Welcome to Enhancing Recovery Part 2.
I'm Dr.
Lynn Brown.
Today's topic is Achieving Psychological Wellness.
Psychological wellness allows you the freedom to live your life with as few mental barriers as possible.
There are 14 factors that promote the type of wellness that helps when making habit and attitude changes.
The closer you come to fulfilling these,
The less difficult it will be to keep striving for your goal.
The most important factor is risk-taking.
Take intellectual risks.
Expand your mind by exposing yourself to new ideas.
The saying,
A mind expanded by a new idea never returns to its original size,
Is appropriate.
The result of learning is growth and an improved self-esteem.
Take spiritual risks.
If you are not at peace spiritually,
Find it through yoga,
Meditation,
Changing religions,
Etc.
Being at peace with yourself makes all else easier.
Take physical risks by engaging in a sport where mind and body must work together,
Where concentration is mandatory.
Most of us have lost touch with our bodies.
We think of ourselves only from the neck up.
By participating in a sport that involves some risk,
You'll get in touch with your body and this helps you stay centered.
Take emotional risks.
Risk intimacy.
It is not unusual to close emotional doors after being hurt by someone,
But doing so will inhibit your ability to be happy.
By risking getting close to others,
You'll find that although humans are flawed and don't always show caring the way we'd like and cannot fulfill all our needs,
They are always better than alcohol.
Build a support group.
Find others who are experiencing what you are or who have similar interests.
It is always comforting to know that there are those who have lived to tell.
When you are with people who are going through the same thing you are and those who have already gone through it,
You discover that you aren't alone,
That you aren't different,
And that you will make it.
Make time daily when no one demands anything of you.
Make room for time when no one needs or pulls at you.
It is important to begin feeling comfortable with being alone.
Most of us are not accustomed to silence and believe that being alone means being lonely.
But actually,
We need time alone to listen to ourselves.
Sometimes it takes silence for our inner voice to be heard.
Time to ourselves helps us sort out the maze that living causes.
Alone time is imperative for mental wellness.
Learn time management.
There never seems to be enough time to do what needs to be accomplished.
So the answer is to prioritize.
Make a list every night or every morning of what needs to be done.
Determine the three or four that absolutely must get accomplished.
That way,
At least the necessities will get done.
If time allows,
You can do some of the other things too.
Accept the fact that there will always be too much to do.
It will help you achieve inner peace.
Eat a nutritionally balanced diet.
You are what you eat,
And it affects how you feel,
How you deal with stress,
And how much you are able to enjoy living.
Treat your body with kindness.
Exercise.
Your body requires exercise in order to be able to function as it was intended.
Exercise helps relieve physical tension,
Anxiety,
And promotes psychological wellness.
Work at something that reminds you that you are more than a spouse,
Parent,
Sibling,
Etc.
We all want to be appreciated for who we are as a person without any labels.
Work gives us that opportunity.
It allows us to be judged by and valued for our skills and abilities,
Not by and for whom we are married,
Gave birth to,
Or happen to be in the same family with.
That sense of individuality is necessary for our well-being.
If you don't need to earn money,
Volunteer your time.
Improve your self-esteem.
Most people need to enhance their self-image.
You can do this by having a sense of connectedness.
We need to belong to something,
Someone,
Or somewhere.
It can be a social group,
Cause,
Place,
Family,
Etc.
You cannot have a positive self-image by yourself on an island.
What we believe about ourselves is in part determined by the reflections we see and get from others.
Where we are,
Who we are with,
And why we are there influences how we feel about ourselves.
But be sure to keep your uniqueness alive.
Don't ever give up your uniqueness to belong.
There is no one on this earth who is identical to you and you should feel pride and joy in this.
There has never been,
Nor will there ever be,
Anyone who can contribute in the exact manner you can.
Revel in this fact and be sure to live it.
Make good choices for yourself.
Remember that your choices help determine your future.
Have models.
We all need models of people who are doing more than we are,
Who have excelled beyond where we are,
And who represent where we want to be someday.
You don't want to be those people,
Just what they have accomplished or who they are.
We need a vision of what can be.
Touch.
Touch people,
Touch animals.
The only way to be sure that someone or something exists is to touch it.
Research has shown that infants who do not get held have a higher mortality rate than those who get touched.
And this need never ends.
Just because you are no longer a baby doesn't mean that your need for touching has diminished.
Studies have also shown that when we pet dogs and cats,
Our blood pressure goes down.
Touching is imperative for wellness.
So give or get three hugs a day.
And don't hesitate to lightly touch someone's shoulder when conversing.
Develop an intimate relationship with another person or at least be open to the option.
Caring for someone and allowing yourself to be vulnerable with the person brings more facets of who you are to the surface and more joy that can be described.
Have access to someone who will listen and not try to give advice.
We each need someone who will let us talk and talk and ramble until we come to terms with what is happening and then begin to work through it.
Spend time with people who enhance you,
Who bring out all that is good in you.
Don't waste your time with those who drain and deplete you.
You are influenced by those with whom you spend time and listen to.
There are enough people in the world for you to find a few who are good for you.
You do take on the attitude of those with whom you spend time.
Take time for recreation.
Recreation involves recreating,
Recharging.
When you relax and engage in activities you enjoy,
You are not wasting time.
You need a balance of work and recreation for stability and mental wellness.
Free yourself from all addictions.
Stop smoking.
Don't take recreational drugs.
Cut down on refined sugar,
Milk chocolate,
Salt,
Etc.
Addictions limit your freedom of choice.
And to be at peace with yourself,
You must be a free agent.
Use these factors to enhance your psychological wellness.
You deserve it.
Copyright 2017,
Lynn Baranius-Brown,
Published by Best Life Publications.
No part of this audio recording may be reproduced without permission from the copyright owner.
