6 Ways to Improve Quality of Life and Health

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Here is a list of some of the ways to improve quality of life and overall health that have been very beneficial to me. There’s a lot of self-work. Who’da thunk?

Trust me, I don’t always practice what I preach and often times I am very unhappy with myself. However, I am constantly reminding myself to give myself grace, show love and compassion, and try to see the silver linings in my life experience. For example, I’ve discovered the silver lining in my recent experience with health challenges (see this post). I have started to slow down and focus on my true values, such as nurturing my relationships, being loving and empathetic toward others, living in the moment, connecting with nature, and pursuing my passions with gratitude and excitement.

The old saying ‘laughter is the best medicine’ could not ring more true. There’s a silliness and lightheartedness that I have reignited within myself and it does the body and soul so much good! Finding our playful spirit opens ourselves up to creative expression, as well as mental and emotional stimulation. It allows us to break down our walls and be our true, vulnerable, and weird selves…and don’t it feel good?! Let your freak flag fly, my friends, and reconnect with that inner goofball. Check out this post for some ways to be more playful!

Boy, this one is a challenge. I have a hard time accepting all of my struggles and imperfections, and I get frustrated when things don’t go my way. Comparing myself to others also doesn’t do me any favors. Life isn’t perfect, we are not perfect, and there is a wisdom in this ‘acceptance’ thing. I am not saying we should give up and abandon trying to heal or better ourselves, but we must understand that road blocks are going to pop up and it gets damn exhausting always trying to plow through and control the situation. Learning to accept where I am at and make peace with it has been critical to improving my quality of life. That doesn’t mean I can’t feel all the feels. I still need to experience and process my emotions (feeling depressed, frustrated, sorry for myself, etc.). At some point though, I need to find a state of acceptance and patience, trusting that somehow, some way, I’m gonna be okay.

I used to always operate at high capacity, be it with my physical activities or my job/studies. Nowadays, I have limited energy and need to distribute it in a way that is best for my well-being. I need to take the rest days when they are calling. If I start experiencing fatigue/flare-ups from both physical and mental overexertion, I need to take a step back and chill. Maintaining a healthy diet and trying to keep a decent sleep pattern have both been important to my overall health. Furthermore, I need to listen to my intuition and know when being driven and pushing my limits is serving me, and when I am being better served by hitting the pause button and leaving some space for my life to unfold organically. It is important that we not let ourselves feel guilty for whichever way we are being guided.

This can be included in any of the above points, but it is important to emphasize being cognizant of stress and how copious amounts of it can result in both mental and physical damage. I was in a perpetual state of stress for years and I believe it played a significant role in the ultimate breakdown of my body and mind. Chronic stress leads to a surplus of Cortisol production, which can ultimately result in chronic inflammation and eventually a dysregulation of the immune system. This creates all kinds of unwanted health issues.

So just stop being stressed, okay? Haha, it’s DEFINITELY not that easy. In fact, it’s one of life’s greatest challenges for some of us. Yep, I’m representing all of you high-anxiety, Type-A folks out there! Stress reduction is possible though, and it significantly improves quality of life! I’ve been discovering techniques to de-stress and I am making progress. For me, some of the most effective ways of blowing off steam are: getting out in nature and being active, dance or yoga, doing something creative or playful, drinking a cup of tea, listening to music, and watching a comedy or being silly/laughing with friends. Discover what works for you.

At first, I adopted the idea that because I had some ‘horrible neurological condition’, I had no business or chance of being an alpinist or athlete again. After a period of holding back and feeling sorry for myself, I took the power back and decided that I wouldn’t let my health issues and fear hold me back from my passions! Let me tell you, excitement and will-power are medicinal. I’m AMAZED at how my stoke will sometimes make me feel like my sprightly twenty-something-year-old self again.

While I certainly have my struggles and doubts in myself, I refuse to give up and stop doing what I love..even when I fail. After all, failure is a part of life and is often times our greatest teacher. When I let go of the need to ‘perform’ and I reduce expectations of myself, I actually end up performing better. More importantly, I sure do enjoy the experience more. I think when we do something fueled by excitement, passion, and gratitude, we find our zen — our flow and rhythm in what we are doing.