Wellness, Lifestyle, Health, and Happiness
Happiness comes from within. Many people could be living in the same environment and facing the same challenges, but some seem to be happier than others. No matter what one’s challenges are, it is one’s choice and decisions to live a happy and content life. There has been an unfounded belief that the rich are happier than the poor, but research has given contradicting results. I cannot say that I have lived a happy life, but after watching the “Happy” documentary, I am now ready to live positively and happily no matter what circumstances I am facing. I have realized that we make ourselves unhappy by complaining about the problems we face in our day-to-day life rather than appreciating the good side of life. We should focus on the positive aspects of life and try as much as we can not to let the negative aspects of our lives ruin our happiness. The documentary shows how wellness, health, lifestyle, and happiness are intertwined by using examples from around the world.
This film was inspired by an article written in The New York Times by Andrew C. Revkin titled “A New Measure of Well-Being from a Happy Little Kingdom” in 2005. In this article, countries were ranked in terms of their level of happiness, and the United States was ranked in position 23. It was surprising how countries that were poor in comparison with the United States surpassed it in their level of happiness. Countries like Iceland and Puerto Rico were ranked above the United States, and this led to the argument that if the basic necessities are provided for, other factors like economic factors have very little to do with the level of happiness and satisfaction in life. In the documentary, the filmmakers used scientific research and real human stories to explore the non-material sources of happiness and show that although there is no formula for happiness, everyone can actually be happy. The documentary used subjects who ranged from an Indian who was a rickshaw driver to crab-fishing Cajuns in the Louisiana bayou to an old Brazilian surfer.
This documentary takes us around the globe to examine the level of happiness of different people around the world. The documentary is enjoyable to watch as it is brimming with a sense of joy and positive energy from the shared real-life experiences. Just like its title, the documentary can actually make you happy by just sitting and engaging with the individual stories from the subjects used. As stated above, the documentary looks at how wellness, health, lifestyle, and happiness are intertwined. The term wellness is made up of six dimensions: physical, social/intellectual, interpersonal, spiritual, emotional, and the environment. The physical dimension consists of exercise and food consumption, whereas the social dimension consists of one’s sense of humor, creativity, and curiosity. The interpersonal dimension involves one’s communication skills and capacity for intimacy. The emotional dimension covers mental health and one’s ability to deal with their feelings. The spiritual dimension covers positivity, forgiveness, compassion, and joy, and the environmental dimension covers our planet’s health.
When discussing one’s wellness, we find that lifestyle and health are interconnected topics. For one to live a healthy life, they must engage in healthy activities throughout the different stages of life. These practices include exercising, trying to prevent disease, eating healthy foods, preparing for emergencies, having health insurance, and living in areas that promote good health. In the textbook, we are told that health consists of one’s mental or physical condition and their state of living free from injury or illness. Like health, lifestyle can be defined as the way in which one lives, prioritizing health and taking care of themselves through the body, mind, and soul. It is now clear that both lifestyle and health help guide a person to achieve happiness. From the different parts of the world in the documentary, there are all dimensions of wellness in each. However, there is a difference in the levels of happiness caused by the release of endorphins. One of the most interesting parts in the documentary is the coverage of the emotional dimension. We can see an educator helping school students deal with bullies as well as clarifying the effects of bullying on the victims.
It is emotional to see students undergo emotional torture at a young age. Personal problems can be solved in a healthy way, as evidenced by the documentary. Cultural dances are performed with the intent of uniting community members. This can be done on occasions or celebrations. The documentary touches on interpersonal aspects of happiness. The Denmark family can be used to illustrate the heights of co-existence, where multiple families have been brought together to interact and educate each other on the importance of life, being happy, and upholding respect for one another. On the side of spiritual well-being, the documentary touches on various aspects. This can be tied to a specific religion or the overall universe. Some people claim to believe in the afterlife, while others deny it. This can be based on the difference in personal perspectives among different people in different places around the world. It determines the level of happiness an individual can have since it affects how, when, and why some things should be done or why they should not be done. Another aspect, as seen from the documentary, is the environment.
We can see people hunting for food and others living in man-made huts. This creates a comparison between the happiness of natives and the people who work hard, like the Japanese men. The use and need for the environment in levels of happiness vary widely depending on the location and the wellness of the inhabitants. The levels of happiness an individual can experience cannot be defined or quantified in any definition whatsoever. As evidenced in the documentary, different people have their own sources of happiness, which means there is no predefined formula for being happy. For instance, a sick lady is happy when her community supports her recovery, a fisherman can spend days in the swamps just to provide food for his family, and others hunt on a daily basis. It is thus clear that happiness is within an individual. Looking at the Gross National Happiness and comparing it with the poor can analyze the overall happiness of a given population.
This brings up the issue of money as a source of happiness for many individuals. According to my understanding and belief, money is not the only source of happiness, but it creates an avenue by making people stable through financing their projects, life matters, and also ensuring there are developments in the community through the provision of quality services.
Lifestyle is an unavoidable aspect to discuss. The documentary helps us in analyzing this aspect, where we see health insurance in Denmark being given out to the public. This is intended to ensure that every individual has the best health by ensuring optimal disease prevention. Taking good care of health and ensuring that desired lifestyle increases the level of happiness an individual can experience.
The issue of happiness can be defined as mostly based on personal perspectives and beliefs. For me, physical activity is my personal perspective of happiness. I find time throughout my day to go to the gym, take a kickboxing class, or involve myself in a boot camp. There are those who do not have time” throughout their day to work out, but I make time whether it is at 5 or 6 in the morning because it is what truly makes me happy. This physical lifestyle intertwines my wellness, health, lifestyle, and happiness. It is distinct from others, but there are also some issues that can source happiness for a group of people. For instance, a given community can be happy when there are development activities or there is an occasion to share. Interactions can also influence lifestyles and change perceptions of some issues; hence, this can also change the levels of happiness an individual can experience.
