What if we learned to take care of our minds the same way we do with our bodies?Mental hygiene habits are a life strategy to be more in harmony with our environment. It’s about exercising the muscle of self-esteem, overcoming the resistance of apathy, moving towards greater balance with our emotions and learning to put proper filters in our social environment.
Are we aware that these approaches are currently aimed at?Take care? From our minds they are becoming more and more popular. Without a doubt, we are talking about strategies such as Mindfulness or Wellness, each according to its origins and disciplines, has the same objective: to offer a better balance between mind and body. to ensure not only our well-being, but also a greater sense of control over our own lives.
“Without well-being, life is not life, is it just a state of discouragement and suffering?-Francois Rabelais-
Whether we have started one of these practices or not, there are some simple aspects to consider: psychological well-being responds, first, to a series of habits and strategies that each individual must learn to develop according to their characteristics. this requires, above all, creativity and perseverance.
Therefore, mental hygiene becomes a very special task, where everyone has to learn to ventilate, hygienize and oxygenate their own mental scenarios; in turn, not least, we must also remember that we are part of a physical and social scenario. and that our contexts also affect our balance.
Therefore, mental hygiene habits require a holistic approach, it involves knowing how to prioritize, concentrate, filter any stimulus that comes to live more harmoniously, so let’s look at a number of strategies.
Much of our emotional experience comes from “sparks,” small bursts of negative sensations collapsing in our brains. These small downloads are due to imbalances with our environment. A comment that we do not like, but before which we remained silent; a proposal with which we do not agree, but which we respect; a situation that needs to be resolved, but postponed?
The small sparks accumulated, one after the other, end up generating a flame. Our minds are under-resourced and, in the end, we end up “burning,” exhausted in every respect. Thus, a first strategy in which we must invest Time and Effort is to recognize these triggers, those stimuli that bother us and that we must manage as quickly as possible.
Don’t put out the worry that bothers you today
Every good athlete knows his body, knows where his limits are and trains day by day to maintain and improve his performance, a performance that does not seem to be random, but responds to good planning in which the daily priorities and objectives are clear.
When it comes to taking care of our brain and mental hygiene, it would be nice to have our own plan, our daily priorities Should anyone leave home without dressing on purpose, take goals, nurture motivation?we more easily walk our complex paths to decide what benefits us and what harms us, what we must set aside to ensure our well-being.
A basic pillar to care for and promote our mental hygiene is the balance of our relationships, any unbalanced bond implies a high emotional cost, it is about investing time, expectations, effort and affection in people who do not transmit the same energy, the same reciprocity.
Of course, not all our relationships will be symmetrical in terms of donation and reception, a very clear example of this is seen in the relationship between parents and children, however it is necessary that our most important bonds (couple, family, friends) be balanced and, in some cases, symmetrical.
Anyone who resists adversity, failure, loss or error is blocked by discouragement, anger, discomfort. On the other hand, good mental hygiene requires a capacity for growth and expansion. Something like this only happens when someone is able to overcome their endurance, learning to be tolerant of adversity, with the complex side of life, with their most delicate side.
Therefore, we must face the contrasts of our reality. Because all hygiene comes from the ability to cure. And to heal, we must first accept the existence of a wound without denying it, without turning away or getting angry about it every day.
Clifford Saron is a neuroscientist at the Mind and Brain Center at the University of California, his interesting work aims to demonstrate how the training of our attention is reflected in our emotions, a balanced and focused mind translates into a healthier brain and well-being.
As he explains, most of us are not aware of the great plasticity of our neurological circuits, if we learn to focus every day on the present, what happens around us (and not so much in the past or in the future that they do not yet exist), we will see greater possibilities, we will feel more optimistic and with less anxiety.
To get our attention it can be helpful to learn to meditate, we know, however, there is another aspect that we cannot ignore, a more focused mind, in turn, needs a more relaxed body, then we can not neglect basic facts like promoting a good night’s sleep, taking a nap of 15 or 20 minutes, walking, stretching to relieve muscle tension , maintain a balanced diet?
In short, mental hygiene is a fabulous life strategy composed of different activities, dynamic and everyday habits aimed at ensuring our physical and psychological well-being, apply those that best suit our needs and start investing in ourselves today