Welcome back, everyone. This week’s newsletter will cover how to avoid the four most common mental health mistakes. Before beginning this week’s discussion, let me ask what comes to mind when I say mental health. Do you think, sick or ill? Do you think psychologist or doctor, or do you think something else?
Whatever it is. You would be right to some degree, as the words mental health have a broad spectrum of meanings. However, today I will be talking from a fundamental viewpoint and about things that most of us have to deal with at some point in our day.
So if you are interested in finding out the four most common mistakes I will discuss this week, or if you want to hang out for a bit no matter what you choose, stick with me as I take this next step toward improving positively.
Thinking about mental health from a negative perspective.
It is so amazing how most people I talk to seem to see mental health in such a negative light. The truth is we all have mental health that needs to be managed.
The only difference between a quote average person ( if there are any) is that an ordinary person can manage their thoughts, emotions, and actions without as much help outside themselves.
But if we are honest with ourselves, we can all say we have at least one mental health issue. Still, this issue does not need to be seen as a negative thing about you but rather just one of those things that make you unique, and we all have certain things that make us different from others.
When it comes to these unique quirks to our personality or behavior, they do not have to be taken seriously, and they are not the end of the world. Instead, they should be embraced and accepted even if they are things about you that you want to change.
By accepting that this is you, you release yourself from the pressure of change, which, as funny as it might sound, will open the door for change to happen much more naturally as we will all continuously change through our lives.
Trying to force change you are not ready for.
Something we can do wrong when it comes to mental health or, for that matter, change is trying to force thinking that it will not happen if we do not make it happen.
Yet, we are wrong. As I explained before, change will happen continuously throughout our lives, and those things that we tend to think about changing the most are the things that change on their own if you remain patient with yourself through grace.
The best way to create change is to do an imaginary exercise, which means imagining yourself already having made this change and then releasing this desire into the either. By doing this, then, you are setting an intention. As long as that desire to change remains a firm intention, it will, with time, begin to take place and ultimately happen with minimal effort on your part.
Setting unrealistic expectations for yourself
How many times have you ordered more food than you can eat? I know I always do. When ordering food, we expect to eat it. Unfortunately, the expectation was unrealistic. Most of us do this when caring for mental health needs.
So many of us push ourselves to our breaking point and think that we won’t break, and almost everyone will break in one way or another if pushed hard enough or just far enough. We should honor ourselves by respecting our limitations and giving ourselves the time we need to get where we want to be or do what needs to be done.
It is far more likely that others will respect your boundaries when you appreciate them, and then neither you nor they will push you to the point that you will break. The best way to achieve this goal is to set realistic expectations for yourself so that next time you sit down at the table hungry, you only get a standard-size plate of food, and if you are still hungry, just have a snack later. This will leave both you and your body much happier.
Not having patience with yourself along the path of progress.
Now up to this point, I have mentioned having grace for yourself several times. For those of you who do not understand what I mean by having grace for yourself, I mean being patient with yourself. To realize that you are giving what you can and doing your best.
So many of us can be so hard on ourselves, expecting ourselves to be some form of superhero. The truth is that we are all just humans with the ability to be superheroes occasionally. No one I have ever met has ever had the ability to maintain superhero status for any length of time, and no one can be a superhero when they are pressuring themselves to be one.
The best way to be seen as a superhero is to give yourself the time and patience you need, especially regarding your health. Remember, we all have issues, and there is no reason not to allow yourself the time and grace you need to reach your highest potential.
Final Thoughts
So here we are again at the end of another newsletter and discussion. This week, my final thought is this. Mental health is not bad, and we all, in one way or another, are working to have the best mental and emotional health we can have.
The best way to create the ideal environment or circumstances to teach your highest ability and the most opium mental and emotional health you can be in is, to be honest with yourself and then give yourself the time and space you need to get the health you want to be at.
I hope you got something useful from reading the newsletter this week. If you know someone who could use this information, please do not hesitate to share it. If you want to share something, please feel free to do so in the comment section below.
As always, thank you for taking this step with me toward becoming positively improved. Until next week, Namaste.
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