The Healthy Management of Reality - Stanford University

To manage our reality optimally, we often face the need for moderation.This will be a common theme in this chapter. The key to maintaining a healthyexternal reality is to maintain an adequate level of whatever factor you are focusingon: not too much, and not too little.Sleep. Few of us are aware of the impact that sleep has on our mood and ourability to function. As modern society has developed ways to impinge more andmore into the darkness of night, human beings have lost the natural rhythms thatused to regulate our sleep. It is now possible to spend all night working,socializing, or entertaining oneself with television, reading, computer games, or theInternet. To regulate one’s own sleep cycle, one must do so consciously.Seven to nine hours of sleep seems to be optimal for most people. Toincrease the chances that you will achieve this, it is helpful to establish a healthyroutine: go to sleep at the same time and get up (not just wake up) at the same timeevery day. Your body will learn this routine. Some people find that, after a while,they no longer need an alarm. They begin waking up at their regular time withouteffort.Eating. Nutrition and weight are the major areas in which to focus. Toaddress this part of our external reality it is important to learn about balanced diets,how to limit intake of fats and sugars, and how to establishing a healthy routine interms of eating regularly.Weight control is also important. Making quick major changes in ourweight is not desirable. It may not be good for our health, and it usually doesn’tresult in long-lasting change. Decide on a desirable range for yourself, andmonitor your weight periodically to make sure you haven’t left that range. If youhave, do the two things that are necessary to gain or lose weight: eat and exerciseenough to increase or decrease weight.HMOR.July2005.Muñoz.doc 86