Mental balance – A PILLAR OF HEALTH

photo, Iza Grzybowska

MENTAL BALANCE

 

• If you are addicted to anything (alcohol, cigarettes, junk food, work, video games, etc.) – start treatment as soon as you can, or try yourself to get out of this addiction. If you are not the only one governing your life, harmony cannot be achieved.
• Stimulants also rule out the possibility of remaining in good health. If you think “you can end it at any time,” then end it now, while you are reading this. If you do not – seek help.
• Do not make excuses to yourself like “everything is meant for people,” because it is simply not true.

• Every day, find time just for yourself and dare to hang out with yourself. Ponder and talk with yourself.
• Consider how much time you spent on different activities in your daily life. If, for example, looking after your children consumes so much time that it overwhelms you – try to find a way out of the situation. Try dividing the responsibilities between adults differently, or maybe seek outside help, so that you can get some rest.
• Think about whether your work does not take too much of your time. It might be worth it to reorganize something: maybe you can work shorter hours, but more efficiently, and devote the time you have freed up this way to family or sports. Many people waste a lot of time at work on sitting idly, unproductively, playing mindless games on the Internet, etc. This leads to apathy.
• Make sure your sleeping patterns (e.g., bedtime routine, hours of sleep per night) are proper, regular, and healthy. It is during sleep that the body can regenerate and rebuild tissue. If these healthy patterns become erratic, the body will fall apart like a neglected house.
• Treat getting some rest as a form of an investment in yourself, and see to it that it is regular. When you take a vacation, don’t spend it on renovating the house, but provide both the body and psyche with some actual downtime.
• Every day, find a moment to relax. Lie on your back on the floor, and – one at a time – relax all your muscles, including these of the face. Let your thoughts flow freely to each part of the body and soothe it. Feel its weight. Lie like this for at least 10 minutes – without thinking about anything – then turn on to your side and – very slowly – stand up. You can finish your workout this way.
• Take an interest in meditation techniques that help many people. Maybe you’ll find them helpful as well.
• Practice sports in moderation, but regularly – it gives joy and relieves stress.
• See to it that you get proper nutrition. This significantly affects both the mood and will to live. A lot of people, for instance, claim that white bread and pastry makes them feel apathetic and sleepy during the day.
• Do not get worked out over anything – it’s not worth it.
• If there is something that you cannot change – accept it.
• If a relationship with someone has a bad effect on you, and you can end it – do it.
• Search for people who have good energy and keep exchanging it with them.
• Do not feed your bad emotions. If they appear, disarm them in a conversation with someone close to you or during physical activity.
• Do not judge others and do not feel judged. Problems of this sort exist only in your head, and are surely not responsible for doing any actual good.
• Do not compare yourself to anyone else, just to yourself from yesterday.
• If you have trouble coping with something, ask for help. Many people cannot do it, which is a shame, because there’s nothing embarrassing about it. You may repay them with helping them someday.
• Not everyone has to like you. Learn to live with it. After all, it’s not that you like everybody, right? We are all different, and that’s the beauty of it all.
• Take into account the opinions of people who you consider wise, and remain calm and open to their potential criticism of your actions. It helps you become a better person.
• Be glad and calm when accepting compliments. Seek out reasons to offer kind words to others.
• Be careful while fighting for money at the expense of time you could be devoting to your loved ones or yourself, as at some point you might find yourself having no other reason for earning money than just so that you can visit doctors.
• Make sure you form real relationships and stay in touch with other people: family, friends, and acquaintances. Do not wait all sulky for others to get in touch with you.
• Follow and explore your passions and interests.
• Be happy – it is in you, so just open yourself to it.