For each problem that we face in life there is often a small yet important change of behaviour which can make a huge difference in solving it.
There is a guideline in life called the 80-20 rule, which says: for many things that happen, about 80% of the results come out of about 20% of the causes. This means it is really important to identify which causes are within the '20%' to get the outcome you want, far more easily.

I'm here to share with you one very common–yet often overlooked–example of this today, that will help you live a life of fulfillment.

When you:

• Have a headache (or even a migraine)
• Feel tired during the day
• Feel hungry (especially when you've already eaten recently)

what do you normally do?

Do you think these are caused by different things?

Is there one thing you know to try first in all of these cases, rather than perhaps reaching for a snack, a pain relief tablet, or pushing through the tiredness?

Next time, try this:

1. Drink a large glass of water (plain, still water, with nothing added to it)
2. Wait a minute and see if you feel any better
3. If you do not notice a difference, try a second large glass of water (but only if you can do so without 'forcing' it and feeling unpleasant)

Lack of water (dehydration): this one simple thing is very often at the heart of hunger, headaches and tiredness. Your body–especially your brain–is made up largely of water, so even the beginning of dehydration has significant effects on your feelings, health and wellbeing.

Here are some things to consider:

• By the time you feel thirsty, it usually means you are significantly dehydrated already
• It is very common to mistake feelings of thirst as feelings of hunger, because they feel very similar, yet thirst is far more oftenthe cause of these feelings. If you eat because you feel 'hungry' but the real cause is lack of water, you will not feel fully satisfied after eating and will probably continue to eat more than what your body actually wants. This will cause you to feel sluggish as your body pours its energy into digesting too much food at once
• One of the most common causes of a headache is dehydration.
• If you feel tired (especially during the day), it is probably caused by dehydration

An example of this in action: recently, a workmate who gets migraines felt one coming on and I suggested he try drinking two or even three large glasses of water within about 15 minutes. He tried this and said that after half an hour, the migraine went away and stayed away for the rest of the day. Normally, he would have taken pain relief and whilst it would have reduced the pain, he would still put up with a lot of pain for the rest of the day. He was very grateful to see how a simple change of awareness and behaviour to address the real cause was able to relieve his problem, something difficult he has been 'living with' for a long time.

​Fill your glass and drink to live a life of fulfillment

Even better than learning to react to the feelings of tiredness, hunger/thirst or headache is to be proactive about getting enough water.
The amount of water you need may be different than what I need since it varies based on your own body and also the climate/conditions you are in each day.
I find that a good basic level if (like me) you spend most of your day in a fairly sheltered climate (e.g. indoors or at least not out in the hot sun) is to drink a large glass of water (about 500 ml/17 oz) immediately after you wake, then a large glass of water every hour-and-a-half throughout the day.
To do this, I fill my (reusable, aluminium) water bottle before I go to bed and leave it on my bedside table. I have pre-set, repeating alarms on my mobile phone which go off at the following times with the message “Feel alert & alive: drink water” at these times:

• 8am (in case I forgot to have a glass immediately upon awakening)
• 10.30am
• 12pm
• 1.30pm
• 3pm
• 4.30pm
• 6pm
• 7.30pm
• 9pm

I set the alarm so that it does not make a noise, since I found that to be too intrusive (and was discouraging me from drinking rather than encouraging me) – it only displays a message on the screen of my phone, and I have my phone where the screen is visible throughout the day.
Another idea is to identify any habits/routines you are already in which happen several times throughout the day (evenly spaced), and add drinking a glass/bottle of water to the existing routines.
There are also water reminder apps you can get for mobile phones – if you think these may work for you, please try them and see what works (I have not tried any myself, but would be interested to hear of anyone's recommendations – please contact me to let me know.)
As you become in the habit of drinking plenty of water regularly, so many things become easier: it helps with energy levels, alertness, digestion, happiness, strength, health, creative thinking and overall wellbeing.

Thank you for reading.
I wish you a life of fulfillment. Sometimes, filling a glass with water and drinking is all it takes.
–John