Awhile back Healthline posted about “Free Medicine”. I couldn’t find the original article, but the gist was, simple things you can do to better your well-being. I wanted to take some time to locate some research on these ideas. I’ll try to include links to full text peer reviewed articles when I can.

Movement at its core is survival. Don’t move and you don’t eat. What might surprise you is that a 24-hour movement study wasn’t published until 2015! A 2020 systematic review by Rollo et al. reaffirmed that children who are more physically active see improved quality of life, fitness, emotional and social health.

Here are the suggested guidelines for 18-64 yoa :

Laughter is funny. My mom can attest to my uncontrollable smiles and laughter…when I was in trouble! Thankfully research might be starting to back me up as laughter helps us relax, and reduces stress responses. Maybe that was it? Other research has shown that laughing may improve your immune system and mood. Mayo Clinic Article. Chopra Article.

Hugs might lower the effects of stress. In a 2021 study, researchers found that the group receiving a hug or self-soothing touch after exposure to a psychosocial stress had reduced cortisol levels. Cortisol is an indicator of stress and sustained high levels has negative effects. I love a good hug.

Nature is my happy place. Categorize me alongside the likes of Theodore Roosevelt and Robert Frost. A 2016 European cross-sectional study found that time in green-spaces positively affected mental health and vitality. Just look at this image and tell me you don’t feel something.

Music falls into the same category as nature for me. The therapeutic effects have been documented as far back as 1789 and continue to be a medium that connects us all to something more. Research is showing that music can help with anxiety and potentially dementia too. Also, Queen.

Doodling research is mixed. However, art therapy has a pretty solid following. By combining art, creative thinking, and non-verbal communication, people can find healing. It may or may not have an effect on memory and concentration. Jackie Andrade did an interesting case study here.

Grounding or Earthing as it’s also known, has a very “hippie” stigma but there is some evidence that corroborates it’s positive effects. If you have ever scooted in your socks across the carpet, you know it’s possible to affect your own electrical charge. Diseases and inflammation also affect our charge. The idea with grounding, is that the Earth’s charge helps to return your abnormal charge back to homeostasis. So, gothose toes in the sand!

Sleep recharges our batteries. It’s the primary time food is digested, our muscles relax, and our brain has a chance to unconsciously process and store information. We are naturally daytime animals and light is a stimulus for our bodies to suppress melatonin, wake, and go about our day hunting and gathering. So when it’s time to sleep, it’s important to have a routine that helps support it. Turn down the lights, get away from the screens, and lower the room temperature. Each person has a unique sensitivity to these things, so find your rhythm.

Friends and our social circle have a profound effect on health and wellness. Good friends can bring us up when down, call us out on our BS and be our counselor. They give a sense of belonging. Sebastian Junger argues that we are too far withdrawn from our natural “tribes” and returning to a tight, supportive group is the best way forward for our society (that seems to have lost its way).

Family for me is more than just blood relatives. My family is my inner most circle. My ride or die people. My family also helps form who I am by providing guiding principals. Having others you know will always be there to help support, rescue, and love you is so comforting. It’s important that family be a positive influence on you.

Dancing really is a double-tap on movement, but with the added feeling of vulnerability (at least for me). Koch et al. compared studies on Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and dance intervention. They found that DMT helped decrease depression and anxiety while improving quality of life, interpersonal and cognitive skills. Dance interventions increased (psycho-)motor skills.

Sunlight is probably my wife’s favorite thing. She loves fluffy clouds, but they better not block Sol. And for good reason. The sunlight stimulates our bodies to synthesis vitamin D which encourages strong bones and may play an important role fighting diseases and cancer.

-J