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Do you feel overwhelmed with your todo list? Is "creating fulfilling happiness" missing from that list? Everyday Happiness with Katie Jefcoat is here to help you. In 2-minutes a day, over time, you’ll discover how to reduce overwhelm and create lasting happiness through Katie’s signature method of Intentional Margins, happiness science, and musings about life. Start your day with a positive mindset. Many of us can get deep in the feeling of overwhelm. The anxiety of our own ambition can weigh heavily on our thoughts and emotions. We lay down and close our eyes at night and our chest begins to feel heavy. More items on the to-do list than the day before. How will we ever going to get off the hamster wheel of to-dos? When are we going to start living life for more than the hustle? As a recovering lawyer and passion driven entrepreneur, Katie knew something had to change. What she found is that you can have harmony, be intentionally productive and create massive impact, all at the same time - without feeling guilty. So she asked herself a simple question: "How can I get off the hamster wheel and how can I show others how to do the same? She knew she'd had a system for herself, but she’d never put it into defining words. On August 15, 2019, she sat down at her dining room table with her friend Jenna (her business bestie). Post-It notes covering the table. This is where she first defined the concept of Intentional Margins. What are Intentional Margins? INTENTIONAL MARGINS™ (n): A buffer of space and time to create harmony between your to-do’s and your priorities. Now you can get the support you need to manage your overwhelm, one little tip at a time. Regardless of the industry, Everyday Happiness blends inspiration with a pragmatic approach to finding Harmony. You'll be encouraged to throw “balance” out the window for a more achievable approach called harmony. Through Intentional Margins™, you'll be encouraged to develop what harmony means to you, by identifying your priorities at work and at home. Every day, we'll end the podcast help you feel equipped to jump off the hamster wheel of overwhelm and go out there and crush your day. --About the Host-- Katie Jefcoat is a community curator, speaker, author and motivator who supports ambitious women (and a few good men) move from feeling hectic to harmonious. As a recovering trial lawyer, she knows first hand what it feels like to have a demanding job. As an entrepreneur with a passion that lights her hair on fire and a busy family she’s in the thick of it with you. Many people strive for balance and think overwhelm is just a part of life. Sadly, the hustle culture and our never-ending to-do list is creating a life where our priorities are getting the leftover scraps of time. Katie introduces people to what she calls - Intentional Margins™ - a kind of life in which they reduce randomness, create harmony between their to-dos and their priorities and intentionally enjoy the meaningful parts of life - without feeling guilty. Without exposure to a different way, we remain stuck on the hamster wheel of to-dos and never find the “balance” we yearn for. Katie works diligently to expose her community to different ways of doing things, because she fundamentally believes we deserve to make time for our priorities. We deserve to live a life of harmony. And it’s within our control to create it. Katie curates a smorgasbord of content related to managing your calendar, handling overwhelm, setting boundaries, reducing randomness, saying no, self-care, the power of your choices, and more in her Intentional Margins™ Membership Community -- which she calls the coziest virtual coffee shop (on Facebook). Connect and learn more at www.katiejefcoat.com.
Episodes
Saturday May 21, 2022
Saturday May 21, 2022
Science has shown that kindness improves our happiness and health on genetic, physical, mental, and emotional levels. Learn more in this podcast, part two of two!
Transcript:
Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in 2-ish minutes a day, through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life.
I'm your host Katie Jefcoat and today we are talking about the science of kindness. Some people out there will say that kindness isn’t a science, but I am here to tell you that they are wrong and I have proof. Today, I am going to give you three scientific examples of how kindness is scientific.
Example #1 is that kindness is in our genetic wiring.
Studies have shown there are 15 levels or variants in the oxytocin receptor gene. Remember, oxytocin is the hormone that promotes compassion, kindness, and empathy. These levels have lighter variants, the kinder variants, and darker, the less inclined to be kind variants. What does this mean? This research shows us that kindness is in our genetic wiring.
Example #2 is that acts of kindness boost happiness.
The National Library of Medicine performed a 7-day experiment on how specific kindness activities affected happiness levels. They compared acts of kindness to strong social ties, weak social ties, novel acts of self-kindness, and observing acts of kindness against a control group with no acts. That was a mouthful, huh?
Well, the results indicated that
- Performing kindness activities increased happiness.
- There wasn't a difference in who the act was performed to.
- There was a correlation between the number of actions and the increase in happiness.
This shows that acts or observance of kindness to yourself or someone else, stranger or friend, boosted happiness.
And Example #3 is that performing acts of kindness provides physical, emotional, and mental health benefits.
Studies have shown that performing a SINGLE act of kindness floods your body and the recipient’s body with feel-good hormones that make you calmer, happier, and healthier. They include:
o Serotonin which heals wounds, increases calmness, and promotes relaxation
o Endorphins which reduces pain
o Oxytocin which reduces blood pressure
These same studies have also shown that performing acts of kindness can:
o Reduce stress, anxiety, and depression
o Reduces aches and pains
o Increases confidence
o Increases longevity
Living longer, feeling better, and being more relaxed just from one little act a day! I don't think that it gets much better than that.
To finish out this episode, I am going to leave you with a quote and challenge you to think about how you can spread kindness. “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”- Aesop, the ancient Greek storyteller.
So go out there and spread some kindness today, because, remember, kindness is contagious.
Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness
And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram
Links: https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/
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