In my travels through “Google-land” I came across this list of how to improve your mental, emotional and physical health. Upon careful reflection, it mirrors many of the tools and suggestions for working a program of recovery.
1. Eat healthy, nutritious, whole foods. Minimize processed foods and foods high in sugar, saturated fat and salt. If you regularly consume processed foods high in sugar, saturated fat, and salt, you have to fight even harder to stay balanced. You have to fight against yourself. Think of it this way. Your body is like the car you drive. If you regularly abuse it and starve it of the fuel it needs to function properly (i.e. essential vitamins and nutrients), then it simply will not be able to perform under any sort of pressure. Everything is connected – our minds and our bodies are one.
2. Exercise regularly. Our bodies are meant to move. A natural mood-booster, regular exercise has been proven to reduce anxiety and depression. It has also been shown to improve memory and brain power.
3. Commit to sleeping 7 – 8 hours a night, consistently. Lack of sleep is proven to cause great stress on the body, physically, mentally, and emotionally. The importance of good sleep hygiene cannot be stressed enough.
4. Adopt a mindfulness practice such as meditation. Meditation has been proven to help relieve stress, manage chronic pain, help with depression and anxiety, as well as enhance feelings of compassion, calm, and peacefulness.
5. Spend time outdoors on a consistent basis. Time in Mother Nature has been shown to have a restorative effect and to help both attention and impulse control. As a species, much of our evolution is rooted in our connection to the earth. It is only in recent modern times that we have been disconnected from that source.
6. Practice the art of listening. So often, miscommunication is what leads to our daily stresses and relationship troubles. Really listening and reflecting back what another has said to you will go a long way to improving your life and your relationships.
7. Begin a gratitude journal. It’s easy to lose sight of all your blessings, especially when you are going through tough times. Keeping a journal in which you write five things each day that you are grateful for trains your mind to seek out gratitude moments throughout your daily life.
8. Live each day as if it were your last. Just as it is easy to lose sight of our blessings, it is also easy to lose perspective. When you find yourself getting caught up in your sadness, depression, or anxiety, ask yourself, “How would I handle this if I knew today was the last day of my life?” It may sound morbid, but it will quickly put things in perspective for you.
9. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Change is not comfortable. It’s not supposed to be. If you remain “comfortable” you will never successfully achieve any resolution you decide to adopt. In those moments when it feels like your whole body is itching to go back to its old ways just for the sake of comfort, push through. Remind yourself that the itch you feel is just a symptom of the change you are making and that it’s a good thing.
Emotional Sobriety And Food 