Each person decides how they can healthily feel better over the long term. The Independently Happy Prescription for Well-Being has daily doses of Sleep, Escape, and eXercise.
A good measure of well-being is “How do you feel?” Each person has to decide how they feel and how they can healthily feel better over the long term. I’ve come up with a prescription to help improve well-being.
[special]First, is the correct spelling is wellbeing or well-being? It turns out the answer is Yes. North Americans hyphenate. In the U.K., it’s one word. Both spellings have many definitions, but I recommend each choose their own.[/special]
Vitamin S: Sleep
The 1st Vitamin in The Independently Happy Prescription for Well-Being is Vitamin S.
Sleep.
In my research (I Googled it), I also learned that Vitamin S could mean steroids. Let’s keep our micro-nutrient references healthy. Let’s borrow Shawn Stevenson’s Vitamin S. (See the origin story at the end)
Sleep.
So many processes occur during our sleep. There is a brain detox that occurs during sleep. The rebuilding of cells also happens while sleeping. Our sleep patterns determine our hormonal functions and energy levels. Too little sleep makes good decisions more difficult. The lack of energy makes us crave sugar. Information is transferred to long-term memory. Here are 10 Fascinating Things That Happen While You Sleep.
We’ve all got task lists we want to complete every day. Your brain has a task list it needs to accomplish every night. Let’s not sacrifice our brains’ list for our own list.
Vitamin E: Escape
The 2nd Vitamin in The Independently Happy Prescription for Well-Being is Vitamin E.
Escape.
Escape doesn’t mean browsing the web or watching television. That’s not the right kind of escape. That kind of escape either has you always running or always chasing.
When I suggest escaping here, I mean to escape into the moment, not from it. Escape from those mental traps that drain our energy and well-being.
Call it what you want:
- Meditation
- Mindfulness
- Presence
With all our devices and tasks, our minds are constantly jerked from place to place. It acutely increases our stress levels each time we do it, while it also reinforces a more chronic bad habit of fractured focus.
Just take some time to practice focus and calm.
Breathing
Spend some time each day focusing on your breath. If you’ve never done this, start with just five minutes and work your way up. Ten to twelve minutes is a sweet spot for me. I try to do it in the morning and in the afternoon or evening, but I usually only get the morning session.
Focus on inhaling and exhaling. Follow the air in and feel the sensations as it fills your lungs. Then follow the air out. Count the breaths if it helps. Whatever helps you focus. Just try different approaches. Search the web. Try some apps.
Your mind will wander. Just return to the breathing. It’s a good thing when you’re mind wanders, and you bring it back. That’s the practice part of this practice.
Be content being a white belt meditator. Get your reps in. It takes years to become a black belt, but every rep counts, and consistency compounds the effects. Remember: gradually, then suddenly.
The practice will really come in handy when a stressful situation arrives. Breathe, just like in practice. Stop the stress and let well-being happen.
Get Some Fresh Air
Go outside. Get up from your desk or cube or workspace and go outside for some fresh air and some sun (bonus Vitamin!: D).
Connect with nature. Observe some ants, leaves, or clouds. Experience what grass, dirt, or acorns feel like.
Go Screenless for a Few
Escape the screens!
Turn them off an hour before bedtime. Bonus for more time you spend during the day not going all Pavlov every time a phone or computer dings.
Work in some meditation and Vitamin X before you turn on any screens in the morning.
Speaking of which…
Vitamin X: eXercise
The 2nd Vitamin in The Independently Happy Prescription for Well-Being is Vitamin X.
eXercise.
Anything you enjoy. I love walking and listening to music or podcasts. I love just checking out what’s happening on the street or road. Run, bike, DVDs, Youtube. Anything you like for 30 minutes per day.
Also, don’t sit too much. Set an alarm and make sure you get up and move around at least a minute every hour.
Don’t worry about perfection.
I just drove to Denver last week. It would have taken forever to get there if I had stopped every hour. I also love watching movies now and then. Every day won’t be perfect, but sitting all day every day. I hear that’s the new smoking.
I’ve noticed that Vitamin X can often be Vitamin E too. That’s not a loophole. No cheating. Do yourself the favor of getting your daily dosages of both.
I’ve made a download of the prescription.
Origin Story
Several years ago, I thought of the concept of Vitamin X for exercise. I hoped nobody else thought of it and went to grab the domain name. Alas, the domain name was taken by a band.
I have to admit. I think Vitamin X is a pretty cool name for a band.
Listening to The Model Health Show a year or so ago, I heard Shawn Stevenson refer to sleep as “Vitamin S.” I had in the past referred to myself as Vitamin S, but sleep was better. I was jealous that Shawn Stevenson had thought of it before I did. He’s a genius, though.
Either way, as his show always does, it got me thinking. A few months later, I came up with my prescription for well-being.
Question:
What do you do to preserve your well-being?
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Related Posts:
- Stay consistent and remember Hemingway’s advice about habits: gradually, then suddenly.
- When practicing Vitamin E, remember to escape into the moment, not from it.
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