A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
That slogan goes back decades, but it is still an iconic message and so much more than a catchy phrase. Taking care of our mental and emotional health is just as important as it has ever been; maybe even more so. Our minds are capable of so much, but we often take them for granted. Let’s do a little mental workout today as a part of developing a healthy mental fitness routine.
Our minds blow my mind! 🤯
Take this blog for instance. Right now, my mind is formulating words, and my fingers are typing specific keys to move the letters into words and sentences that you are reading and comprehending. It all takes place in nanoseconds without much thought (pun intended). In fact, my thoughts are coming faster than my fingers can type them out. My neurotransmitters are firing on all cylinders to put proper syntax, grammar, and punctuation into my message. I don’t always get it right, so I am thankful for Ty, my editor, but my point is that I take this for granted most of the time.
Try this: Stop for a moment and just be thankful for your mental strength and ability.
Here’s another: Memory.
We remember our lives and can remind ourselves of events at any time. Like right now, I am remembering my trip to the Redwoods of California. I am standing in front of the most amazing awe-inspiring forest on earth. I can “be there” in no time at all. I can go to a hospital delivery room where my daughters-in-law had both allowed me to experience the births of my grandson and two granddaughters! I can go from there to my 60th birthday cruise with all 9 members of our family laughing, eating, dancing, and my husband singing “Sweet Stephanie” at the Karaoke bar to Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline song.
Try this: Close your eyes and go somewhere that brings fond memories of a place or experience. You just improved your mental and emotional well-being.
Information overload.
Our brains are functioning at the speed of light day in and day out. We have so much technology, and so many devices now that I need to be sure to designate what I save, where I save it, and whether or not I delete it on all devices or just this one. I can ask Siri to find a Bible verse or quote, tell me a story, or add something to my calendar. Nearly every single day, I ask Google to play What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong, or add something to my shopping list, and often both kitchen and bathroom devices answer me! It is often annoying, but what I do not know or cannot do, I can ask the right questions and the world is at my fingertips. Our brains receive, store, and recall so much information that it is often overwhelming to our mental or emotional health.
Try this: Turn it off. Change the channel. Walk away. Step outside. Feel the wind in your face. Listen to the birds in the trees. Take some deep breaths.
Here are some more ways to strengthen your well-being.
Change your INPUT to change your state of mind.
Only you can take care of you. No one can do this for us. A bad attitude is like a flat tire. I can’t go far until you change it! So learn to change a bad attitude quickly. It is said that children learn to smile from their parents, so I hope you smile a lot! It actually raises your feel-good hormones, even if there is nothing really funny! Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. So let loose and dance a bit...shake it off! Every day!
- The 3-Dimensional (3-D) Question – What do I need right now? Just by putting emphasis on 3 different words (What, I, and Now), you can coach yourself through overwhelming feelings.
- WHAT (a walk, a nap, a conversation, a time out)
- I (so many people need something from us all the time, but what do I need?)
- Now (not later, not after this or that, now. AND THEN DO IT!)
- Triple AAA – Aware. Acknowledge. Act. Become aware of your own feelings – as they come up. Acknowledge the feeling: name it and call it out. Then aAct. Take action to do what you need to do to move through it in a healthy way.
- Celebrate Your To-Done List! We accomplish SO much each day, but we tend to focus much on what we have yet to do that we don’t even know what we have gotten done, and we certainly don’t often celebrate it! Pat yourself on the back every once in a while!
I have these words on my whiteboard over my desk, “Make yourself proud today, Stephanie.”
I just did.
Click HERE to learn more about the Wellview services available to you. We can’t wait to work with you!
– Stephanie Wolfe, NBC-HWC
Health Advisor | Email Stephanie
