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Mind.Body.Spirit

We as humans have the ability to feel happy and to live in peace and harmony with one another and the earth.    Yet the reality of the human race is much different.   Thoughts of insecurity, aggression, stress, boredom, greed, depression, anxiety, emptiness, and violence dominate the human mind.   Why?  It doesn't have to be that way.

It is easy to fall prey to the negativity that happens in the world.  After all, we are exposed to a lot of evils throughout our lives.  It is also easy to feel insignificant and meaningless.  No matter how good you are at something, somebody else is better than you.   Most people cope with this negativity and emptiness in counterproductive ways, such as overworking themselves, blaming other people, turning to alcohol, drugs, food etc, or blindly adhering to specific religious beliefs in the hopes that they will be happy someday.    Unfortunately, the majority of these behaviors do not cause a sustainable form of happiness.  They get us caught into vicious dependent cycles of repetitive, desperate, and addictive behaviors.

The path toward permanent happiness, vitality, and inner peace comes from a simple premise: take care of your mind, take care of your body, and take care of your spirit.  Mind-Body-Spirit are interconnected in ways that most people don't realize, until they change their habits and feel the wonderful effects.   Here are some key things related to a healthy Mind-Body-Spirit for everybody.

• Live with humility for something bigger than yourself -- Jesus, Allah, Vishnu, Love, Nature, Health, Family, Humanity, Science, Fitness, Environment -- whatever works for you. (Do you know what you believe?)
   
• Spend time with people who are happy, supportive, energetic, healthy, and caring.  They can help you along your path of self-improvement, and positive habits are infectious.  There is a great social networking site called Zaadz which links like-minded people out there.  Also check out Global Mindshift.
   
• Retrain your brain to think positive thoughts, and to come to peace with negative memories.  Consider seeing a counselor to help get started.  It's amazing the things we overlook when we "try" to objectively assess ourselves.  Researchers have found that people who are happy live longer than those who are depressed. (13 years on average)
   
• Laugh often.  Find things to laugh at.  It instantly relieves stress and makes you happy. 
   
• Expose yourself to positive and inspirational stimuli - stories, quotes, music etc.  The news media is filled with negative, counterproductive stimuli.  Here are two of my favorites:   Desiderata   Promise-Yourself
   
• Eat healthy foods as a general rule.  A healthy diet greatly improves your health and happiness.
   
• Exercise your body every day.  Even if it is just a short walk.  Plus, more intense exercise releases endorphins, releases stress, and gives you a natural and healthy high.  For example, a Los Angeles study on troubled high school students found that the 90% of the students who participated in a voluntary program to train for a marathon graduated from high school, compared to 65% average across the city.
   
• Practice flexibility and core-strengthening exercises, such as yoga and pilates.   They help keep your body and muscles feeling mobile and loosened up, and help balance your posture and improve your symmetry.   These exercises help reduce joint and back pain, and feelings of lethargy.
   
• Exercise your mind. Learn new things. Explore crafts and hobbies. Use your imagination; try artwork or games or reading or writing. Challenge yourself. Take a class. Research has shown that exercising your mind staves of depression, lifts mood, improves the accuracy of your understanding of the world, and reduces your chances of brain dysfunction such as Alzheimers.
   
• Minimize alcohol and other drugs.  They depress your immune system and your energy level afterwards, condition your brain and your body to crave them, and prevent you from enjoying life "naturally".  One drink per day of dark beer or red wine has been shown to have health benefits; anything beyond one drink has detrimental effects on your health and energy level.
   
• Avoid medicines.  Except in extreme cases, they do not solve the problem; they patch up the symptoms, and cause more harm than good.  In fact, Medicine side-effects are the number one cause of death in the U.S.  It surpassed heart disease and cancer in 2003.   Study after study has shown that the vast majority of America's health problems are due to just three things: poor diet, lack of exercise, and psychological stress.
   
• Pray or meditate often to re-center yourself.  At a minimum, make time for peace and quiet each day.  Researchers have found that meditation actually rewires the brain in positive ways. 
   
• Get enough sleep.  Each person's sleep needs vary, but it is most likely between 7 and 9 hours for you.  75% of Americans do not get enough sleep.
   
• Enjoy "now".  Right now, this moment.   You are a living, breathing, miracle.  And if you let your brain stop thinking and worrying for a moment, you will have an amazing feeling of awe and fulfillment. Most people recognize the great feeling of being in this state via drugs, alcohol, or risky actions (sky diving, climbing, driving fast, etc).  You can actually feel this rush of life without exposing yourself to the dangers of these habits. There's a great book called "The Power of Now" which discusses this very effectively.
   
• Do good things unto others.  Make a gift for a friend, perform random acts of kindness.  You might be surprised how good it makes you feel.
   
• Spend time in nature.   This environment provides a soothing, peaceful feeling that cannot be reproduced anywhere else.  A Los Angeles study found that troubled students who were given the opportunity to spend time in nature significantly improved their grades (can't find the reference)
   
• Better understand yourself by reading books on psychology and taking personality tests.
   
• Contribute to society in a manner that appeals to your ideals, and that you enjoy doing.  Don't let anything significant in your life, especially your career, give you ennui!
   
• Make enough money to do the things you enjoy in life.   Beyond that, it doesn't matter how much money you make.  There is statistically no difference in happiness between those living in poverty and billionaires.

Check out RealAge; it has great information on Mind-Body-Spirit.

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inner peace leads to world peace leads to inner peace leads to world peace leads to inner peace

this page updated on November 19, 2006