How to Improve the Quality of Your Life
Every person can improve the quality of their life if they follow certain guidelines.
1). Be optimistic. Change your thinking to one of optimism and motivation. Thinking of things you can be thankful for is a great exercise every morning. Be thankful for life, for family, for the ability to see and to think. It doesn't matter what you put in the blank.
Many studies have been done to research the effects of optimism and motivation on our health. The study of health psychology seeks to understand how our ability to cope with stress can help us to prevent illness and promote health. Some of these coping mechanisms are naturally inborn but may be taught to those who lack them. Motivation is one of the tools that researchers are trying to use as a combatant of negative stress reactions.
Motivation is something that we use every day. It's what enables us to survive - to get food because we're hungry, to go to work to pay the bills or to educate ourselves in order to pursue a higher goal in life.
How we respond to life's demands can affect our overall health. Studies have identified those who respond to life with negativity or anxiety as most likely to deal with the physical affects of anger, guilt, nervousness, frustration and fear. These emotions can cause hypertension and high blood pressure which can lead to heart attack or stroke. Other complications include ulcers, arthritis, asthma and kidney disease.
Using positive self-talk and trying to restructure the way we look at events can offset the physical and mental effects of dealing with negative or stressful events in life.
It appears that people who tend to focus on themselves as the controller of their fate - in fact 'self-motivated' - are more likely to feel a sense of control when outside stressors affect them. Instead of blaming something or someone else they have the motivation to deal with a problem and look for a reasonable solution. This positive behavior helps them to achieve goals and find personal contentment.
People can train themselves to emulate this positive reaction to stress and use their motivation as a source of empowerment. Learning to manage stress and using motivation to set goals, work through a problem or fix it can in turn promote better mental and physical health.
2) The second guideline is to eat right. Eat more whole foods, less processed foods, and cut down on junk food. This may sound hard to follow, but it is so very important to your overall health. Whole foods improve your health and your immune system. Eat 7-13 servings of fruits and vegetables each day and reduce the amount of sugar and salt in your diet. You will notice a difference in your energy level and your overall health.
Besides eating the right foods you need to be careful not to overeat. Overeating causes us to age faster, increases wrinkles, and greatly increases our chances of acquiring many diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. If you need to, decrease the amount of food you eat.
3) Get adequate sleep. If you do not sleep enough your body is not going to function efficiently. It will even slow down your metabolism and make it harder for you to lose extra weight.
Also, a lot of hormones are secreted in high levels during sleep which allows your body to recuperate and repair. For example, if you exercise daily, not getting enough sleep will increase your chances of injury or failure.
4) Exercise regularly. The average person should try to exercise every day, raising their heart rate a little bit and keeping it there for 20 minutes or so. If you cannot do it every day or every other day, at least do it every three days. Studies have shown that after being sedentary for 72 hours the body's metabolism starts to decrease.
5) Find purpose in your life. Some people are not meant to be great actors but are the best teachers or chefs. Everyone has a purpose in life. Make a list of things you love doing and narrow it down from there. Identify your purpose or mission statement and you will find the compass that will point your way to fulfillment in life. Even people who have experienced horrendous illness have been able to survive for a long, long time because they had a reason to live. They have become incredibly useful individuals within their family and community despite their illness.
These five guidelines are very basic and within reach of most people. Followed closely they can lead to a longer, healthier and a more fulfilling life.