HELTH OF THE MIND

Evening Star, Issue 22329, 4 May 1936, Page 1

HELTH OF THE MIND

ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE (Contributed by the Health Department.) The science which treats of the mind and feelings and teaches mental and emotional health is called “ psychology-” . , We must be healthy in our minds and thoughts as well as in our bodies. Without mental health a sound body is as disappointing as an nnlighted lamp. Happiness is as important as good lungs or a good heart. A child must be healthy to be happy, but as well he must have a healthy and welldeveloped mind. The formation of good mental habits in early years must never bo neglected. Little by little we must learn self-control, to respect the rights of others, and to adopt good standards of general behaviour.

Habits are formed partly by making errors and correcting them. The home chiefly, hut also the school, should bo a place where we can make mistakes, and have them corrected, without harmful results. The mind requires: (1) Alcntal work ami mental rest; (2) Proper control of feelings and behaviour. Let us see what psychology ■ can teach us about it. AIENTAL WORK AND AIENTAL , REST. Just as your body requires exercise or work, so does your mind. You want to think hard about all sorts of things. Work hard (but not absurdly hard) at your lessons, but think hard about all sorts of other things as well, about how to cook, or about how an engine works, or about the way workmen arc mending the road, and what they are using for it, about what is going on in the world, about how different birds build their nests, and so on. The more things in which you can bo sufficiently interested to take the trouble to learn about them the better for you. Alont..l rest is of two kinds. Your mind as your body is rested when you sleep. But the mind is also rested when it is amused, as by a little fun with your friends, some jokes with them, a party or a game, quietly watching something beautiful'like a sunset. An old Latin saying_ runs; “It is a pleasant thing to frivol at a suitable time.” The condition of the body affects the mind and the mind affects the body. Be cheerful. Laughter is a great tonic; it drives away gloom and sorrow. Now we come to the second essential of a healthy mind.

CONTROL OF FEELINGS AND CONDUCT.

Cultivate commonsense and learn to control yourself. Habits of right thinking, are most important, _ and the first thing you have to do is to get the right attitude of mind towards life. Troubles, disappointments, worries are the common lot of mankind. Realise this and face the big ones with courage and patience. Accept the small upsets and little annoyances of life as a matter of course, for to give them excessive attention spoils all your own joy in life, and causes many a nervous breakdown.

The next thing you have to learn is to keep your temper. Don’t fly into a rage over every annoyance or disappointment or contradiction. Be a good sport and take it smilingly. Forget it if you can, and turn your attention to something else. A tit of anger, hate, or jealousy makes one more tired than a hard day’s work. Don’t waste time crying over spilt milk, as the old saying has it. Somebody once asked the Duke of Wellington,' “ How is it that your plans arc always so much better than the enemy’s?” He replied: “They aren’t better really, but when one plan goes wrong I am quicker at making a new one.” He didn’t cry over spilt milk, he promptly went on to something else.

If yon have any job or duty which you don’t like doing, but which has got to be clone set to and do it _ at once, and as well as possible. You will find in the end you will get a queer sense of self-satisfaction or oven of pride in knowing how excellently this unpleasant but necessary job has been done. And when it is somebody clse’s turn to do it you will be quite anxious that it should he done properly. There are always unpleasant jobs to he done, cleaning up garbage for instance, but how' sweet and tidy your backyard is afterwards, and how proud of it yon feci. Often, in the long run, you find yon have “ liked what you did bettor' than if you had done what you liked.” _ i Conduct or behaviour is supposed to show our true feelings, but this is not altogether true, for we have a certain amount of control over our conduct. Wo can bo polite when we feel cross, and the strange thing is that this pleasant or cheerful conduct will react in ourselves and alter our unhappy mental or emotional state, so that by behaving pleasantly or cheerfully wo soon actually feel -more amiable or happier. It is, for instance, hard to sulk if you hold up your head and whistle a'cheerful time instead of pouting. Doing something interesting with vour hands will often help to work off ill temper or unhappiness—girls can knit or sew, boys can do carpentering or woodwork. Both boys and girls can tackle a puzzle, or the musical ones can play a musical instrument. If you should happen to be affected by a very bad attack of temper indeed, do somethin"- vigorous—dig the garden, run round the block, hit the punching ball —in short, cool your “ hot temper ” j with “ hot exercise.” Never cultivate a grudge or a. grievance against fate, or against any per-! son. This is an important rule. Don’t brood over misunderstandings or wrongs you have suffered, however unjust they may be. Don’t cultivate jealousy or envy. These emotions actually poison your mind and harm you, whilst seldom doing any harm to anyone else, however much they may deserve it. Again, try and forget by finning your interests to some other object.'’ Vour friends get very tired of herring of vour grievances. Be calm and placid. Don’t lot yourself get worked up and nervy. Something has gone wrong. Think can you

do anything about it? Yes. Then do it. tan you not help it in the ler._.P No. Then quietly and bravely endure it, and perhaps it will not be so a.ir all. Are you frightened, say, of the dark ? Then think ac . • y nights you have already lived, and iu how few of them anything harmful has happened. The chances are nothing will happen to-night. ' Some aon’ts. j/on’t think and talk about what you feel. Think and talk about what you and your friends are doing, about what is happening round you, and especially cultivate a sense of humour. Develop a hobby—stampcollecting, birds’ eggs, bees. Don’t think and talk about unpleasant things. There are plenty of nice things to think about. You wouldn’t choose to walk by a drain if you could walk by a clear creek, unless you had to do something about the drain, clean it, or flush it, or mend it. Make _ a standard for yourself and hold to it. You must decide for yourself, without being told what you think is right and what you think is wrong. What is wrong for you may not bo wrong for someone else who has not had your advantages, or who belongs to a different race. The important thing is for you to have your own standard and to quietly toe your own line, as it were. Be cheerful about it without being self-righteous. Whera the other fellow’s line falls is his affair.

Be affectionate and friendly. Don’t be afraid to love your relatives and friends, not jealously or selfishly, but generously, not in a silly fashion, but as a good pal. You cannot get love without giving it, but giving it is even better than getting it, and you cannot have friends unless you keep your friendships in repair, which is perhaps a hard saying, for children to understand, but you will remember it and understand it when you are older. These rules for mental health should serve as guides in your behaviour towards others. Their observance means self-control. To have self-control is to possess the highest quality of man. and the one that makes for most happiness.