Happiness and Health

ENG 101

Jose Torres

Professor: L. McCormick

Happiness and health

Due the lack of happiness people may have health problems because, they could acquire stress which is the cause of many diseases like, pain of any kind, digestive problems, depression, obesity, sleep problems, heart disease, skin conditions like eczema and loss of appetite. To overcome these problems and their consequences, people like doctors, adviser, counselor and gurus, have developed countless programs, advices, therapies and techniques to help unhappy people.

Health and happiness are closely related to each other, but when this equilibrium is broken in any way people’s health is affected seriously. According to “Happiness Enhances Health” by Rick Nauert.  “A new study finds that happiness and other positive emotions play an even more important role in health than previously reported”. When people are unhappy they are likely to get more diseases because their self-defenses are low. The unhappiness brings many negatives emotional states like stress and its consequences like depression, headache, tension, irritability, fast heartbeats and others. In the other hand, happy people easily overcome diseases such as influenza and cold and they present fewer symptoms than unhappy people after contract a virus the both of them.

Unhappy people are more exposed to stress which plays an important role in people’s life, because its response is the body’s way of protecting themselves and helps people to stay focused and alert when they are exposed to an emergency situation; giving  them extra strength to defend themselves. However when stress gets out of control it is harmful to their health, destroying people’s relationships and the enjoyment of their life.

Experts have developed treatments to help the unhappiest to improve their emotional state and therefore their health and happiness. Psychiatrists treat children, teenagers and seniors because the unhappiness and stress has not preference for age. Many management programs can teach them about the nature of stress and its sources, and the negatives effects that it has on health. Many therapies have been created like cognitive-behavioral therapy, group therapy and exposure therapy. In the same way alternative treatments have been developed like, Massage therapy, Acupuncture, Acupressure, Diet, Meditation, Yoga, Breathing exercise, Tai Chi and Sound therapy. The uses of many pharmaceuticals are considered to avoid stress and achieve happiness like Vitamins B6, B complex, C, Panax Ginseng, Valerian and many more.

Jose F. Torres

Complaining vs. Fixing vs. Accepting
As human beings we are always complaining about any situation in our lives, whether is professional or personal. However, when we complain we try to find a solution to the problem and if that solution solves our problems acceptance is the result. My biggest complain in my life right now, is the fact that it seems that I do not have enough time in the day to finish anything. I work full-time, I go to school full-time and I’m also a husband and a father. There are times that I just cannot finish one thing alone, it frustrates me that I cannot fulfill one task. The only solution that I’ve found so far is to wake up earlier in the day and manage my time better, I have made myself a schedule on how to do things; I read during my train back home and when I’m eating my meals I finish my homework. Sometimes my wife gives me ideas on how to do my projects, but basically I do it all alone. I know that my life is hectic and I complain a lot, but I’ve tried to find a solution to my problem and I think that I am managing my time better.
Real Love vs. “The Ideal”
I think that real love and the ideal love are halves truths, we are always in the search of happiness especially happiness in love. Men and women have different ideas on love, women from the moment they are born they are thought that at one point in her life she will find prince charming. She starts watching fairy tale movies that shows prince charming being tall, dark and handsome; sensitive and especially always agreeing with her, which in real life is not always true. Men in the other hand do not have that kind of perspective; we want someone that wants us and of course if that person looks like Megan Fox it would be the ideal. However reality hits, we could be prince charming and be tall, dark and handsome; but there will always be issues that as a couple might not agree with. When I got married I thought life would be easier since I found the woman that completed me, with her I ended my search for companionship she is the person that understands me and gets me. My ideal woman is someone that loves to run like I do, loves to have everything in order and precisely
clean; but my reality is that my wife is my complete opposite, but I think that is why that after almost ten years of marriage I’ve realized that I love her more now than I did back then. One can create an ideal person that would understand one’s needs, but when reality sets in we have no other choice than to accept it.
Spending More Time with Loved Ones
I am guilty of not spending time with my loved ones it is not that I do not want to, but I just do not have enough time for it. The little time off that I have I use it to entertain my four year-old daughter and usually she leaves me exhausted. Mu family understands my sacrifices and they are willing to forgive the lack of attention that I give to them. I really make a huge effort to satisfy my family and spend time with them, and when I do I am the happiest of all men. My mother lives in Ecuador and I bring her here every year, because I cannot travel at the moment; I do not have any vacation days left. This year has been a difficult one, I lost a very important person in my life and I feel guilty that I could not spend time with him in his last days. It wasn’t that I did not want to I just couldn’t, and because of that I’ve made a priority in my life that I need to have my family and loved one around me at all times; because I’ve never known how long I would have them around and I do not want to miss anything in their lives.

Cultivating Happier Romantic Relationships

ENG 101

Professor: McCormick

Jose F. Torres

 Cultivating Happier Romantic Relationships

Human beings are always in search of the perfect partner, the person that will complete us and understand us.  In my opinion, it is more important to cultivate a relationship instead of finding the perfect mate; someone that shares the same activities as I do.  Every person is different the trick is to find the one person that will click with my personality.  However, it is difficult and it takes hard work to cultivate a relationship and build intimacy.  To shape a relationship to the point where both partners are happy with each other, takes years and lots of different opinions about different matters.

