We believe that life is worth celebrating.

To do this, we make time to acknowledge the strengths and talents that make ourselves and others awesome.

We also make a point to acknowledge the “wins” in our personal and professional lives, together. Although this is not always easy, putting gratitude and positivity first, can make all the difference in how we show up in our lives, for our clients, and in our world, and this matters.

Happier people are healthier people

People who report feeling happy on a regular basis have improved immune systems. People who report being optimists are less likely to have negative responses to the flu vaccine. Happiness has a noticeable effect on us biologically–have you ever had a stressful time, perhaps at school or with your kids, only to also have to deal with a “tickle in your throat” days after?

Happier people are more psychologically resilient

Take it from a trauma-informed lens–happiness helps build resilience to adverse psychological experiences, and helps us to process and get through traumatic memories.

Even post-injury or post-surgery, people who are happy and optimistic have faster recovery times, as opposed to those who are not. Happy people also report having better sleep: they feel more rested upon waking, and experience fewer dreams.

Happiness makes us more productive

The sensation of ‘feeling happy’ stimulates the growth of nerve connections in our pre-frontal cortex (ie. frontal lobe). The more nerve connections in place, the faster and more productive our brains are in making decisions and engaging in occupations and activities. I don’t know about you, but I definitely want my brain to be quick and productive!

Furthermore, happiness keeps our brains more active overall. The frontal lobe is not fully developed until around age 25, so from childhood to adulthood, you have plenty of opportunity to exercise your happiness and grow those connections. If you’re over 40, some brain atrophy begins to take place: white matter begins to shrink in density, and the spaces between your brain become greater. By staying happy and stimulating ‘happy’ nerve connections in mid-life and onward, you can keep your brain activity fast and sharp.

The Qi Creative ‘Wall of Awesome’ at our headquarters. Reflecting collaboration, creativity, coaching and celebration with our clients and community partners.

So you’ve read plenty about happiness now, what are some steps to stay happy?

What are you feeding your mind?

Your brain, in all its synapses and connections, will be making connections whether or not you want them to. Especially if you’re not having a good day, or you’re mentally not in a good place. If you’re really angry, hold off on the angrier problems and challenges in life, for they can continue to reinforce angry thoughts and feelings over time.

The artwork at Qi Creative headquarters includes positive affirmations. Even to just glance at them, as you take the stairs every day, slowly grows the intention that “YES, you shall see wonders!”

When people present, or come to you, as irritable, ask about the problem and not the person. That is, “So it sounds like this deadline coming up is pretty stressful”, instead of “what’s wrong with you?” This not only helps the person paraphrase and compartmentalize their issue, but can also reframe their irritability away from you.

You are the company you keep

Motivational Speaker Jim Rohn said that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with in your life. If you’re around negative people, you’re likely to slip into negativity yourself.

Tell me one good thing that happened to you today.

Sometimes, that’s “I got out of bed”, or “my french toast came out great”. It’s not always so grand as “I got a scholarship!” and at Qi Creative, we celebrate success of all sizes.

Put a reminder in your phone once a day to ask yourself “What’s something good that happened today?” And really say it to yourself.

Put a sticky note on your bathroom mirror that writes: “What am I grateful for?”

If you’re really fighting negative thoughts, pair them with an Audible, Positive Thought. This is important. Whatever happens, give yourself a compliment out loud–your brain will process it as if someone else said it to you.

Believe it or not though, sometimes we need a little negativity.

Negativity helps us learn

The first person in history to encounter a hungry grizzly bear probably didn’t feel all that negative about it. Negativity should only teach us, like touching a hot stove teaches you to stay away from heat that could burn you.

You’ve made it this far (congrats!)–so what’s stopping you from stepping forward and owning your happiness? Here are some final points for why shifting your perspective is worth the effort:

Happy, positive thinkers cope better with stress

When something happens, a more negative person might frame it as a tragedy or catastrophe, whereas a positive thinker would be quicker to look for a resolution to that something. Negative thinking easily leads to dwelling, and continually telling you what is wrong with the issue or wrong with you. A happy, more resilient approach to challenges is “we’ll never be completely void of stress–stress will continue to come, but we’ve made it this far and I have the tools and experience to take this on.”

Positive thinkers have a higher self-esteem

So you’ve crawled out of bed, taken a quick shower, put on some clothes, and looked in the mirror—if you have a positive lens, you could say “Hey, look at me!” if I had a negative lens, I might say “Ugh, I look like trash. Another Monday morning…”

Repeat after me: “If I feel good, you can not make me feel less than.“

Positive people have an increased likelihood of healthy relationships

If you’re happy, you’ll look for happy people. If you’re sad or negative, you may find yourself only welcoming equally negative, or perhaps even toxic, people in your life.

We understand that some days, being positive can seem like real work. We all face challenges, but we hope we’ve set up some great strategies for you to enjoy happier, more positive days to come.