[re-post] The game of good mental health
the one with the 4 levels of your well being
Hello there! As I started this substack with info about mental health, I started thinking about what people think to make up their mental and emotional well-being.
As it turns out, people think all kinds of stuff:
That it’s about keeping calm
That it means being successful
That involves never getting angry.
You get the idea.
Apart from the emotional and dead people’s goals that it shows, it only sheds some light on the possible effects of good mental health. Little on the way to get there.
So without further ado, let’s see what mental health entails.
Think of it like a game with 4 levels. Each level is important, but the idea is to play the game. The farther up you go, the better you feel. The idea is not to get all levels all the time but to be in the game.
Let’s go:
Physical needs: do you remember how you feel after a good night’s sleep? Or a very satisfying meeting with friends? Or after a good rest/ vacation?
That is your body energy levels doing happy flaps in your mind.
I wrote here about the inner accountant that lives in your body & mind.
The gist is that your body keeps a budget: what goes in versus what goes out. In enters sleep, good food, good relaxation & rest. Out goes pressure, stress, life. Everytime you get preoccupied with your own little habits, you get a point towards good mental health.
Every time you are aware of the difference in your mood after a good night’s sleep versus a poor one and you are adjusting your expectations accordingly, you are earning points. If you had a tough week and are really tired, maybe don’t plan another release this week, ok?
It’s like drinking one glass of water in the morning before you start your day, just to get a hydration boost.
Emotional needs. If I asked you right now what you are feeling (emotionally) and what you need to do, would you know how to answer? It’s not a trick question and neither is one to make you feel embarrassed.
Being aware of your emotions: what are they, why are they there, what do you do with them is super important to manage your emotional health. It’s like going to the doctor and feeling something, but being unable to pinpoint where it hurts. That would be very frustrating, huh? The same with your emotional needs.
This is like doing some stretches each morning after you wake up and have a cup of coffee for your physical health.
Your relationships. This means all relations - with family, friends, and colleagues. How much time do you put in those? How satisfying are they? Do you know how to make them more satisfying? We are not islands and cannot live outside relationships.
This also involves setting boundaries and saying no when needed.
The idea is not to have many relationships, but to know which ones are the most satisfying or important to you and conscientiously dedicate time and energy to developing them.
For example, every time you take time to talk to your family on the phone, spend 10 minutes listening to your kid talking about his day, or ask and really listen to your partner, you get points in this level.
This is like eating a good breakfast before your coffee and tobacco in the morning :)
Your contribution. What is important to you in your life? What do you want to stand for? What do you want to stand written on your tombstone? We need purpose in our lives. However, we get so tangled up in what we have to do, that we don’t actually think about what we want to do.
Every time you make a choice in your daily operations that takes you a step further to who you want to be as a person you put another building block in your mental health.
For example: let’s say that you value being healthy. Every time you choose to have a salad along with your lunch or skip a subway station on your way to work, or take a flight of stairs, you take a step towards that value and maintaining your good mental health.
It’s like taking that walk in the morning for your physical health.
That’s all for now folks.
How many of these do you actively think about?
Which one of these is a low-hanging fruit? Which can you pay attention to this week? How?
See you next time!