102-year-old doctor shares tips for happiness and long life
Dr Gladys McGarey, a cancer survivor and a holistic medicine pioneer, offers simple tips for happiness and longevity.
A cancer survivor and holistic medicine pioneer, Dr Gladys McGarey's life journey is the stuff inspiration is made of. At 102, Dr McGarey is still a practicing doctor and walks 3,800 steps every day with the help of a walker. She now plans to create a village for living medicine where people can come together to practice wellness. The centenarian in an interview with Today.com says she doesn't recommend any particular way of eating to stay healthy and she "eats what she wants to eat, including chocolate cake and an occasional hamburger." (Also read: Secrets to a long and happy marriage that lasts a lifetime)
Dr McGarey reveals she has suffered many setbacks in life be it surviving cancer or breaking up with her husband of 46 years when she was 70, but she chose not to get stuck in them. “You just don’t get stuck in them. It’s a matter of choice: What do I choose? I chose not to be stuck in the pain and suffering. It hurt and I didn’t like it,” Dr McGarey tells TODAY.com. In fact, McGarey thanks to this experience gave her life a new purpose and started a new holistic medical practice with her daughter and found her own voice as a doctor and woman, she says. Dr McGarey has also penned a book on her life experience titled The Well-Lived Life: A 102-Year-Old Doctor's Six Secrets to Health and Happiness at Every Age.
McGarey's secrets to happiness and long life
Pay attention to your dreams, look for clues from the unconscious
The holistic medicine expert says dreams hold the key to many of the life's problems and all one has to do it to seek clues from the unconscious. Dr McGarey in the interview admits that she pays attention to her dreams and uses them to guide her choices. Dr McGarey says people who are struggling with a difficult decision must ask for a dream before going to bed and then write it down upon waking up to look for messages and clues from their unconscious.
Become aware you are stuck and find a way out
Dr McGarey says while it's natural for people to feel stuck at times, but spending your energy on something that's making you miserable isn't worth it and one must start looking for world all around and it’s full of amazing, amazing things, she told TODAY.com.
Live life at your own terms
Dr McGarey says she eats what she wants to eat, including chocolate cake and an occasional hamburger, and doesn't smoke or drink alcohol. “I’m not opposed to alcohol and I think wine for some people is a lovely thing. It’s what works for you,” she told the portal. “The individual person has to live their own individual life, so as you find what works for you, bless it and use it and work with it,” she adds.
Find your purpose
Dr McGarey says she truly believes each one of us has a purpose here and it's our privilege and responsibility to find that within ourselves. At 102, the holistic wellness expert has a 10-year plan to create a village for living medicine where people can "come together to practice wellness."
“I have a wonderful life and I love it because I’m surrounded by love, not just by relatives but people that I have helped and they have helped me,” she said in the interview.