Stress and Mental Health through Mind Fitness - the Progression

Stress is the feeling that we have no control over the moment or situation. When we feel a loss of control, there are feelings of tension that prompt reactions of hostility, negativity, and pessimism. With stress, we anger too quickly; we're irritable, bitter, negative, and sarcastic. Our lives can begin to look pretty grim. Taking a deep breath to relieve stress can come in handy.

Ryan Cole, Clinical Psychologist at Brain and Body Integration Therapy practice in Colorado, points out the difference between thoughts and emotions, "There is a separation between the experience of thoughts and emotions. Thoughts are typically our verbal inner voice. Emotions tend to be rooted in physiological reactions to yourself, others, and the world."

Mind Fitness focuses on thoughts that stem from feelings—your inner visual images and verbal inner voice. Good mental health replaces that on-the-edge-pressure feeling of not being able to respond with calmness and balance confidently. We achieve a balance of mental health not all at once but through a progression. You move from emotions and thoughts of being stressed, negative, and overwhelmed to gradually coping and managing your life and inner dialogue. Finally, you move to an actual increase in stability and levels of satisfaction reflected by your more positive thoughts and word choice. With an increased balance of mental wellbeing, you will feel a sense of resiliency that you can handle things and create a positive, optimistic tone in your life. We've all felt unsure of ourselves. We certainly all know the feeling of walking on eggshells. These feelings are not pleasant. On the other hand, a feeling of empowerment is above the keeping-it-together-without-freaking-out level. You are calmer in shifting circumstances. There is a sense of living with an attitude of confidence and a sense of dynamic love. You feel sharp and on top of things. All the time? No. Most of the time, yes, that is the direction.

I've said it before solid or robust mental health does not magically happen any more than solid physical health happens. We must be willing to do something regularly to strengthen our wellbeing. As you put your mind and attitudes into awareness training, you will move from merely coping to creating the attitudes and goals you want. Are you ready to develop the tools and routines to train your mind and change your perceptions for personal wellbeing and optimal functioning? If you have gotten this far in the book, chances are your answer is "yes." You have already begun.

One short expression offers me much guidance on living and focusing my mind. In my little Mexican village, there is an often-used expression, "poco a poco," or "little by little." This was one of the first things I learned in Mexico, not only in Spanish but in the culture. Little by little, things get done. That may mean a half-built house goes on hold while more money is procured, you stop part way up a steep climb to catch your breath, roads get built slowly, or attitudes and feelings change slowly. The same goes for learning a skill or even cooking a meal: it is all accomplished little by little. The idea is quite the opposite of our U.S. culture, where things are done quickly, all at once, and, in many cases, in as rapid a manner as possible. We have crash diets, do speed reading, and take short courses. Get-rich-quick schemes are hawked for the ultimate success. There are fast, demanding timelines for building projects. Quick-to-prepare "home-cooked" meals are bought at the store or delivered to our doors. A "poco a poco" culture we are not! "Poco a poco" is a good description that parallels our mental health development.

This 'little by little" development motto has something to suggest to us in understanding how we

build our mental health into a stronger mindset with increased resiliency and balance.

The "poco a poco" approach can be incorporated into building your Mind Fitness program. A good training program is not quick and easy; it takes time and effort. Goals are accomplished through a slow, steady, step-by-step method. Your program, with its daily attention and care for yourself, gives you a little-by-little way to stabilize, optimize, and actualize your development. It has taken me a few years to accept and embrace "poco a poco." I used to chafe every time I heard it like it was a delaying tactic, an excuse for non-completion, a mañana put off. Now, I see its importance in many areas of my life. It can be applied to a mindful way of doing things, the breath-by-breath awareness of patiently learning a new skill or saying an affirmation. "Poco a poco," little by little, and the well-known saying "one day at a time" all embody the incremental awareness of accomplishing things one at a time for a balanced, thoughtful life.

Mental Health through Mind Fitness training is possible, keep it up!

Joy Watson