What goes into building a healthy mindset? Key Elements for Growth

A healthy mindset lets you focus on the positive aspects in life and helps your mind flourish. It paves a way for your thoughts and feelings to find meaning and purpose in life.

YOUR PERSPECTIVE OF LIFE PROFOUNDLY IMPACTS YOUR MINDSET:

Your outlook on life profoundly impacts your mindset. Whether you lean towards optimism or pessimism can determine how you react to life’s challenges. After experiencing a setback, an optimistic person sees an opportunity to learn and grow, brainstorming ways to overcome obstacles. In contrast, a pessimist may view it as a signal to give up.

In life, we all face situations where we have to make difficult decisions. Since mindsets are self-fulfilling, the type of outlook you have on life corresponds to how you act in response to these difficult decisions.

According to Dr. Martin Seligman, how you respond to life events is more important than the event itself. For example, an optimist facing job loss might see it as temporary and external, while a pessimist views it as permanent and personal.

When we have a positive perspective of life, we tend to spend less time dwelling over unpleasant negative aspects. A positive outlook is not the solution to prevent all mental health illnesses but it can reduce the risk of developing them. 

A HEALTHY BODY IS SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO A HEALTHY MINDSET:

Is there a problem because of poor diet, or is it the problem that contributes to a poor diet?

The mind and body connect in many ways. A healthy body shapes a healthy mindset. You feel more positive and energetic when you consume a healthy, balanced diet. When you’re sick, you often experience weakness, feel less inclined to socialize, and become a little more pessimistic. Your eating habits can either boost or diminish your sense of well-being.

Studies have shown that diet plays a vital role in development, management and prevention of various illnesses. It is not to say, however, that treatments should be neglected while focusing on diet. Rather, it should go hand in hand, amplifying the success of the treatments. 

Physical activity also boosts mental health. Exercise stimulates brain chemicals that support neuron health. Brain exercises like puzzles or chess help keep the mind sharp. By taking care of your body, you’re actively nurturing your healthy mindset.

THE INFLUENCE OF PEOPLE ON YOUR HEALTHY MINDSET:

The people you surround yourself with can either lift you up or pull you down. Emotions are contagious- spend time with positive, motivated people, and you’re likely to adopt their perspective. Conversely, being around negativity can weigh you down.

The principle of emotion contagion holds that the emotions of two or more people converge and are passed from person to person in larger groups.

What’s more alarming is the fact that negative emotions are even more contagious! We dwell over negativity much longer than we celebrate positive emotions. Losing a small investment might trigger negative emotions for months. Whereas winning a lottery may bring joy for only a few days.

Even when you’re in a crowd of strangers, you tend to feel the same way the crowd does. But you might feel differently if you were alone. That is, unless you are consciously resisting it.

This aligns with the phenomenon of ‘groupthink,’ which occurs when a group reaches a consensus without rationally evaluating the consequences of their decisions.

Happy people make us happy, impatient people make us impatient, angry people make us angry.

Surrounding ourselves with people who emulate positive emotions keep us feeling motivated. The people we interact with the most have the potential to change and influence our thoughts and ideologies. This is why we have to be smart about who we allow into our social circles.

HIGH SELF ESTEEM EQUALS A HEALTHY MINDSET:

Self-esteem is the value that we place on ourselves. Research on self-esteem stresses the importance of self-esteem as crucial to the development of physical and mental health.

Having a high self worth and self image is a part of increasing self esteem. If you have a high self esteem, you will be able to recognize your own good qualities and strive for a better life. Whereas, low self esteem has the capability to fester negative feelings about the self and stop them of achieving a higher self worth.

A number of research points to the evidence that high self esteem has a positive relationship with better mental health. Alternately, low self esteem is associated with depression, suicidal tendencies, eating disorders, violence and substance abuse. 

Building self-esteem starts by learning to love ourselves. When we do so, we will automatically strive for a better life and look for ways to do what is best for us. This leads to a more fulfilling and satisfying life.

It’s easy to put into words but the very act of self love isn’t the easiest thing to do for many of us. It is difficult to change the already formed deep seeded, negative thoughts about ourselves.

It takes time and patience to challenge these cynical thoughts and learn to value ourselves and see that we are worthy of love and happiness.

Increasing self esteem requires a lot of work. A healthy body, practicing coping strategies and surrounding yourself with a strong support system is a good way to start this journey. Seeking professional help is also advised when self help is not successful.

HAVING A PURPOSE IN LIFE IS KEY:

‘Those who have a “why” to live, can bear with almost any “how”.’- Nietzsche

Having a sense of purpose is essential to leading a fulfilled life. People with a strong sense of purpose in life tend to do better on different measures of mental health.

Studies show that people deeply affected by personal experiences often struggle with their emotions. It makes them resort to maladaptive coping strategies while lacking purpose in life. This acts as a hindrance to them becoming a fully functioning person.

For Carl Rogers, a fully functioning person is the ideal personality where the person ‘experiences freedom of choice and action, is creative and exhibits the qualities of existential living.’

According to Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs, each person strives to achieve self-actualization. This is the highest state of mental wellbeing a person can experience which is achieved by having a purpose. The purpose to reach self-actualization.

Having a purpose in life predicts both good health and longevity. This means that finding meaning in your own experiences builds resilience and motivates productivity. Having a purpose in life is also positively associated with self-image and well-being.

BUILDING YOUR PATH TO A HEALTHY MINDSET

A healthy mindset is not built overnight. From cultivating optimism and embracing good nutrition to surrounding yourself with uplifting people and discovering your purpose, every small step counts.

Remember, it’s a journey of growth and self-discovery. The effort you put into nurturing your mindset today shapes the life you lead tomorrow.

Alongside cultivating a healthy mindset, exploring 7 ways to take care of your mental well-being can provide practical steps to support your overall mental health journey.