Natalie: I'm going to talk about something a little different today, usually in my videos I talk about you know what good foods to eat what to put in your body to influence your health but today I'm going to talk about what things to put in to your mind that will influence your mental health.
So I am sure you would like to feel less stressed and happy about your life, more secure, more in control of what's going on, well today we are going to talk about some simple things to do and not to do to improve your life and you don't even have to spend money.
I want to provide an illustration for you to help understand what we are going to be talking about today; in previous videos I talk about what to put in your body and what not to put in your body for your health. For example one thing that you definitely want to have in your diet on a daily basis are colorful fruits and vegetables, and these are going to provide antioxidants to help come back the effects of stress.
Well then there is things that you don't want to put in your diet on a daily basis such as foods that have you know tones of chemical additives, fruits and vegetables that are loaded with pesticides because these things influence how your body functions. So nutrition applies to your physical body, well actually the same thing applies to your mental health and wellness. There are things that you can put in your mind to improve your mental health and wellness, or there are things that you can put in to your mind that can cause mental distress and have a negative impact on your mental health and wellness.
There is a word in the English language called edification and according to the American heritage dictionary edification is intellectual moral or spiritual improvement or enlightment. It really seems to me that edification is a concept that has been lost in our society, and it seems that fewer and fewer people are conscious of what they are putting in their minds that really does have an impact on their mental health and wellness.
So for example think about the lasting things that you watch on television or read or watched on you tube, what impact do you think they had on your mental health. Did it cause your stress to think and improve to your life that you learnt something or did it not have an impact. So I think if we just apply just the simple question to things that we do on a daily basis and the question would be is this improving my life its going to impact our mental health and wellness?
Lot of things that I do in my life just like the normal individual I like watching TV or I going to the movies my husband likes the comedy videos on you tube. Some one is saying all entertainment is bad or that there is no room for entertainment in your life, but I personally do got up my way everyday to learn something new weather that's about nutrition or you know the new found disease or some cure that's been discovered or you know how to grow a plant or something that can apply to my life. And when I do that on a daily basis it makes me feel better. And makes me feel like I'm in control of my life I'm improving my self I feel happier I just feel like I am a better person because I am willing to learn something every day.
Then nutrition is a just about what you eat, there is also one whole area nutrition that addresses how toxins and environmental pollutants and contaminates can cause actual physical damage to your body. And I believe that the same thing exists for your mental health, I believe that everything is that you do see watch or participate and that are mental pollutants or presence. And I personally choose to avoid those things as much as possible. Now here something you can do, think about the last thing you watched on you tube and apply these questions.
Number 1, the last thing you watched on you tube did it make you feel more calm or did it adds your stress.
Number 2, did it empower you did it make you feel like you have more control in your life and that you could do something a ballet or did it make you feel help less and that it was out of your control and you couldn't do anything.
Number 3, did It help you understand life better, or did It make you feel like you are helpless. And worst did it confuse you, and then lastly and emotionally what emotional impact that did have on you, did It cause you to feel happier or did It make you feel angry or frustrated or upset or anxious or apathetic.
Now I personally choose not to watch the evening news for one thing it doesn't calm me down it really adds to my stress, it doesn't empower me or make me feel like I have more control of my life you know is for instance a deadly car accident what's done is done it doesn't really help me understand life better I know to be careful when I am driving stop your red lights I know that life is short and then emotionally it doesn't make feel happier it makes me full of sad and destroy that the family is suffering.
Now I am contrast I like to watch the morning shows and the reason why these are such great programs is because you got to learn something, they are usually interviewing some one about a new book or they have chef on there showing you how to make you know on new ontray or you know they are having any musician on there so its something that you can learn from something that you can apply to your life, and you don't leave the program feeling to short or stressed or you know helpless so that's why I like to watch the morning shows.
Now I know personally for me that education whether its you know through college or reading something out side of school studying researching about the field that I love nutrition and makes me feel like a better person it makes me feel like I can help people that I can be more in control of my life that I can do something and that's really what edification is all about. Once we stop learning and that process of education ends, we are no longer improving our lives we are no longer growing intellectually or morally or spiritually. Now here is 3 things that I do that I feel edify my mind,
Number 1, I learn something new every day, I have several subscriptions to magazines that pertained to nutrition and I love reading articles in there because it doesn't take more than 30 minutes to read something and to learn something new.
Number 2, I got a church and in spite there that you may here on you tube what ever in that, religion is this negative bad hateful thing, I don't know what churches are going to what churches they are talking about but my church is positive and its about love and its about respecting people and it's way of improving your life and living a moral life so when I go to church I feel empowered and I feel like a better person that I know how to handle people better that I know how to make better decisions. So when I leave church I forgot I feel empowered and I feel better.
Number 3, I watch Oprah I don't catch it every single day but when I do I just love the program I love that Oprah is all about learning and education and regardless of who she is interviewing or what the topic is or you know who the guest is I always feel like I end the show and leave the show having learned something or feeling inspired or motivated.
And just like you want to be conscious of what you are putting in your body and how that impacts your physical health, its just is important to be conscious of what you are putting in your mind and what impact that has on your mental health, so pay attention, do something tomorrow that edifies your mind, and just ask yourself those questions that we talked about, does it improve you? Does it make you feel happy? Does it motivate you? Does it inspire you? Does it empower you? Or does it have no effect is it make you feel helpless or frustrated or sad.
So think about those things when you watch something or do something or read something so again do something or pick something that edifies yourself, edifies your mind and then leave a response post the video comment I want to know what impact it has on you, I'll see you next time.
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