On Happiness

We in the West and increasingly elsewhere, live in a time where unhealthy attitudes, diets, lifestyles and relationships are the norm. Whether we like it or not, we are conditioned from the moment of birth to behave, think and live according to the culture and society we reside in. It’s important to remember that there is more than one way to live life, to think and to be, a myriad of different cultures, traditions and societies, all of which have different solutions to the problems of the modern world, and strive for a healthier and more balanced way of living. Learning about the cultures of the past and the present, can help us put our own into context and gain a better perspective of ourselves and our lives. 

“The questions that have concerned humanity for so long; what is society for? How should it be organised? What are human rights and freedoms and how do they relate to nature and to the spiritual? These questions and the goals of life, it is said, have been settled in favour of the values of the west. But there have been and still are civilisations which see the world very differently. ” - Michael Wood

To learn about the beginnings of the world’s civilisations and their ideologies, we highly recommend Michael Wood’s documentary series ‘Legacy’ which can be found on Youtube. This is a great starting point.

“A natural diet and high levels of physical activity clearly contribute to the enviable health of hunter-gatherers and other populations living in subsistence economies, but… something else is also at play: a lifestyle that fosters positive mental health. “They don’t worry about their careers or ending up poor, and they spend their days outdoors with friends and family they’ve known their whole lives...those factors are generally associated with feeling happy, and happiness plays a major role in overall health.”(1)

Sweet, Sweet Idleness

The Italian philosophy La Dolce Far Niente literally means 'sweet doing nothing' or 'sweet idleness'. Taking a moment to pause on a regular basis allows you to become more present, to take a deep breath, step back and gain a better perspective on situations and life in general. It is an important habit to establish, especially considering our hectic modern schedules. Many of us don’t have a healthy attitude to relaxation or don’t even know how to relax - something which is vital for our wellbeing but which is not celebrated and practiced enough. La Dolce Far Niente is the idea that 'doing nothing,' is actually an event in and of itself. The idea that you can step off the daily treadmill of activity and take a refreshing and well needed break. This article in Psychology Today describes the significance of this philosophy and as practise for achieving better mental health. Far from being just an Italian concept, many cultures across the world have stumbled on this knowledge and different lifestyle philosophies have been cultivated as a result, including the Dutch concept of Niksen.

Mindfulness

Whatever you wish to call it - Sati, in the ancient language of Buddhist texts, Zen Meditation, Mindfulness or the secular clinically-based methods of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) - this form of mind training requires no special circumstance or effort to begin practicing. It aims ultimately for insight (vipassana) through observation of one’s own mental processes and altered states of consciousness. Studies such as this, show that this simple, natural and effortless way of settling the mind into a deeply calm and wise state of “restful alertness,'' can be used as an alternative to antidepressant medication. 

‘Clinical trials have since shown that MBCT is as effective as antidepressants, and in patients with multiple episodes of depression can reduce the recurrence rate by 40-50% compared with usual care. Nice, the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, approved MBCT for the management of depression in 2004, meaning the therapy is available on the NHS.’(2)

Mindfulness - similar to the ‘Dolce Far Niente’ and ‘Niken’ philosophies, also aims to bring awareness and focus to the present moment. This is a deceptively simple task - to become an observer of your thoughts instead of a participant and it is powerful in and of itself. A lot of negative unconscious thoughts occur when we reflect on the past or dwell on the future. Indeed, upon starting any meditation or mindfulness practice, it is common to find that you spend the vast majority of your time thinking about the past and future and not actually being or living in the present!

“All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” - Blaise Pascal 

“Your mind is an instrument… about 80 to 90 percent of most people’s thinking is not only repetitive and useless, but because of its dysfunctional and often negative nature, much of it is also harmful. Observe your mind and you will find this to be true. It causes a serious leakage of vital energy.This kind of compulsive thinking is actually an addiction.” - Eckhart Tolle “Enlightenment: Rising Above Thought” from ‘The Power of Now’.

Negativity, fear and stress are ever present in our modern lives and manifests themselves in the form of mental conditions - most commonly anxiety disorders and depression. These are some of the biggest health afflictions today and they affect everyone at some point in their lives. According to WHO (the World Health Organisation) data; “Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease.”(3) Recent statistics of mental health in the UK are also disheartening(4). The extent of our unconscious thought patterns, their impact and how they negatively affect our physical well being is now being revealed by studies(5), (6); “The placebo effect shows that our minds can affect our physical health, and now its opposite; “the nocebo effect” is showing that our negative thoughts can bring about illness and even shorten lifespans.” “...The good news is that by changing your thoughts, you can change your health.”(7) You can think yourself sick, or think yourself well! Though of course sometimes (as in our case) medical intervention and management is vital too.

