Importance of Mental Health
TOWARDS A HEALTHY MIND
We all engage in different exercises or activities to shape up and build our physical strength, but we often ignore our governing system; our mind or brain! Dumbbells are good for building up muscles but what about the mind? There aren’t any gyms for mental training or strengthening. It is often said that A healthy mind resides in a healthy body, but it is also true that A healthy mind often precedes a healthy body. Only if we have the peace of mind and are able to take good decisions efficiently can we grow in all aspects of life.
Mental health is an imperative but often ignored aspect of our lives. Through this article, I am making an attempt to encourage you to pay more attention to your mental health. The daily hassles, frustrations, anger, disappointments and unexpected situations we face in our lives pose great risk for our mental health. We need to train and strengthen our mind to adjust and adapt to such challenges. The World Health Organization (WHO) defined mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realises his/her own abilities, can cope with normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his/her community”. It is not just the absence of mental illness. Having talked about what mental health is and why we need to be more serious about it, let’s now look at some of the ways that various studies all over the world propose to be efficient in helping us to train or strengthen our brain/mind.
- Engage in brain stimulating activities like playing Sudoku, solving puzzles or crosswords.
- Regular exercises, yoga and meditation in the proper way.
- Learning to Let Go!!
- Spending some significant amount of time doing your hobbies or anything that gives you happiness. As kids, we all had at least one such activity that gave us immense pleasure and we were always ready to do it with full enthusiasm.
- Don’t let the child in you die out.
- Keep in touch with your friends and family. Meet them often. Share your thoughts, feelings and experiences with whomever you feel comfortable or have that rapport with.
- Experience your emotions; even if negative let the feeling run its course. It is important that you process the emotion appropriately. Blocking it is no solution.
- Learn to be patient. It is a virtue that very few possess in today’s world but it is a very important ingredient for your success.
- Be stable and balanced in your approach.
- Get adequate amount of sleep everyday (6-8 hrs) and take a healthy, balanced diet.
- Avoid the use of harmful substances like alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs that have the potential of causing havoc in your brain.
- Believe in yourself and work towards your goals or dreams.
‘Mental Health…is not a destination but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going.’ Noam Shpancer