NOURISH FEED

Our nation’s psychiatric wards are filled with people who can’t adjust to the pressures imposed on them. Drugs, alcohol, sex, and food provide quick fixes, but these methods are temporary. Good mental practices are needed to help unlock the potential in every human being.

Genuine praise is hard to find in most families today. Negative statements tear down any incentive children may have to better themselves. Criticism erodes the unity of the family. The worst mistake any parent can do to their children is belittle their abilities in front of friends and neighbors. The child quickly learns to live up to the parent’s idea of him or her and underperforms at home and at school. Praise should be 10 times more lavish than any fault finding, regardless of its intent. This same lesson is seldom understood by managers and employers who want better performance from their employees.

Selfishness and greed pervades the thoughts of both the individual and those in positions of authority in government and business. Dishonesty is an infectious disease that infects reasoning ability and suppresses the need to show compassion and love. It produces the side effects of depression, hypertension, anger, and fear.

Media advertising has successfully instilled the idea of quick fix solutions. Purchases on credit come easy, but the happiness and satisfaction of owning something that has been acquired through planned activity is something that can’t be replaced with plastic. Nothing can be achieved without the work needed to reach a goal. Setting goals is what makes life happy and rewarding.

Despite all the methods of communication available, more people isolate themselves from neighbors and friends. Texting and email have replaced the need for personal contact. Twitter and Facebook, while useful, have become good ways for many to distance themselves from facing the real world. No one needs to fear criticism as their faults aren’t evident on an iPhone. Lack of physical contact creates feelings of loneliness and failure, hardly qualities for a healthy mind.

It’s not easy to stay upbeat when the media broadcasts a steady stream of the worst side of humanity. Positive stories are often hard to find in the media. A good mental diet rests on filling the mind with uplifting thoughts. Far from ignoring the sad state of world affairs, a healthy mind focuses on the need for accomplishment.

While so many struggle to lose weight, stop smoking, or cure physical ills, they could have more success if they changed their mental diet. Vibrant health depends on having a healthy mind and a healthy body.