Mental Hygiene: Strategies to Cleanse the Psyche

Mental hygiene is a concept used to refer to the set of habits and strategies Thanks to which our mind is in harmony with the environment in which we live and the people with whom we interact.

Thus, we have mental hygiene not when our brain is “healthy”, but when what we do and say fits well with the life we ​​want to be experiencing in a given context. This phenomenon is related to high self-esteem, an adequate self-concept and a way of seeing life that moves away from emotional stagnation and limiting beliefs.

Mental hygiene and the importance of context

We often think of psychological well-being as something that depends entirely on the individual That is, something that is born from within oneself spontaneously (or through willpower) and that completely covers the person’s life experience in any possible situation.

The idea of ​​mental hygiene, however, is based on a more complete conception of psychological well-being and quality of life, since it is based on the presupposition that Human beings are bio-psycho-social

This means that, just as we are able to change the environment in which we live, the interaction of our body with the environment also transforms us. Thus, mental well-being is not a one-way street, but rather has two: what we choose to do and what the context in which we live returns to us.

In short, mental hygiene consists of an emotional and cognitive balance between our expectations and what happens to us in the here and now. Therefore, it is very applicable when talking about quality of life in a holistic way.

Keys to applying mental hygiene

Below you can find a series of general tips to have mental hygiene and enjoy its benefits. In any case, you must keep in mind that each person is different and you must reflect on what can be the best way to apply them to your life.

1. Question your expectations

Sometimes, much of the emotional pain that our lives cause us comes from the existence of unreasonable expectations. That is why it is good to askand where have those expectations arrived?: Are they the result of advertising and marketing? Are we comparing ourselves to people we barely know and who can easily offer their best version?

2. Get rid of the impossible

Another key to applying mental hygiene is to reflect on what objectives are, by definition, unattainable This will allow us, firstly, to let go of these goals more easily and, secondly, to direct our attention to stimulating and realistic objectives that we are letting slip and that could help us embark on a path of personal development.

3. Take care of your relationships

Stop and think about your relationships and whether they are symmetrical or not. Do you spend a lot of time devoting time and effort to staying close to people who don’t belong? Do you pass up the opportunity to strengthen emotional ties with people to whom you are very important? Friendship and affection are not a commodity, but they are worth cultivating for mutual good.

4. Think about your basic needs

It is difficult to feel well psychologically if basic needs are not met. That is why to apply mental hygiene it is necessary to guarantee good food, a home and enough sleep

This last factor, which is often ignored, is essential for our body to repair itself (including our brain, which is responsible for our mental life) and, with regard to diet, it is important to be clear that eating a lot does not equate to having of all the materials that our body needs to function well.

5. Practice resilience

Resilience is the ability to face crisis situations that can put our happiness at risk, such as the death of a friend or a layoff. Practicing it means learning to distance ourselves from the pessimistic reading of reality that can come to us through these situations and see our present and our future with greater perspective. This will be a powerful strategy that will feed our mental hygiene.

6. Set specific goals

There is nothing that activates our entity as much as a series of objectives that have meaning for us. Setting well-defined goals will allow us to stay active while exercising our ingenuity and our management of emotions so that, working in a coordinated manner, they allow us to get where we want.

Furthermore, the fact of set a few deadline days It helps combat procrastination (or the “I’ll do it tomorrow” syndrome).

7. Practice mindfulness

Managing breaks and moments of relaxation is essential to apply mental hygiene; We cannot always be thinking about the same thing or carrying out the same frenetic activities. Rest from work and responsibilities It will allow us to free our mind and break thoughts in a loop.

This can be achieved through meditation or Mindfulness. And, if we do this in very calm and natural environments that do not contain references to our obligations, much better.