Mental Health is an active, continual, aggressive pursuit of health rather than the absence of illness 

History:  

100 years ago – the most common job in the USA was farmer or farm labor

100 years ago, the cultural expectation of health was simple the absence of illness 

Now, we our culture has a very different idea of physical health. It’s a continual, active pursuit. How do we pursue physical health on a daily basis? 

Eating right, hydration, physical fitness, avoiding toxins (tobacco, caffeine, alcohol) , regular checkups – data cholesterol levels, vitamin D level, complete blood count BMI, body fat percent, bone density, etc., etc., etc. 

Fundamental paradigm shift: Mental Health is an active, continual, aggressive pursuit of health rather than the absence of illness 

How do we pursue mental health? 

#1 SLEEP!!!! Like your life depends on it 

  1. Sleep hygiene – blackout curtains, a lower room temperature, a shower or bath within the hour before bed, silence,  
  2. Sleep aids – generally avoid, but … melatonin 
  3. white light is the enemy – screen night mode, sleep setting on all devices – computers, tables, smart phones, 
  4. Sleep opportunity 
  5. WHY? Why does sleep matter?  
  6. Taking out the trash – brain feces 
  7. Sleep experiments comparing sleep deprived behavior patterns to debilitating mental illness 
  8. Like food and water, sleep is a physiological need 
  9. A standard routine every night – kids too.  

#2 meditation.  

  1. Used as a sleep aid 
  2. Used as brain booster 

#3 Mindfulness –  

  1. sky, nature 
  2. walking teleconferences 

#4 Emotional intelligence – make it a point to consciously think about, even document your mental/emotional state 

  1. Note your own emotional state 2 or 3 times per day. Write it down 
  2. Share your emotional state with people around you to get their feedback. 
  3. Note the emotional state of people around you 
  4. Share the emotional state of people around you with them to get their feedback.  
  5. Note group emotional states 
  6. Share group emotional states 
  7.  NOTE: Be aware of explosions – if, in your own estimation, you overreacted to something, it’s time for a mental health day off. Same as waking up with sour throat, congestion, headache indicates you need to stay in bed for a day. An unexpected emotional burst indicates you need a day at the spa, a hike in a national park, or whatever heals you. 

#5 Open mind –  

  1. Thank you for being late Thomas Freedman 
  2. random connections 
  3. 5-minute breaks every hour  
  4. “Sitting is the new smoking” 

#6 the power of breathing 

Conclusion: The inner world is a real world – James Baldwin 

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9837911-though-we-do-not-wholly-believe-it-yet-the-interior

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