STAYING SPIRITUALLY HEALTHY

1. Keep your mind limber. In addition to the fact that staying mentally active is
emotionally rewarding, studies have shown that there is a correlation between mentallychallenging activities and a decreased risk of Alzheimer's. Never stop learning, even if
you feel like youre past your prime.[2]
1

There are some very simple ways you can use to exercise your mind. For example,

you can try taking a different route to work, or brush your teeth with the hand you don't
normally use.[3]
2

Read more, and challenge yourself with your reading selection. Alternate between

reading those pulp mystery novels you love, and classics like selections by Hemingway,
Twain, and London.
3

Solve puzzles and play games of strategy. These sort of games engage you mentally.

You could also learn to play an instrument. All of these activities have been linked to
improving your memory.
2. Strengthen your relationships. Prioritize developing meaningful relationships above
simply being social. Surround yourself with people that enrich your life and make you
happy. Practice self-disclosure, which means sharing things that are unique to you (your
thoughts, fears, favorite movies and music, pet peeves, etc.) with those you trust. This has
been shown to be of immense importance to not only forging deeper interpersonal
connections, but also feeling validated emotionally.[4]Learn how to have a healthy
relationship. Be open about what you are feeling, try to understand what others are
feeling, and be willing to compromise. If you think youre in a manipulative or
controlling relationship, get out of it. Its better to stand strong on your own than be held
back by a so-called companion.
Make the time to stay connected to your close friends. This does not just mean
posting a Youtube video to their Facebook page every once in a while. If you live far
away from your close friends, take the time to call them once every week. If you live
near your best friends, make time each week to stop in and catch up (even if you both
have busy work weeks/families etc.) Many studies show that people with a wide
range of social contacts get sick less than those who don't. Friends make you laugh,
and laughing is also an important part of health.
Enrich your sex life. In addition to the psychological benefits of a healthy sex life
such as reduced depression, a healthy sex life has been shown to have a wide variety

of health advantages including increased immunity, decreased pain, and better fitness.
[5] Better still, its something you can do with or without a partner. If you do have a
partner or partners, be sure to practice safe sex.
3. Pursue your passions. Set some time aside to practice an instrument, do an art
project, take photos, build models, weld, bake gourmet cakes, or whatever else
enriches your free time. If you want to learn something new, take an evening or
weekend class. If you cant think of anything interesting off the top of your head, take
the time to find a hobby.[6]If youre convinced that there isnt enough time in the day
to pursue any outside activities, try to cut back on a time-wasting activity like
channel-surfing or hitting refresh on Facebook. You may be surprised by how much
time you actually spend in front of a screen when you could be doing other things.
Join a group or club. Meeting up with people who share a common interest will
both get you out of the house and boost your sense of belonging. Join a book club, a
sports team, or a walking group. Pick up a community newspaper to find listings of
clubs located in your area.
4. Learn how to understand your emotions. It is important to be aware of what you are
feeling. When you are in touch with your emotions, you will be able to both recognize
when you are acting out because of your emotions and empathize more thoroughly with
others. Knowing yourself is a key part of having good mental health--its important to
know when something is making you unhappy so that you can either fix it or cut it out of
your life. Likewise, it is also good to recognize the things that make you happy.
Surrounding yourself with good energy will promote a happier, healthier you.Go to a
meditation group and learn how to focus your mind on the positive. Speak with a
therapist who will help you sort through your emotions. Enroll in an emotional awareness
course that teaches you to recognize, accept, and understand your emotions.
Learn how to cope with emotional pain and, if necessary, deal with emotional
abuse. Speak with a therapist or someone you trust. Bottling up your feelings will
only make your mental state more cluttered.

Boost your karma points. Doing good will make you feel good. When you put
positive energy out into the universe, that positive energy will come back to you.
Improving the lives of others will in turn, improve your own mental state because you

will know that you have done good by someone else.If you have some spare time,
allocate that time to helping others. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or animal shelter.
Work in the community garden or simply help a friend in some way.
6. Be aware of stressful factors in your life. Stress is unavoidable--whether you are
running late for work, or have to get a shot at the doctors office, it is normal to feel
stressed out. However, you can reduce your stress and learn how to manage your
reaction to stressful things. Be aware of the things that stress you out and try to avoid
those triggers.[7]For example, if sitting in traffic makes you stressed, avoid driving
during peak rush hour. If that means getting up early and getting to work early, then
find a coffee shop near your office and relax before work.
Get involved in stress-free activities. If you have noticed that you have a hard
time relaxing at night, take up yoga or meditation classes. After work or class, head to
your local yoga studio and learn how to focus your breath so that you feel all your
tensions unwind.
Take a few moments each day to release any stresses you have and focus on the
here and now. Instead of worrying about something that happened in the past, or
planning for the future, take a moment to notice what is going on around you.
Literally stop and smell the roses--feel the warm breeze on your face, notice the cloud
formations above you, focus solely on the things going on around you.
STAYING PHYSICALLY HEALTHY

