By Anita Athena Ibru
11 September 2022 |
6:00 am
“Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think” – Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha) One of the most positive consequences of the pandemic was to make us stop, slow down and address our minds more than ever before. We simply had more time on our hands, especially alone. That’s the positive. However,…
“Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think” – Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)
One of the most positive consequences of the pandemic was to make us stop, slow down and address our minds more than ever before. We simply had more time on our hands, especially alone. That’s the positive. However, we also had more time to think-to overthink–because we had more time to be in tune with our feelings and emotions.
Paying more attention to our mental health was a way to fill in the gap of silence caused by having to isolate ourselves from those we usually interacted with, like the people we loved and missed dearly.
MIND | Your Business
I urge you to make it your business to check in with your mind with the same measure you use to check the scales, your measurements, your calorific intake, your dress size, your calorific burn and any other means you use to check your physical health.
MIND | Set
You may have heard the expression “He/she died of a broken heart”. Well, I believe that the same can apply to a broken mind. Your mind is what masters your whole being, so please do pay attention to it. Certain foods can affect your mind, as can toxic substances that are poisonous to the body. So also can negative energy, which can stem from having the wrong people around you. Try to set yourself up in the first place to avoid negative stimuli.
MIND | Fullness
A holistic approach to health is essential, and for the fullness of Life, paying attention to your mental health is just as important. This is because it takes making decisions (hopefully the best ones) with your mind to master your body. You need a sound mind to help you make that decision to take that walk. Or to pay your GP a visit. Or to pay attention to that symptom or red flag. Or to eat right. Or to resist toxic temptations. Or to meditate. Being mindful is key. It even takes a mindful effort to read and digest these tips on offer here, and hopefully, you’ll end up putting some of them into practice.
Maureen Ikem wrote something very profound recently that I resonate with. “Everything in life starts with your mindset first, and your actions second. Your actions follow your thoughts, your beliefs, your ideas. To make a shift, to free your energy, start with getting your mind right, and then take action. The woman you pursue is a reflection of you, your ambition and your level of class.”
I wish you all healthy minds, bodies, souls and spirits and hope you enjoy reading from our wonderful contributors and a quick check-in from the first cohort of Health’s Angels, who are back in The Guardian with a few comments in a world that have been changed after Covid.