Are you presently in a stable mental state?
What drives you insane?
Let us try to define "Mental Health".I do not want to connect the term mental health, with the debilitating physical illnesses we see in society. I like to include the mental health of "normal people" we meet in society.
I would rather leave out fields like Psychology and Psychiatry, which are the domains of specialists. There are reliable diagnostic instruments to determine the health in these aspects, and also proven curative methods to deal with them.
Here, I venture to tread on domains safe for the laymen like you and me.
To this extent, I would define mental health to mean something akin to "peace of mind".
I hope you will agree that it is a state of mental health we all dearly would like to achieve.
What are the symptoms of this low state of mental health?
Do I hear "sleeplessness", "restlessness", "irritability", "loss of appetite", "Drinking", "Gambling", "Road Rage"?Perhaps the list can be longer??
By this definition, would you consider yourself mentally healthy?
If so, what is the secret behind it?
If you think you are not, What CAN give you that peace of mind?
* Money? Health? Or what?
* Unfulfilled ambitions, expectations, desires,
* The future of children?
* The political situation in the country?
* A war in a far away land?
* General concern about the weak in society?
* Trying to keep up with the Johnses?
* Win the rat race?
** All of those listed here?
** Plus more?
We have to await your success story to rejoice and congratulate, if the answer is "YES!" to the above. I am sure there are lots of people out there who can really benefit from your experiences.
While we await the inputs, let us open subject where the answer could be "NO!!!".
* Can medication be an answer?
People do resort to various forms of "medication" to settle down their minds. Alcohol is a popular form of medication. Many of us use it socially, as well as alone, for the said purpose.
A smoke also helps, I am told.
One could go further into real medications like valium, sleeping tablets, mood-settlers, and the works…
Even hard drugs!
* Yoga exercises?
* Other exotic life styles?
In reality, will any of these solutions bring you that state of health?
I bet they would fail. Why? Because they are all goal-oriented. You are driven to achieve - hardly a cure for a weak mental health state.
Giving up - seems to me to be the best treatment for us all. One may not give up the material things what one currently has, but certainly give up the desires to acquire more.
Before that can happen, it will be necessary to recognise what is the underlying factor(s) bothering one's mental health.
There are many things what one can give up, or drop, with no ill effects on one's current living conditions. They are easiest to drop, and the first to be dropped.
Start from the easy ones, and then go for the more difficult ones. You would have had the experience by then.
Meditation is gaining popularity in the world. In fact this simple do-it-yourself "cure" has been turned into a big business.
Any more?