Today, around the world, people are being asked to recognize the importance of health. The World Health Organization chooses a new topic each year to focus on, drawing attention to what is currently having a major impact. This year is depression. According to WHO, depression is the leading cause of ill-health and disability worldwide. More than 300 million people are now living with depression.
Today I would like to share with you an article posted on the Psychology Today website by David Rock. This article is relevant to the health topic of today by addressing how we can create a balance in our brains to optimize our mental health.
Announcing the Healthy Mind Platter- the healthy mind platter for optimal brain matter.
The US government has just revised the food pyramid- the diagram that's been with us for decades that is supposed to tell people how to eat well. The model needed a revision, and the new version, called ChooseMyPlate, is a big improvement.
However, there`s an epidemic that`s happening out there that is getting less attention, perhaps because it`s less obvious than the epidemic of obesity that we are experiencing. We are entering an era of overwhelm. A time when too many people`s mental well-being is being stretched through multi-tasking, fragmented attention and information overload.
The trouble is, we are short on simple, clear information about good mental habits. Few people know about what it takes to have good, optimum mental health, and the implications of being out of balance. It is not taught in schools or discussed in business. The issue just isn't on the table. The result is that we stretch ourselves too far in the way that may have bigger implications than an unhealthy physical diet.
So my friend and colleague, Dr. Dan Siegel and I got together to create what we are calling the Healthy Mind Platter. This platter has seven essential mental activities necessary for optimum mental health in daily life. These seven daily activities make up the full set of 'mental nutrients' that your brain needs to function at it`s best. By engaging every day in each of these servings, you enable your brain to coordinate and balance its activities, which strengthens your brain's internal connections and your connections with other people.
The seven essential mental activities are:
Focus Time. When we closely focus on tasks in a goal-orientated way, taking on challenges that make deep connections in the brain.
Play Time. When we allow ourselves to be spontaneous or creative, playfully enjoying novel experiences, which helps make new connections in the brain.
Connecting Time. When we connect with other people, ideally in person, or take the time to appreciate our connection to the world around us, richly activating the brain's relational circuitry.
When we move our bodies. aerobically if medically possible, which strengthens the brain in many ways.
Time in. When we quietly reflect internally, focusing on sensations, images, feelings and thoughts, helping to better integrate the brain.
Down Time. When we are non-focused, without any specific goal, and let our mind wander or simply relax, which helps our brain recharge.
Sleep Time. When we give the brain the rest it needs to consolidate learning and recover from the experience of the day.
We are not suggesting a specific recipe for a healthy mind, as each individual is different, and our needs change over time too. The point is to become aware of the full spectrum of essential mental activities, and just like with essential nutrients, make sure that at least every day we are nudging the right ingredients into our mental diet, even for just a little time. Just like you wouldn`t eat only pizza every day for days on end, we shouldn`t just live on focus time and little sleep. Mental wellness is all about giving your brain lots of opportunities to develop in different ways.
A fun use of this idea is to map out an average day and see what percentage of your time you can spend in each area. Like a balanced diet, there are many combinations that can work well.
In short, it is important to eat well, and we applaud the new healthly eating plate. However, as a society, we are sorely lacking in good information about what it takes to have a healthy mind. We hope that the healthy mind platter creates an appetite for increasing awareness of what we put into our minds too.
The Healthy Mind Platter was created in collaboration with Dr. David Rock, executive director of the NeuroLeadership Institute and Dr. Daniel Siegel, executive director of the Mindsight Institute and clinical professor at the UCLA School of Medicine. As well as running their own educational programs, Dr. Rock and Dr. Siegel are also both involved with The BlueSchool, which is building a new approach to education, in downtown NYC.