Published in May, 2022

Stress: is there any feeling that’s better at finding a way in, no matter where you are or what you’re doing? As human conditions go, it’s like the sand that somehow gets into everything at your otherwise-perfect beach picnic. If only, like that sand, the effects of stress were no more than a bit irritating. As we all know, stress can leave us desperate, broken, or worse.

Published in June, 2022

In the late eighties, when I was living in Vancouver, Canada, I became involved in the city's New Age scene. I had already been practising meditation for many years, and I had read The Relaxation Response by Dr. Herbert Benson (1975), in which he sets out an empirical scientific basis for meditation's positive effects on the body. Then I discovered guided meditation. This was the moment when I began to gain an understanding of my subconscious mind.

Published in July, 2022

A lucid dream is one in which the dreamer is aware of dreaming. Humans have been conscious of this phenomenon since time immemorial.

Published in August, 2022

Mindfulness is something I have practised throughout my life, and you probably have too, without giving it a name. It is neither obscure nor exotic, and it doesn’t require us to change who we are. We already have the ability to be in the present and observe what is going on around us.

Published in September , 2022

When Daniel Goleman published the book Emotional Intelligence in 1995, he sparked much public discussion about what “intelligence” really is. Until Goleman’s book came along, people generally used that word to mean brain power, believing that a person in possession of that power could apply it to any problem, be it logical, scientific, moral or emotional.

Published in October , 2022

Rational maturity begins when we accept responsibility for our lives and our thinking processes. Developing our rational maturity is a question of facing reality honestly. To do this, we have to make the effort to throw off the conventional wisdom and ideologies of the community around us. We have to do the hard work of deciding what we think for ourselves.

Published in November , 2022

Our relationship with ourselves is the most important relationship in our lives. If it isn’t mature, no other relationship in our lives will be mature and happy. Wayne W. Dyer, one of my favourite self-help gurus, says very clearly, “If you don’t love yourself, nobody will. Not only that, you won’t be good at loving anyone else. Loving starts with the self.”

Published in December , 2022

Our relationships with others can make life a delight. If our lives are full of family and friends with whom we have a loving and fulfilling relationship, we have a treasure beyond price. When we’re sad, they can help us lift our spirits. When we’re troubled, they can help us navigate our way through any challenge to a successful outcome. When we are happy, they can increase that happiness by sharing it with us. On the other hand, when our relationships with other people are dysfunctional, we will never know the pleasure or joy that comes from truly loving relationships.

Published in January , 2023

Since time immemorial, people have been discussing the quality of gratitude. Plato (427–347 BCE) said, “A grateful mind is a great mind, which eventually attracts to itself great things.” Aristotle (384–322 BCE), a pupil of Plato, pointed out the relationship between our better side and gratitude. He also suggested that “gratitude is more than mere thanks, but uniquely tied to the idea of giving oneself.” The great Stoic philosopher Seneca the Younger (4–65 CE) said, “We should try by all means to be as grateful as possible. For gratitude is a good thing for ourselves.”

Published in February , 2023

Our bodies are genetically programmed to sleep for at least a third of our lives. This is where healthy living starts, and it’s also the foundation of a wise lifestyle. The factors that determine the quality of a person’s sleep are called sleep hygiene. These factors collectively play an essential role in treating insomnia and other sleep disorders

Published in March , 2023

Everyone knows that exercise is good for the human primate. Yet only a very small percentage of humans—around 2% at the most—like exercise, and the statistics show that no more than 30% of humans get enough of it to prevent ill health in later life.

Published in April , 2023

Most people would agree with the experts that a healthy lifestyle includes the habits of a good hygiene regime. There can be little that is more unpleasant than being too close to a person who smells. The axiom that cleanliness is next to godliness has great wisdom in it. I ask myself, do I really want other people to feel disgusted when they are in my presence?

Published in May , 2023

Nutrition is the study of nutrients in food and the relationship between diet, health, and disease. A healthy diet is all about putting the science of nutrition into practical action so that we nourish our bodies in the best possible way. I’d like to tell you about some insights and reading materials that have helped me to do this.

Published in June , 2023

My favorite philosopher, Socrates, said, “It’s a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” The ancient Greek physician Herophilus stated, “When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, strength cannot fight, intelligence cannot be applied, art cannot become manifest, wealth becomes useless.” These two quotes from over two thousand years ago still hold true today. When we are blessed with good health, it behooves us to maintain our bodies in good condition, so that we can fully take part in, and enjoy, life.

Published in July , 2023

In August 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched its first position paper on brain health. It opens by stating, “Brain health is an evolving concept, attracting increasing attention not only from the health sector but also from wider society, stimulating rich debate—and for good reasons. The brain and central nervous system are the command centre of the human body, controlling both conscious and unconscious body functions and thereby influencing every aspect of life.”

Published in August , 2023

The term mental health now encompasses a very wide range of conditions. Some of these—schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, for example—can be very serious and complex, requiring careful long-term specialist treatment. Here, I am going to confine myself to what we might think of as the “everyday” mental health of people who have not been diagnosed with any particular mental-health condition by a medical professional. If you have been diagnosed with a mental-health condition, the advice I give here may not be right for you. If you feel you may be developing a mental-health condition, please, contact your doctor or the mental-health services available in your area.

Published in September , 2023

In my recent posts, I’ve talked about a wide range of activities that give us the foundations for a healthy life. There’s still a missing piece of the puzzle, though. To make sure we regularly complete those activities, we need to develop a routine that incorporates them, plus strategies for protecting them from the unexpected.

Published in October , 2023

Recently, a friend told me about the transformative journey she had been on after diving into Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. She applied Kondo teachings to her closet, and as she discarded the old, her whole attitude to clothes changed. Before long, the ripple effect of decluttering had touched every nook and cranny of her home. And the more she decluttered, the lighter and more invigorated she felt.

I think we can all benefit from a decluttered life.

Published in November , 2023

There are various definitions of stress, but here’s mine: it’s the tense, unpleasant internal sensation that accompanies any negative emotion you care to mention, be it hostility, anger, frustration, or worry, and it lingers for as long as the situation provoking that unpleasant emotion remains unresolved in our minds.

Published in December, 2023

Laughter, that contagious expression of joy, has the incredible ability to brighten our days and uplift our spirits. Charlie Chaplin said that a day without laughter is a day wasted. Humour probably became an essential part of our ancestors’ culture long before the evolutionary split between humans and apes. According to some scientists, it can be traced back to the primates of ten to sixteen million years ago. They likely developed it as an evolutionary trait that strengthened relationships between individuals and groups, improving their chances of survival.