"Just about everything that improves mental health is free and available to all of us, apart from the right to therapy and medical treatment when required. It's an utterly frustrating, unexciting, unsellable, and unlikely-to-go-viral message. It also isn't judgmental, since none of us control our emotional state or the state of the world."
"Simple but not easy summarizes the research on resilience and happiness. Beyond the bedrock rights everyone has to basic sustenance and safety, there are no quick fixes and nothing extra to buy. It takes effort and planning but isn't found in cutting-edge medical research. This is the modern science of getting back to the basics."
"The unrelenting stress and anxiety of the modern world keep us off balance and reactive. We're up against powerful forces intentionally influencing how we live. Social media companies are being sued for their methods. Nutrition influences our mental health, and yet our food is designed and marketed to keep us eating badly."
"As individuals and as parents, we can practice pausing, settling, and aiming to make intentional choices. And then stay kind and patient with ourselves when we notice we're off track again, because change is hard. Separate from responsibilities and problems to solve and all the rest of life, we can steer our families toward strength."
Modern life's chaos and intensity actively damage mental health through powerful external forces like social media and food marketing designed to promote unhealthy habits. Research shows resilience and happiness come from free, accessible, old-fashioned practices rather than quick fixes or expensive solutions. Strong face-to-face relationships are essential for emotional wellbeing, while excessive screen time erodes these connections. Beyond basic needs for safety and sustenance, no shortcuts exist. Building mental health requires intentional effort and planning to resist societal pressures toward unproductive behaviors. Individuals retain agency to choose lifestyles supporting resilience through deliberate pausing, settling, and making conscious decisions, while maintaining self-compassion during setbacks.
#mental-health-resilience #intentional-living #face-to-face-relationships #modern-pressures-and-wellness #simple-habits
Read at Psychology Today
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