The Habits of Healthy People Part 1
I took a continuing education course entitled The Habits of Healthy People last week developed by the group; Institute for Brain Potential. This course is intended for health professionals including; psychologists, counselors, social workers, addiction professionals, case managers, physical therapists, nursing home administrators, dieticians, and educators. I found it to be directly correlated with the pursuit of ideal health and wellness.
The course opened with a Tedx Talk by Lissa Rankin MD. Her personal journey in discovering some of the most important components of health including: healthy relationships, creative expression, healthy professional life, healthy body, being spiritually connected and more..
Find her lecture here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tu9nJmr4Xs
Happy people generally have better:
- Medical health
- Dental health
- Psychological health
- and improve the health of people around them..
The scientific pursuit of happiness and positive emotion is the pillar of new branch in psychology first proposed in 1998 by Martin E. Seligman in his presidential address to the (APA) American Psychological Association
Happiness is — life experience marked by a preponderance of positive emotion..
Sources of Happiness:
- 50% Genetic
- 40% within our power to change
- 10% life circumstance
Happiness depends less on what happens to us and more on how we view the past, enjoy the moment, and imagine the future..
Two prime components of subjective well being:
- Feelings of happiness
- Thoughts of satisfaction with life
The 6 Virtues of Happiness
1) Wisdom & knowledge – Cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition and use of knowledge
a. Creativity
b. Curiosity
c. Critical thinking / Judgment
d. Love of Learning / mastering new skills
e. Perspective
2) Courage – Emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition (external or internal)
a. Bravery
b. Perseverance
c. Honesty
d. Enthusiasm
3) Humanity – Interpersonal strengths that involve tending and befriending others
a. Loving relationships
b. Kindness
c. Social intelligence / emotional intelligence
4) Justice – civic strengths that underlie healthy community life
a. Teamwork
b. Fairness
c. Leadership
5) Temperance – strengths that protect against excess
a. Forgiveness
b. Humility
c. Prudence
d. Self regulation
6) Transcendence – Strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning
a. Appreciation of beauty and excellence
b. Gratitude
c. Hope
d. Humor
e. Spirituality
Happy people feel happy because they do meaningful stuff!!
This blog only contains highlights of a small segment of the continuing education course The Habits of Healthy People. I will include more in a future blog.
Best in health,
Ivan