Reasons To Smile

These tips can help boost your happiness while keeping you young at heart.

• Tweak Your Thinking. "Unhappy, pessimistic people look at problems as permanent, and they throw in the towel right away." On the other hand, people who are happy and optimistic look at problems as challenges, and they focus on finding solutions.
• Count your blessings. Research has shwon that people who express gratitude on a regular basis are more optimistic and healthier, on average, than those who don't. Cultivating greater gratefulness can be as simple as keeping a daily journal in which you write about things, large and small, that you're thankful for.
• Be a do-gooder. Volunteering is another proven way to promote better mental and physical well being. When you're unhappy or depressed, keeping your mind off yourself is important. Plus, volunteering is a good way to get out and make friends-a great antidote to loneliness and isolation.
• Get moving. Exercise is an excellent way to relieve stress, reduce anxiety and depression, and enhance psychological well-being. Aerobic exercise-the kind that makes you breathe hard and increase your heart rate for a sustained period of time-reduces the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Plus, it's fun, if you pick an activity you enjoy. That's something to smile about! :)