As the pandemic continues on and the vaccines are now becoming more available, people seem to be coming out of some sort of cocoon. In other words what I find is that many people have had to or chosen to put their lives on hold this past year, waiting to see what is going to happen next.
Suddenly after a year of this, I am perceiving that people are realizing that there may be light at the end of all this, or even if some things do not change, they need to change. Life is pretty interesting. We make all kinds of concessions and changes in our lives in an attempt to control what we need to control and then we awaken and realize these things are out of our control so what do I do now?
We hear over and over that there are a lot of people dealing with real mental issues. What exactly is a mental issue or better yet, what is mental health? World renowned psychiatrist, Dr. William Glasser wrote:
you are mentally healthy if you enjoy being with most of the people you know, especially with the important people in your life such as family and friends. Generally, you like people and are more willing to help an unhappy family member, friend, or colleague to feel better. You lead a mostly tension free life, laugh a lot, and rarely suffer from the aches and pains that so many people accept as an unavoidable part of living. You enjoy life and have no trouble accepting that other people are different from you. The last thing that comes to your mind is to criticize or change anyone. You are creative in what you attempt and may enjoy more of your potential than you ever thought was possible. Finally, even in difficult situations when you are unhappy—no one can be happy all the time—you’ll know why you are unhappy, and you’ll attempt to do something about it. You may even be physically handicapped, as is actor Christopher Reeves and still fit the criteria above.”
When we examine this last year, of course it makes sense that there are a lot of unhappy people. Two of our most important needs are love and belonging and power. Since these are both dependent on other people, and we consider how our contact with other people has been limited in order for us to survive, it makes sense that some people will be struggling. They key is to understand this and look for those things you can control right now and leave the things you cannot. Part of being mentally healthy is enjoying life. If we focus on what we cannot enjoy over what we can still enjoy over time we will become mentally unhealthy. It is time to speak with someone and maybe change some of the ways we are thinking and acting. This is where have real control.
What are you doing to remain mentally healthy? Who do you talk with?
Yours in growing awareness
Maureen
maureen@monctonrealitytherapy.ca
