Daily Thoughts - Being Mentally Healthy

Today I'm going to talk about what it means to me to be mentally healthy. Now, we all have our own personal issues or things in our lives that cause us anxiety, stress, discomfort, and even sometimes depression. But, it's important to recognize the situations and events that cause these reactions.

For me personally, I've experienced all four of these, including major depression from the childhood sexual abuse I went through. Over the past 10 plus years though, I've had proper counseling and have learned how to cope with it when something triggers a memory. I still have flashbacks, bad dreams, and memories from time to time, but thanks to the counseling I received I've learned how to not get anxious or depressed. And there are other things in my life that cause anxiety, stress, and discomfort; but being able to control it is what will help me be mentally healthy.

Being mentally healthy doesn't mean you're going to have a stress free life, or have things go exactly the way you want them to; but it means not letting your reactions to these events and situations to control you in a negative way. It means not stressing about things you can't control and focusing on what you can control. For example, one of the things I've been working on for me, is when things don't go as I expect them to I tend to stress. But, my problem is I allowed that stress to control my attitude towards others and carried it through the day and sometimes even the next day. And 99% of the time, the things that happened were out of my control. So, what I'm learning, is if I can't control it I have the attitude "It is what it is." and then I focus on what I can do to move forward the best way and also focus on the positive.

The picture I inserted is something I found that I think is a good guide to help someone be mentally healthy. All 10 listed are awesome, but the big ones for me personally are....think positive, learn from your mistakes (don't dwell on them), exercise daily, do not complicate your life unnecessarily, and DON'T GIVE UP!

To be mentally healthy it's important to recognize those things that cause those negative reactions, but also finding what works for you to help prevent or lessen the anxiety, stress, discomfort, and depression. For me, with the help and advice Michael has given me the last few weeks, meditation and journaling is helping me keep my mind clear. So, ask yourself, what is it in your life that causes you stress, anxiety, discomfort, or depression. And then ask, what can you control and what can you do to cope with these things so you are mentally healthier.