It's about getting basics right

AS I SIT here on my porch, sucking in the fumes of nature, it makes me realise how trees make me happy.

Often in life it is the simple things that give me joy and contribute to my well-being than a new adult toy (no, not that kind) or an overseas trip.

Indeed, it seems we often orchestrate our activities towards a constant burst of happiness, but we don't attend anywhere near enough to the basics of being human.

Although terrific advice is out there in how to achieve happiness (develop your growth mindset, practise optimism, show gratitude, volunteer your time, increase positive emotions, listen to music, connect with family and friends), it all sort of falls over if you don't get the basics right first.

Think of it as a ladder; the first few steps represent good sleep, eating and exercise. If you don't get these right first, you're constantly trying to climb the ladder from halfway up the rungs. I've tried it, and it is hard to do.

I think so often we involve ourselves in activities to make ourselves feel psychologically happy but we fail to prioritise the basic building blocks of being human. Let me give an example.

Last year, I was in the first year of my PhD, which was superbly interesting, challenging, and growth promoting, but terrible for my physical health and bottom size. I was contributing loads to my psychological well-being but my physical health suffered. I sat the whole time and felt stressed more than I would have liked. Going into 2015, I wondered how I was going to do this again.

Then I went to a two-day meeting with some serious brains and bodies. A professor, my PhD supervisor, a nutritionist, athletes, researchers and a nurse ... and everything changed. The purpose of the meeting was to review data from the Sovereign Well-being Index. The Human Potential Centre at Auckland University of Technology has aligned with Sovereign Insurance to produce the country's first comprehensive survey measuring the well-being and quality of life of New Zealanders - the Sovereign Well-being Index. You can check it out at www.mywellbeing.co.nz. You can also take the quiz to see how well you are living, and how you compare with others.

At the start of the meeting, the professor was identifying an agenda for the next two days, when my supervisor said something genius. "Let's first establish our well-being activities (exercise, fun, eating, sleeping) then plan our work around those." This was a light bulb moment for me.

So this year I am off my bottom and planning my work around well-being activities, such as sleep, good nutrition, exercise, play time with the family and a chardonnay with Chrissie down the road every now and then. There is not the time to do everything you want to do, sometimes you have to prioritise what is important and work the rest around it.

In this fast-paced world, we often take our health for granted - working a little longer, having a few more drinks than we should and resorting to takeaway food more.

I wonder how all this compromising of good health restricts our ability to achieve gutsy happiness?

So for the rest of 2015, I say: "Three cheers for getting the basics right in life." Take the first few steps on the ladder and I reckon you'll gain more out of life this way.

A registered psychologist with a masters in applied psychology, Wanganui mother-of-two Kristen Hamling is studying for a PhD in positive psychology at Auckland University of Technology.