Playtime & Happiness!

Eku ipalemo odun o! Wow, it`s December! Glad we made it so far! I can almost bet that your first impression about the word, Playtime is kids. Playtime is not only for children. It is important to your stress level and your happiness quotient. It is important that you should have at least one activity that you do regularly just for fun. Hobbies and other fun activities provide a fun way to sharpen skills, express your creativity, or just blow off steam. Also, when you get really engrossed in an activity you enjoy, you can experience a state of being known as flow, in which your brain is in a near-meditative state, which has benefits for your body, mind, and soul. Hobbies and fun activities can bring added joy and happiness to life. In fact, some people have even been able to turn their hobbies into careers at some point and end up with a lifestyle where their work is their play. Another benefit of fun is the lift in mood that it can bring. Beyond merely bringing positive feelings to your life, doing things that get you into a better mood can actually make you more resilient toward stress. Enjoying activities that are pure fun, known as pleasures, or activities that challenge you in just the right way, known as gratifications, can lead to an upward spiral. Playtime is important to you as an adult too! Finally, as it has been mentioned in all the posts so far especially this year, having fun with others such as your association can bring a sense of connection that strengthens relationships and builds social support. By bonding with others while having fun is good for you, and for those close to you. It's more than a frivolous pursuit; it's important for your overall wellbeing. If you are lacking in this area think about it and turn a new leaf from 2019. We celebrate with you if you were born in December! Wishing you and all a Divine December!

Olusegun,

YAJ President.

Thanksgiving & Happiness.

It`s November everybody! Unbelievable!

We should be counting our blessings and giving thanks to the higher being, friends, and family who have helped us in one way or another through the year. Researchers at several institutions have come up with evidence that simply showing gratitude may be among the most powerful -- and underused -- forces in our lives. It can strengthen relationships, and make us happier and more satisfied with our lives. There is compelling evidence that expressing gratitude regularly can change a person's life. A scientist said that giving gratitude is an emotional reaction and a way of looking at the world. Giving thanks is a sustainable approach to life that can be freely chosen for oneself. It is choosing to focus on blessings rather than burdens, gifts rather than curses, and people report that it transforms their lives. It also strengthens our relationships. The scientist said, not only do we get the internal, personal benefits but also the external relational elements that are less likely to happen if the gratitude stays silent. Giving thanks is good for the giver, as well as for the receiver. This has been documented in friendships, associations, romantic partners and spouses. One study showed that the mere expression of thanks more than doubled the likelihood that helpers would provide assistance again. Bottom line everybody will be happy. So, don`t let us find gratitude so difficult to express! With all that said, thank you all for reading the posts so far and for all your comments. If you were born in November congratulations! November is the only month with No, which means No more one~ step~ forward and 2~ steps~ backward for you and all and we celebrate with you. Have a wonderful month!

Olusegun

President, YAJ.

Engagement and happiness.

 Hello everyone,Eku deede iwoyio!

It`s October again everybody and the beginning of festivals till the end of the year! While we know that the pursuit of happiness is a universal human trait that crosses nations, it is believed that different cultures may vary in the ways happiness is attained and fulfilled. There have been many debates and cultural studies regarding happiness. Happiness arises most from these well-being constructs: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Purpose, Accomplishment, Security (physical and financial) and Health. Let`s look at Engagement as almost all have been talked about in the previous posts.

Engagement here refers to a deep psychological connection i.e being interested, engaged, and absorbed to a particular activity, organization, or cause. Complete levels of engagement are known by psychologists as a state of flow, i.e. a state of single-minded immersion or an optimal state of concentration on an intrinsically motivating task. Awareness of time may fade when you are engaged and happy. Happiness is a constant work in progress as it goes through re-evaluation and never-ending negotiation and adjustments. We celebrate with you if you were born in October. Wishing you and everyone a fruitful October.

Olusegun

President, YAJ

Social Intelligence & Happiness

Hello everyone, eku deede iwoyi o

It`s September and glad we survived the hot and humid months depending on where you`re located.

While some people may seem to develop social intelligence without really trying, others have to work to develop it. Luckily, certain strategies can help a person build social skills. These tactics can help you develop social intelligence:

a.     Respect cultural differences.

b.     Practice active listening.

c.      Appreciate the important people in your life.

d.     Pay close attention to what (and who) is around you.

e.      Work on increasing your emotional intelligence.

