My clients often ask me how I maintain health and perspective. I'm not sure that I'm the one to ask, and often I feel that my way of keeping life enjoyable is not very innovative. Recently, when someone asked me how I cope life, it made me think for a while about some of the things that I do to make my life longer and happier.

So for what it's worth, here are the simple things that I do. Of course the list is not all inclusive or in any particular order. It also goes without saying that quitting smoking, eating right, and getting some rest should be done in the first place. So, at the risk of stating the obvious, here are some of the rules that an old, but not necessarily wise, homeopath lives by.

I made this promise to myself when my kids were young as a way of making it more likely that I would see them grow up. So far, so good.

In the early 90's, I was wearing a seatbelt when I was hit broadside by a truck driven by someone that had been drinking. The seatbelt-shaped bruise across my chest reminded me that I probably would have been killed if I hadn't been wearing a seatbelt.

Even if doctors and the whole medical establishment annoy you, don't let that be a reason not to get a check-up, check that lump in your breast, or blood in your stool, or problems with your vision. Sure the medical field is flawed, but it has its strengths too. Don't make the mistake of “dying in your own ideals.”

So maybe your stress management isn't as pure as an hour of yoga every morning and meditation every night. Mine sure isn't. Even if you can't live up to your own lofty ideals on stress management, you might find time to sit out on the deck with your feet up and enjoy a cold drink or take a half an hour to watch a comedy on TV and have a good laugh.

Sometimes it's hard to admit that you haven't been feeling well for a while, but depression and anxiety can eat away at the joy in your life and make each day harder to get through than it should be. Try some simple diet changes like cutting down caffeine, some supplements like B-complex vitamins, and some well chosen homeopathic or Bach Flower Remedies. If that doesn't work, go to a good doctor and get some appropriate medications. Life is too short to be miserable for any length of time

This doesn't mean perfect relationships. It means the ones that are fun, interesting, relaxing, loving, and/or horizon broadening. Don't expect one person to be all of the above. You can't have too many friends, but you can have too few.

This means taking a good look at what's good in your relationships. Rebuild or discard the ones that don't fit, don't feel good, or don't make you happy anymore even after you've tried to fix them.

This is a cornerstone of my practice, and I encourage people to express their sexuality throughout their life in some way. It's wonderful if you have a partner, but if you don't that doesn't mean you should hibernate. You don't breathe, or eat, or sleep only with another person, correct?

Express your sexuality without killing yourself or someone else. That means safe sex all the time, for any reason, no matter what, even if you're sure, even if they're sure, even on the spur of the moment…. You get the idea.

You won't hear any homeopath argue with you when you say you just don't feel right. Our body is sending us signals every minute of every day. It took me a long time to learn that if I had a knot in my stomach, I was scared and if I was jiggling my foot I was angry and if I was distracted, I was too tired. What are your signals? Don't ignore them and you'll be amazed how many of your health problems will go away.