Dr. Theresa Dale Offers Tips for Improving Emotional Health and Realizing a Happier You
Happiness can be achieved through a naturally balanced life and positive perspective, says Dr. Theresa Dale.
Is it possible to truly determine your own happiness in life? Dr. Theresa Dale says absolutely, but it takes a mindful approach to achieve satisfaction and joy in life. In a recent interview, she gave several lifestyle tips that help improve physical health and emotional wellbeing. She says making these changes leads to increased energy and genuine feelings of happiness.
“We tend to get caught in a rut when it comes to lifestyle,” Dr. Theresa Dale says, “As a natural medicine practitioner, I am all about breaking the mold and trying out the unconventional path first. The more we can work to treat ourselves on the most basic level—before any problems are even noticeable—the more effective we will be. A preventative approach to health is really crucial and many Americans still don’t know what all that entails.”
8 Tips for Improving Emotional Health and Happiness
Dr. Theresa Dale says everyone could stand to improve their health and happiness because no one has it down perfectly. Her tips apply to people struggling with depression just as much as they apply to someone who feels they have really hit their stride. Not all methods work for all people, so it’s important to find a new path that works best for you. Here are eight ways to maintain (or create) happiness.
Spend Time with Loved Ones
The people who make us happy tend to be happy people as well. Try to increase your time with circles of positive people and reduce how much time you spend with those who remain negative in most circumstances.
Get Your Sleep
A good night’s sleep is important for improving brain function and emotional control. According to Dr. Dale, getting eight hours of sleep every night can help avoid the negative health issues that stem from sleep deprivation. Studies have found that sleep directly impacts our happiness and predicts longevity even better than diet, exercise, or genetics.
Pursue Diverse Nutrition
Eating vegetables is great, but not enough to truly diversify our nutrition. Dr. Theresa Dale says it’s important to get the vitamins, minerals, proteins, antioxidants, and other benefits that are unique to various plants, fruits, seeds, and vegetables. She has spent years creating a line of homeopathic products that include nutritional formulas to support diversely nutritious eating habits.
Hold Onto Your Values
When you compromise your values for any reason (peer pressure, money, prestige), it weighs on you emotionally. Be prepared to learn, grow and adapt—but hold onto your values every step of the way. How you should treat others, your work ethic, what you believe—these are all examples of values that should be important to you.
Do What You Love
Spend time doing the things that bring you joy. Art, traveling, crafting, competing and gardening are all examples of things people spend time on because they get an intrinsic value from them. Find what calms you down or gets you excited, and then make sure you fit it into your schedule. You might not hike up a mountain or paint a masterpiece every week, but they should be included every once in a while.
Continually Improve Yourself
Look for ways to improve yourself and push towards excellence. Try hard not to expect someone else to fill the gaps in your life. No one else is responsible for your happiness, says Dr. Dale. Rather than try to push someone else to make you feel good, work on filling those gaps yourself. Become a person who draws others towards you because you offer joy and peace, not expectations.
Focus on Gratitude
In all circumstances, you can find things to be grateful for. Focusing on thankfulness is not a forced perspective, but practicing that perspective until it becomes natural. Gratitude doesn’t mean you have to appreciate everything or never set goals for change—quite the opposite. Dr. Dale says the practice of gratitude simply acknowledges the bad and the good, finding gratefulness where possible. Dr. Dale recommends you empower 5 people every day. Kindness and empowerment go a long way to helping others and yourself.
Turn off the Noise
Periods of silence can be helpful for the mind—especially paired with mindful meditation. Turning off the TV, radio, social media, and phone for a period of time is one way to help yourself relax. The mind is like any other muscle and can become fatigued with overstimulation, Dr. Dale explains.
