Healthy Life Tip: Find something that makes you happy, every day!

By Sonja Sironen

According to the system of Ayurvedic medicine in India, happiness helps every cell in our body. So, find little ways to be happy every day! 

Get some form of regular movement in your life to stay upbeat. Because of how much time I spend pounding away on the computer, I need to have a certain movement habit and not question it. So I ride my bike to work every single day, no question.  My husband drives past my work place taking our little son to school at the same time that I need to arrive at work, so he passes me riding my bike. And that’s OK, it makes me happy to ride my bike, even in rain or on ice. I even ride to my tax advisor’s office 20 miles away!

Growing food in our yard also makes me happy. It certainly makes our boys happy to be in the dirt. Once little Hugo came into the house just beaming, trailing dirt with every step. His pants were so saturated with dry mud they could literally stand up on their own! And he was one happy 3-year-old!  Being in nature and breathing fresh air definitely contributes to a happy life.

My kids crack me up. Whenever I feel like getting mad at them for the shenanigans they get into, I usually manage to see the funny side of it, and get a laugh out of it instead. 

I like to find something to laugh about every day, some way to appreciate the absurdity of life. Now in Ayurveda, eating cold foods is considered a no-no. I argued with the Ayurvedic doctors at the clinic I worked in in Sri Lanka, saying: “Eating ice cream makes me happy. You say that happiness helps every cell in the body. So I think ice cream is healthy for me!”  I never managed to convince them of that idea, but we did get a good laugh out of it!

And I’m happy to say we have a great little gelato shop in our town in Germany that I’m sure contributes to our health every time we go in there!