University of Life / Mental Health Foundations

It is said that if we talk to ourselves then we’re crazy. The fact of the matter is that we all talk to ourselves and self talk is "normal". Mental health issues arise from many avenues that access our brain. Self-talk is merely one way. So that being said if self-talk is positive then it can and will have a positive effect on our mental health. It is one way that we take control over our lives. Why then do we struggle as individuals to have a well-balanced mental status?

I am a professional mental health practitioner and in the following posts I will try to answer such questions. Some questions and answers remain a mystery and rightfully so. There are so many influencing factors affecting our mental health status. To point to one theory as a standalone theory that explains our mental health status is not representative of a “slam dunk” approach to mental health. Personally I believe or at least choose to believe that we have the ability to change our thinking affecting our mental health status and we can do so for the better.

So then why do some people not choose to be mentally stable while others choose to be unstable? The answer lies in many areas while one stands out clearly.

There are benefits on either side of a continuum of mental health. In short, there are rewards for instability as much as there are rewards for possessing good mental health. The result is after choosing our thought process we begin to operate on automatic pilot, sort of speak. When this occurs we lose touch with our issues because or mental status simply becomes a part of who we are. The definition of what is “normal” then is defined by our adopted or learned “World View”. If it is an unhealthy view we may not see our issues or we choose to ignore them while we look for others or events to cast blame. Commonly termed as defense mechanisms this is when a person seeks help from a professional.

The results on instability are often misdirected thinking so that we believe that someone or another is causing us stress. If we are humbling enough we will look within ourselves for answers but the shift needed to obtain stability remains elusive sometimes because of aforementioned rewards that perpetuate a negative cycle of mental illness. It all sounds complex but it’s really simple. We are creatures of habit, programed like a computer and our actions are driven by rewards. We actually can create our own reality but often we are blinded by our past. As people we have learned from our past and although some rewards may be negative we can learn to make it work to get what we need from life. It works the same is a person is positive but there’s work that needs to be done. It gets back to the saying; “one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure.” For example; if I get all kinds of attention from others because I am ill, and it is the only way that I know how to get attention, then I will continue to be ill in order to receive such attention. In short, I play the “victims” role to get my needs met. By exhibiting this type of behavior or “dance” as I call it and doing so long enough it then becomes automatic and we learn to manipulate our environment via our own “World View”.

So where am I going with this? I am opening up a door to answer some serious questions about mental health and your own existence. It’s about the self-talk about who we are, why we are here and where are we going type of stuff. At the same time, I am more than willing to help individuals negotiate life. It is what I do for a living and I enjoy it. Sure it has been stated that all we must do is live our life pay our taxes and die. At the same time that seems to have its flaws in respect to those who fall prey to addictions, anxiety and other mental health issues. I am here to say that there are some foundations to achieving a healthy mental health status. Healthy relationships are a prime example of defining mental health that I will build on in future blogs. Other topics include victimization, and addictions. Remember that we are really addicted to our own thinking even if it serves you well. And lastly remember that we all tend to create our own reality even if it is a negative existence. Allow me to take you on a journey and down a path of the unknown and I will demonstrate my theory. It may not be the answer to all your problems but it will get you thinking that much I am sure of.

#text