Four Principles of Mental Hygiene or Cleaning Our Brain

Image Source

From childhood, we are taught hygiene skills, brushing our teeth and washing our hands. But there are other skills that psychologists call mental hygiene. Elena Sineva, a medical psychologist, instructor of exercise therapy (yoga therapy), told us about how to maintain mental health and peace of mind.

1. Don't Swear

Please sit up straight, with a straight back. Take a deep breath and say a dirty curse to yourself, three times is better. Jaws clenched, fists clenched, stomach and shoulders tensed, inside there was a readiness for a fight or flight? We gave the body a signal: some kind of trouble is happening.

Now sit up straight again, take a deep breath and say mentally “Frost and sun! Wonderful day! also three times. Observe how the body reacted to this, how the shoulders straightened, the field of vision expanded, a deep breath appeared.

A person who swears a lot and over trifles has chronic muscle spasm, high blood pressure and a rapid heartbeat. It's unpleasant, and when someone swears next to you, then you get a signal: the person is aggressive, possibly dangerous. It is perceived on a subconscious level and also leaves traces.

2. Don't be Afraid

Let's start with the fact that being afraid is good. Fear is given to man by nature in order to understand the danger and take action in time. Therefore, we will not fight fear, but we will assess the situation sensibly.

Useful instincts in a modern person are often distorted due to the abundance of unfiltered negative information. What are we usually afraid of? For myself: “what if I die from COVID”? For others “specifically”: “a friend goes to visit, the phone does not answer, suddenly an accident or robbed-killed”? For others, “abstractly”: “children live in Yalta, there is a flood, what if something happens?”

The main question for understanding the “necessity” of fear is: how can I influence the “terrible”, what actions and decisions does this fear lead me to? If it is reasonable and useful, then we are afraid and do it. If everything has already been done, and terrible thoughts continue to spin in the head, we replace them with reading good poems, singing songs, any prayer.

3. Keep Track of the Contents of the Head

Image Source

There are thoughts that destroy us from the inside, just as rust corrodes metal, and there are thoughts that make us stronger and calmer. What thoughts are unconstructive and destructive, and what can be opposed to them?

- Everything from the series “I can’t”, “I won’t succeed”. I already got this, this and that. And I'm good, and now everything will work out.

- All from the series "they are to blame." This, for example, “that's why my mother said in the morning that I ...”, “he refused to take me, so I'm standing at the bus stop ...”. Any thoughts about how badly someone else is influencing the events of your life is harmful. Instead, you should think: “What do I not like about the events of my life right now? How can I influence it? What can I do to change this?"

- All horror stories about the future. “I will come to the interview, I will not answer anything, and what will they say?” Let's get back to the horror story. You can influence something - influence, no - pray or sing songs ...

- All the worries about the past “if only I called him yesterday ...” Everything has already passed. Thanks to everyone who was with me there.

4. Tell the Truth

Let's do a simple exercise again. Please sit up straight and say three times: "My name is Elena Sineva." Let's track the sensations in the body. It's funny, besides some awkwardness, a clamp in the throat, tension in the neck and abdomen.

Now say a few times to yourself what your real name is. How did the body react to it? When we tell a lie, the body knows about it. And the brain knows. Muscles tighten, blood vessels spasm, the hormonal background changes ... And this is from a little lie. And to tell a big lie, you have to seriously strain.

So I suggest, wherever possible, to tell the truth. But, of course, telling the truth does not mean destroying everything right and left.

Conclusion

The implementation of these rules will allow you to maintain the psycho-emotional sphere and partly the body in such a state as to fulfill its mission in the world with the highest quality and pleasure.