Optimum Wellness means being healthy in mind, body and spirit. You must be fit as a fiddle physically, mentally and spiritually. You must wake up with a ‘WOW’ every morning, resolving to make the most of the day by being happy and more importantly, making others happy. You must be excited to meet new people, see new places, make new friends and experience new adventures. How will you achieve this utopian state of being? By following certain things on a daily basis.

Detox is a beautiful way to begin your journey. Detox your body first by fasting for the longest period which is comfortable to you. Throw away all the junk food in the house and avoid fast-foods when you eat socially. Be conscious of what goes in your mouth. Too much sugar, salt, Ajinomoto, too many pizzas and burgers are a sure way to sickness. Have them once in a while, say, once a month so you don’t feel deprived. Opt for a ‘Satvic’ diet, comprising fruit, vegetables, nuts and grains for just three weeks and see how healthy you feel. Even your energy levels will go up!

Diet and exercise go hand in hand. You must work every muscle and joint in your body for flexibility and if for any reason (except laziness), you can’t do this, take up a light activity on a daily basis like Yoga or walking. Be active around the house. If you can, jog or skip for a few minutes. Be aware of your posture as you age because if you walk with a hunched back, you compress your lungs and consequently, your breathing suffers. Consciously put your chin up all the time – both of them – so your neck doesn’t droop. Neck muscles are very important! Sleep soundly like a new-born baby every night (best time is 9 pm to 5 am) so you wake up refreshed and full of energy.

Now we focus on our mental well-being. Take little bites of Nature everyday. Sit in a garden. Observe every tree, lawn, flower shrub, even a blade of grass with the wonder of a child (like you’re seeing it for the first time). See Mother Nature’s infinite variety and her bounty. Then think. No! I mean REALLY think – if the creation is so beautiful, how very beautiful the Creator must be! Fall in love with Nature. Sit in the sun to stock up on your daily doze of free Vitamin D, which is so crucial to lift your mood and strengthen your bones. Don’t stay home a single day, else your muscles will atrophy.

For optimum mental health, be in the moment. Don’t think of the past. Past is past, gone, kaput, finished, khallaas! It’s never coming again. And future? It’s a speculation of things which may or may not happen (mere speculation). So, from time-to-time check if you are fully focused on THIS moment, which is a gift from God, and that’s why it’s called a ‘present’! Make the most of it whether you are reading, writing, talking, cooking, doing housework, watching a movie or TV. Just be totally focused on what you are doing.

Laughter is excellent for your mental wellbeing. Make laughter your daily therapy. Read funny articles, share jokes with friends, clown around with family, watch funny movies and TV shows – do just about anything that induces laughter. It’s really the best medicine! Be the person who makes others laugh and most importantly, seek the company of people who make you laugh. Avoid cry-babies and seriously-serious people – they’ll drain you of your vital pranic energy by unburdening their real or imaginary stories of how unhappy they are.

Of course, if a friend comes to you with a genuine problem, do give a patient hearing and a pep-talk. I do it all the time but don’t get emotionally involved in their problems. You have enough of your own. Have lots of friends who make you laugh and cheer you up! Be with positive people and you’ll automatically have a positive attitude. See the glass as half-full rather than half-empty.

And now, let’s talk about Spiritual Health. You are spiritually healthy when you have found something that connects you daily to your creator. It could be prayers, which can work miracles. It could be daily meditation when the mind is so still, so silent, calm and peaceful, that you can actually hear the ‘voice of silence’. Prayers and meditation are two sides of the same coin, because in prayer, you’re talking to God and in meditation, you’re listening to Him!

I have seen several people who pray fanatically for hours in a fire-temple and then lead a life which is far from holy. That’s not prayers. Your real spirituality is when your prayers end, and you interact with others. If you are selfish, jealous, secretive or malicious, then prayers are of no use. Also, your prayers are no less holy if you pray at home. The bottom line is ‘Connecting with Divinity’. For a singer like Asha Bhosle, songs are her prayers. She was born to sing. That’s her purpose in this incarnation. For a classical dancer, dancing is a form of prayers. For an artist, painting is prayers. For a writer, writing is a prayer!

Music is also spirituality because it affects and appeals to the hidden faculty of the Soul e.g: In the beautiful strains of Beethoven’s noble ‘Fifth Symphony’ or in the sublime anguish of Chopin’s ‘Ballade in G Minor’. There’s a divine element in symphony, tune or a song and a great musician or singer interprets this divinity for lesser mortals.

Lastly, for optimum wellness, be creative. Everyone is creative to some extent but creativity grows with exercise. Jog daily and you build muscles. Think fresh daily and you develop your mind. Feed yourself on knowledge, gorge up on health, beauty, people, homes, cooking, fashion, art, history, science, politics – just anything and everything that concerns life and living. Be like a sponge to absorb all the hues and colours of life, create your own brand of new colours and spread them around. Read more, write more, listen more, think more, feel more, connect more and know more. More, More, More! Express your positive energies – and take an about-turn from negativity to positivity and experiencing optimum wellness.