Here at Optimal Healing we believe strongly in having specific goals to focus one’s efforts and to calibrate expectations.  In order to do that it is important to be certain we understand and define these goals.  First, I invite you to read the article “What Does it Mean to be Healthy?” which breaks down some assumptions about being “healthy” and “normal.”  Once these and similar assumptions are gone, we must set our own standards of health in their place.  As we covered in that article the absence of an obvious diagnoses is an extremely low standard that, in my opinion, is also irrelevant.  Not only are many people suffering and languishing without a clear or useful diagnosis, but also it is absolutely possible to have a vital, rich and meaningful life even with one!

In my opinion good health is more than the absence of a medical diagnosis.  True health is the result of expanding and integrating the mind, body, and spirit.  It is vitality, resilience, and living a purposeful and meaningful life.  I, therefore, invite the reader to think about what you really want when you visit this or similar sites.  What also do you want and expect from yourself? 

I want you to imagine and dream very clearly about what a healthy, fulfilling, vital life is for you.  Be specific.  Just saying you want to be healthier, feel better or have more energy isn’t actually helpful.  Want to be healthier?  Congratulations you had one less cold than last winter… great.  Wanting “more energy” is also too vague.  Anyone can do that with an extra cup of coffee or an extra hour of sleep.  Instead ask yourself what you want to do with your increased vitality, health, and physical comfort?  What could you explore and achieve?  How could your life expand and how could you contribute especially to the people you really care about? 

What does all that that mean to you?  What would it mean if you continued on your same path?  What would it mean to feel worse than you do now?  I want you to think deeply because I want you to really identify what you want and to get the emotional leverage to push thorough and get it!  Whether you are overwhelmed, comfortably uncomfortable, or in a bit of denial, I firmly believe all of this is an important first step as you move forward and attempt to aim upwards.

As you can see here the “optimal” part of the philosophy of “Optimal Healing” is not about quick fixes.  I am asking a lot of you, specifically to think methodically, deeply, “scientifically” and to pay close attention to the feedback you are getting.  I promise if you do so that you will not be wasting any time.  While this process of growth may not seem easy or quick it is the fastest and most comprehensive and effective way to find your peak level of performance.

You have to be the one to determine you own goals and expectations.  However the following is a list of things that are generally considered to be important components of a healthy, full and satisfying life.  Inventory your own life and consider what, if any, items you would like to work on.

• • 1. Your thinking is quick, clear, effortless and, generally, results in good decisions and positive relations with others.  Despite it being something most of us take for granted, brain health defines our lives.  Your mental clarity, moods, and decision making are what creates success, failure, or mediocrity in your life, finances, career and relationships.
    2. Just as you likely felt when you were younger, you generally feel good and comfortable.  You do not need (or are minimizing) drugs to start the day or to sleep, manage your moods, or other basic functions like digestion.  A healthy child doesn’t need a morning cup of coffee to be playful or interested in life.  Feeling that you need a cup of coffee to start the day, a drink to decompress after work, and a sleeping pill to go to sleep represents a significant loss and indicates things are not working as they should.  It can often be regained, but not if you simply accept it as “normal” or “normal aging.”
    3. There is love and connection in your life.  We are social animals.  We not only crave love and connection, we require it!  While other people are never the solution to our ills and issues a life will not be fulfilling, and most of us will not be our best, without it.
    4. You have a mission and interests.  Let’s face it: you’re probably not still reading just because “being healthy seems like a good idea.”  It’s also not enough to just reduce suffering.  Deep down we all want to get the most we can out of the little time we have.  We crave and need to do things that interest and excite us and to feel we are contributing and growing.  The whole point of working on our health is to increase our capacity to do these things for ourselves and with and for others.
    5. You are developing your spiritual side and find connection and fulfillment from forces that are outside and greater than yourself.  For some this will be in the form of religion; for others it could be an Eastern meditative practice.  Yet others may simply find it spending time in nature.  It is immensely empowering, grounding, and healing to feel this connection.  How this is achieved is as personal as it is worthwhile.

How are you doing?  What have you been working on?  What have you neglected?  If you are really feeling poorly you will be in survival mode and will simply not be able to be crushing that list.  That is OK.  These are still very worthwhile and attainable goals.  You still need to continue to have dreams even if they do not seem possible in the near term.

Even if your life looks pretty good when you review this list you still may want more.  That is great!  But in either case it will not be possible to start a program today that evenly and completely enhances all these areas.  How to enhance and integrate each of these items into your life is very complex.  Therefore, in future articles we will discuss and work though everything, step by step and in much greater detail.

Before taking on the items in that list directly you should first start with the basics; taking care of yourself properly and creating healthful routines.  Here are some starting points of healthful habits and routines to reflect on and integrate into your plan.

Make sure: 

• • 1. You are eating varied, high quality whole foods that you are confident give you all the essential building blocks and fuel for your body’s energy needs, repair, and maintenance.
    2. You are limiting foods, and other chemical exposure that unnecessarily stress the body.
    3. You regularly have healthy mild stress that is beneficial to the body (hormetic stress).  Some examples are exercise, time restricted eating or fasting, heat and cold exposure, and certain foods.
    4. You are getting adequate and regular sleep.  Not just 7-8 hours in bed but adequate sleep through all the sleep stages.
    5. You are managing and eliminating toxic stress.  As we will cover in future articles, not all stress is bad.  Some unpleasant and toxic stress is more the result of low energy and poor thinking, rather than the stressor itself.  But things like toxic relationships, isolation, a dysfunctional or cluttered house, abuse, unreasonable demands and penalties, etc. will absolutely gut your efforts towards vitality. 
    6. You have a regular mindfulness practice.  Whether this is meditation, prayer, or some other activity, it is extremely important to learn to manage our minds and mental state in this way.  It is also an essential resource for healing.

Let’s be frank.  This is a lot and you’re probably not where you would like to be.  I gave you some tips and some starting points to begin thinking and planning.  It’s up to you to manage prioritization.  I appreciate it definitely is not easy and there are significant limitations in what we can address in a given day (especially alongside other responsibilities).  Therefore in future articles I will be working out how to overcome the mental blocks and issues that may come up in the process.  I will also give tips on how to develop and be successful for your plan of action.  I will also share details of how I am working on all these areas of my life.

I hope that you will choose to make your health a priority.  We all have constraints and choices in our life.  But do not let perfection, or the excuse of external demands, rob your attention from these aspects of your life.