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This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and a good time to evaluate where we all stand in achieving a sense of mental balance.
Mental health can be linked to stress, abuse, trauma, disability – everyone has their own trigger which can be remedied by different approaches. Mental health is linked to our work and our personal lives but also has an intrinsic connection to physical health. Everyone has their own way of practising self-care that helps them to cope –exercise, alone time, reading and spending time in nature. Different things work for different people.
These are the top five points that I use to take care of my own mental health. They don’t focus on activities, practices or self-care but more on the awareness and attitude of a person to keep our mental wellbeing in check.
- Gratitude – For me gratitude means being thankful for my being, my body, my mind and soul and should not be confused with material possessions or comparisons of wealth.
- Forgiveness – Forgiving is about forgiving ourselves and others. Sometimes I find it difficult to forgive because my ego wants to win but once I see beyond my ego and competitive self, it is easier to actually attain the quality of forgiveness.
- Surrender –By surrendering I create acceptance of the external world and do not get disappointed when things do not go my way. This also helps me take life with humour and grace when things go wrong. This is one of the reasons I pray for about 5 mins every morning, it is just about the routine and acknowledging the universe and things outside my control.
- Be authentic – Life would not be beautiful and fun if we don’t try to excel and push ourselves. We have to find out what drives us and do what we want to do.
- Be conscious – Being conscious of my emotions and physical state to pre-empt reactions is important in being mindful of not hurting others. Negative emotions such as anger and sadness should be dealt with in a way that does not affect others. Being conscious also helps me be aware of my bad habits and addictions and act appropriately.
This is the first step towards mindfulness and positive mental health. These are my steps, my philosophy ….what are yours?
