How to live a healthy and happy life: stress managed is a life well lived

How can we ever hope to live well if our world is in a state of constant angst and stress and strain? And does it ever stop? Do things calm down? Does the news in the media ever get positive? How do we hope to live a life where our stress is managed if we are bombarded with bad news and frenetic activity? Happiness doesn’t just appear at the door, enter in, and become your world. If your mind set is off, you won’t even recognize opportunities for happiness when they appear. In order for us to receive happiness and then live a good and healthy life, we must be in shape for it. How does that happen? It happens when you allow yourself to train your mind and then take specific steps to find your heart, your life purpose, your love, your loves, what brings forth passion for you -- what prompts your creative side in ways that delight you. This is not frivolous ideation, this is actual science and it is about the connection between the mind and the body and it is one we each know very well – we simply have to tune in and tend to it. Do you look at people, perhaps yourself, who run frantic and buzz about their busy ness factor and their many crazy problems and see that they are invested in each aspect of it all? We can become nutty if we don’t pay attention to what it is we are doing each moment and being frantic is nutty. I had a business partner who would always inject into conversations how busy he is – “I have 500 me-mails to answer, I have 23 people wanting to see me and get my advice, I have a voice message center that is full…I have so much to do…….I am so busy”. It usually came at a time when he knew there was a request en route for some kind of help. I finally got tired of this game and boldly stated – does it ever occur to you that I actually have a busy schedule…..that I have many e-mails and phone calls and appointments………I just don’t talk about it, I don’t mention it……..He didn’t reply….and I continued with – it is a fact that we each get 7 days each week and each day has 24 hours and we are in charge of what we do with that time, how we allocate our energies across that time, we decide how to book it or release it but when one person proclaims how tied up they are, instead of sounding admirably important, it sounds arrogant and actually stupid – like you have forgotten to pay attention to getting some time to breathe and to rest……even world leaders schedule that time into their planners…….. The conversation ended with no further rebuttals of how busy and important he was but I know that I observe this man and the degree to which he is stressed -- he bites at people and he is curt and short and rude and actually cruel at times, really thoughtless. I worry for him because it all catches up to you….eventually. In fact, we are no longer business partners because I became so aware of this counterproductive behavior and the impact of it on me and on the people we worked with, I decided I cannot afford to be a part of that kind of orbit -- it infects everything I am intentional about and I will not be surprised to hear about his early death, a terrible heart attack, or a huge stroke. Stress leads to major problems. We are each responsible for our life and our health. If we are to live a good life, we are called upon to be intentional and healthy in our thinking and in our follow through. It is tiring but it is also energizing. There are basic formulas to follow to begin the process of getting and being really well and here is the beginning: 1. As you awaken each day, begin with a vibrant thought of how you want to unfold a beautiful and productive day that is filled with greatness, joy, and love; 2. get out of bed earlier than what you need to and have physical exercise become your first activity after a morning void and tooth brushing; 3. eat a great protein rich breakfast to attend to your brain and muscle mass so that you have the strength to accomplish a meaningful day; 4. determine that your heart and your mind are in unison and you’ll tune in an listen to both; 5. incorporate a relaxation exercise into your day.