{"id":422,"date":"2018-10-31T09:04:07","date_gmt":"2018-10-31T13:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422"},"modified":"2022-08-03T10:33:41","modified_gmt":"2022-08-03T14:33:41","slug":"dr-turers-non-negotiables-for-happiness-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Turer’s Non-Negotiables for Happiness & Balance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"By Dr. Ellyn Turer —\u00a0October 22, 2018 —\u00a0There are 5 actionable & non-negotiable things I believe everyone can do to start feeling happier today. I call them non-negotiables because there is no negotiating out of doing them. I have been both actively pursuing and fascinated with happiness and balance for a very long time. After seeing patients for over a decade, I have consistently observed that incorporating the following 5 things in your life will bring you an undeniable sense of happiness:<\/p>\n

Exercise<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Aim for a minimum of 3 days per week. Ideally, get between 4-6 good work-outs in each week. I went to a conference on mind-body medicine a few years ago. Nearly every presenter made it very clear that we need to be telling our patients to exercise for the undeniable mental health benefits. Exercise will always out you in a better mood!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Meditate<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Aim for a minimum of 3 times per week. Anything is better than nothing. Try to get at least 10 minutes, but even 3 minutes will still prove beneficial. There is a cumulative effect that comes with meditation. The longer you practice meditation throughout the course of your life, the better you\u2019ll feel. I have reviewed countless meditation apps. My #1 choice is headspace. I even use headspace myself!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Other excellent meditation apps include: Calm &\u00a0Buddhify. Meditation is so good for you! It helps decrease your overall level of reactivity to everyday stressors, so you ultimately feel less stressed. It literally makes no sense not to meditate. It took me years to become a regular meditator and even today my practice is not perfect. However, it \u00a0has become a regular part of my weekly routine and I\u2019m better for it. As a side note, I also meditated throughout my pregnancy and I\u2019ve been told I have a baby Buddha.<\/p>\n

      Eat Clean<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Eat whole, unprocessed, nutrient dense food. What we consume has a direct impact on both our physiological and psychological well-being. Numerous foods have been linked to decreased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Some examples of these foods include, but are not limited to: blueberries, salmon, walnuts, Brazil nuts (one every other day), oranges, dark chocolate, asparagus, avocado, curcumin, & chamomile tea (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6). Now this doesn\u2019t mean that you can\u2019t get your Baked & Wired Fix on from time to time, but overall lets treat our minds and bodies better by making cleaner food choices.<\/p>\n

      Practice good sleep hygiene<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Ahhhhh\u2026sleep! It\u2019s essential to make getting quality restful sleep a priority.\u00a0 Aim to go to bed around the same time at night and wake up around the same time every morning. Here\u2019s the magic number: 7.5. Remember it. Dan Buettner, a resident expert in happiness and longevity, states that the happiest people in the world get at least 7.5 hours of sleep per night (7). So, let\u2019s make that a goal. Sure, you can function on less, but who wants to merely be able to function. There\u2019s a huge difference between existing and living. Getting quality sleep will help you really LIVE. In addition, lack of sleep affects your brain\u2019s capacity to control emotion. The more well-rested you are, the better equipped you will be to handle everyday stress. Sleep is medicine. Make it a priority.<\/p>\n

      Schedule at least 1 meaningful social activity every week.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. As a society we are becoming increasingly disconnected from each other. You\u2019re checking Instagram while watching Bachelor in Paradise while shopping online (or maybe that\u2019s just me ). Happy people feel connected to others. One day a week may seem low for some and high for others, but it\u2019s so important. I make a point to schedule at least <\/em>one activity with a friend every week.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        You have so much more control over how you think and feel than you ever realized! If you regularly incorporate these non-negotiables in your life, you will be happier. I know it.<\/p>\n

        Let\u2019s do this! Happiness is a choice. Let\u2019s make the choice together.<\/p>\n

        References<\/strong><\/p>\n

        1.) Delub, E.\u00a0 (2015, November 16). Nutritional Psychiatry: Your brain on food.<\/em><\/p>\n

        Retrieved from: https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/blog\/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626<\/a><\/p>\n

        2.) Esmaily, H., Sahebkar, A., Iranshahi, M. et al. Chin. J. Integr. Med. (2015) 21: 332. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11655-015-2160-z<\/a><\/p>\n

        3.) Latif, R. &\u00a0 Sunni A. A.\u00a0 (2014). Effects of chocolate intake on Perceived Stress; A controlled clinical Study.\u00a0 International Journal of Health Science,<\/em> 8(4), 393-401. Retrieved from:\u00a0 https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4350893\/<\/a><\/p>\n

        4.) Murphy, M., & Mercer, J. G. (2013). Diet-Regulated Anxiety.\u00a0International Journal of Endocrinology<\/em>,\u00a02013<\/em>, 701967. Retrieved from: http:\/\/doi.org\/10.1155\/2013\/701967<\/a><\/p>\n

