Connected People Are Happy People

Have you read about the 75-year Harvard study on happiness? It has been quite the buzz lately. The clearest message to come out of the study is that good relationships keep us happier, healthier and living longer.


I'm not even a little surprised by the findings. We know that feeling connected helps turn off your fight, flight and freeze response and turn on your rest and digest response. And when our parasympathetic system is turned on, all systems work better - immune, reproductive, endocrine, digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular system - all of them!!! So it just makes sense that strong connections lead to better health outcomes.


And when we feel supported we are not just healthier but happier, braver, more resilient and more empowered. 


There you have it. Connected people just feel better, so go out there and connect! Pretty simple right? Well, not exactly. For lots of reasons - childhood trauma, chronic stress, challenging relationship experiences, isolation, anxiety, depression - it can be really difficult to foster nourishing relationships. 


And while it may not be easy, it can be done. It takes working with the nervous system to expand your window of tolerance - see last week's blog:) - and mindfulness.


It takes purposely setting intentions and goals to nurture existing relationships and build new ones. And it takes rewiring old patterns that trick us into thinking we can't do it, when actually, we can (enter neuroplasticity). 


So how do we get started?


I'll be talking about this a lot in my upcoming course, Cultivating Calm and Connection, 30 Days to Rewire Your Nervous System, which begins Tuesday, February 21. And I'm offering a free sneak peek this coming Tuesday. Click below to register.

Free Sneak Peek Next Tuesday, Feb 7

I'll also leave you with 3 more excellent resources.

1. This is a great Ted Talk with Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard study outlining the findings.

2. Check out this fun 7-day happiness challenge from the Well section in the New York Times in response to the Harvard study.

3. Join the Cultivating Calm and Connection waitlist. You'll have the first opportunity to register for this limited enrollment course. If you live in Salt Lake and you'd like to meet in person, please indicate that in the "message" space.

Wishing you all beautiful connections this week!

Rachel

 

And here's what else is happening...

If you want some support starting or recharging your yoga and meditation practice in 2023, join the Your Yoga community! Register here to start your free 7-day trial.

If you'd like to work with me one-on-one, I have a few spots available. Reply to this email if you'd like to chat about whether this is the right time and fit for you. 
 

Yoga, Nature, Culture Retreat in Southern Spain. October 15 - 21, 2023. We are already more than 1/2 full so register ASAP!