{On a somewhat related side note, for the well-being of the planet which sustains us, please do not waste food. If it is blemished, eat it before it goes bad. Don’t buy more than you can eat. Food that is grown and thrown away is a huge consumer of fuel and a gigantic waste of energy. Likewise, please minimize the use of gasoline and electricity in your commutes, travel, and indoor spaces.}

 

After these practices for good physical care of body and planet, good social interactions are the next most important practice. Surround yourself with people who are kind, cooperative, honest, hospitable, and helpful. Be the same for them; especially towards strangers, loved ones, and children. Share the stories of your experiences, both inner and outer, and listen closely to theirs. Try to take their perspective into heart and mind as you respond. Those who trust and risk the sharing of their inner world with another, and experience that person’s kind, loving response, are generally healthier and happier.

 

After these practices, the order becomes less definitive. Vigorous exercise is commonly named as the next most important practice. I prefer the term ‘physical movement’ to include exercise, hiking & walking, dance, work with the hands and body, cleaning house, and active play. Vigorous exercise does provide significant benefits for regulating body chemistry and mood. I tend to recommend cycling, swimming, rowing, weight-lifting, aikido, and yoga for cardiopulmonary health, muscular strength, proprioception, and balance.

 

Meditation very likely ties, if not exceeds, movement for its beneficial effects. Release for the moment any prior conceptions you may have of this term as a means to achieve a particular outcome like relaxation or bliss. Meditation is instead an active practice of noticing the distractions of a noisy mind. It is a repetitive practice of focusing attention (on the breath, a sound, a visual object, an activity), noticing when the mind wonders away from its focus, and gently, without judgment, calling it back to the focus of attention. Repeat this process over and over again in 5-20 minute increments each day or throughout the day. Your mind and Spirit will take it from there.

 

Identify an activity that brings you purpose and structure your day around it. This could be parenting children, earning an income, or working on a project. If it involves collaborating with other people and learning something new, even better. Limit the amount of money you spend, especially what you borrow to spend now only to earn extra to repay later. This lessens the pressure to earn greater and greater sums and thus experience the dynamics of power, inequality, resentment, and corruption which almost inevitably follow.

 

Another side note without going into details, spending less also preserves our air, water, and soil and thus the bodies which depend on them.

 

Last but never least, practice play, art, laughter, singing, dancing, and yes even crying. Allow self-expression. Engage in an activity which seems purposeless, where the method is generally known, but the outcome is not. Experience new things and learn from them. New people, new places, new foods, and new activities all count.

 

If you try these practices, you may find there is no need for mental health counseling, therapy, or medications. If you are carrying out these practices with some balanced regularity and still struggling with how you feel, or the way others are feeling and acting around you, or if you have not determined how to put them into practice, please feel free to contact me. You do not need to be unhappy, struggle, or suffer any longer than you already have. Find out more about becoming a client or my professional history.