starting cards actually spark connection. When people are asked, “What’s the biggest mistake of your life?” you cannot help but feel connected after hearing a response. Why? People being vulnerable is the key to connection. As my hero, Brene Brown, says, “Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection.”

The famous generation of young entrepreneurs, parents, and innovators – Millennials, sure have quite a reputation to uphold, and equally numerous stereotypes to debunk. They are slowly overtaking the customer throne from Baby Boomers, and are becoming the largest pool of consumers in the world. Many of them are still struggling with student loans, paying off their debt, and making their way in the competitive startup world, all at a single go.

I wasn’t born an expert on self-care; the truth is, I was that person you see running around taking care of everyone’s needs and letting her wellbeing take a back seat, like, way back. Career always came first and so did the needs of my friends and family. My idea of self-care was to get a complete physical every year or so, to slather on some sunscreen and moisturizer and get on with my day.

Are you feeling stalled-out in your health and fitness journey? I would like to invite you to join me and the #RaceForWellness with Project Happiness. There are a lot of amazing things about this event. It can be difficult to stay positive and maintain your creative juices if you’re feeling drained. That’s why it’s so important to put an emphasis on wellbeing and mental health.

We have all heard that exercise is good for us. The physical benefits, ranging from reducing the chances of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes to lowering blood pressure, are no surprise. Or that we sleep better, feel better and probably look healthier too. But beyond that, what are the mental and emotional benefits?