Positive Reconditioning

It’s not possible to avoid stress and anxiety complete in our crazy, hectic modern day lives, but managing it is very doable. We both practice regular meditation, deep relaxation and positive reprogramming practices and techniques, plus mind-body medicinal practices such as yoga, to help manage our anxiety. We have both suffered from chronic anxiety since very early on but since adopting multiple stress-busting, deep relaxation habits into our daily routines, anxiety no longer affects our quality of life. We are now in the driver's seat :) We began this journey to positively recondition and train our minds away from their default negative thought patterns a.k.a default mode network (DMN), by reshaping our neural pathways via the techniques we discuss on the Meditation + Neuroplasticity page. I (Sophie) call it “positive brainwashing” and we chat about this, plus other techniques which can help you gain control of your mind and your life, there also. 

Mental Hygiene - the science of maintaining mental health and preventing the development of psychosis, neurosis, or other mental disorders.

By watching what we eat and exercising regularly, many of us strive towards having a healthy body. But far too often, we neglect our mental well being. Adopting healthy habits and routines to strive towards having a healthy mind should be the norm. In his talk ‘Positive Attitude for a Healthy Mind’, scholar and ordained Buddhist monk Brahmavihari Swami (Bhadreshdas Swami) discusses medical science and society’s disregard for the health of the mind and whether having a healthy attitude and mind should be our priority, if we are to achieve and maintain wellness.

“...there are more than 50 professions in medicine...that just deal with the body.” “...and for the mind, we have a poor two; Psychology and Psychiatry. That means that the society in which we live doesn’t believe that a healthy mind is more important than a healthy body.” “Modern science is just beginning to scratch the surface of the mind.”

“Sorrow, joy...emotions are invisible but they have the power to drive your mind...values are invisible, (but) they have the power to drive humanity. Similarly, the concepts of philosophy, faith and spirituality are invisible, but they have the power to chart the destiny of entire mankind. They may be invisible, but sometimes in life invisible things are more important than things visible.”

“Every Disease has a Cure”

Muslims turn to the Quran and Sunnah for guidance in all areas of life, including health and medical matters. The Prophet Muhammad is quoted as saying that "Allah did not create a disease for which He did not also create a cure." Muslims are therefore encouraged to explore, be open-minded and use both traditional and modern forms of medicine. They have faith that the cure for each and every illness and disease is out there, just waiting to be discovered. “From 661 to 750 C.E., during the Umayyad dynasty, people generally believed that God would provide treatment for every illness. By 900 C.E., many medieval Islamic communities had begun to develop and practice medical systems with scientific elements.”(8) We in the West owe a lot to this belief and optimism which fuelled the maverick physicians, philosophers and writers of the Islamic Golden Age such as Ibn Sina (Avicenna) and Al-Razi. Without their groundwork, modern medical science as we know it, would not be where it is today. This is just one example of the power a single optimistic attitude and belief has had in driving positive advancements for humanity, the effects of which are still being felt worldwide today. 

The Science of Happiness

Positive psychology or “the science of happiness” has caused a seismic shift in clinical psychiatry, psychology and the mental health world, changing research and opening up a new way of approaching psychological illness. “It recognizes happiness and well-being as an ‘essential human skill’”(9). Positive psychology is increasingly being combined with traditional mental health counselling and this combined approach is highly successful for many, helping with ‘real recovery’ rather than ‘medical masking’ or symptomatic treatment which is rife within the mainstream medical establishment of the West. The most significant contribution of positive psychology in mental health counselling and therapy is the introduction of happiness as a treatment goal(9). The referenced article describes in detail the 4 interventions employed in conjunction with mental health counselling, and which are similar to CTB treatments.

The Happiness Research Institute

Using economic factors used to compare different countries economic growth (GDP) and rate their success has been the norm for he longest time. But countries are now are increasingly using happiness, wellbeing and the quality of life of citizens, to compare and rate countries and their success. Charting dopamine levels across the globe, the Happiness Research Institute report has been using global data on national wellbeing and happiness since April 2012 to “defining a new economic paradigm”. Each year, the report has a different theme but peoples’ happiness remains the core focal point and achievement a country is celebrated for.