Perhaps the biggest obstacle to people’s good health is being in a state of constant emotional distress. According to researchers like Bruce Lipton, chronic stress is a primary cause of as much as 95 percent of all disease today.

This fact is borne out in my practice: Nearly every patient I see tells me about how stressed out they are.

Stress is not really what people think it is. It occurs when we perceive ourselves in a state of emotional discomfort.

Most people view stress as something from the outside that happens to them. In reality, however, most of us are creating this state of discomfort as a result of the undesirable meaning we give to life experiences.

In other words, it is not the external events themselves that cause stress, it is how we perceive, judge, think about, and react to them.

Learning to de-stress is a big challenge. Nearly everyone these days has taken on more than they can comfortably handle; consequently, they are driven to stress by what they have taken on.

You can detoxify, eat right, and exercise, but getting your emotional/mental state under control is even more important when it comes to improving and maintaining your energy and health.

You’ve got to focus on what makes you feel good. Then use that feel-good energy to face the challenges that come your way each day.

I teach my patients that they’ve got to regularly express love to their spouses, partners, children, siblings, parents, and friends — even to their pets, if they have them. (Having and caring for a pet is a wonderful way to diminish stress, especially for people who live alone.)

I also encourage them to regularly spend time engaged in activities they enjoy, whether it be hobbies, listening to great music, or rooting for their favorite sports team.

Expressing love and doing the things we love takes our minds off of our perceived problems and connects us to something greater than ourselves. Research has shown that people who regularly give themselves to others in some way tend to live longer and healthier lives than workaholics and those who are primarily focused on themselves.

I also encourage patients to do what children do all the time: imagine!

Imagine being absolutely healthy every day of your life. Imagine living to age 100, or longer, with abundant health and energy. See yourself as an ambassador of longevity to the world.

And have fun. Some people say there is no fun in their lives because there’s no one to have fun with. They are lonely. I tell them to make a list of all the fun things they can do by themselves, and then to set about doing them.

And I encourage them to count their blessings and be grateful for what life has already given them, while concentrating on the energy of the universe moving through them.

I encourage you to do the same. By taking these simple, basic steps, you can get your head and your emotions together. Then health and longevity will have a way of following.