September: A Whole Month of Happiness and Wellbeing

September is the ninth month of the year, yet is named after the word septem, meaning seven as it was originally the seventh month of the year in the Roman calendar. This month a new season begins, whether it is spring in the southern hemisphere or autumn for the north.

 This month we will consider the impact your thoughts have on your life. This is in recognition of Albert Ellis who was born on the 27th September. Albert Ellis was a psychologist who devised Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy, and his work impacted on many people around the world. He died in 2007 at the age of 93. He worked his entire life and wrote 80 books and over 1200 articles. This brings us on to the second theme of learning, as this month it is Adult Learners' Week in Australia. Finally I will discuss ways you can take control of your health, as World Heart Day takes place this month.
Consider your thoughts
Your thinking can have a great impact on your behaviour and emotions. Not all thoughts make much sense and Albert Ellis would describe them as irrational. Irrational thinking is thinking that essentially makes little logical sense, or fails to stand up to the evidence. 'Bad things always happen to me', 'I must not fail' are examples of irrational thinking. However these thoughts can be changed, as you come to recognise them as irrational and replace them with more realistic ones. From here, you will have more positive emotions and feel more in control of your behaviour. There is a lot that could be said about your thought patterns but for now I will offer you ideas to help you identify and change your own thoughts.

1. Write down a current worry of yours. Give the details. Try to describe the situation as much as possible.


2. What thoughts and beliefs do you have when thinking about your current concern?


3. How do you feel as a result of these thoughts? How do you behave? This is where we pause to help you recognise that it is your thoughts, not the situation that is leading you to feel and behave as you do.


4. Looking at your response to 2, ask yourself honestly how rational these thoughts are. Is there good evidence to support these thoughts? Are you thinking in all or nothing terms? Perhaps giving too much focus on the negative and ignoring the positive? Look out for words such as 'always', 'never', 'must.


5. Challenge these thoughts. Write down what is actually true about the situation, even if you don't fully believe them right now. Perhaps think about what a friend or stranger would say about your thoughts.


6. Replace your old beliefs identified in 2 with new, more rational beliefs. This may take effort, but once you recognise them you will feel a lot happier.


7. Write down the positive consequences of your new beliefs.


8. To reinforce your new beliefs, you will need to take action to prove they are true. What steps will you take to support your new thoughts?

This is a concise version of Ellis' work, but hopefully enough to get you thinking about thinking.
Get learning
It's easy to give up on the idea of learning once you leave school. If you disliked school, you may think that you dislike learning also. However, as adults we can choose what we learn and the skills we want to develop. Even retirement should be an opportunity to try new things rather than letting it all go because you are no longer doing paid work. Recognising that learning is not just about books or something to be endured, can make the process enjoyable for many.
If you make learning part of your life, you are sure to see the benefits. Not just in your increased skills and knowledge but in your overall happiness. Working on an important goal and coming up with solutions to potential hurdles getting in the way of your goal can be inspiring. Not only do you learn more about the task you are trying to achieve, but also things about yourself. Also, when you are learning you are giving yourself the opportunity to experience flow. A flow experience is best described as one of those moments when you are so absorbed in an activity that everything else goes unnoticed. Yet afterwards you feel great.
So give learning a go, no matter how old you are. It could be something completely new or an opportunity to expand on an existing skill or interest.

Have a healthy heart
Did you know that 80% of premature heart attacks and strokes are preventable? That's a lot! This means there are things you can do to improve your health and wellbeing and reduce your risk. Such changes will also give you the energy to do the things you want to be doing, allowing you to have a happy balanced life.

I know it's easy to wonder why you should change, you're happy as you are. I do wonder how happy you would be lying in a hospital bed having just survived a heart attack at an early age. Or worse, how happy your family will feel knowing they lost you too soon. But you only live once right? True, but don't you want to make sure you really do live it, having the energy to get the most from your one life?
What follows are tips to a happy heart. Remember it's about moderation, not deprivation. You can have your cake and eat it. Just not all at once, every day.
Eat a healthy diet. Try to limit processed foods and foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fat.
Exercise. Aerobic activity which gets your heart pumping is good for your heart. Combine it with strength work and flexibility exercise such as yoga to get further benefits for your body.
Don't smoke. Once you stop smoking your risk of heart attack and stroke goes down, as does your risk of many other illnesses.
If you want to know your risk of cardiovascular disease, see your doctor who can test your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.






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