
I’ve been in mental health for about 10 years now and after compiling my experiences, learning from others, teaching myself and finding what works and what doesn’t I’ll tell you the first thing to figure out, is yourself. There are three main components to your own happiness, I call it the trifecta of a healthy life style; this includes your mental, physical and spiritual health. As people we are always striving to become better, but we often get stuck or don’t put our effort into the right activities. Growth in these three aspects of life will lead you to feeling the most fulfilled and happy.
Most people like to challenge my trifecta because they get caught up in me even saying the word spiritual but let me break that one down first for you. Spiritual health means being comfortable in your belief system. I believe in a higher power, but you don’t have to. You can believe that there is no God and nothing happens when you die. However, if this thought or ideology freaks you out and causes high levels of anxiety or depression… you need a new belief because you’re clearly not okay with your spiritual belief system. See reality is, when you accept things and are truly okay with them, they don’t frighten you anymore. So take a good hard look at your spiritual beliefs and figure out what you want to work towards there.
Next what have you been doing to grow yourself mentally? Do you sit down after a long day and watch hours of tv, play video games, maybe just browse social media? I know, I know, you’ve had a long day and you totally deserve that break. You deserve to veg out and just do something mind numbing right? Well, when we do this, we tend to become complacent, we stop growing. I’m not against relaxation, but realistically do you need to binge a full season of a tv show the minute you come home until you pass out on your couch? No, no you don’t. It’s become proven that learning something new will help your mental health. It’s stimulating and exciting and keeps us growing, imaginative and happy. When you get home that’s fine that you want to relax and watch tv, play, or scroll social media, but incorporate some time to learn something new each day. Even if it’s just 30min of reading, do something to stimulate your mind, it will help you keep focused and more task oriented.
Lastly the physical aspect so many people skip, like who has 3 hours a day to dedicate to working out right? (Or at least that’s the excuse I hear) Or even more common, “I have no time to eat healthy it takes me so long to cook and I’m always rushing!” Listen here, excuses sound great to the people who are making them. Don’t be that person, don’t embrace the crap you tell yourself… you’re better than that aren’t you? Physical activity can be achieved at any time of day, whether you’re in the gym, going for a run, a walk, or even just taking the stairs everyday instead of the elevator. If you can’t find time in your day to workout, great pull up a video when you get home and do a 30 min home workout, there is no excuse you can tell me that I? can’t find an answer for; I also was a personal trainer for 7 years so I’ve heard them all. Cooking healthy doesn’t take much time either, buy some lean meat and cook it in a hot pan, takes 10 min MAYBE, throw in some veggies, a complex carb, and then you’re good to go. Most people have the time, but we embrace excuses, you’re out for lunch or dinner? Get something healthy you don’t need a triple cheese burger with cheese fries and a vanilla shake, though it sounds good, it isn’t good for you.
Taking control of your life starts when you realize there are only three aspects you need to control, once you become accountable, and really take control of your life you’ll notice changes occur. If you’re ready to make a change in your life and truly work towards taking control and mastering your mind, you’ll need to take massive and deliberate action. Start with identifying your current trifecta, and then figure out where you want to be at. Once you do this, you’re creating a roadmap for your start and end location, everything in between, well that’s up to you. Start investing more into yourself, more time, more money, more love, just give yourself more and watch how much your life changes.
Comments