More and more research points to the importance of adequate restful sleep. If you encounter difficulties on that level, do you question yourself in what way you could help yourself in trying to improve your sleeping patterns? Maybe it is about leaving out that glass of wine before bedtime, or maybe you could choose to go for a quiet walk after your dinner or try to switch your late night meal for a light healthy snack. Breathing techniques might help you in falling asleep. On the other hand, if snoring or sleep apneas disturb your sleep, it would be wise to talk to a professional: there are several ways to greatly improve your sleeping and seen the impact of good quality sleep on your health, it might be well worth to call in professional help, if you do not succeed on improvement yourself.

Behavior/change: so you would like to improve your health and general wellbeing? You have come here, so you are clearly intrigued and probably already motivated right now to do something. A very important thing to remember is that – wherever you are on this pillar – accept yourself and where you are. No use beating yourself up about not reaching immediate results or about past failures. Brain circuitry is usually well established and needs daily reinforcing and a lot of practice. The brain circuitry will change as long as positivity is being reinforced. So, once again, do not beat yourself up, that is only self-sabotage, is damaging beyond al and is not leading anywhere. Chose to be positive, chose to go where you want to be. Professional coaching might be helpful, but the choice to change is always yours. Step by step, a little at the time.

Nutrition: ask yourself honestly how well you are doing in your eating patterns. We believe the Mediterranean Diet / Nordic Diet (insert link to the blogpost about these diets) are at this moment in time the most nutritious dietary patterns. Take a look at both food pyramids and judge how far you are off. You could make gradual improvements by incorporating one or two foods that you are not used to, such as adding a new vegetable. Try to eat as colourful as possible: using green, red, orange, purple, white vegetables daily. This way you reach maximal nutrient absorption. Replace butter or margarine with organic extra virgin olive oil (insert link to blog post) is another excellent advice guaranteeing beneficial health contribution.

How are you doing on this topic? Do you think you could do better? Are you motivated to get in better condition? Remember: physical fitness is part of a healthy lifestyle. It strongly diminishes and prevents most lifestyle related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes type 2, improves many auto-immune conditions and greatly improves mental as well as sexual health. Talk to a Lifestyle Medicine Advisor if you would like in depth advise.

Addictions: maybe you are a smoker, or maybe you like a glass of good wine just a little too much… or the chocolate bars, maybe you just can’t shut off your social media channels, or you need to go gambling. Have you ever felt you should do something about it? Or do you think you can control it and don’t really feel like questioning it? It could be that just standing still and wondering about just how much you are spending on whatever it is that you like a little too much…. How much thought are you spending, how much money, how much time, how much space is it taking in your life? Our tip here is to pause and question yourself, trying to give yourself an honest answer. Addictions often start fairly innocently but end up impairing your general wellbeing and health status tremendously. Take it one step at a time: by repeating, visualizing how it could be so much better without any addictions… Your own honesty and open attitude towards this subject is the strongest asset. Professional help and guidance will assist you towards your goal.

Community: social isolation is disastrous on your health. Being in the wrong community can be equally disastrous. A close and good positive, healthy, community is very precious. It is important to find your tribe: sometimes you might have gotten into the wrong tribe. Ask yourself that question. Do you think and feel like your community peers? Do you want to belong there? Or are you rather living up to their expectations? Do you share the same values? Ponder about this for a moment and try to make out for yourself whether or not your community is supportive to you. Emotional impact of belonging to a community – the right community where you feel understood and where you thrive in a positive way is important.

Stress: awe, the so much common stress factor… Unfortunately, stress is unavoidable in daily life. It is wishful thinking that getting away to a superb island with white sandy beaches and a perfect blue sea or being surrounded by splendid mountain scenery will put an end to stress. We live in an era where stress and pressure have become part of life. The secret is to find ways to cope with it. To channel stress levels so as to leave plenty of happy space for relaxation in your neuronal wiring. That too takes time: adding some breathing techniques several times a day can already do wonders. It won’t be a magical wand, establishing calming thoughts through mindful breathing techniques takes practice and repetition. But it is such a gift when you are able to turn that switch and take a pause whenever your stress levels rise above high alert level. Professionals can help you with additional relaxation techniques – but once again: your own mindset and realizing that you yourself are always free to choose to become what you want to become, to choose your own behavior, and to choose to empower yourself… is key!

Love and sexuality: last but not least. This is a topic that is very often overlooked in medical consultations. It is – still and unfortunately so – a taboo subject all too often. Yet it has tremendous impact on mental health and wellbeing. And mental and physical health are intricately intertwined, so sexual health cannot be underestimated. Do you struggle with physical and / or emotional problems on this level, then try to wonder what could be causing them? There could well be a real physical problem, or medication might be the culprit. Maybe it’s your mental perception that is at the base. Being your own investigator on this topic greatly will help you in getting to a satisfactory level of improvement. Consulting a sexual therapist might be necessary and help you reach sexual health.