Mental health is a big part of overall wellness. So much so, that the World Health Organization includes mental health in its overall definition of health. It makes sense: think of a time in your life when you were most energetic and vibrant. It is very likely that this period was a time of great mental health. This can be seen on a day to day level as well. When my mental health is high, I am much more productive, energetic, and social.
The implications of mental health are huge. More productivity could mean performing better at work, more energy could mean a better workout, and being more social could mean the difference between enjoying a party and leaving after fifteen minutes.
There is data to support this. When the brains of sales people were in a positive state, they were 37% better at sales, and when the brains of doctors were in a positive state, they were 17% better at giving a correct diagnoses than when their brains were negative, neutral, or stressed. This is because dopamine pours into the brain when positive, which not only increases happiness but increases the ability of the brain to learn and function.
Many people understand how important having a positive mental state is, but fewer actually approach mental health in a sensible way. Often times, happiness is thought be something that will be attained only after being successful. Success is different for everyone; for some it may be getting into their dream school, while for others it may be getting below a certain weight. Viewing mental health this way will only lead to more things to strive for in order to attain happiness. Going with the earlier examples, once someone gets into their dream school they will then feel the need to get into a better school or program within the school, and once the person drops below their target weight they will set a new target weight.
This explains why there are so many unhappy successful people. Many students at the top universities still have higher goals to strive for, and many of the fittest individuals in the world still yearn for greater fitness. Everyone should always be changing and improving, but learning to be happy at wherever you are in life is an invaluable skill. Some of the world's top positive psychologists estimate that only 10% of happiness is predicted by one's world, and 90% of one's happiness is predicted by how one's brain processes their world. Luckily, human brains are very malleable and one can change how their brain processes the world. The two most effective ways to change the lens which you view the world are meditating and journaling.
There is data to support this. When the brains of sales people were in a positive state, they were 37% better at sales, and when the brains of doctors were in a positive state, they were 17% better at giving a correct diagnoses than when their brains were negative, neutral, or stressed. This is because dopamine pours into the brain when positive, which not only increases happiness but increases the ability of the brain to learn and function.
Many people understand how important having a positive mental state is, but fewer actually approach mental health in a sensible way. Often times, happiness is thought be something that will be attained only after being successful. Success is different for everyone; for some it may be getting into their dream school, while for others it may be getting below a certain weight. Viewing mental health this way will only lead to more things to strive for in order to attain happiness. Going with the earlier examples, once someone gets into their dream school they will then feel the need to get into a better school or program within the school, and once the person drops below their target weight they will set a new target weight.
This explains why there are so many unhappy successful people. Many students at the top universities still have higher goals to strive for, and many of the fittest individuals in the world still yearn for greater fitness. Everyone should always be changing and improving, but learning to be happy at wherever you are in life is an invaluable skill. Some of the world's top positive psychologists estimate that only 10% of happiness is predicted by one's world, and 90% of one's happiness is predicted by how one's brain processes their world. Luckily, human brains are very malleable and one can change how their brain processes the world. The two most effective ways to change the lens which you view the world are meditating and journaling.
Meditation trains the brain to focus on the moment and live in the present. This could explain why meditation improves some social skills such as empathy. MRI brain scans have showed that after experiencing something unpleasant, advanced meditators use the part of the brain that supports compassion and thinking about others while non meditators use the part of the brain that supports aversion and stress. However, after just one week of meditating, the brain scans showed the former non meditators engaging more of the compassionate part of the brain and less of the aversion part of the brain.
Even heart patterns have been shown to correlate with mental wellness and meditation. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia is a specific heart rate pattern that has been linked with positive social experiences. University of North Carolina research has shown meditation to increase the incidence of respiratory sinus arrhythmia, thus leading to more positive social interactions.
The second extremely effective way to boost mental health is by simply taking a few minutes each day to write down what you are thankful for or appreciate. This gratitude journaling gets the brain in the habit of scanning the world for positive things. Finding the positive is especially important because of how often we are exposed to negative news stories. In one study, those who made daily gratitude lists were more optimistic and content, but they also slept better and experienced less pain. This drives home the mental health-physical health connection and goes to show how important mental wellness is.
So start meditating and gratitude journaling! Your mental health will be better for it.
Simon-Thomas, Emiliana R. "Three Insights about Compassion, Meditation, and the Brain." Greater Good. Web. 15 May 2012. <http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/three_insights_from_the_frontiers_of_the_mind>.
Stein, Cara. "How to Be 25% Happier in Five Minutes a Day." Stepcase Lifehack. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. <http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/how-to-be-25-happier-in-five-minutes-a-day.html>.
The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance. Perf. Shawn Achor. TEDxBloomington. 30 June 2011. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXy__kBVq1M>.
Even heart patterns have been shown to correlate with mental wellness and meditation. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia is a specific heart rate pattern that has been linked with positive social experiences. University of North Carolina research has shown meditation to increase the incidence of respiratory sinus arrhythmia, thus leading to more positive social interactions.
The second extremely effective way to boost mental health is by simply taking a few minutes each day to write down what you are thankful for or appreciate. This gratitude journaling gets the brain in the habit of scanning the world for positive things. Finding the positive is especially important because of how often we are exposed to negative news stories. In one study, those who made daily gratitude lists were more optimistic and content, but they also slept better and experienced less pain. This drives home the mental health-physical health connection and goes to show how important mental wellness is.
So start meditating and gratitude journaling! Your mental health will be better for it.
Simon-Thomas, Emiliana R. "Three Insights about Compassion, Meditation, and the Brain." Greater Good. Web. 15 May 2012. <http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/three_insights_from_the_frontiers_of_the_mind>.
Stein, Cara. "How to Be 25% Happier in Five Minutes a Day." Stepcase Lifehack. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. <http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/how-to-be-25-happier-in-five-minutes-a-day.html>.
The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance. Perf. Shawn Achor. TEDxBloomington. 30 June 2011. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXy__kBVq1M>.