Nor should we ever be nervous or fearful of the role that the mind plays in our psyche. There are equally important aspects of our being, namely our emotions and our will. The brain reflects the complexity of our mind in its structure and faculties. But the heart reflects the constant rhythm of our feeling connection with the orchestra of Nature. Our will resides in the deeper recesses of our soul. Having found our way through the labyrinthine paths of trying to understand ourselves and life itself, we take refuge in the ever comforting sanctity of the heart to feel its peace and its eternal capacity to love. With the assistance of our spiritual will, we can then direct our lives towards our highest aspirations and work for excellence, as is the finest habit in human nature. In this, we require the faithful companionship of our minds that entertain thoughts to guide us and direct our emotions towards our goal.

Mental attitude – our positive mental attitude allows positive moods and happiness and is just as important as good physical posture that allows healthy physiological processes

Mental ‘diet’ or nourishment – the matter which we read, or listen to, must be of good quality material and provide a healthy variety of information that we can digest

Mental exercise and endeavour – the mind is naturally made for activity as our body is designed for movement. It requires disciplined thought to channel our mental abilities into constructive intellectual studies, work and endeavours.

Mental rest and relaxation – we need to be free of stress to allow natural mental processes to function freely. Mental relaxation and meditation offer refreshment even more pleasant than deliberate relaxation of the body muscles to relieve strain.

 Mental ‘Breathing or Respiration’ – Physical deep breathing is important in order to oxygenate the blood and brain. However we need to keep our minds functioning freely through good relationships and mental exchange with others which could be seen as mental ‘breathing’ – that is, both taking in ideas as well as expressing our own thoughts.

 Mental vitality and creative capacity – vitality and creativity are clear indicators both of good physical health and a healthy state of mind. We need to keep up our mental interests, creative hobbies and enthusiasm for living.

Mental environment – We need to enjoy shared wholesome mental interests with others in a friendly and harmonious climate sharing similar ideologies.

 Mental ‘Sunshine’ and appreciation of our good fortune

Just as we enjoy sunshine, we all feel the psychological benefit and enjoy bathing in the warmth of a vibrant personality or the affection and encouragement of friends. Encouragement is an important requirement in order to enjoy good mental growth and self confidence.  The support or encouragement extended to you by family, teachers, friends and associates has a tonic effect and we benefit by our good fortune when we are surrounded by loving and happy people and influences which inspire us to Keep Happy!

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What is it that we all share in our concept of a healthy mind?

Understanding that it is not as easy as having a picture of the perfect body in health and physical fitness, we may try to formulate what is our personal picture as to what constitutes an ideal state of mental health. We are dealing here rather with codes of behaviour, attitudes of mind, levels of intellectual function, the quality of expression, and discipline over bad habits of thought and feeling, as well as abstracts such as ethics, morals, philosophy and spirituality.

Although we inevitably will attach varying degrees of importance to the qualities that are fundamental, we will seldom disagree on the principles.  It would seem appropriate to aim for a mind that is vital, enthusiastic, creative, reasonable, logical, imaginative, with keen faculties of mind and senses, appetite for knowledge, willingness to learn, willingness to teach, trusting, truthful, optimistic and intelligent.

It is often easier to focus upon such an exercise by first considering the qualities that we do not like in the minds of others. For example recognizing a very argumentative trait in others, or being irritated by prejudice may lead you to choosing what you consider are the healthy alternatives in your own programming and self discipline.

That is what we must do in order to correct old habits of thought and programme our minds. This is achieve with focus upon our own aspirations as well as conscious selection of the finest qualities we admire in other minds and wish to emulate in our own thought processes.

Happy people think nice thoughts

Loving thoughts make happy feelings

Happy feelings urge us create

Creating things makes us feel happy

Happy feelings keep us kind

Kindness grows to deep affection

Affection leads to deeper loving

Loving thoughts and loving feelings

Loving actions, loving lifetime

It’s love that makes us happy.

