If You Want to be Healthy,  Remember Your MEDS

Acheiving a healthier life is simple. Not in the sense that it is easily accomplished. On the contrary, it takes work to build and maintain a healthy body and a healthy life (not TOO much work if you go about it the right way...). But what goes into creating a healthy life is really pretty simple. There are four major factors:

• Mind Set
• Exercise
• Diet
• Sleep

Sure enough, the key to maximizing your health and vitality is to remember your “MEDS”. The way that you eat, exercise, sleep, and think about yourself and your life have a greater impact on your health and quality of life than any other variables you can control. Take care of these four things, and, for the most part, robust health, as well as the energy and confidence to acheive your goals, will follow. 


The Pillars of Health

1. Mind Set

A positive mind set is critical to every aspect of our existance – our physical and mental health, our performance in school, work, or sports, and even the health of our relationships. Extensive evidence links feelings of anxiety and depression to substantially increased risks for heart disease, cancer, and other medical conditions. Decades of psycological research has shown an overwhelmingly strong link between a positive self image and performance at both school and work. And any psychiatrist (or anyone who's at all introspective who has ever dated) will tell you that the way we see ourselves is one of the most powerful variables influencing our relationships - friendships included. The first step to living a more positive, engaged, healthy life is begining to develop a positive mind set.and a positive self image.

Developing a positive mind set involves, first and foremost, making the decision to abandon negative modes of thinking and willing yourself to focus on positives. Life is invariably filled with ups and downs. We can’t always control this. What we can control is our reactions to what life serves us. This may sound simplistic, but it’s not. When faced with problems, we can view them as obstacles standing in our way, or as challenges to be overcome. When we think about who we are, we can obsess on flaws, or find joy in and take pride in our strengths. The way that we perceive our reality, and especially the way that we perceive ourselves, comes to deffine our reality. If you believe that you are not smart enough, or strong enough, or good enough to succeed, you will never put yourself into a position to succeed. If you never see the opportunities that surround you, you'll never take advantage of them. Start to look for strengths in yourself before you think about your weaknesses. Commit to finding the opportunities in every situation, rather than looking at the difficulties and hardships in your life. Approach life from a positive perspective, and you will find ways to make positive things happen in your life.

Our perceptions shape our reality. The same thing holds true of our relationships. Whether it's your relationship with a friend an employee, a classmate, or a boss, the way that you perceive yourself in that relationship is the most powerful determinant of the nature of that relashionship . Believe that your boss hates you and that you will never get promoted, and it’s all but certain that you’ll be less motivated and personable at work. And guess what – your boss will pick up on this and you won’t get promoted. Believe that you can earn a teacher’s respect, and there’s a good chance that you’ll act in a way that does so. Better grades will probably follow. The effects of our self perception are especially powerful when it comes to our personal relationships. If we don't see ourselves as worthy of love and respect,  it's almost impossible to form loving, respectful relationships. Seeing ourselves and our relashionsips in a positive light leads to more positive relationships.

Frequently, developing a more positive self image requires some deep introspection. Maximizing Emotional Health deals with all of this at greater length.

The power of our mind set to influence the way we behave towards others – and thus the way they behave towards us – is considerable. But the power of our mindset to directly affect of our selves, - body, mind, and spirit - is even more profound. The way we think about ourselves and our lives influences our biochemistry, the function of our organs, and almost every other aspect of our physiology. The impact of mindset on our emotions is even more pronounced (read through Emotions and the Body for more).  Negative thoughts about ourselves, our lives, or the world have negatives consequences that ripple through every aspect of our being.

Committing to a positive mindset is critical to both mental and physical health. We’re not saying that you shouldn’t experience negative emotions. Anger, anxiety, stress, and grief are all parts of life, and dealing honestly with emotions is critical to health (again, see Maximizing Emotional Health).  But don’t let negative feelings or negative experiences lead to a negative outlook. Doing so will only ensure that poorer mental, and even physical health will follow.