Everyone is in the search of the perfect partner, the person that will make us happy forever.  I think is overrated and downright unrealistic. It is more important to cultivate a relationship than just have one.  It is a fact that nobody is perfect.  I think our society has ingrained us with the thought that such idea exists, if that idea is correct there would not be many divorce cases in our society.  It is a fact that fifty percent of marriages end in divorce, I think people that are going through that went into the marriage thinking that they “found” the perfect mate; but reality sets in; finding a person that feels attracting towards another person is not difficult, I think the whole problem lies on the fact that looks are really not everything; that is a phrase that our parents always tells us in fact is true.  Intimacy is not always linked to sex, the other kind of intimacy; the one that getting to know someone in an intimacy level is beautiful, knowing that person’s attitude towards life, morals, religion, politics, etc.  I think now is easier just to give up, technology has made it easier. We can talk to new people every day in many different ways; there are social networks, video chats, and the internet.  We are constantly bombarded with the different options that we might tend to forget what we have at home.  Since we have other options, the minute that we see trouble or sense danger; some people just cop out and do not give the relationship the time that it needs to develop.  My grandparents remained marry until the day that one of them died.  Nowadays, we act surprise when a couple is together seven years; and sometimes people ask what the secret is.  I think we owe it to ourselves to give a chance to real love and let it develop to what it might surprise and be the perfect relationship.

The moment that we have established a relationship with another person, the key to cultivate a happier romantic relationship is to shape it to a degree that both people would comfort in each other.  I have been married for almost ten years, and I must say that my wife and I are complete opposites; we had had our struggles during this time.  She is very free-spirited and I am stricter and follow rules, she looks at life as an easy road, no problems, no stress; she really does not get anything to her.  However, I look at life as a very hard road to walk on, my stress levels are high, and I am always thinking about our bills, our mortgage, what our daughter is going to be when she grows up.  Those are the things that stress me, but she does not let those things bother her.  In the beginning I found that kind of attitude insufferable and I thought she was crazy, I have never met anybody like that; that our opposite ways of handling problems cause us problem for ourselves.  It really took a while until we have figured out, we complement each other with our different looks on life; I am trying to be more spontaneous and lead a less hectic life, whereas she tries to lead a more discipline life, of course sometimes our old habits are difficult to brake and trouble arises; but she and I know that we have to make it work for our daughter and she deserves a happy set of parents and a healthy environment.

Another way to cultivate a happier romantic relationship is to share activities together, if a couple wants to be together they have to do things that each person will enjoy.  Even though sometimes my hobbies are not the same as my wife’s, but we have found our “thing” to do together we go almost every Sunday to do cross-training.  I love to run; my wife hates it with a passion.  I love to exercise and I do it every day, she might do it just to please me and I know she hates it; but we have found a common ground where we enjoy our favorite activities and do them while we are together.  She likes to walk in the park, I enjoy a good hiking.  And there are many more things that we share, but the point is that we make an effort to share our likes with each other.

In conclusion, I think romantic relationships are easy to find the real task is to learn how to be happy in one.  Cultivating a healthy and happier romantic relationship takes a lot of patience and learning what the other person thinks and feels towards life.  We have to find someone that shares our likes and dislikes, but before we enter any relationship we have to know that the ideal or “perfect” person does not really exist; nobody is perfect and everyone has flaws.  The trick is to mold each other until we find and have a healthier romantic relationship

Jose F. Torres

Complaining vs. Fixing vs. Accepting
As human beings we are always complaining about any situation in our lives, whether is professional or personal. However, when we complain we try to find a solution to the problem and if that solution solves our problems acceptance is the result. My biggest complain in my life right now, is the fact that it seems that I do not have enough time in the day to finish anything. I work full-time, I go to school full-time and I’m also a husband and a father. There are times that I just cannot finish one thing alone, it frustrates me that I cannot fulfill one task. The only solution that I’ve found so far is to wake up earlier in the day and manage my time better, I have made myself a schedule on how to do things; I read during my train back home and when I’m eating my meals I finish my homework. Sometimes my wife gives me ideas on how to do my projects, but basically I do it all alone. I know that my life is hectic and I complain a lot, but I’ve tried to find a solution to my problem and I think that I am managing my time better.
Real Love vs. “The Ideal”
I think that real love and the ideal love are halves truths, we are always in the search of happiness especially happiness in love. Men and women have different ideas on love, women from the moment they are born they are thought that at one point in her life she will find prince charming. She starts watching fairy tale movies that shows prince charming being tall, dark and handsome; sensitive and especially always agreeing with her, which in real life is not always true. Men in the other hand do not have that kind of perspective; we want someone that wants us and of course if that person looks like Megan Fox it would be the ideal. However reality hits, we could be prince charming and be tall, dark and handsome; but there will always be issues that as a couple might not agree with. When I got married I thought life would be easier since I found the woman that completed me, with her I ended my search for companionship she is the person that understands me and gets me. My ideal woman is someone that loves to run like I do, loves to have everything
in order and precisely clean; but my reality is that my wife is my complete opposite, but I think that is why that after almost ten years of marriage I’ve realized that I love her more now than I did back then. One can create an ideal person that would understand one’s needs, but when reality sets in we have no other choice than to accept it.
Spending More Time with Loved Ones
I am guilty of not spending time with my loved ones it is not that I do not want to, but I just do not have enough time for it. The little time off that I have I use it to entertain my four year-old daughter and usually she leaves me exhausted. Mu family understands my sacrifices and they are willing to forgive the lack of attention that I give to them. I really make a huge effort to satisfy my family and spend time with them, and when I do I am the happiest of all men. My mother lives in Ecuador and I bring her here every year, because I cannot travel at the moment; I do not have any vacation days left. This year has been a difficult one, I lost a very important person in my life and I feel guilty that I could not spend time with him in his last days. It wasn’t that I did not want to I just couldn’t, and because of that I’ve made a priority in my life that I need to have my family and loved one around me at all times; because I’ve never known how long I would have them around and I do not want to miss anything in their lives.