        5.) Mao, J. J., Xie, S. X., Keefe, J. R., Soeller, I., Li, Q. S., & Amsterdam, J. (2016). Long-term Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla<\/em>\u00a0L.) treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: A randomized clinical trial.\u00a0Phytomedicine\u202f: International Journal of Phytotherapy and Phytopharmacology<\/em>,\u00a023<\/em>(14), 1735\u20131742.\u00a0 Retrieved from: http:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.phymed.2016.10.012<\/a><\/p>\n

        6.) Murphy, M., & Mercer, J. G. (2013). Diet-Regulated Anxiety.\u00a0International Journal of Endocrinology<\/em>,\u00a02013<\/em>, 701967. http:\/\/doi.org\/10.1155\/2013\/701967<\/p>\n

        7.) Buettner, D. (2017, October 17).\u00a0 9 Questions for Dan Buettner: Happiness lessons from the happiest places in the world.\u00a0 Retrieved from: <\/em>https:\/\/www.bluezones.com\/2017\/10\/happiness-lessons-from-happiest-countries-and-cities-in-the-world\/<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        By Dr. Ellyn Turer —\u00a0October 22, 2018 —\u00a0There are 5 actionable & non-negotiable things I believe everyone can do to start feeling happier today. I call them non-negotiables because there is no negotiating out of doing them. I have been both actively pursuing and fascinated with happiness and balance for a very long time. After […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nDr. Turer's Non-Negotiables for Happiness & Balance : Psychologist DC - Dr Ellyn Turer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Dr. Ellyn Turer --\u00a0October 22, 2018 --\u00a0There are 5 actionable & non-negotiable things I believe everyone can do to start feeling happier today. I\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dr. Turer's Non-Negotiables for Happiness & Balance : Psychologist DC - Dr Ellyn Turer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Dr. Ellyn Turer --\u00a0October 22, 2018 --\u00a0There are 5 actionable & non-negotiable things I believe everyone can do to start feeling happier today. I\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Psychologist DC - Dr Ellyn Turer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-10-31T13:04:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-08-03T14:33:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/exercise-2018-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"dsmith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"dsmith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422\",\"name\":\"Dr. Turer's Non-Negotiables for Happiness & Balance : Psychologist DC - Dr Ellyn Turer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/exercise-2018-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-31T13:04:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-03T14:33:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fb2d6be49dfdfbc4bafeac9852a881a0\"},\"description\":\"By Dr. Ellyn Turer --\u00a0October 22, 2018 --\u00a0There are 5 actionable & non-negotiable things I believe everyone can do to start feeling happier today. I\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/exercise-2018.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/exercise-2018.jpg\",\"width\":500,\"height\":333},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Dr. Turer’s Non-Negotiables for Happiness & Balance\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/\",\"name\":\"Psychologist DC - Dr Ellyn Turer\",\"description\":\"Psychologist DC - Dr. Ellyn Turer\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fb2d6be49dfdfbc4bafeac9852a881a0\",\"name\":\"dsmith\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/29342023e107ed75ffbfff41930853ae?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/29342023e107ed75ffbfff41930853ae?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"dsmith\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dr. Turer's Non-Negotiables for Happiness & Balance : Psychologist DC - Dr Ellyn Turer","description":"By Dr. Ellyn Turer --\u00a0October 22, 2018 --\u00a0There are 5 actionable & non-negotiable things I believe everyone can do to start feeling happier today. I","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dr. Turer's Non-Negotiables for Happiness & Balance : Psychologist DC - Dr Ellyn Turer","og_description":"By Dr. Ellyn Turer --\u00a0October 22, 2018 --\u00a0There are 5 actionable & non-negotiable things I believe everyone can do to start feeling happier today. I","og_url":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422","og_site_name":"Psychologist DC - Dr Ellyn Turer","article_published_time":"2018-10-31T13:04:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-08-03T14:33:41+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/exercise-2018-300x200.jpg"}],"author":"dsmith","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"dsmith","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422","url":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422","name":"Dr. Turer's Non-Negotiables for Happiness & Balance : Psychologist DC - Dr Ellyn Turer","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/exercise-2018-300x200.jpg","datePublished":"2018-10-31T13:04:07+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-03T14:33:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fb2d6be49dfdfbc4bafeac9852a881a0"},"description":"By Dr. Ellyn Turer --\u00a0October 22, 2018 --\u00a0There are 5 actionable & non-negotiable things I believe everyone can do to start feeling happier today. I","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/exercise-2018.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/exercise-2018.jpg","width":500,"height":333},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?p=422#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Dr. Turer’s Non-Negotiables for Happiness & Balance"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/","name":"Psychologist DC - Dr Ellyn Turer","description":"Psychologist DC - Dr. Ellyn Turer","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fb2d6be49dfdfbc4bafeac9852a881a0","name":"dsmith","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/29342023e107ed75ffbfff41930853ae?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/29342023e107ed75ffbfff41930853ae?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"dsmith"},"url":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=422"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":518,"href":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422\/revisions\/518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.psychologistdc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}