Maintain healthy eating habits. Avoid fad diets-they are often incredibly unhealthy. To
get all the nutrition the human body needs, you must eat a balanced diet including
dairy, grains, protein, fruits and veggies, as well as fat (yes, even fat!).[8] By doing
so, you'll have a healthy heart, healthy brain, and a fully functional immune system.
Eating highly varied foods will also help insure you get all the vitamins, minerals,
oils, and enzymes your body craves.To lose weight, you must burn more calories than
you consume.[9] Thats all there is to it. With the exception of sweets, eliminating one
area of the food pyramid from your diet wont replace the need to simply consume
fewer calories.
Avoid skipping meals, which is hard on the body. Some people even recommend
eating up to six mini meals a day instead of three large ones, which can sustain energy

and steady blood-sugar levels[10]; however, many people end up turning their mini
meals into junk food sessions and end up consuming not just more calories, but
emptier ones.[11] Be honest with yourself before making this choice.
If you want to work on portion control, eat low energy-density foods (i.e. more
substance, fewer calories). Fruits and vegetables, for example, are packed with not
only vitamins and minerals, but also water and fiber, making them take longer to
digest and keeping you full longer.[12]
2. Drink more water. Water helps flush metabolic wastes to keep your metabolism in
top shape.[13] Water can also help you feel fuller, so drink at least a half-gallon (2
liters) of water every day (or more if you are active or live in a hot climate).Try to
drink water that has been purified. Tap water often contains things like chlorine and
fluoride that reduce the health benefits of drinking water.[14]
3. Sleep well every night. Adults should get 7 to 9 hours daily, whereas school-aged
children should get 10 to 11.[15] One of the absolute most important ways of improving
the quality of your sleep is to do it in complete darkness, as even small amounts of light
interfere with the chemicals that tell your body to rest.[16] If you cant eliminate the light
in your room, wear an eye mask. Another one of the best ways to improve your sleep is to
exercise.[17]Sleeping is also a good way to prevent overeating. A study by The American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrated that men who only slept for 4 hours
consumed, on average, 500 more calories than they did after sleeping for 8.[18]
4. Stick to an exercise regimen. If you dont want to pay for a gym membership,
trystrength-training at home. The muscle you develop will help increase your
metabolism: the bodies of muscular people burn more calories even while theyre at rest.
[19] To help you stick to your regimen, keep a workout journal. Plan out when and where
you will work out each week and stick to it. Each time you work out, write down what
you did and for how long.To keep your heart in shape, do cardio. One particularly
effective way to improve your cardiovascular health is to do interval training, which
means alternating between low- and high-intensity activity. This has been shown to be a
quick and extremely effective way to improve heart health and endurance.[20] (Anyone
over the age of 60 or who has heart disease, high blood pressure, or arthritis should
consult a doctor before attempting interval training.)

5. Limit your vices. Quit smoking, beat drug addiction, and, if necessary, stop drinking.
Avoid other risky behaviors like speeding, fighting, unsafe sex, and excessive thrillseeking.
6. Be hygienic. Wash your hands thoroughly after coming into contact with a sick person,
using the bathroom, or anything else that could make you sick. (If youre not sure what
thoroughly entails, sing Happy Birthday to You in your head as you scrub--when you
are done singing the song, you should finish washing your hands.) In addition to flossing
regularly, brush your teeth and tongue at least twice daily to limit plaque and harmful
bacteria. Take showers regularly. Schedule doctors and dentists appointments to make
sure everything in your body is working properly and you are as healthy as you can be.
7. Make little lifestyle changes. Dont tire yourself out by making large gestures toward
health without addressing the small stuff too. Instead of running yourself ragged at the
gym three days a week, park farther away from the store, walk the dog more often, take
the stairs instead of the elevator, or weed your garden; instead of attacking your veggies
and snacking distractedly in front of the computer or TV, set time aside to slowly enjoy
each meal and prevent mindless overeating.[11] Get your new habits to stick by tackling
them at the grass-roots level.Remember to do everything in moderation including
moderation. Turning each aspect of your life into something you need to check off a list
can not only make you feel trapped, but also make you more likely to fall (or possibly
even throw yourself) off the wagon. Allowing yourself the occasional indulgence to blow
off steam will make you much more satisfied with your new lifestyle choices. Give
yourself healthy rewards when you complete a week of your new workout regimen or
healthy eating plan.