Health, Happiness and the Coronavirus

On behalf of Bliss Medical Center and the Happiness Alliance, here is short presentation with advice for staying healthy and happy in the face of the novel coronavirus.

A bit more about prevention: 

Sanitary techniques that prevent spread of infection including hand washing, hand sanitizing, not touching your face, and wearing masks and taking care not to cough or sneeze near other people remain important.  However, these measures and more aggressive measures (such as quarantine) have failed to stop the spread of the virus. 

As there is no vaccination, no definitive treatment, and preventative measures have generally failed to stop the spread, most people, regardless of their degree of interaction with other people, can be expected to eventually contract the virus.  And because the novel corona virus is potentially lethal, even in those who are otherwise healthy, it is easy to feel powerless and afraid.

While the following techniques will not prevent the spread of the virus, they are sound health advice that can help you maximize your personal health and maintain a positive outlook for you, your friends and family.

What does the data say?

We pulled data all the Happiness Index in 2019 for those who answered the question about their perception of their health (12,486 respondents). We separated the data for people who said their health was very good or excellent (2,975 respondents) from those who said their health was good, fair or poor (9,511 respondents). 

The visualization bellow tells a story.  Those who perceive themselves to be healthy are much happier as well.  When compared, those with a very good or excellent perception of their health scored higher in each of the other domains of happiness, by a wide margin of 14.2 points on a 100 point scale.

What does the visualization say? 

People who perceive themselves to be in very good or excellent health are more satisfied with their exercise and feel they live in a healthy environment. This indicates that a connection to nature and spending time in nature, when your environment is healthy, and spending time is good for your health.  These are findings that science backs up  (White et al., 2019)

It also says that  people who perceive themselves to physically healthy are also psychologically healthy. They are more satisfied with their lives, more likely to feel their lives are worthwhile, more optimistic and more likely to feel their lives have a purpose and meaning. They are also happier. 

What is more, these people are less lonely and feel more of a sense of belonging to their community.

What does this mean to you?

Spend time in nature.  Go for a walk in a park. Garden. Go skiing. Admire your neighbors garden. Go to the beach or a lake.  Take the time to do whatever it is you love to do in nature. 

Take good care of yourself.  Learn about how to change your habits (of thought and deed) and change your mind by developing happiness skills. Talk with a friend or a therapist about the things you feel ashamed about or have grief over - life is hard and most everybody goes through things that are too hard to process alone. Join an Al-Anon group if your life is affected by someone (past or present) with addiction. 

Spend time with the people you love. Taking precautions for your health does not mean you should isolate yourself. Follow good health practices, but don't isolate yourself for long periods of time.  Instead, spend extra time when you feel afraid for your health with the people you love and who love you. 

With love and our hope for your health and happiness,

The Happiness Alliance

happycounts.org