Our brains are wired to experience joy or to suppress pain (whether physical or emotional), but are we also able to experience joy through the consistent practice of healthy habits? Those who know me well are aware that I embarked on a no-alcohol break about two-and-a-half years ago (well before the COVID-19 pandemic) and as I look back in hindsight, I’m able to observe that this pause has been about much more than changing one habit.
There was a period of time in my life in recent years in which I was dealing with a lot of personal turmoil and stress. Generally speaking, I’ve always been pretty conscious and diligent about ‘healthy-ish’ eating and exercise; however, during this period of time I was just increasingly feeling tired, less mentally sharp, as well as a bit down pretty much all the time. I wasn’t willing to accept that these were simply the result of ageing – not out of stubbornness but rather a deeply-felt belief that parts of my life were out of balance. So off on a journey I went, making some alterations to how I lived each day and committed to it for a while…at least long enough to see if things began to feel different/better.
Looking back, the past two-and-a-half years of subtle changes (and sticking to them) have reversed the fatigue, increased mental clarity, and, for the most part banished the blahs/blues. None of the lifestyle/health habits I’ve incorporated (or changed) are revolutionary, nor are they difficult to implement. Overall, a summary of how to diagnose your current situation as well as to learn about which habits may help you to feel better, have a read of the following:
- Pursue personal learning/knowledge about shame, guilt, trauma and emotional and physical pain in general. Why? Because until we know what’s at the root of our turmoil, and how to deal with it, lifestyle/habit changes will primarily be window-dressing and we won’t be able to sustain them – we can’t pacify pain through avoidance, rather we need to address it at its’ source. This really is the foundational step; I will write about resources in future posts but feel free to ping me if you want some insights into my reading/resource list.
- Take moments to reflect on your sources of stress and pain. How do these make you feel? What do you seek in order to quell these? It might be a drink (or several) or other substances (weed, drugs (prescription or otherwise)) that alter our brain’s chemical balance, gambling, sex, ‘retail-therapy’, excessive social media use…this is not a comprehensive list but simply a few sources to which we may turn to avoid discomfort. It’s important to know what these are in order to create new habits/patterns that will benefit each of our unique situations.
- In conjunction with the two points above, all of the following (this is a tiny list from a multitude of others that would require a post that is way too long) will form a base of healthy habits that, if consistently applied, will help you feel better both physically and emotionally…and yes, some recurring joy (Note: this is just a starter list and there are many more that could form the basis of an entire book):
- Sleep more – make 7-hours of asleep time your daily average goal. Quality and sufficient sleep is foundational to overall health.
- Move your body more and ideally do it outside in the fresh air (or start to move it if your lifestyle is mostly sedentary). One of the simplest and healthiest ways to do this is to just start going for walks. Be kind and patient with yourself – if you have not done a lot of activity in recent times, simply start with fitting in a 10 minute walk a few times a week – this is a great achievement!
- Learn to clear you mind. It is often said that mindfulness is not controlling your racing thoughts but rather being aware of them. Whether it be guided or unstructured meditation, prayer or other spiritual/religious activities, setting aside specific time on a regular basis to be aware of your racing mind and to (hopefully) give it regular moments of rest will provide not only emotional benefits, but over time physical ones as well (through reduced stress levels and spillover benefits to mind and body).
- Learn to eat well and put this knowledge into regular practice. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum of omnivore to vegan there is a corresponding range of healthy to unhealthy ways to feed our bodies (and minds). Generally, most current and reliable sources of nutritional information recommend eating real food (i.e. not pre-packaged), with a predominant portion coming from the plant world (think vegetables and fruits), quality sources of proteins (think meat, fish, beans, tofu), limiting consumption of refined sugars and starches/carbs (think sugar (obviously), noodles, rice, crackers, packaged snacks, desserts), and not stressing about most fats with the exception of trans-fats (use a handy tool called “Google” to learn about these unhealthy ones).
- Cultivate meaningful and authentic personal relationships with others. The importance of having regular contact with other reasonably well-adjusted (emotionally, that is) humans is vital to our well-being. Social isolation is detrimental to us in multiple ways and the benefits of having meaningful connections provides numerous and profound benefits to our overall wellness.
Thanks again for taking the time to visit my blog and read this post. I plan to expand on the topics summarized above in future pieces that will delve a bit more-thoroughly into each subject area.
Have a great day
Karl
Coffee and Karma 