Life is complex, and as such, human beings are even more complex in that we are beings with physical, mental, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual elements. However, we tend to generalize the self - especially when we describe ourselves, we often think in terms of only our physical characteristics.

Similarly, when we wish to become younger and healthier for longer, we tend to focus only on the physical aspect of the self. For example, when we think of being younger, we think of facial creams or makeovers; when we think of being healthier, we think of diets and vitamins. But being younger and healthier for longer is more than just the physical.

To become younger and healthier for longer is, indeed, a very complex endeavor.

Even the physical part of the self itself includes the whole body, not just a part of it. When we come to think of the physical aspect of the self, we should think of other parts of the body as well.

Science operates primarily on the physical level. Maybe because we know so much of the physical part of the self, we focus so much on it to the exclusion of other elements, such as the mental, the intellectual, the emotional, and the spiritual elements - which all play a role in making you younger and healthier for longer.

If you really wish to become younger and healthier for longer, you need a broader mindset to embrace also the intellectual aspect of the self. As a matter of fact, our intellect enables us to learn, to think, and to take appropriate actions. Our intellect is an important component of being younger and healthier for longer, because the mind controls the body, specifically all our actions.

The emotional part of the self is determined by our feelings, which are affected by the intellectual (how we think and what we do) and the physical (often a consequence of the actions of the intellect). Your emotional feelings affect your mental health, which also affects your thinking mind and your physical body. So you can see how they are all inter-related and inter-woven. They all play a pivotal role in making you younger and healthier for longer.

However, emotions and intelligence are invisible and intangible, and hence difficult to quantify and to define. So, many people tend to ignore or bypass these more abstract aspects of the self. Accordingly, they shift their focus solely on the physical part of the self. Focusing solely on the physical aspect cannot make you younger and healthier for longer.

To keep you younger and healthier for longer, there is yet another aspect of the self you need to consider - the spiritual element. The spiritual aspect of the self is even more difficult to be characterized than the intellectual, the emotional, and the mental characteristics. But the spiritual element of the self is the core of one's being. In other words, it is the essence of what we are. Therefore, it is critical to being younger and healthier for longer. It is like your "inner voice." This "self-intuition" is always there for you, if you know how to access it. If you are spiritual, you may have the capability to oversee all the aspects of the self, because you know who you really are and the purpose of your existence or being. You know why you need to become younger and healthier for longer.

To conclude, to be younger and healthier for longer, you need a holistic approach to the self - which is a complex endeavor.

Copyright (c) 2009 Stephen Lau