NEWSTART-CC Program: Cheerfulness
By Dr. Delfin R. Hernandez Jr.
Cheerfulness- Proverbs 17: 22 says “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” This is a Biblical verse that supports that cheerfulness is good to health. Smiling, happy mood, and thinking positive are very important to have health. Laughing must be practiced on a daily basis. Smiling and laughing are part of healthy and happy living.
Cheerfulness is a state of being happy and positive. The words related to cheerfulness are: glee, encouragement, gladness, gaiety, buoyancy, solace, comfort, liveliness, animation, exuberance, hilarity, joy, delight, geniality, merriment, optimism, jocundity, cheer, mirth, hopefulness. Smiling is the outward manifestation of cheerfulness.
Here are the prescribed health practices of our teachers and non-teaching personnel in regards to cheerfulness:
1. Teachers and non-teaching personnel always smile. The act of smiling activates neural messaging that benefits your health and happiness. ... The feel-good neurotransmitters—dopamine, endorphins and serotonin—are all released when a smile flashes across our face as well. It is good to our heart and the total health condition of our body.
2. They always think positively. Positive thinking (optimism) according to Myoclinic.org (2020) helps to have increased life span. It also lower rates of depression. It results to better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease. It is a better coping skill during hardships and times of stress. Leadingpersonality.wordpress.com defines positive thinking as a mental attitude in which we expect good and favorable results. In other words, positive thinking is the process of creating thoughts that create and transform energy into reality. A positive mind waits for happiness, health and a happy ending in any situation.
3. They enjoy watching happy movie or a movie that elicits laughing and smiling.
4. They avoid as much as possible to criticize or complain instead, they always think on how they can help to solve the problem- destructive criticism, complaining, murmuring and other forms of ventilating ill-feelings cannot do good. Instead, they always think that they should be a solution of the problem instead of aggravating the problem by complaining, accusing, griping, fretting, and grumbling.
5. They laugh and amuse on comedic films and nice entertainment- It is not wrong to laugh especially if the films we watch are comedic or amusing entertainment. Laughing is good to our health.
6. They avoid angry words or words of hatred- Instead, they surround their home with an atmosphere of cheerfulness, courtesy, and love. Ellen G White in her book Child Guidance p. 146 says: “Let the sunshine of love, cheerfulness, and happy contentment enter your own hearts; and let its sweet, cheering influence pervade your home. Manifest a kindly, forbearing spirit; and encourage the same in your children, cultivating all the graces that will brighten the home life.”
7. They always speak pleasant, cheery words- Unpleasant, moody words, harsh words pull anger and hatred. Educate ourselves and our children to speak words that will bring sunshine and joy. Ellen G. White says in the same book p. 147: “Children hate the gloom of clouds and sadness. Their hearts respond to brightness, to cheerfulness, to love.”
8. They cultivate a happy frame of mind- Happy thinking casts sunshine instead of a shadow.
9. They do good/help others who are in need/ do philanthropic, compassionate, generous activities- Doing good to promote human welfare produces intrinsic happiness and cheerful heart.
10. They sing a song/ play musical instruments/ do artistic activities- Singing a song, playing musical instruments and doing artistic activities provide happiness in the heart and satisfy self-fulfillment.