My simplified thoughts on Mental Health (in preparation for an upcoming interview):
The reductionist model of healthcare has separated the Mind and Body - this approach to medicine has its benefits and applications. However, when we discuss mental health it is useful to reintegrate the Mind-Body as a whole. For example, when you think of biting into a lemon your mouth can start to salivate. Or, when you think of a loving memory your heart/chest area may soften and open, where as recalling a challenging memory may harden or close down the chest or heart area. That said, it is important to consider the whole body when discussing mental health.
There is a Native American expression about the “two wolves” — suggesting that within each of us there is both light and dark — or positive and negative aspects … and the inquiry is “which wolf are you going to feed?” — which thoughts are you going to give attention to. This can certainly apply to mental health and how much we are feeding or putting our attention on the more dense thoughts verses the lighter thoughts. This does not mean bypassing or ignoring the negative and dark aspects of ourselves, rather learning about this part of ourself with awareness and compassion to integrate these parts of ourselves.
Many people try to avoid the negative emotions or thoughts, but the more we resist these thoughts and emotions the more the more they persist (“what we resist, persists”) — so it is important to not push away our frustrations, anger, sadness, grief, shame and all the less enjoyable emotions — and if that means working with a professional for support, or other ways such as a good conversation, journaling, meditation, prayer, etc.
It is common for people to think that if they let these more denser or more challenging emotions come to the surface that they will become overwhelmed or unable to cope so there is a common pattern of avoidance. This can look like over-working, over-doing, or over-mentalizing life. This approach is creating an imbalance in the mind-body system and eventually can lead to burn-out, injury, illness, or some other way that the body will demand attention to get the person’s awareness to shift from the head to their body. The mind-body is wired to seek balance. Everyone’s balance is unique and different - so it is not helpful to compare our mental and emotional balance to another person. Trust your body’s wisdom.
In contrast, many people can also perseverate on a challenging belief, thought pattern, or emotion. For example, worry about the future is common with anxiety and sadness/anger about the past is common with depression. Two sides of the same coin, one is not better than the other. The space between these two is the present moment. Noticing a person’s pattern toward anxiety or depression can give some insight as to the way the mind is stuck in a loop or negative pattern. When the mind loops the thoughts that orient around anxiety or depression then the body will respond accordingly to prepare for a fight/flight/freeze/fawn response. This is taxing on the body long term, especially because most often the anxious thoughts never actually happen (or not the way the mind thought it would happen) and the depressed thoughts of the past are only keeping the person from moving forward (and often remembered differently than what actually happened). The more the body is using this survival mechanism and not coming back to the present moment, rest and digest, then the more the mind and body are conditioned to stay in this loop and stress the body into dis-ease or imbalance.
We must learn how to break these patterns — working with the mind and emotions are both useful. The movie that comes to mind is “Inside Out” — the children’s movie where all of the emotions learn to work together and respect that each emotions has a purpose that is helping the young girl toward balance and happiness .. even when sadness is perceived to “slow joy down” — once sadness was expressed she became more whole and moved in a more integrated and beneficial way toward her goal. Learning how to feel safe and happy in the body, becoming present in the moment more often, and breaking negative thought patterns are all important for mental health.
Book recommendations —
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel A. Van Der Kolk
Loving What Is by Byron Katie
Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg
The Secrets of Being Happy by Richard Bandler
Resources and modalities to support mental-emotional health —
A morning routine to start the day on the right foot - morning sunshine, deep breathing, nature
Reduce technology or create a healthy relationship with technology
Feed the “wolf” that is aware of all that is going well — Look for all that is working for you
Gratitude journal / Bedtime routine
Drop into the present moment — use your senses (what do you see, hear, smell, feel, taste)
Use uplifting music to shift your energy
Prioritize your happiness - do the tasks that help you feel better
Create a “Joy List” — can be simple things that fill your happiness cup — and do many of these often/daily
Take breaks during the work day for a few deep breaths / long exhale … & Smile / Laugh (very important)
Get into your body - breath, walk, move, dance, sing, exercise
Use essential oils — aromatherapy or Bach Flower remedies
Compassionate inquiry with negative or dense emotions - journal, discuss with a professional (somatic therapy), allow space without judgment — Byron Katie’s “The Work”
Stress relief technologies (BrainTap, Choose Muse, Genius Biofeedback)
Nervous system and limbic system programs to help the Fight/Flight/Freeze/Fawn part of the brain to help regulate and rewire the brain to learn how to relax, rest, and digest
Hypnotherapy or Self-hypnotherapy to rewire the brain toward positive, successful outcomes
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or emotional acupressure technique & NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) or reprogramming negative thought patterns into positive states
Somatic therapy, talk therapy (BetterHelp, Talk Space) - and pharmaceutical / support chemical balance when appropriate
Most of all — life is short! We do not know when our last day will be here on this planet — how do you want to enjoy your now moment? … Make that call, let that old thing go, take that next step, release control, trust yourself!
I've noticed that patterns of thoughts and emotions tend to loop - at certain times in a day I think certain thoughts, when I visit certain places I feel certain emotions and when I do certain actions I tend to do them the same way. These are learned traits and I think that's why it can sometimes be difficult to just quit doing them. Becoming aware of them and getting back to the present moment as you mentioned is where I believe we can find change. Lovely insights! 😊