Mental health is the basis of our overall wellbeing. We pay too much attention to our physical health. We worry about what we eat but far more important than what we eat is what is eating us! Because what is eating us, is what releases several harmful and toxic hormones and chemicals in our body and it affects our physical health. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to make our mental health a priority over everything else.
What is mental health? It is the health of the mind. Actually, there is no mind. Have you ever seen your mind? You can touch your nose, pull your ears and cheeks, you can touch your eyes, you can even see a scan of your brain, your heart, x-ray images of your bones and flesh but have you ever seen your mind? Where is the mind? You cannot find! So, how can you take care of your mental health if there is no mind, in reality?
The mind is nothing but a bundle of thoughts. Therefore, when we sit in silence, we realize that when in thought, we were caught, then our mental health, we forgot. It is our thoughts that pour like rain and they push us down the drain and make us suffer, again and again. So, if we want to take care of our mental health, we must take care of our thoughts.
We can take care of our thoughts by choosing the right kind of emotions. We have a choice! We can either live with NEP - Negative Energy that is Poision or PEP, Positive Energy that is Power. It is simple! If we want good health, we need to have positive thoughts. We need to choose PEP every time a thought comes.
Many people wonder how one can always live with PEP? How can one choose positive emotions? The way to live with PEP is to learn the art of flipping over from NEP to PEP. You flip from negative to positive. You flip from toxic emotions like anger, hate, revenge, jealousy that create poisonous hormones and chemicals in the body, to positive emotions like love, compassion, faith, hope, confidence, forgiveness, joy which fill your mind and your body with peace, happiness and enthusiasm. Therefore, the only way to achieve all this is to take charge of your mind. Remember! If you don’t take charge of your mind, your mind will take charge of you.
What is the MIND?
M - Misery. Our mind creates – Misery.
I - It is full of – Ignorance.
N - It has – Negativity.
D - It is full of – Desires.
The mind is like a monkey. The monkey has a tail – EY that is ever-yelling and ever-yearning. This monkey jumps from a ‘yesterday’ that is gone to a ‘tomorrow’, not yet born. Nobody can go to a yesterday and tomorrow but the mind can. By going there, it makes us miserable; it makes us sick. It makes us forget our ‘today’, which is also called ‘present’ because it is a gift from the Divine. By taking care of the present moment, we can take charge of our monkey mind. To take charge of it, we must carefully observe this ever-jumping mind. When we still our thoughts, we watch the mind and then, we can catch it and latch it. We need to cut off the tail, EY, of this mind so that it does not yell and yearn. When our mind is still, we can reduce the pouring and bombarding thoughts. This is called reducing our MTR,
Mental Thought Rate. When our thoughts are slowed down and instead of pouring like rain, they fall on us like gentle snowflakes, we are able to observe our thoughts, discriminate them, choose and decide wisely with our intellect. So, we must reduce our thought rate and reach that state, where our thoughts flow one-by-one. This state is called Consciousness. It is also sometimes, referred to as Thoughtlessness or Mindfulness. When we reach a state of Consciousness, our intellect is activated. Then our intellect governs our thoughts. It is the tool of discrimination and this will help us be in command of our thoughts.
Practising the art of stilling the mind and reaching the state of Consciousness, improves our mental health greatly, as we are in control, in-charge of our mind and our life.
So, if you want to take care of your health, then focus on your mental health. Reduce the MTR, be in the state of Consciousness and activate your intellect. Be in command of your thoughts, your mind.
Those who live in the state of Consciousness, live in a state known as Satchitananda. A state of ‘Chit’ or Consciousness of 'Sat’ or the truth, which brings in ‘Ananda’ or eternal bliss and peace unknown to common man. This is the ultimate state of joy, love, peace and bliss.
