Advice for Good Mental Health
Good mental health requires the correct approach to life that not only overcomes particular issues but also maintains ongoing happiness and lasting inner peace. Outlined in these articles is some basic advice on how to begin to make lasting changes in your life.
- Healthy Body, Healthy Mind
- Tools for Change
- Overcoming Negative Thoughts
- Resolving Conflict
- Living in the Present
- The Power of Helping Others
Healthy Body, Healthy Mind
To survive we need to ensure certain basic physiological needs are met. The need for air, water, food and sleep precede all other concerns. In the same way that a plant needs good soil, regular water and plenty of sunlight to grow well, the human body also needs to be kept in balance for emotional stability.
Eating Healthily
The consumption of stimulants such as coffee, soft drinks, chocolate and alcohol play havoc with blood sugar levels. These foods give an initial hit of energy as blood sugar levels soar, but are followed by a slump, causing cravings for more fast energy and a vicious circle starts.
In order to balance blood sugar levels it's a good idea to reduce the intake of refined carbohydrates and eat more complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, wholegrain bread, oat bars and muesli. Very sugary refined foods are best avoided, as they are likely to stimulate weight gain and increase cravings.
Eating at regular intervals, especially a good meal in the morning and smaller amounts in the evening, helps maintain stable energy levels throughout the day. If you need to snack on the run eat fresh and dried fruit. These are rich in vitamin C, a key nutrient in giving us energy, which also helps build up your immune system.
For good emotional health it is important to eat a healthy, balanced diet. Eating foods rich in tryptophan such as bananas can help your body create more serotonin, the hormone associated with happiness. Essential fatty acids, found in oily fish, nuts and seeds, are not only good for the heart, but good for the brain too. To increase energy levels eat more protein and iron, eggs are good for both of these. And it's vital to drink plenty of water, as this is good for the skin and will help wash impurities through your body.
Lifestyle
Whether formally involved in a sport or simply doing some DIY, exercise helps maintain a healthy body and a happy mind. Exercise is important because it stimulates the release of endorphins into our body, which help keep us happy and feeling good.
Modern life often places excessive pressure on our minds and bodies. For this reason we may need to slow down and rest in order to heal deeply. Concentration levels naturally take a dip for periods of about twenty minutes that occur every couple of hours. At these times it's a good idea to take breaks from work to help keep our immune system strong.
Our posture often reflects our mood. By being aware of our posture and employing skilful methods for moving around we will feel healthier and also prevent future discomfort. Some ways in which you can look after your body include yoga to help keep the body and spine flexible, mindfulness meditation which encourages awareness of good posture and the Alexander technique which focuses on how to move effectively in everyday life.
Tools for Change
Hypnosis and meditation are great ways to focus the mind towards letting go of unwanted patterns and developing useful mental states. Hypnosis helps to change habitual responses for specific issues, while meditation has a more holistic objective creating balance and calm in all areas of life. Other ways that encourage healthier states of mind include being creative or active, or acts of kindness such as voluntary work.
While it is helpful to shape our lives so that we encouage positive mind states, it's also a good idea to have some tools that help us deal with any unwanted mental states that may arise. Of course if negative mind states arise from the subconconsious it is damaging to go along with them, but it is also damaging to suppress them.
We can clasify unskilful mental states into five types. The first two as neurotic craving and ill will, where we are inappropriately either drawn to or repelled by something. Next are laziness and restlessness (or anxiety) which means that we lack the motivation or patience to follow through to the necessary amount. And finally doubt may lead to confusion, low self esteem and stunt energy levels.
Here are some antidotes to help prevent unskilful mental states from manifesting into action:
Take a Step Back
If we feel a strong emotion such as anger arising then it may be advisable to leave the situation and find a safe outlet for the energy until we feel calm enough to confront the problem again.
Rebalancing
Actively try to encourage relaxation using self-hypnosis or breathing techniques. This helps to shift our awareness from the problem at hand so that we can take back control, developing a calmer and more focused response.
