Feel Good - Walk Tall, Shower & Laugh It Up!

As we lead into what promises to be another crazed, not-at-all relaxing weekend in the midst of silly season, I thought I would send you on your merry way with a couple of tips to feel good. Simple things to improve your outlook on life!

TIP ONE: WALK TALL

Stop comparing yourself with other people to your own detriment. However wonderful others may seem compared to you, be assured that every great looking person knows that there is always someone more attractive than them, or that they don't have the greatness inside them to back their looks up.

Instead of putting yourself down, look up to yourself. Remember, real joy comes from within. YOU are a complete original, and happiness comes from accepting yourself as you are.

TIP TWO: SHOWER THE BLUES AWAY

Get your weekend day off to a happy start with an uplifting wake-up shower. Try alternating blasts of cold and hot water - it will kick start your metabolism and boost your circulation, encouraging oxygen-rich blood to reach every tissue of your body. If you are musical, don't be afraid to bust out a tune whilst you are in there. Soak up the awesome acoustics that is your bathroom. If your housemates complain, feel free to blame me! I can take it!

To continue the feel-good feeling, pat yourself dry with a thick, fluffy towel and moisturise your skin from head to toe. Guys - this may sound odd to you, but hydrated skin is healthy skin - and ladies like touchable skin! Then slap on your favourite perfume or cologne. It doesn't matter if you aren't going anywhere special - treat yourself to your favourite scent - just because you are awesome!

TIP THREE: HAVE A GOOD LAUGH

Three minutes of good, hearty, rip-roaring laughter can be as beneficial to your body as ten minutes of hard aerobic exercise. It deepens your breathing, lifts your endorphin levels (the body's own feel-good hormones) and protects you against depression. Many people comment that I am the happiest person they now - and a big part of that is because I laugh regularly, and I laugh hard!

So if you want to feel happy and bubbly too, get those laughter hormones going - see a funny film, read a funny book, think back to a funny occasion, call a funny friend - and have a really good chuckle. Giggling also gives facial muscles a good workout and will make everyone around you feel better too. Guys - yes I mean you too. There is nothing funnier than a grown man crying. Click here for one of the funniest moments of 2011. (about 2:20 in if you are in a hurry)

Have a happy weekend all!

The Truth Behind Smiles

Smiling.

We're born to do it.

A smile is one of the most basic, biologically uniform expressions of all humans.

One of the world’s leading expert on facial expressions Paul Ekman, discovered that smiles are cross-cultural and have the same meaning in different societies. In studies he conducted in Papua New Guinea, Ekman found that members of the Fore tribe (who were completely disconnected from Western culture and were also known for their unusual cannibalism rituals) attributed smiles to descriptions of situations in the same way you and I would.

3-D ultrasound technology shows that developing babies appear to smile even in the womb. After they’re born, babies continue to smile and even blind babies smile in response to the sound of the human voice.

The mood-boosting power of a smile is unfathomable. Studies show that one smile can can provide the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 chocolate bars. Yet, unlike lots of chocolate, lots of smiling can actually make you healthier. This is great new for me, partly because I am not a fan of chocolate at all, but mostly because I smile so much that it is nice to hear it makes me healthier! =)

So what are you waiting for? Get your smile on already!

(Eat + Pray + Love) x Krissie = Laugh + Hug + Smile

Last night I finally stopped long enough to watch much talked about movie Eat Pray Love, and true to the hype, it sure gave me some food for thought (almost-there pun unintended). For anyone unfamiliar with the storyline of Eat Pray Love (which is both a book and a movie) - here it is:

"Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) had everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having - a husband, a house, a successful career - yet like so many others, she found herself lost, confused, and searching for what she really wanted in life. Embarking on a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy; the power of prayer in India, and, finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love in Bali."

So many people experience a feeling of disillusionment at some point in their lives. Most commonly known as a mid-life crisis, this sense of being lost can plague people at any age. I myself had a 'mid-life crisis' at the ripe old age of 26 (ie. the start of this year) - I had lost my way and I couldn't see a path out of it. Like Julia's character Liz noted, I used to have this appetite for my life and it was just gone. I was just going through the motions. So I too, embarked on a journey of self-discovery.

"I had actively participated in every moment of the creation of this life. So why didn't I see myself in any of it?" (Eat Pray Love)

Julia Roberts' character may have found that her path to enlightenment and fulfillment was to Eat, Pray, Love. For me it was a case of getting back to the basics that make me truly happy - I reconnected with the most powerful forces in my life - smiling, hugs and laughter.

During my journey in the U.S.A. this year, I immersed myself in what I now refer to as the Trifecta of Happiness. I surrounded myself with people who made me laugh. I hugged my way around the country. I went out of my way to make other people smile. Whether it be posting about my epic adventures on a cross-country bus trip to amuse my friends back home, or pulling over on the side of the road to hug a statue, or taking photos of signs with slightly dirty connotations to make people giggle, or flooding people with technology love, or just flashing a winning smile to a stranger - I reconnected with my goal in life... to make the whole world smile.

For me, the recipe to get back into my groove was simple. Eat Pray Love was one woman's journey to happiness. For me the equation was a little different:

(Eat + Pray + Love) x Krissie = Laugh + Hug + Smile

I encourage you to take a moment and ask yourself, what is your version of Eat Pray Love? What is your Trifecta for Happiness? And if you aren't living and breathing that trifecta every day, when are you going to start?

(Eat + Pray + Love) x <You> = ______ + ______ + _______