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A Merry Heart Is Your Fountain of Youth

According to the CIA World Factbook (2009 edition), the life expectancy overall in the USA is 78.2 years (males 75.6; females 80.8). For some readers who have surpassed that age, congratulations are in order. For others, a word of encouragement may be needed. We, in the mental health professions, want to help you maximize your potential for living the longest and best life possible. We want your life to be a healthy, enjoyable, and fulfilling experience for as long as God chooses.

Would you like to know how you can live another 10 years, as well as look younger and feel younger at every age? A study called the Danish Twin Studies determined that less than 25% of how long the average person lives is dictated by their genetics. In other words, the most compelling reasons for how long and how well you live are up to you. Discovering the optimal lifestyles contributing to longevity in others will provide you with a formula for extending your own longevity.

As a result of studying lifestyles of people around the world, these noted scientists discovered there were four common denominators to longevity of life. By incorporating these findings into our lives, we can expect our quantity and quality of life to extend exponentially. Let’s look at these four simple steps to reaching the maximum potential for a long, healthy life.

According to the study of longevity, the first characteristic involves your Physicality. This refers to staying active, not sedentary. Make sure your home, community, and workplace present you with natural ways to stay mobile. Focus on activities you love, like gardening, walking, swimming or playing with your family. Try the stairs occasionally instead of the elevator. The idea is to keep moving and you will keep healthy.

The second concept promoting longevity is your Emotional Outlook. Get to know, and be able to articulate your sense of purpose and plans for your life. Think about what you would like to be doing ten years from now. Focus on your future…not on the past. Remember, your thoughts and perceptions will produce your feelings and emotions. Make sure your day is punctuated with periods of calmness, tranquility and laughter.

Dr. William Glasser, a noted psychiatrist from Los Angeles, stated in his book on Reality Therapy, that he prescribed fifteen minutes of laughter per day for the patients in the psychiatric ward of the VA Hospital. After years of no appreciable improvement in their conditions, he felt that extreme measures were in order. He ignored the reproofs and ridicule hurled his direction and implemented his “laugh therapy” program.

In a few short months, these “incurable” patients were beginning to be discharged. It became a smashing success and subsequently a model for many psychiatric facilities. No one was laughing at him anymore. His patients had changed their lives with the simple formula expressed by King Solomon: “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones” (Proverbs 17:22).Your positive attitude is the key ingredient in your physical and emotional well-being.

How can we accomplish this feat of remaining positive in such a negative world? As the old song says tells us, “You've got to accentuate the positive, Eliminate the negative, Latch on to the affirmative, Don't mess with Mister In-Between. You've got to spread joy up to the maximum, Bring gloom down to the minimum, Have faith, Or pandemonium liable to walk upon the scene” (composers, Johnny Mercer/ Harold Arlen). This is great advice for any age.

Third in the findings promoting longevity was Proper Nutrition. This element deals with the importance of eating wisely. Instead of depending on the latest fad diet or starvation tactics, use the time-honored strategies for eating 20% less at meals. Minimize your intake of red meat, sugar-loaded soft drinks, and processed foods from your daily menu. Remember to eat plenty of veggies along with drinking eight glasses of water daily. If you will eat half as much, and take twice as long, you will look better, feel better, and add years to your life.

The last key to long life is what the study called “Belonging to the Right Tribe.” This involves the Social arena of your life. It is imperative that you surround yourself with the right people. Make the effort to connect or reconnect with your spiritual roots by putting God in first place, put loved ones next, and your work comes last. Do not isolate yourself from your neighbors. They are a lifeline to longevity.

Prolonged isolation begins the downward spiral leading to emotional and physical disintegration. This depletion can also lead to depression, disease and, ultimately, pre-mature death. Your social circle is critical to your longevity. Do not neglect your friendships. They may have discovered even more secrets about the fountain of youth. After all, that is what everyone is searching for. I do hope you find it.

There is much more that can be added to this subject. If you need a little help getting started, let’s talk.

****A Personal Word to Our Readers from Dr. Frazier****  
Please feel free to share your questions, observations, or insights with our readers and me.
Website: http://www.donfrazier.com