Cultivate the opposite
For example, if we often feel impatient it may be helpful to deliberately delay any action. Or if we feel negative emotions towards someone, take a few moments to cultivate feelings of unconditional love and kindness to them.
Non-Attachment
Being non-attached means that an emotion is allowed to arise, but that it isn't possessed. This involves accepting what's happening by choosing not to fight it, observing the feelings or thoughts without judging them to be good or bad, and remaining detached as if they're an intruder. This gives space for stuck emotions to flow a little easier so that a suitable responce can be made from a clearer mind.
Overcoming Negative Thoughts
Some people claim that the glass is half empty while others will say it's half full. The pessimist and the optimist viewpoints of the same situation highlight that by developing a completely different perspective we can completely change the way we experience the world. It's even possible for some people to change seemingly tragic situations into learning curves with new doors opening.
A common characteristic of low self-esteem and depression is black and white thinking. Statements such as 'I'm always the worst at everything' tend to typify a negative person with the inability to think that between the black and white there lies grey. Just by altering this statement to 'I'm often no good at those kind of things,' begins to suggest that their situation is not permanent and change can occur.
Often in the West there is the notion that in order to overcome negative thinking styles we need to develop 'positive mental attitudes' to help push through obstacles and become stronger individuals. The optimist will proclaim 'I'm always the best at everything!' And with their extra vigour sail through any obstacle in their way. While helping in the short run and obviously preferable to wallowing in self-pity, this attitude falls short of ensuring lasting happiness for all involved. Besides which, it's just as black and white as the pessimist! The optimist is so focused on the future that they are always striving for something better and fearful of losing all that's gained. They will never find peace, because they always strive on they rarely stop to simply be happy as things are in the present moment.
So there needs to be a different attitude to the pessimist and optimist that leads to a more balanced and realistic attitude. A grounded response that is above and beyond personal feelings and emotions but instead full of clarity, stability and peace.
Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet that:
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so"
This profound quote has a very important implication, which implies that judging or labelling is not the best way to channel energy towards acting in the most appropriate way. It is only by accepting things as they are, and observing how you feel without labelling, that you can generate multiple viewpoints. This then leads to a balanced opinion with the ability to move towards a happier and healthier lifestyle.
Resolving Conflict
Severe anger damages the heart and is the most dangerous emotion to health. From the extremes of rage to a mild irritation, it is an emotion we could best do without. In fact, the only reason we consider something to be a problem at all is because there is some kind of aversion to the situation, which manifests as fear or anger.
Internal conflicts
When we persistently battle against our desires we experience continual unrest. There develops a conflict between doing the best thing and doing the thing that we are drawn to doing. This may be due to an unwanted subconscious response, which continues to manifest against our better nature. And this causes stress and anxiety.
It could also be that we feel there are mixed views within our own moral values, which leave us confused. One example is the way in which the media advocates money, success, power and fame as desirable, and yet we see time and again how greed, selfishness and overindulgence never bring true happiness.
External conflicts
Conflict may also arise because someone else does something that threatens us or goes against our values. It may simply be that in the heat of the moment we act in a way, which we later regret. Or perhaps we hold a grudge or seek revenge against someone who has caused us injustice. The unfortunate effect of holding onto anger against others is that we simply cause ourselves problems.
It’s important to remember that if someone acts maliciously this is because they themselves have internal pain. Out of compassion we should generate the desire to free them from their suffering. Only by cultivating a clear mind full of kindness will we resolve our own internal conflict associated with the person. While sometimes persistent assertiveness is required in order to find a solution, it is important to remain calm and avoid unnecessary anger.
Feelings
The root cause of all our problems lies within ourselves and we will never achieve lasting happiness if we continue to have these inner conflicts. When we experience the world through our senses our mind identifies the information, makes a judgement, which alters our state of mind and often creates a feelings in the body. It is this manifestation of feelings, which we either like or dislike, which often causes us to act in an inappropriate way.
