{"id":2451,"date":"2023-02-21T11:44:25","date_gmt":"2023-02-21T11:44:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bluekc.com\/bluekcblog\/well-said\/happy-and-healthy-february-2023\/"},"modified":"2023-05-12T16:19:36","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T16:19:36","slug":"happy-and-healthy-february-2023","status":"publish","type":"well_said","link":"https:\/\/www.bluekc.com\/blog\/well-said\/happy-and-healthy-february-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Happy & Healthy – February 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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For many of us, there seems to be a constant and growing list of things to worry about. The recent pandemic, inflation, global conflict, the current political climate, etc. The list goes on and on, and that\u2019s not even to mention our routine daily challenges!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a recent poll<\/a> by the American Psychological Association, \u201cAmericans are struggling with multiple external stressors that are out of their personal control, with 27% reporting that most days they are so stressed they cannot function<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, stress directly impacts one\u2019s health. According to the same poll, 76% of adults reported they had experienced at least one symptom in the last month as a result of stress\u2014such as headache (38%), fatigue (35%), feeling nervous or anxious (34%) and feeling depressed or sad (33%). Seven in 10 adults (72%) experienced additional symptoms in the last month, including feeling overwhelmed (33%), experiencing changes in sleeping habits (32%), and\/or worrying constantly (30%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can we do? Unfortunately, many of us are still trying to discard bad habits picked up during the pandemic. And it\u2019s become increasingly common for people to try to escape these daily stressors by simply zoning out online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a recent NPR article<\/a>, the antidote we need might be hiding in plain sight, and it involves building more fun into your life. The article suggests five ways to combat stress to improve your health:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Stop worrying about how happy you are<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the article, \u201cPeople who highly value happiness may end up feeling \u2018disappointed about how they feel, paradoxically decreasing their happiness the more they want it,\u2019 wrote the authors of a 2011 study<\/a> in the journal Emotion<\/em>. In contrast, fun is relatively easy to achieve yet many adults are conditioned to believe that it isn’t important, and experience very little of it.\u201d Stop worrying and start focusing on finding fun activities \u2013 the ones where you lose track of time and positively boost your happiness in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Find your \u201cfun magnets\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Put your smartphone away and ask yourself some fun-related questions. What do you do to have fun? What people and activities are involved and where do they take place? Are there new and fun activities you\u2019ve always wanted to try? If so, maybe now\u2019s the time to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Put fun on the calendar<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Schedule fun activities so they become a priority and you don\u2019t end up missing them. It\u2019s all too easy to get consumed by daily tasks. If you take the step of putting a fun activity on your calendar, you\u2019re less likely to miss it. Think about when you schedule a vacation. According to the article, \u201cPeople who take a vacation return to their work less stressed and possibly more creative<\/a>, and the benefits could extend to smaller adventures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Unplug<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the article, \u201cMost of us have control over at least two hours of our day for leisure activities, and some of us have up to five<\/a> hours. But the average American uses up more than two hours on social media<\/a> per day.\u201d Consider using that time for a fun activity instead. Be present, reduce stress, have fun and make positive memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Share the fun and amplify it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Share your fun with your friends and family to amplify it. Creating and sharing a chain reaction of fun activities can only enhance the positive health benefits you\u2019ll receive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2453,"template":"","class_list":["post-2451","well_said","type-well_said","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHappy & Healthy - February 2023 - The Blueprint Blog - Blue KC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Happy & Healthy - February 2023 - The Blueprint Blog - Blue KC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For many of us, there seems to be a constant and growing list of things to worry about. 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