WAG MORE, BARK LESS: LEARNING TO FIND HAPPINESS KARLENE BELYEA, MBA VP of Wellness, Mission Veterinary Partners
In this VETgirl webinar entitled “Wag more, bark less: Finding happiness at home and at work”, Karlene Belyea, MBA, reviews how to find happiness at work and at home. Studies show that expressing a positive attitude improves resilience, engagement, energy and profitability. The human brain is wired to be negative, but neuroscience has proven that anyone can become more positive with appropriate tools. Learn ways to handle negative people, diffuse conflict and create more personal and professional happiness in this online VETgirl webinar.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
In the middle of a pandemic, it’s tough to be happy. We are burned out, overwhelmed, exhausted, anxious, out of our comfort zones and depressed. So… what determines happiness, and can we become happier? According to Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph. D. from the University of California Riverside, genetics determine 50% of our happiness. That means that if we grew up with happy parents, we’re likely to be pretty happy, too. 10% of our happiness depends on external circumstances, so if you’re sleeping in a nice bed rather than on the street, you’re probably happier. The great part is that 40% of our happiness depends on our actions and thoughts. We can focus on impacting our own happiness using these strategies! 1 CONTROL YOUR THOUGHTS Often, we say things like I’ll be happy when… “I pay off my student loans,” “I buy a house,” “I get married,” “I find the perfect job,” etc. The happiness myth says: If we work hard and become successful, we will be happy. But the happiness truth is: If we are happy now, we are more successful. Becoming more aware of our thoughts is key. What you think about, you bring about. Our words and thoughts are where our focus is. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or
2 TRAIN YOUR BRAIN TO THINK MORE POSITIVELY
whether you think you can’t, you are right.” We know from experience that if we feel confident that we can do something, we are much more likely to be successful at it. We also tend to be great at negative self-talk, but we can learn how to turn around our negative thoughts. Sometimes you have to tell the negative committee in your head to just sit down and shut up. The goal is to love and be kind to ourselves. We can help by recognizing and stopping self-criticism and treating ourselves like we treat loved ones. Try saying something nice to yourself in the mirror every day.
Your brain typically looks for whatever is easy. It’s impacted by fear, negativity, freeze, fight or flight. This is automatic and unconscious. Becoming more aware of your thoughts is key to changing this pattern. Periodically ask yourself, “What are my thoughts right now?” If your thoughts are negative, redirect them. Step 1 is to become more aware of your thoughts. Step 2 is to redirect negative thoughts by asking, “What is the opposite of the negative thing?” (continued)
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