Social intelligence isn’t easy to master—if it were, there wouldn’t ever be another awkward conversation at a party, friends, and families or anywhere. However, working toward a strong social intelligence can lead to a richer life, a happier life, or, at least an easier time making a few new friends and maintaining the old ones. Study of social situations and Pay attention to what people are doing well and mistakes you want to avoid. Afterward, think about what you want to do differently in the next social situation you enter. Get proactive about improving your skills and see how your community will be influenced by you.

We celebrate with you if you were born in September, we wish you and all a Successful September!

Olusegun

YAJ President

Friends vs. wellness, happiness and more.

Hello everybody, E ku deede iwoyio!

Remember the first message of the year (Jolly should be all the time). It stated that it is important to take time to nurture your relationships and have some fun. Take it a bit further, we all need a good friend in our lives—someone that isn’t family, that isn’t a lover, that we simply truly enjoy being around and who enjoys being around us, because who that person is can have more of an effect on your health, happiness, success etc. than you probably know. It’s well documented that a good friend truly improves your life. A good friend with an active lifestyle can encourage you to step out of laziness and complacency and try something physically challenging. Those with strong, positive social relationships have been shown to have lower blood pressure, better hormone function, stronger immune systems and even reduced inflammation. Nothing can replace the one-on-one connection between two good friends chatting about coding, astronomy, horticulture, filmmaking, or whatever is on the menu that day. Take a moment to consider how your association has improved or could improve your life, whether it’s intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, or physically. Good friends as a group or as an individual are a true gift that nothing else can beat.

It is a fact that some friends can bring you down, both energetically and emotionally, but what about the one that has helped you through the tough times? One that encourages you to be the person you’ve always dreamed to be? Our friends are hugely important to our wellness and success in life. When you surround yourself with good vibes and good people all the time, you`ll definitely be smart, healthy, successful and happy.

 We celebrate with you if you were born in August. Wishing you and everyone an Augustus visitation in this month!

Olusegun,

President,

YAJ 

The Effect of Social comparison

Hello everybody, E ku deede iwoyio!

Social comparison is a common human dynamic that first rears its head when children are very small, in the days of toddlers wanting whatever toy is in the hands of the kid next to them. It gains momentum in elementary school when kids follow fads, and it’s noticed when someone isn’t watching the same shows or playing the same games as everyone else. High school, the world of brand names, popular music, cliques and “fear of missing out” is when social comparison really takes hold, and it never quite goes away as people focus on getting into the better colleges, landing the better jobs, marrying someone their friends might envy, and building a picture-perfect life with them. Once we have kids, we rejoin the cycle through them. As adults, we face many of the same social comparison pressures as teens to one degree or another: comparing our looks, our social status, our material items, even our relationships. This is natural human behavior, and it’s designed to help us live together as a cohesive group, to help us learn from one another, and to keep us from falling too far behind our potential. It also helps us to define ourselves, to gauge how we’re doing in various areas of life based on what appears to be possible, and can even seem to help us feel better about ourselves in many cases. Hence, belonging to an association or more will in most cases have a positive influence in every aspect of your life and should be used to your advantage and to helping others in turn.

We celebrate with you if you were born in July! Wishing you and all a Jubilant JULY!

Olusegun

YAJ President 

Happiness, health, serenity and meaning in life.

Hello everyone or E ku deede iwoyio!

Sometimes life is brutally challenging, and there is no easy way to get over, under, or around it. This notwithstanding, we always have choices. We can focus our conscious attention more on our problems or on potential solutions. We can learn and practice how to become more aware of our thoughts and attitudes and use this awareness to shift our experience toward higher levels of satisfaction and happiness. The all-important space between what life presents to us and how we respond to it is ours alone. We can seek to avoid our emotional and physical pain or learn how to accept what we can’t change while building the skills to change what we can. If you want to be happier in ways that are more likely to endure, the most effective approach is to participate in activities that have meaning and value beyond your own self-interests. Such as being of service to families, friends, neighborhood and community, organizations, social causes, etc. The intriguing paradox of service is that through the act of giving, we receive. Research has shown that having purpose and meaning in life increase overall well-being, life satisfaction, and, yes, happiness.

We celebrate with you if you were born in June! Wishing you and everyone a Joyous JUNE!

Olusegun

President of YAJ