Activity is a cure for many ills.
It is difficult to be active and depressed. It is difficult to be active and lonely. It is difficult to be active and obese.
It is easier to be active and healthy. It is easier to be active and positive. It is easier to accomplish things when you are active.
While some of the above statements are “no brainers,” their messages often get lost in a society that promotes passivity. We have so many technical advances today that enable us to spend a lot of time doing things that don’t require a lot of energy or physical activity – such as video games, texting, and surfing the web. Those can be fun and educational and sometimes rewarding – but they really shouldn’t be an alternative to real life involvement with others at work and play and it the development of a physically healthy lifestyle.
Getting off of the comfortable couch may seem like a bit of a struggle, but I’ve met very few people who have any regrets about being socially involved with others, working out regularly, and and attending concerts or lectures rather than only experiencing them on TV or over the web. I’ve also met too many unhappy people who have developed the habit of inactivity to the point that they no longer seem to know how to be active – or happy.
If you have developed an inactivity habit, don’t change everything at once but learn to take some small steps in the active direction. You likely to learn what most emotionally heathy people have learned; being active is better.