With so much in life to love

Much happiness is assured!

Mental fitness is more subtle but equally is a state of mental comfort, without stress or psychological disturbance, and an ability to participate in intellectual exchange and activity.

Both aspects of health are expressed in an abundance of energy both in physical vitality and in mental interest and enthusiasm.

Although there are many factors to consider in the concept of a healthy mind, basically it is a state where all mental faculties are functioning well, and the mind is productive of vital, rational thought.  We would also expect that a person who is mentally well is relatively free of stress, is inclined towards optimism and is kind, creative and of admirable character.

Most certainly mental fitness is a condition where the mind is also free of fear, violence and moods of depression. The owner of such a mind knows no inward mental or emotional disturbance and finds their inner world comfortable.

Mental health is a positive and pleasant state of being when to us, life seems good. We feel confident in ourselves and in life in general. Here the healthy mind is as an efficient instrument capable of both clear rational and idealistic thought, with good memory, understanding of ethics and moral codes and capable of generating creative ideas.  A healthy mind is enthusiastic about life and living and open to constructive activities and interests.

Mental fitness is displayed in intellectual ability, common sense, emotional control, kindness, co-operative, who displays a sense of humour, and which is decisive, discriminatory, and self motivated. There are many, many qualities we would anticipate in a person with health of mind – qualities which we ourselves would wish to possess.

Above all, when the mind is in good health, our thoughts are a comfortable inner companion and do not disturb or distress us.

We should remember that one of the most valuable attributes indicating a healthy mind, is the quality and application of “common sense”- the essence of Mental Fitness.

It is our main faculty we use when learning or reading and when we are in a receptive or listening mode. We use this faculty to help us focus upon important personal interests in everyday life. We also use it to deliberately programme our own mind and so develop  grooves of comfortable opinions and attitudes.

Concentration is mind power. It is the element we require to accomplish anything.

The principle is simple. If we keep our thoughts upon success, we will most likely succeed.  If we concentrate upon failure we will do doubt succeed in failing.

If we concentrate upon  power, we will become powerful.

If we concentrate upon love, we will become loving and so on.

Each of us develops our nature to attract circumstances by the power of our mind’s concentration.

Poor concentration is a symptom of diminishing mental fitness. We must practise and improve this faculty that becomes even more important as we grow older.

A definite aim will ensure that any concentrated thought will bear fruit. So we must take care that the direction of our mind’s power is truly in accordance with our own welfare and  interests as well of that of others.

Conscious effort of thought is required to build mental ‘muscle-power’ or strong mindedness,  just as effort is needed to build physical fitness. The power of the concentrated mind can also be compared to the rocket fuel that gives the power for our thoughts to ‘lift off’ into space.

Concentration can also be used as a tuning-in device similar to tuning the radio. This analogy holds true in meditation when we wish to expand our consciousness in order to receive  inspiration or intuitive guidance.

Concentration is the tool to help programme our mind. When concentrating, the emotions must be passive and co-operative to allow all our available mental energy to be used without  emotional distraction.

It is a magic occurrence to experience the difference that a positive tonic thought can have upon your emotions and mental state.  There is no secret about the power of self persuasion. It is only the practical application that can present a difficulty in with-holding benefits. It is offered as a ‘technique’ in many mind-training programmes and cultures including the practices of the yogis.

As the system of Yoga is one of self culture, all the techniques are basically designed to help the individual help himself. The wonderful thing to realize is the scope for creating our own tonic thoughts. We have freedom to employ conscious concentrated thought to build up our mental strength without any censure or limitation imposed by others.

A basic elementary application is the inward affirmation applied in building up our own self image through focus upon each of the good qualities we wish to express in our personality and being. For instance we may aim to reduce a lack of self confidence by affirming all our  own recognized strengths in which to feel proud.  Another may deliberately work to strengthen in turn all the qualities that serve as their ideal.

