Understanding Your Mind- First Step to a Balanced Mental Health

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 Your journey to self discovery and personal development begins in your mind. The mind is such a powerful thing that it requires your utmost attention. The Bible admonishes that we should guard our hearts for from it are the issues of life. In speaking about the mind, such common references like “heart” and “soul” all mean one and the same thing but are merely suggestive of the emphasis that the mind is more powerful than anyone would care to admit.

 Just how powerful is your mind? When someone says “the heart of the matter is….it is simply referring to the core issue or the central factor,something that affects everything else, just in the same way that your physical heart is central to your life. It stops beating and you are dead. Sometimes, we also hear people say something like”I put my heart and soul in the business”- I put my whole energy, my focus and attention in the business. Such statements reveal the fact that the heart and soul not only transmit vital force or energy but should indeed command some of our attention.

 While the physical heart is a tangible substance, the soul and mind are not, yet they connote a vital consciousness necessary for our very existence as humans. The Bible again explains that God breathe into the nostrils of man and he became a living soul. The soul is thus a sphere of consciousness- an awareness if you like of our affinity with God, having been created in his image and likeness. At death,this state of consciousness is transferred back to its source which is the creator, while the body returns to dust from whence it came. In the universe, there are different levels or spheres of such consciousness. By a process known as imagination, the soul or mind with or without stimulation from the five senses, can travel to wherever it pleases. Almost anyone, including children can testify to the power of our imaginations. The only trouble is that because our five senses are  physical senses meant for the earth realm, when we carry with us such excess baggage’s of earth bound- emotions we are often disqualified from achieving our heart’s desires and misguided in our pursuits.  To survive in other realms we must leave the weights of unhealthy emotions behind.

 How relevant is your understanding of this point to your mental health and stability? First and foremost, the alarming increase in the number mentally disturbed people in our communities is gunning for epic proportions. The cost of managing these mental health conditions are phenomenal especially when one considers the acruing cost of crimes committed by mental health patients.

 Thus the vital step to a balanced mental health state is to guard your thoughts and imaginations. To  do that effectively, you should do the following;

•  You must guard your emotions.
•  Decide to resolve old issues that may cause inner conflicts in your mind. Such resolutions may mean forgiving people who have hurt you or simply forgeting hurtful words that may have been responsible for lowering your self esteem.
• Make the most of who you are by being free spirited.
• Resist any temptation to resolve these issues externally- drinking, pity partying drugs or sex.