There is nothing more important for your health than the state of your mind from which everything else flows. Because it's not always a tangible or physical thing, it's hard to often comprehend what a good mental state is. I have always pictured it as a stone wall. On the far side of the wall, you have the outside world. On the inside of that wall, you have your own inner being. The wall itself is your soul and mind built from your own experiences, lessons, thoughts, and realizations. You have to build and maintain this wall, someone can assist you in building it, but you have to put the stones into place. However, you or someone else can demolish this wall. It can be taken down stone by stone or in one huge chaotic event. Because of this, building the foundation of a solid wall or mental state is a key to thriving in or surviving life depending on your own personal circumstances. To anyone who says that you need to tear down your own walls to grow, I would argue that they just need to be rebuilt.
To build this wall, which is a lifelong adventure, it's up to the individual's own personal preference on how best to do it. It's best not to force something as vital as this and one really needs to figure out over time what works for them. Solitude, a quick moment to pause, or meditation are solid ways to take a breath from life and just think about whatever you need to in a positive or healthy way. It's also the time to potentially not even think at all which can be phenomenal for resting and getting your feet back under you after a long period of stress. Journaling or expressing your thoughts and opinions to something or someone other than yourself can alleviate a lot of tension within yourself to ensure you are not the kettle on the burner keeping everything in until it's too much to handle. You can journal every week, once a day, or use a guided journal that teaches exactly how to frame your thoughts to achieve a good mental state. On the other hand, grabbing a drink or setting aside time with your bros, broettes, homies, best girlfriends, or mentor to just talk about life, in general, is always a valued way to either get someone's opinion or express your thoughts. Whatever issues or life events you are tackling, you are not the first. To further drive home my point, there is a social aspect to mental health that comes from meaningful interaction with people and it should never be ignored nor pushed aside. A warning though, life is a balance, and doing too much one-sided meaningful interaction can strain relationships or distract you from other areas in your life.
Exercise, to me, is the foundation to achieving a good mental state. I don't care if you walk, swim, row, dance, or run ultra marathons when you should be sleeping; just 20 minutes of some form of exercise a day can be life-altering. It's a time to relieve stress, think, or even rest your mind from work and life. If you have never gotten high from exercise, you need to. The euphoric state from a blistering run or hitting your personal best in the gym is something worth chasing and is, to me, a healthy addiction to have when done so in moderation with the other aspects of your life. Beyond this, positive and happy thoughts breed a positive and happy mental state. If you're trapped in a negative loop, it's like having a broken leg or being sick. It's going to take some time to get better and heal. The best way to begin getting better is to start with your attitude and perception. I have always despised, I mean despised, the thought that you have to think rainbows and butterflies along with ignorance is bliss. All it takes to get back on the right path is to start thinking things will get better then pinpointing how just to do that and let that loop take its course. Life at times can be overwhelming and finding simple yet achievable ways to alter your perception to make a situation positive or a learning experience is invaluable especially in the day and age where we have made our lives so complex to the point where we have millions of accessible opinions on how best to live.
My final piece on the wall is that other people, who aren't doctors or do not have the right training, don't get to define what your wall looks like. A lot of people have unique reasons for thinking certain ways or doing certain things based on their experiences or genetic makeup, that is not to say that they haven't found what works for them in building their wall. If you find the best time to think or deal with stress is when you are playing the banjo in the back of your pickup truck which hasn't left the driveway then you better get to it cause there is nothing better for your mental health than being true to who you are.
We always need to be rising.
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