The exercise is known as Japa. This is done through silent mental repetition in privacy and ideally in circumstances similar to meditation that requires peace and quiet.

Additionally we can draw upon the powerful wisdom inherent in the literature of our culture, and the wealth of knowledge we have inherited from others who have experienced similarly and have overcome and prospered.

Some examples of fine ideas are offered in the Page on Quotations on this site, but each must choose for themselves the simple, tonic thoughts that affirm what they seek in self culture and that result in a sense of true well being.

Pride in ourselves comes more easily when we know that our body is in good shape, vital and functioning freely without impediment.

Similarly, our self confidence increases when the same principles are applied to our psychological health, when positive, creative thoughts and ideas govern our emotions.

Mental health is becoming recognized as an issue that threatens to dominate medical issues in the community in the future with serious personal ramifications even more distressing than physical disease.

Prevention is the wisest path to follow. This is a relatively simple matter if each of us chooses to become as focussed on the natural rules that must be followed to establish mental fitness as we do in our disciplines to create physical fitness.

The rewards are great!

Mental fitness is more subtle but equally is a state of mental comfort, without stress or psychological disturbance, and an ability to participate in intellectual exchange and activity.

Both aspects of health are expressed in an abundance of energy both in physical vitality and in mental interest and enthusiasm.

Although there are many factors to consider in the concept of a healthy mind, basically it is a state where all mental faculties are functioning well. The mind is capable of rational decisions as well as being able to utilize its creative faculties. We would also include in our expectations, that a person who is mentally well is relatively free of stress, is inclined towards optimism and is kind, and able to express the finer qualities of human character.

Most certainly mental fitness is a condition where the mind is also free of fear, violence and moods of depression. The owner of such a mind knows no inward mental or emotional disturbance and finds their inner world comfortable.

Mental health is a positive and pleasant state of being when life seems good, when we are enthusiastic about our life enjoyments and enterprises and can face its challenges without shirking.

We express our vital mind by evidence of its creative ability in planning or designing, or just producing wonderful, new ideas.

Personal fitness of mind we display by our intellectual ability, our common sense, emotional control, kindness, humour in a confident, decisive and balanced personality. Are you in that category?

Sally Janssen’s wonderful book “Mental Fitness: The Complete Self-Help Guide”, offers simple and timely solutions.

Some organizations offer systems based upon technology that works with the brainwave patterns of consciousness with promises to ‘increase longevity, slow ageing and lower stress’ and we can understandably be a little sceptical. However new approaches may advance to have the answers and perhaps will be able to  ‘…put you safely, quickly and easily into states of deep relaxation and stress release’ so that we will have immediate ‘increased feelings of well being.’

However with basic systems upon which we have relied for decades and that have proven to be effective we cannot go far wrong. We would not be inclined to doubt a system of mind training that was based upon simple disciplines embracing relaxation, concentration and meditation. Relaxation therapy is always a pleasant learning experience and effectively reduces stress in our psyche. Concentration helps us improve in self confidence as we gain in mental strength and positive self image. Meditation helps us to arrive at new and stimulating states of mind as we allow our ego tensions to melt away to enjoy the peaceful consciousness of just being.

Whatever system we choose to follow, we must undertake some form of mind training that will equip us to maintain our mental faculties and intellectual structure, as we must do when training for physical fitness. Just as we must have a picture of our aim for physical fitness, we must also have a concept of our aim for mental fitness. As exercise plays a dominant role in keeping physical health, so it is important in acquiring mental fitness as we seek through movements and contractions of thought to extend both our strength and our flexibility as we acquire greater development of our minds and consciousness.

We cannot however expect instant success as we have to have time to develop different habits of thinking and feeling. Above all, we need to learn to be good friends with ourselves.

Sally Janssen’s wonderful book “Mental Fitness: The Complete Self-Help Guide”, offers simple and timely solutions.