But despite the difficulty, we know we shouldn’t just give up and resign ourselves to a life of obesity, perplexity, melancholy, and debauchery.
Here are the foundations of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness that we should use as anchors for a life that’s well-lived and maximized to its full potential.
Regular Exercise
Hitting the gym would be awesome, but not really necessary. Going for a run regularly is also great, and if even that’s too strenuous, merely going for a walk can do wonders for your physical well-being.
You can also sneak in some form of exercise throughout your busy workday by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to your lunch appointment three blocks away instead of calling an Uber, or taking the train to work instead of bringing your car.
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Healthy Diet
So much has been said about diets and calories to the point that it can all be so confusing, So for the sake of simplicity, here are the basics that we should all keep in mind.
Eat less—
carbohydrates, namely bread, rice, and pasta, among others
beef, pork, and chicken
fried and oily dishes
during nighttime
Eat more—
vegetables, the leafier the better
fruits, or natural fruit juices
boiled dishes
during breakfast
Regarding portions, always remember what your mother told you: always leave the table a little hungry.
Also, it can’t be emphasized enough that drinking plenty of water every day is key in keeping us in tiptop shape. Stay away from soda, artificial fruit juices, and sugary drinks.
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Work-Life Balance
You have twenty hours a day: work for eight, sleep for eight, and live for eight. That’s work-life balance. An hour or two of extra work is fine, but anything more would be less than ideal.
Also, during the times when you’re not working, make sure you’re not thinking about work, otherwise there won’t be much difference.
Stress can take a toll on your mental health. Avoid it by taking vacations regularly, and try not to take your work home.
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Constant Learning
Even if you’re no longer in school, you should always see yourself as a student. Make sure you’re always learning something new, especially when you’re retired. Not only is it beneficial to you in terms of personal enrichment, it’s good for you because it keeps your mind active, and a brain that never stops working is a major cornerstone of mental health.
Learn a new skill, a new language, a new recipe. It will stimulate you mentally, and the sense of accomplishment you will feel after successfully learning something new can also do wonders for your confidence.
Choosing Happiness
There would obviously be times when choosing happiness is impossible, like when you just lost a loved one or suffered a bitter breakup. But we can all choose to be happy during the regular, non-traumatic times, which would generally be around ninety percent of the time.
Choosing happiness is about counting your blessings, being optimistic, seeing the glass as half-full, and looking at the bright side of things. Try to make it a habit. It can be the most important thing you can do for your emotional well-being.
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Avoiding Toxic Company
We’ve all known people who simply can’t, or just refuse to choose happiness, and most of the memories we have of them are when they were complaining, moping, whining, or lashing.
Try your best to be a good friend, but you should also know the limits. You shouldn’t reach the point when you’re reduced to being a dumpster for rants and outbursts. We do our best to help but it shouldn’t be at the expense of our own emotional wellness.
Conversely, of course, don’t be the toxic company. As previously stated, choose to be happy.
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Being A Good Person
No matter which religion you belong to, no faith would ever urge you to be a bad person. And you’d be hard pressed to find an atheist who strives to be evil.
Being good makes us proud of ourselves, and having a healthy self-image is vital in keeping ourselves spiritually well. Kindness also endears us to other people, because compassion begets compassion, and love begets love.
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Praying
Whether as part of an organized religion or not, we should all pray. Maybe not necessarily pray to a higher being, but more meditate on, within, and about the world of which we are a part.
Praying is the window through which we concede our inconsequential existence to the infinite whole. Understanding how life matters most, and at the same time, doesn’t matter at all in the grand scheme of things, is the ultimate essence of spiritual enlightenment.
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