Wellness: Your Job, Your Career, Your Life: Quick Tips for Good Health, 0716 COBJ, Vol. 45 No. 7 Pg. 85
| Author | Sarah Myers, J. |
Sarah Myers, J.
Coordinating Editor
Barbara Ezyk, executive director of the Colorado Lawyer Assistance Program, is the coordinating editor of this 12-month series of Wellness articles during 2016. Readers Colorado are encouraged to send Ezyk their feedback to the articles at LAP bezyk@coloradolap.org.
The year is halfway through. We started 2016 with Chief Justice Nancy Rice designating January as “Wellness Month” in recognition of the importance of self-care and wellness in the legal profession. The Colorado Lawyer has expanded on this theme in 2016 by publishing monthly articles organized by the Colorado Lawyer Assistance Program (COLAP).
What have you learned over the past six months? What positive changes have you made toward improving your physical and mental health? If you believe you have been too busy to make any changes, this article is for you.
Choose Your Mood
In our fast-paced lives, we often look for quick fixes and easy ways to feel better. One very simple way to feel better is to choose to be happier. You are the only person who can control your emotional reactions to the world around you. Regardless of the situation, you have the power to decide how you want to feel. The problem is that most of us get into an emotional rut by reproducing the same types of thoughts and emotional reactions on a daily basis, and then we become addicted to them.
The next time you react in a predictable way that is negative to a stimulus or situation, ask yourself if that is how you want to feel. In so doing, you begin to choose your state of mind rather than succumb to it.
Here is a list of simple ways to improve your mood:
1.Move more throughout the day. You don’t have to do a daily triathlon to feel the benefits of exercise. Simply moving throughout the day, or doing short workouts, can increase the release of chemicals that improve your mood.
2. Eat foods that are scientifically proven to boost your mood. Foods like chocolate, fruits, vegetables, fish, coconut, tea, and nuts can positively impact your mood.
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Listen to music. Listen to music that you enjoy and that fits the mood you are trying to achieve, and you will get there faster!
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Smile. Smiling and laughing produce chemicals in the body that improve your mood, immune system, and overall health.
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Play. Play with your pets...
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