HEALTH OF THE MIND

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 May 1936, Page 3

HEALTH OF THE MIND

ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE

(By Dept, of Health). 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 unlighted 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 well-developed mind. The formation of good mental hahils in early, years must never be 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, but also the school, should be a place where we can make mistakes, and have them corrected, without harmful results.

The mind requires: Cl) Mental work and mental rest. 2. Proper control of feelings and behaviour. Let us see what, psychology can teach us about it.

Mental Work. Just as your body requires exercise or work, so does your mind. You want to think hard about all .sorts of things. Work hard (hut not absurdly hard) at your lessons, but -think hard about all sorts of XJtherl; things as .well, about how to cook, or about how an engine works, (if’ About .the way workmen are mending! pho.-road, and What .they are using for itv 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 be sufficiently interested to take the trouble to learn about them the better for you.

Mental Rest: Mental rest is of two kinds. Your mind as your body is Vested when you sleep. But the mind is also rented when it is amused, as by a little fun with your friends, some jokes with them, a party or a game, by 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.

Cultivate Commonsonse 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 therp excessive attention spoils all your own joy in life, and causes many a nervous breakdown.

Control your temper. 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 fit 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 are always sd much better than

the enemy’s?” He replied. “They 1 aren’t better really, but when one plan goes wrong, 1 am quicker at mak|ing a new one.” He didn’t cry over milk. 'He promptly "went on to .(something else. •' .!■.•' ' I Do 'unpleasant jobs promptly and thoroughly. If you, have any job or duty which you. don’t like dointf, .but which has got t'o'-'be done set .'to and do it at once, and as well as I possible. You will .find in the end you will get a queer sehse.of self-sat-isfaction or even of pride in knowing how excellently this unpleasant but necessary job has been done. And when it js soimebody : else’s turn to do it you will be quite anxious- that it should be' done properly. There are always tfnpleasant jobs to be done, cleaning up garbage for instance, but how sweet and tidy your backyard is afterwards and how proud of it you feci. Often, in the long run. you find you have “liked what you did better than if you had done what i you liked.”

Behave nicely whether you feel like it or not: 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 cur conduct. We can be 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 we soon ■ actually .feel more amiable or happier. It is, for instance, hard to sulk if you hold up your head and whistle a cheerful tune instead of pouting. Doing something interesting with your hands’ will often help to work .off’ ill temper or unhappines—girls can knit or sew, boys c<in 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 something vigorous, dig the garden, run round the block, hit the punching ball in short, cool your “hot temper” with “hot exercise.” Never cultivate a giudge or a •grievance against fate, or against any person. 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 if. Again, try and forget bj’ turning your interests to some other object. Your friends get very tired of hearing of your grievances.

Be calm and placid. Don’t let yourself get worked up anch nervy. Something has gone wrong. Think can you do anything about it Yes. Then do it. Can you not help it in the least? No. Then quietly and bravely endure it, and perhaps it will not be so bad after all. Are you frightened, say, of the dark? Then think how many nights you have already lived, and in how few of them anything harnifuHhas happened. The chances are nothing will happen to-night. Some don’ts. Don’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—stamp-] collecting, birds’ eggs, bees. Don’t j think and talk about unpleasant things. There are plenty of nice! things to think about. You wouldn’tl choose to walk by a drain if yon coukl walk by a clear creek, unless yon 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 be 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-right-eous. Where 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 ever 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.