7 Habits of Healthy People You Can Easily Adopt

Happiness is an inside job, which healthy people do well

You’ve heard it being said, you cannot depend on another person for your happiness, or that happiness is an inside job.  I couldn’t agree more, what we expect others, circumstances, and material things to do for us, the hard truth is that none of those things can give us inward satisfaction. It would be a correct expectation but from the wrong source.  Healthy people think differently, while some habits of healthy people can be easily adopted and can be life-changing.

A famous quote from a famous actor, Jim Carrey, says “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”  In that quote are truths that if you stop and really think about it, you’ll unpack a number of lessons.

This article is about what you can do for yourself, it’s about knowing the things that outward circumstances can’t give you but that you can find from within, it’s about an inward shift, its about habits and attitudes that keep you healthy.

Habits of healthy people

Here are a few habits and attitudes that healthy people have.

1. Know their purpose

Purpose feels like such a big word like it encompasses so much but the truth is that each one of us has a purpose no matter how we feel about it!  Each one of us has been assigned a specific task to fulfil. Finding your place in this world is key to giving you an inner sense of satisfaction and fulfilment.

Knowing your purpose or being on the path of purpose discovery is an exhilarating yet suspenseful experience because as you go, you realize there’s so much more to you than what meets the eye.

Your purpose in life is critical to your health at all levels, and working on purpose is even more critical. Don’t let life pass you by.  If you don’t already know your purpose commit to discovering it.    If you know it pursue it with all you’ve got.

2. Know that character-building never ends

We are all a work in progress. No one comes into this world as a finished product. It is important to have the right mannerisms but don’t expect yourself to be perfect! It’s interesting that we know and even tell others not to aim for perfection but progress, however, do we practice what we preach?

Being perfectionistic is not a strength, as a matter of fact.  Some people wear perfectionism as a badge of honour. Unbeknownst to them, perfectionism is a type of a mask that people wear to keep themselves from being truly seen even by themselves.

Admit your own weaknesses and seek help where necessary. We are all on a journey and healthy people know that all too well. Don’t be hard on yourself but be honest about where you are and take the steps to become better.

3. Focus forward, not backward

Life is meant to be lived forward and not backward. That’s something we already know but far too many of us live in the past!  The past has become more than a point of reference, it has become a place of residence. Living this way keeps you from enjoying life. Whereas the future may be uncertain, our attitude should not be fearful or evasive of it.

The past is past and the future is ours to hold. No matter how bleak or ugly your past may look it doesn’t mean your future will be just like it. The best you can do for yyourself is to learn from the past and commit to practising habits that will invest positively in your future.

The future is bright for those that believe it is and for those that quit on living in past mistakes, regrets, hang-ups and what have you.

4. Evaluate relentlessly

Self-evaluation or examination or reflection is a gift. The best way to move forward with purpose is to have done an evaluation of self.  This type of evaluation is not a performance review, but it is an inward look at the things that hold you back e.g. fear, an inward look at traits that keep you from being your best, from enjoying others and life in general.

Evaluation brings so much to the surface, and it can’t be emphasized enough the value of evaluating oneself. It’s one of the best things you can give to yourself.

Don’t be afraid of what you might find but be grateful for what you will learn and focus on what you will do about what you’ve discovered moving forward.

5. Deal with conflict sooner than later

Timing is everything especially when it comes to relationships. Knowing when to address an issue is vital to the survival and success of any relationship.  There is a time to delay and there is a time to act promptly.

One thing that’s for sure is that avoiding conflict is not going to make things any better in a relationship, in fact, not dealing with it makes things worse and it is a sign of immaturity.

Trying to live in “a false sense of peace” or waiting for an unknown duration of time won’t make the conflict go away. What needs to be done is to face the conflict but to face it with a humble heart and a gracious attitude.

6. Keep learning and growing

The process of life is to keep learning and as you learn you grow. Learning does not end the day you received your High school Diploma or your College Degree if anything it sets the stage for further learning.

Every event, every circumstance good or bad, in it lies a lesson. Your age or stage in life doesn’t qualify or disqualify you from learning. We all have first-times in life and that’s a learning opportunity! We all go through situations and guess what? That’s another learning opportunity!

Don’t stop learning, if you do, you stop growing and anything that isn’t growing can be safely assumed to be dead.

7. Have learned to manage discomfort

If you seek a comfortable life then you’re in for a disappointment. Life is filled with discomforts big or small, it’s still a discomfort.  The difference between the ordinary person and the extraordinary person is that the former does nothing about the discomfort they experience while the latter learns how to go about discomforting situations.

Knowing how to deal with discomfort sets you up for more successes because it allows you to build the muscle that will help you power through life.  You don’t have to win at every challenge but your attitude matters a lot more.

Knowing that discomfort is a part of life is one thing and going through it with an optimistic attitude is another. Being optimistic here doesn’t mean that you’re in a happy mood but it means you’re hopeful you’ll pull through it.

This list is in no way exhaustive but it points to some rather critical habits and attitudes that are characteristic of healthy people. “Healthy people don’t have to be those people” but you can be that healthy person. It’s a matter of choice.

Choose health, choose a healthy life.

Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash