*以下内容仅供参考。如果想要系统学习身心健康的知识，推荐学习哈佛大学公开课 “Positive Psychology” by Professor Tal Ben-Shahar (Ph.D.).

健康可以分为身体健康和心理健康，但更多的情况是，两者相互影响。相比于中国，美国更为重视心理健康教育。

不幸的是，并不是每个人都是心存善念，尤其在职场上，你的领导、同事都有可能会运用心理学的技巧来影响你的表现和状态，当然有善意的，也有恶意的。害人之心不可有，防人之心不可无，了解基本的身心健康知识是每个人必不可少的。

贫穷更多的被人们用来形容金钱或物质上的匮乏；但在当今的社会，时间上的贫穷更为常见。时间上的贫穷和物质上的贫穷都是对身心健康有影响的。尤其当大家在时间上匮乏时，更容易选择放弃维护身心健康的时间，也就是说更容易放弃自己的健康。这里想提醒大家，注意平衡自己的物质需求和时间需求是保证健康的重要因素之一。

以下是另外几个需要大家每天都要来提醒自己的有关于影响健康的重要因素。

允许自己为人：

  • 人类活在这个世界上是有自己的局限性的。一些基本原则是很难改变的，比如生老病死，万有引力，需要食物和水分，等等。我们需要对这些基本原则有清晰的认识，并且遵循这些基本原则来生活。
  • 休息，是人类不可缺少的。这其中包括足够的睡眠，身心的放松，与家人朋友的相处。休息也是缓解压力的最好途径。
  • 人生不是目的，只是过程。人类最终走向的目的地是千古不变的，也就是死亡，至今无一例外。认识这一点，可以让我们更好的去规划自己的人生。我们的人生不是在我们死亡时决定的，我们的人生是我们活着的每一天决定的。我们无法预知自己的未来，无法改变自己的过去，唯一真实存在的是当下的自己。如果你想拥有更为快乐的人生，只需要让自己的每一天过的更快乐一点点。
  • 耐心的对待自己。每一个成功的背后是大量的时间和精力的投入，每一个成功的背后也是一个个失败经历后的成长。即使你运用了科学正确的方法，在你进步前，都可能先经历的是短暂的退步，因为在你尝试新的方式方法时，你要重新的犯错后再成长，但大多人也都放弃在了这短暂的退步过程中。更为耐心的对待自己，可以帮助自己更好的度过挫折。
  • 我们人生经历的一切，不管是好是坏，是成功还是失败，最终也只是短暂生命中的一部分，一切都会过去的。而且我们认为的好或坏，成或败，对于不同的人、不同的环境、不同的时代可能是完全相反的解读。我们当时所经历的天崩地裂，或是喜极而泣，在时间的洗磨下，最终都会慢慢淡化，时间是最好的解药。
  • 不要羡慕别人的成功，因为你付不出他人的代价。命运还是在很大程度上局限着我们的人生，每个人所拥有的资源和能力都是不同的，别人想要的生活未必适合你的人生，别人付出的代价也未必是我们可以负担得起的。认清自己的能力和需求，尽力而为吧。

积极的看待人生：

  • 快乐不是取决你拥有多少，而是你是否感激你所拥有的。想想刚学会走路的孩子，我们拥有的会比她少吗，我们的快乐会比她多吗。人类有很好的适应能力，可以适应好的，也可以适应不好的。当我们拥有的越来越多时，我们也适应了我们所得到的。当我们可以奋力奔跑时，甚至忘记了我们刚刚学会走路时的喜悦。学会感激生活的美好，提醒自己不要因为适应了生活的美好而对其视而不见。
  • 更多的关注事物的美好，你的人生也就更为美好。没有人生是一帆风顺的，但有些人懂得凡事更积极看待。凡事都是两面性，当你更多的看到事情好的一面时，你的情绪就更为乐观，你就更为可能享受于其中，并能把当下的事情做好；反之也是成立的，当你更多的看到事情不好的一面时，你的情绪就更为消极，你就更难享受其中，更难把事情做好。这是你的选择，如果你希望有更快乐的人生，就选择去更多关注事物积极的一面。这也是心理学CBT行为认知疗法的理论基础，在科学实验中是被反复验证有效的，通过改变你对事情的认知，从而改变你的情绪，最终改变你的行为。

活在当下：

  • 人们虽然不愿意承认，但我们只拥有当下。人类没有改变过去的能力，也无法预支未来，甚至我们都无法保证自己的下一个明天。是每一个当下，组成了我们的一生；如果我们失去了当下，也就失去了一部分人生。而且，只有当我们真正的专注于当下时，我们才能更高效的把手头的事情做好。活在当下，与其说是我们的选择，更是一种人生的智慧，并且是需要通过我们大量的练习才可能达到的。没有人能完全的活在当下，人类的大脑每时每刻都会出现成千上万的随机信号来干扰我们的生活，我们需要通过刻意的练习，把自己的注意力更好的专注于当下的所作所为，来减少自己大脑或者外界环境对自己的影响。

基本健康所需的四个药丸：

  • 充足的睡眠。所谓充足是因人而异的，有人每天需要2小时睡眠，有人需要12小时睡眠，你需要找到你身体需要的睡眠时间。大致来说，8小时是普遍认为的人类所需的平均睡眠时间。更好的测量方法是，记录你睡到自然醒的时长，就是你所需的充足睡眠时间；不要过于惊讶这个时长，在没有电灯之前，人类的平均睡眠时间是10小时以上；狮子即使每天需要15小时左右的睡眠，也重来没有被嘲笑是懒狮子。
  • 适量的体育锻炼。如果人类是植物，那每天静止不动，享受着阳光雨露，就是我们的天性；如果人类是动物，那每天活动奔跑，打猎寻食，就是我们的天性。我们是否遵循了自己的天性，还是被当代的“优质”生活限制了自己的天性。每天30分钟以上的有氧运动，可能就是人类天性的最基本的需求。当然如果拥有更为多样的体育运动方式，和更适合自己的锻炼时长，可以帮助我们更好的缓解压力，维护身心健康。
  • 适量的头脑锻炼。就如我们的身体需要适当的体育锻炼来维护健康一样，我们的大脑也需要适当的头脑锻炼来维护健康。冥想，一个从古至今就一直存在的头脑锻炼，可以帮助我们更好的训练我的大脑，培养我们良好的专注力，进而更好的活在当下。无论是佛家的打禅，还是当代流行的瑜伽，或者只是简单的专注于自己的呼吸，当你的注意力飘走时，重新把专注带回你的吸气吐气，训练自己更多的专注于当下所作所为。每天15分钟以上的冥想，是对身心健康很好的投资。
  • 良好的人际关系。人类是群居动物，意味着我们需要与同伴相互关心帮助。但每个人所能承受的这份情的数量是不同的，而且数量是会影响质量的。不要一味的结交更多的朋友，而是应该先提高已拥有的人际关系的质量，再根据自己的承受能力，增加或减少自己需要维护的人际关系数量。不妨先从培养自己与自己的关系开始，爱护自己才有精力和能力去爱护他人，再去提高与身边家人朋友的人际关系质量。同样，维护良好的人际关系是需要时间和精力的投入的，其回报是带给我们更好的身心健康，而且是个共赢的买卖。

推荐书籍：

  • “Why We Sleep”, by Matthew Walker (PhD)

*The following content is for reference only. If you want to systematically study knowledge about physical and mental health, I recommend taking the Harvard University open course “Positive Psychology” by Professor Tal Ben-Shahar (Ph.D.).

Health can be divided into physical health and mental health, but more often than not, the two are interconnected. In comparison to China, the United States places more emphasis on mental health education.

Unfortunately, not everyone has good intentions, especially in the workplace, where your leaders and colleagues might use psychological techniques to influence your performance and state of mind. This can be done with both good and ill intent. While we shouldn’t assume ill intent, it’s important to be vigilant. Understanding basic knowledge of physical and mental health is essential for everyone.

Poverty is often used to describe a lack of money or material resources, but in today’s society, poverty in terms of time is even more common. Both time poverty and material poverty have an impact on physical and mental health. Especially when time is scarce, it’s easier to neglect the time needed to maintain physical and mental well-being, essentially sacrificing one’s own health. It’s worth reminding everyone that balancing material and time needs is one of the important factors in ensuring health.

Here are several other important factors affecting health that we need to remind ourselves of every day.

Be human:

  • Humans live in a world with limitations. Some basic principles are hard to change, such as birth, aging, illness, death, universal gravitation, the need for food and water, and so on. We need a clear understanding of these basic principles and should follow them in our lives.
  • Rest is indispensable for humans. This includes getting enough sleep, relaxing your body and mind, and spending time with family and friends. Rest is also the best way to relieve stress.
  • Life is not a destination but a journey. The ultimate destination for humans is universal and unchanging: death, without exception. Recognizing this can help us better plan our lives. Our lives are not determined when we die; they are determined every day that we live. We can’t predict our future, can’t change our past, and the only thing that truly exists is our present selves. If you want a happier life, all you need to do is make each day a little happier.
  • Be patient with yourself. Behind every success is a lot of time and effort invested, and behind every success is growth after experiencing failures. Even if you use scientifically correct methods, you may experience temporary setbacks before making progress, since trying new things means making mistakes and growing from them. Many people give up during these temporary setbacks. Being more patient with yourself can help you better navigate challenges.
  • Everything we experience in life, whether good or bad, successful or failed, is ultimately just a part of our short existence. Moreover, what we perceive as good or bad, successful or failed, can have completely opposite interpretations for different people, in different environments, and at different times. What seemed earth-shattering or tear-inducing at the time will gradually fade with the passage of time. Time is the best remedy.
  • Don’t envy others’ success, because you can’t pay the price they paid. Destiny still significantly shapes our lives; everyone has different resources and abilities. The life others desire might not be suitable for your life, and the price others paid might not be affordable for you. Recognize your abilities and needs and do your best.

Be positive:

  • Happiness doesn’t depend on how much you have, but whether you appreciate what you have. Think of a child who has just learned to walk. Do we have less than she does? Are we happier than she is? Humans have a great capacity to adapt, whether to positive or negative circumstances. As we acquire more, we also adapt to what we have. When we are capable of running, we even forget the joy of learning to walk. Learn to appreciate the beauty of life, and remind yourself not to overlook it simply because you’ve become adapted to it.
  • Focusing more on the beauty of things makes your life more beautiful. No life is without challenges, but some people know how to see the positive side of things. Everything has two sides, and when you focus more on the positive side, your mood becomes more optimistic, making it easier for you to enjoy and excel in the present. The opposite is also true: when you focus more on the negative side, your mood becomes more negative, making it harder for you to enjoy and excel. This is your choice. If you want a happier life, choose to focus more on the positive side. This is also the theoretical foundation of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in psychology, which has been repeatedly validated as effective through scientific experiments. By changing your perception of things, you can change your emotions and ultimately change your behavior.

Be present:

  • Even though people may not admit it, we only have the present. Humans can’t change the past, can’t predict the future, and we can’t even guarantee our own next day. Our life is composed of countless moments of the present; if we lose the present, we lose a part of life. Moreover, only when we truly focus on the present can we efficiently do what needs to be done. Living in the present is not just a choice but a wisdom of life, one that requires a lot of practice to achieve. No one can fully live in the present; the human brain constantly receives thousands of random signals that disrupt our lives. We need deliberate practice to better focus on our current actions and reduce the influence of our brain or external environment.

Four essential “pills” for basic health:

  • Adequate sleep. The term “adequate” varies from person to person. Some people need only 2 hours of sleep a day, while others need 12 hours. You need to find the right amount of sleep your body requires. Generally, 8 hours is the commonly recognized average sleep time for humans. A better measurement is to record how long you sleep until you wake up naturally; this is the amount of sleep you need. Don’t be surprised by this duration. Before the advent of electric lights, the average sleep time for humans was over 10 hours. Even lions, despite needing around 15 hours of sleep each day, are never mocked as lazy.
  • Moderate physical exercise. If humans were plants, being stationary and enjoying sunlight and rain would be natural. If humans were animals, being active, running, hunting, and searching for food would be natural. Are we following our nature, or has our contemporary “quality” of life restricted our nature? Over 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day might be the most basic requirement of human nature. Of course, having a variety of exercise options and finding the exercise duration that suits you best can help us better relieve stress and maintain physical and mental health.
  • Moderate mental exercise. Just as our bodies need appropriate physical exercise to maintain health, our brains also need appropriate mental exercise. Meditation, a form of mental exercise that has existed from ancient times to the present, can help us train our brains and develop good concentration, enabling us to live more in the present. Whether it’s the Zen of Buddhism, modern yoga, or simply focusing on your breath, when your attention drifts, bring it back to your inhalation and exhalation to train yourself to focus more on the present action. Meditating for over 15 minutes each day is a good investment in your physical and mental health.
  • Good interpersonal relationships. Humans are social animals, meaning we need to care for and help each other. However, each person’s capacity for relationships differs, and the quantity can affect the quality. Instead of forming more friendships blindly, it’s better to improve the quality of the existing relationships and then increase or decrease the number of relationships you need to maintain based on your capacity. Start by cultivating a relationship with yourself—caring for yourself allows you to care for others with energy and ability. Then work on improving the quality of relationships with family and friends around you. Maintaining good interpersonal relationships requires time and effort, but the rewards are better physical and mental health, which is also a win-win deal.

Recommended books:

  • “Why We Sleep”, by Matthew Walker (PhD)