When you get older, you understand the importance of taking care of yourself, of staying within limits, as Archilochus said. When you are young, you live without limits. When I was young, I didn't take care of my physical or emotional health at all. Although I did like to go to places where I could be in contact with nature, far from the hustle and bustle of the city where I lived. I ate unhealthy foods, smoked, went to parties, and slept very little. I didn't know how important health was. Health comes first. If you don't have your health, it affects everything. For several days now, I've had severe pain in my neck, and it has affected me greatly.

Another thing I learned over time is that our body is connected to our mind and our emotions. That's why it's very important to be aware of the things we say to ourselves and how they affect us. Because the things we say to ourselves produce emotions (happiness, sadness, anger) and those emotions affect our body. Most of the illnesses we suffer from are related to emotions that disturb us. If we focus on negative thoughts, which also produce negative emotions, we lose our balance and become ill. That is why it is very important to be aware of what we focus our minds on.

I have been meditating for more than two decades because it helps me calm my mind when a situation causes me to have disturbing thoughts and emotions. When I didn't meditate often, I would get caught up in negative thoughts and emotions, and that caused me a lot of suffering. Meditation is a habit for me; I do it every day. But I also like to meditate in a group with my friends from my Buddhist group. It's one of the ways I keep my mind balanced. Another way is to be in contact with nature, in parks and gardens. Now that I live near the sea, seeing the sea helps me relax.

It's also true that our eating habits don't just affect our bodies. They can also affect our mood and energy levels. I know what I'm talking about. I had a terrible weekend because of physical discomfort in my shoulder and neck. I was in a terrible mood. It's not just a cosmetic issue. If you overeat and gain weight, as I have in recent months, it affects more than just your pants size. That's why, just as meditation has become a habit for me, I'm also trying to change my long-standing eating habits. That means eliminating or reducing foods that are harmful to me. I've eliminated refined sugar, and I need to cut down on foods that contain it, as well as coffee, cabbage, and alcohol. There are foods I didn't used to eat that I've started eating, such as kefir, because it contains probiotics, which are good for your health. Now I'm eating more vegetables and preparing raw salads.