Chapter 1: What are Healthy Habits?
It is logical to start this book by investigating healthy habits. Indeed, they are numerous. So, we will highlight the characteristics of healthy habits and remind you about what really matters the most in life.
In the midst of the craze and rush of the modern world, many people forget the most important things in life. Many never learn to value those things until they lose them. It is this lack of getting our priorities right that is responsible for the rate of depression in the world today. Many people are unhappy despite the money and achievements they have. They keep wondering what is missing. The answer is not farfetched. They have forgotten how to live.
Here are some of the most important things in life that many people neglect.
Loved Ones
The desire to be rich and famous has made many people forget that it’s lonely at the top when you’re not there with your loved ones. Some people cry on the days they receive awards because they wish their friends, families, and any other person that matters to them were present. In reality, there are some situations in which we lose our loved ones to accidents.
However, in some cases, they leave us because we are selfish and don’t have regard for them. We are busy chasing our dreams while making them feel that they take secondary places in our lives. King Midas, in ancient Greek mythology, learned the hard way that no amount of treasure in this world could replace his daughter. You don’t have to lose your loved ones before you figure that out.
Happiness
Happiness is the greatest pursuit of man, even though many people don’t realize it. The reason you want to chase and live your dream is that you want to be happy. Sadly, many people get all they want only to realize that they don’t want what they got. In other words, they chased the big life because they thought it would make them happy only to realize that they felt hollow and empty after achieving their targets.
You don’t have to possess a private jet or wear expensive clothes to be happy. Enjoying the camaraderie of your loved ones is enough to make you happy. The issue is that many people have friends that don’t value them because of the things they don’t possess. Still, if you find yourself among people who love and respect you regardless of what you have, you will understand that happiness is in the simple things of life.
Health
Note that health is not simply the absence of diseases, according to the World Health Organization. It also refers to your mental and social life. Your health is very crucial to the quality of life you live. It is harder to be happy or enjoy the company of your loved ones when you are sick. So, you should never toy with it.
Your job schedule must not make you have less regard for your health. If you don’t treat your body well, it will soon “go on strike” or “evict you”. Your body is that landlord you shouldn’t mess with. It wants to be respected, and you will wake up to a rude shock when you aren’t doing what you ought to do.
Many people say the above maxim is almost becoming a cliché and losing its relevance. Nevertheless, it remains an important truthful statement that you can only treat with levity at your own peril. Health is wealth and there is no doubt about that. At least, you need it to make wealth. You cannot go to work if you are sick unless it is very minor. Even when it is minor, you will still find it difficult to be at your best when you don’t have sound health.
Moreover, you need to be healthy to enjoy your success. What is the point of making all the money only to spend it on sickness? You should take an “excursion” to the hospital once in a while to learn some vital lessons in life. There are many rich people in the hospital who are there battling for their lives. They have money but they don’t have the sound health that money cannot buy.
The fact that you can afford an expensive meal doesn’t mean that you should buy it. You should consider the health implications of the things you consume rather than their prices. Success is only worth it when you are in good health and can enjoy it with the people that mean the world to you.
We will end this section by identifying the qualities of healthy habits in order to help you identify them and avoid destructive ones. Healthy habits have the following attributes.
Beneficial to the Individual in the Long Run
It is crucial to mention that a habit should be beneficial in the long run before it can be considered to be healthy. There are many things we do that gratify our desires in the short run but are disastrous in the long run. For example, smoking settles the desire to feel calm in the short run. However, it affects the lung and other parts of the body eventually.
So, if a habit cannot make you stay healthy in the long run, you shouldn’t let the short-term benefits blindfold you. Lack of consideration for the future consequences of an action will only bring tears and regrets eventually.
Beneficial to Others
When something is beneficial to you but hurts others, it’s not a good habit. We have to be conscious about how our actions affect the people around us. This is the reason the government of some nations restricts the activities of industries. The fact that a company is boosting the economy and raking in a lot of money doesn’t mean it has the freedom to jeopardize our health.
We should apply the same principle when evaluating our habits. For example, sexual promiscuity might make you feel good immediately. Nonetheless, it will hurt your partner emotionally when he or she finds out. In some cases, it might even affect the person physically if you infect him or her with sexually transmitted diseases from unprotected sex.
Beneficial to your Physical and Mental Health
It’s in your best interest to consider how your actions affect both your physical and mental health. If a habit affects your mental health negatively, it will eventually take its toll on your physical health, and vice versa. So, the fact that an action doesn’t have a direct impact on your physical health doesn’t mean it is right for you. For example, you might be doing a job that doesn’t demand too much from you physically. Nonetheless, if you are told to do unethical things that don’t align with your conscience, you’ll not be happy.
The feeling of dissatisfaction will become more intense when you realize that your activities are hurting people. If you keep having negative emotions, it can affect the way you take care of your physical health. For example, when you’re not in a good mood, it’s not likely that you have an appetite. The desire to exercise or enjoy sex if you are married might become affected. So, a good habit doesn’t only have physical health benefits; it should also have mental health advantages.