Often when we experience unwanted states of mind or feelings we want to change the situation because of aversion. This can be anything from a mild feeling of unrest to a full-blown ‘fight or flight’ response. It is only when we accept and observe these feelings and calmly address the situation that we put ourselves in a better position to make clear and rational choices.
Let it Be
As the Beatles highlighted in the lyrics to their well-known song, the answer to resolving all conflict comes when you just ‘let it be’. By simply bringing a feeling into awareness and noting that this is just the way things are at that moment, we avoid suppressing it or letting it manifest into unwanted speech or action. We can then move away from conflict and towards harmony, which allows us to be more in touch with reality so that we can act with clarity to make the changes that will benefit everyone the most. It is only when we stop acting through craving and aversion to desirable or undesirable states of mind and feelings, that we can achieve lasting peace and inner happiness.
Living in the Present
All our thoughts are orientated towards the past, present and future and are viewed as either positive or negative. Obviously dwelling on the past with feelings of regret, or worrying about the future with anxiety, are undesirable states of mind. And it seems far more desirable to remember a happy memory, or fantasise about a wonderful future.
While remembering better times can bring temporary relief if times are hard, a better long-term strategy is to accept things as they are and find a way to resolve the situation. Further to this fantasising about a wonderful future can be positive if it gives extra drive, but the trouble is that it will only lead to disappointment if things don't go quite as planned.
The past is important to learn from and the future to plan towards. Problems occur when the mind persistently dwells or worries, thinking about all manner of things that don't actually help resolve anything. To be truly present doesn't discount thoughts from the past and future, but instead necessitates being 'awake' to these thoughts in the present moment.
Of course we need to have goals and ambitions in life, but usually we associate goals with the future. However, perhaps paradoxically, the goal here is orientated towards becoming more present or 'aware'. And this helps us to stop attaching to worry about the future. Instead we are able to accept things as they are and find peace as unhelpful thoughts dissipate and the mind is able to become still.
Being present helps us to truly enjoy and experience life and the varied qualities of everything that we come into contact with. By being present our sense of taste becomes sharper, colours become more vivid, songs more lyrical and sensations more acute.
It seems obvious to say that the only thing that exists is how things are in the present moment. And the past and future actually only exist as concepts. There is just a continual now which flows through time. So to truly experience the world and to feel freer in ourselves, it's helpful to be present.
The Power of Helping Others
As social creatures we often find purpose in life when we help to bring joy to others. In fact great satisfaction can be gained from the simple act of generously giving and even greater peace found when it is unconditional. Many people find that the love they feel through raising children, having pets or forging strong friendships, is unparalleled by any selfish gratification.
Isolating ourselves from others often leads to introspection and self-critical thoughts. By establishing a sense of connection with others we are able to externalise our problems, getting them out of our head. Further to this, listening to others takes the focus off the self, opening our awareness up beyond our own problems and concerns.
When the focus is consistently removed from the self to concern for others, feelings of esteem and self worth are greatly improved. In fact the paradox is that by weakening the ego the self begins to flourish. By letting go of any kind of fixed personal identity we are more able to adapt to situations and mix with people from all walks of life. We become more connected with the world as we stop struggling within ourselves and develop peaceful relationships with everyone we come into contact with.
Of course we must first look after ourselves if we are to be any good at helping others. We would be of no use if we gave all our money to charity and had nothing left to feed and clothe ourselves. And it can obviously be beneficial if we are successful and achieve great things if it is for the benefit of others. However, care must be taken to avoid any satisfaction of success developing into pride or feelings of superiority, as the struggle to maintain this runs contrary to the initial intention and results in disharmony.
While acts of unconditional generosity and kindness are paramount to our own happiness, perhaps the best way we can help others the most is to live by example. This way we demonstrate how they too can find inner peace when they let go of selfish desire and open up to others.
For further reading, please take a look at Inspiring Books.
Please feel free to send any comments or questions about this material by contacting Andrew
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