A few years ago, I was sitting by a tree in Trinity-Bellwoods park, taking some time to contemplate and observe the world around me, when a scowling young man in his late teens asked me a question:
“What are you doing just sitting there?”
To which I replied that I was contemplating, reflecting, and observing. And thoroughly enjoying myself at the same time. He was unfazed:
“Whatever.”
The young man turned and started to walk away, but then suddenly doubled back:
“You mind if I sit next to you? You look pretty peaceful there, and I’ve got a lot of things to think about too.”
The young man was still sitting there when I left twenty minutes later. When he nodded his head to acknowledge my departure, I noticed that his scowl had slowly turned into a small smile.
Keeping an open mind.
Farhan Lalji tagged me in an interesting meme yesterday that originated over on the Mindapples blog. It states:
Write a post telling your readers five things you do that help keep you mentally well.
Intriguing, and not easy. Here’s my attempt at finding my five.
- Writing, whether it’s on this blog or building my collection of creative non-fiction and spoken word poetry.
- Singing, either in the shower or on the street or on the stage — for people or for myself.
- Solving puzzles, usually the daily Washington Post crossword puzzle and the Toronto Star word jumble.
- Meditating, and taking the time out to clear my head of stressful thoughts and contemplate.
- Volunteering, because nothing helps your mind and spirit than helping other people.
What about you? What are the five things you do to keep yourself mentally well?
Nice!
Wow. Definitely a difficult question for a frigid Wednesday morning but I will give it a go:
1. Laugh, usually at myself. Laughing with friends is also a great thing.
2. Spend time with my dog. She loves so unconditionally, that it is such a relief to not have to stress about anything.
3. Turn off my phone. Ignoring the world for just a few hours always keeps me sane
4. Singing and dancing, around the house to cheesy music.
5. Watching a TV show/movie marathon in bed. No commercials, pop in a dvd and relax with snacks
1. make - photographing dialogue on the walls, cooking or baking healthy deliciousness.
2. reflect - in the shower, in my journal. i had forgotten about journal-writing until one day i realized i wasn’t well and began outering my thoughts.
3. connect - with people and my pussycat. her name is pepper.
4. smoke - this one is not recommended but the key is in taking 7.5 minute breaks throughout the day to be outdoors with just me myself and i (smoke).
Those are some great responses! (Though I have to admit I’m not a fan of that smoking one Min.) I really need to get in the habit of turning off my phone sometimes…
[…] Vasta has written a post telling his readers 5 things which keep him ‘mentally well’, and I decided to try and do the same. After all, trying to have good mental health is something that is close to my heart. I’ve seen a lot of people I know and love struggle with mental illness, the outcome hasn’t always been good. But these are my 5 things that are currently keeping me mentally well. […]
Kia ora Sameer
Okay, okay. Mine’s not that much different from yours, ‘xcept I whistle not sing :-o
Catchya later
1- Spend time with my thoughts - be conscious of my train of thought, and wonder why they are what they are.
2- Listen - have conversations with others, ask them questions, listen to what they have to say, and gain more perspective.
3- Cook & bake - eat yummy food, especially with good company. You are what you eat!
4- Create - anything… writing, singing, dancing.. attempting to play the guitar… anything!
5- Keeping in touch with friends - talking to each other and keeping track of each other. There’s really nothing more rewarding.
Love that you included the word “Create” in there Sherren. That’s my new mantra for the year. Create create create. Got some surprises planned, so keep your eyes open.
Ken, if I were any good at whistling, I’d join you. =)
this post has been on my mind for a bit
1. hug my cranky, 16.5 year old cat - because I still can in person (cat breath and all)
2. giggle at a couple of sites - primarily - http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/
3. share something to make someone else smile - often from cheezburger - or just do a little something to take a bit of stress out of someone else’s day
4. pester anyone around me for ‘the good news’ to take my focus off me and out onto the world where it belongs
5. enjoy the soaker tub or some other feature of my home (the fireplace this time of year, the lilac bushes in the yard in the spring)
Susie, I’m so glad you take time out to make other people smile, because so often I’ve been on the receiving end of that. =)