The Place of a Healthy Mind in Total Wellbeing

                 

Photo by Etty Fidele on Unsplash

True wealth is having a healthy mind, body and spirit. It is having the knowledge to maneuver and navigate the mental obstacles that inhibit your ability to soar. Ru Paul. 

The state of our mind is very important in our quest to live a healthy life. This is irrespective of our gender, occupation, sexual orientation, or marital status. The rise in the spate of suicide, depression, and mental break down is a pointer to the problem every society faces. 

The United States of America is by the National Center for Health Statistics NCHS recorded to have had an increase of over 24% in suicide rates between 2016 and 2018,  statistics put the figures at 48,334 lives lost. 

Nigeria with the largest population in Africa is also said to have the highest suicide rates in Africa according to a report by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) with over 17,000 lives lost.

                             

                                     Source: www.icirnigeria.org

This is a clear indication of the need to periodically check the state of our mind so we can continue to healthy lives. 

Following WHO definitions, health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease. 

Our mind is where all our thoughts and consciousness are based. It means that our feelings, perceptions, patterns of thought, imagination memory, and judgment are all lodged in the mind, and this ultimately affects our language and actions. 

So, we need to give the mind the attention it deserves.

This means we have to a large extent the duty of choosing our life's outcome from the many options that present themselves as we go through the hectic hustle and bustle of living in today's world. 

How Does This Concern Me?

People everywhere struggle with the pressures and challenges of life which may occasionally appear almost impossible to overcome, the thoughts of not ever making it through the challenge may make them go overboard.

 

Most often, these pressures come as a result of setting unrealistic expectations from work, marriage, children, self, and in some other cases may result from a feeling of inadequacy to provide for the family. This shows that just about anyone can suffer from pressure.

A study by D.r. Siegel attributes 40% of what determines happiness as being under our control and 10% to good or bad fortune. According to Siegel, it is a response to events and not the events themselves that determine the level of well being. 

This means we have the ability to change our sense of well being and happiness. When the right perspective is adopted in life, it has the potential to enhance life. 

Tara Wyne states that our wellbeing can be compared to a lens through which we see our lives. It colors our world view and changes our perspective. It influences our perception of processing what goes on in our lives. 

This means we will all require a change in lifestyle which will in turn result in a healthier state of mind.

Here are Some Basic Essentials to Note if You Want a Healthy State of Mind.

                      

1. Stay Positive

One key element to having a healthy state of mind whether as a person juggling two jobs, traveling around to make ends meet or one who has to attend to the demands of raising children while keeping a job and being a success at it is staying positive.

Staying positive is a sure way of enhancing your state of mind. You may have lost a job, be down with a life-threatening illness or situation, or facing a major crisis. Through all these, learn to see the glimmer of light at the other end of the tunnel. 

Lots of people have gone through these same experiences and survived. Believe in your ability to survive the odds. Irrespective of what you might be going through, dwell only on the good and live above the hurts. This will help you to keep forging ahead. 

2.  Find What Gives you Joy

Find what makes you happy and immerse yourself in it. Do what you love. Carry out anything good that gives your inner bliss.

3. Set Small Achievable Goals

Instead of setting big goals that get you cracking under its weight, set small goals that you can achieve. This may entail breaking your goals into bits to fit what you can accomplish per day. A good example for a new blogger would be, 

 I will post three articles per week or per month if you do not have enough time to write as against one that reads I will post three articles per day.

 

The latter will put unnecessary pressure on you as a writer to deliver.

4. Overcome Anxiety

Anxiety puts us at risk of falling ill. Learn to properly manage every issue of concern and worry. If this is not done, your state of mind might be compromised.

Worrying over problems does not make them disappear, it only magnifies them. Take a  and thinks through how to solve the cause of the worry.

5. Brace Yourself Daily for Any Outcome whether Good or Bad

While wall wishes daily for positive results, a profit from our sales, a rise in salaries, a bonus and the likes. But, there may be times these will not happen. 

The salary raise may not come, you may even lose the job or make a loss. What would you do then if you have not prepared your mind for the inevitable? You'll be thrown face flat on the ground.

6. Identify Depressive tendencies

There are several pointers to identify the onset of depression 

• Are you no longer your boisterous self?
• Do you find yourself seeking solitude instead of mixing with your peers?
• Are you always anxious?
• Do you seek to put an end to life however the means?

Once you have identified any depressive tendency in you or your loved ones, seek appropriate expert help. This will prevent any further unpleasant behavior or suicide attempt.

 

6. Build a Network of People you can share with

  Every one should have certain groups of people whom we trust enough to share our problems and worries with. These people will provide some sort of support for you as you go through whatever might be a challenge. Caution should be applied in selecting those who make up this network.

How to Improve Your State of Mind

1. Document your Successes: Keep a book or journal where you document every success you achieve daily or better still, record every positive event in your day.

2. Live in the Moment: Enjoy every day like tomorrow would never come. Forget about the troubles of tomorrow, tomorrow would be taken care of when it comes.

3. Do Away with Negative Thoughts: You need to condition your mind to throw out negative thoughts. Speak positive words of affirmation to yourself every day.

4. Be Open-Minded: Do not draw conclusions without logical considerations to all angles on a matter.

5. Be Grateful for your small achievements: Life is in phases so celebrate every small win because they contribute to the big win.