The hidden cost of cultural loyalty often lies in the quiet battles we fight within ourselves. The kind that doesn’t make headlines but tugs relentlessly at our choices. It’s the constant pull between honoring cultural norms and chasing personal freedom. And while no one explicitly says “you can’t do this,” the silent pressures often speak louder than words.

Growing up in a culture rooted in tradition feels like walking a tightrope. Village councils and societal norms pulls us from one end while we also try to tiptoe into modernity.

We carry more than just our names. We carry our villages, our families, and the understanding that every mistake reflects on everyone we belong to.

Take the simple decision of moving abroad to work or study. Technically, there’s support. Parents cheer you on, friends wish you well, but there’s a lingering thought that follows you: “Should I be staying back?”

It’s not always loud, but it’s there. The cultural expectation that, one day, you’ll return home, settle down, and carry on the legacy. It’s not an obligation enforced by rules but by love, duty, and tradition.

There’s pride in belonging, but also guilt in stepping away from it.

Collectivist Guilt and Responsibility

And this isn’t just cultural, it’s psychological. Cultural loyalty creates belonging, but it can also cause guilt when personal dreams clash with group expectations. This concept of collectivist guilt (individuals feel responsible for group well-being) can slowly lead to anxiety, depression, and burnout.

In communities like ours, where cultures hold very strong communal ties, often foster a sense of collective responsibility. This means that individuals weigh their decisions against the larger good. It’s why many of us hesitate to pursue choices that could be seen as “selfish.”

Even everyday decisions like what you wear, how you express opinions, even the way you engage with your faith. Every choice is filtered through, “What will people think?” and ‘Will this reflect badly on my family?”

I remember when I first chose to study psychology. The reactions were a mix of confusion and concern.

There was genuine fear that delving into the human mind meant stepping away from God. Ironically, it was my faith that shaped my compassion for others.

The “Pray It Away” Culture: When Faith and Cultural Loyalty Collide

In many communities, therapy is often sidelined, with prayer centers being the first (and sometimes only) recourse. The belief isn’t malicious, generations have rooted this belief in the understanding that suffering is spiritual and healing comes through faith. But this often leaves mental health struggles in the shadows.

There’s another layer to this and it’s what psychologists call learned helplessness. When people are told, time and again, that prayer is the only path to healing, it can lead to a quiet resignation. Over time, it feels pointless to seek help elsewhere because the belief has been shaped that nothing else will work. It’s not a lack of faith, it’s a conditioned response.

Labeling mental health issues as spiritual failings silences people.

I’ve seen it happen. Someone struggling silently, told to “pray harder” or ‘”have more faith.” And when the struggle continues, it feels like a personal failure. Shame grows, and so does the isolation. People stop seeking support, not because they don’t need it, but because they believe it’s futile to ask for it.

But the truth is, therapy doesn’t diminish faith. If anything, it strengthens it by offering tools to navigate pain that prayer alone may not address. It helps break that cycle of helplessness, reminding people that seeking help isn’t weakness, it’s courage.

Bridging the Gap Between Prayer and Therapy

The Path Forward

Navigating cultural loyalty often brings up questions about personal choices. Selfish or Selfless? explores this reflection further, shedding light on the dilemma of decision-making.

The post Cultural Loyalty: The Hidden Cost of Being Rooted but Restless first appeared on SUNGJEM AIER.

Doomscrolling can reinforce negative thoughts and a negative mindset, something that can greatly impact your mental health. – Cleveland Clinic

Every Sunday, like clockwork, my phone sends me the dreaded screen time report. And every Sunday, I stare at the numbers in disbelief. “Five hours a day? That can’t be right. I have a life. I do things.”  But do I? Because if my phone says I spent nearly a full workday scrolling through the abyss of social media, then what exactly have I been doing with my existence?

Welcome to the joyless black hole known as doomscrolling– where your thumb keeps scrolling, your anxiety keeps rising, and your sleep schedule keeps suffering.

Doomscrolling has become second nature to many of us. It’s the 21st-century version of staring into the void, except the void stares back with breaking news, Twitter arguments, and Reels that somehow know too much about your childhood trauma.

But why do we do it? And more importantly, how do we stop?

What Even Is Doomscrolling?

Doomscrolling is the habit of endlessly consuming negative news, often on social media or news apps, despite knowing it’s making you feel worse.

It’s like a catching a whiff of something disturbingly potent. You know it’s bad, but instead of walking away, you lean in, sniff again, and then invite everyone around you to confirm just how terrible it is. Before you know it, you’re all inhaling misery like a pack of overly curious sniffer dogs, suffocating in the very thing you should have ignored.

The term gained traction around 2020 when we were all practically glued to our screens, refreshing endlessly for the latest on the pandemic, political chaos, or whatever fresh disaster had decided to trend that day. But even outside of global crises, doomscrolling has cemented itself as a daily ritual for many of us.

Why Are We Addicted to the Scroll? Blame Your Brain!

The answer lies in our brain chemistry. It’s not just a lack of willpower, it’s your brain working exactly as it was designed to because your brain loves information, especially when it thinks that information is critical to your survival.

Back in the day, this instinct kept us alive. For instance, knowing which berries were poisonous or where predators lurked was the difference between life and death. Fast forward to today, and that same wiring has us refreshing news feeds, scanning for threats we can’t outrun, and obsessing over crises we have no control over.

And let’s be real, sometimes scrolling isn’t even about the news. Scrolling is like a coping mechanism.

Uncomfortable social situation? Your phone becomes a shield.

Awkward silence? Time to ‘urgently’ reply to a text that doesn’t exist.

Someone makes eye contact? Oh wow, would you look at that, suddenly I must scroll through my 2017 photos like I’m on a top-secret mission.

It’s the modern-day ‘I’m busy, don’t talk to me’ sign, except, it’s socially acceptable.

The Science of The Scroll: Why We Can’t Look Away

Social media and news feeds are designed to be sticky, meaning they keep us engaged by constantly offering new, unpredictable content. Every scroll is like a scratch card- you don’t know if you’ll uncover a funny meme, a juicy headline, or something totally useless, but the suspense keeps you going.

And that’s where the dopamine trap comes in.

The Dopamine Trap:

Dopamine- the brain’s reward chemical. It fuels behaviours that feel good temporarily, whether it’s gambling, binge-watching, or, you guessed it, doomscrolling. Every new post, headline, or update delivers a quick dopamine hit, trapping us in a cycle of “just one more” until suddenly, an hour (or three) has disappeared.

The Negativity Bias:

Bad news sticks. Our brains are wired to pay more attention to negative information because evolutionarily speaking, that’s what kept us safe. It’s why we rubberneck at car crashes. We can’t look away from danger. Except now, it’s an endless scroll of worst-case scenarios, and we’re trapped in the front row with no intermission.

The Illusion of Control:

We doomscroll because we think staying informed gives us power over the chaos.

News Flash! It doesn’t.

But our brains don’t get the memo. We convince ourselves that if we read one more article, refresh one more time, or check one more source, maybe we’ll finally make sense of the mess.

We tell ourselves that knowing every detail will prepare us, that awareness equals action.  But in reality, we’re just passively absorbing negativity, tricking ourselves into thinking we’re doing something useful.

(And if part of your doomscrolling is secretly fueled by needing to stay ultra in control 24/7, maybe check out my blog on hyper-independence too. Just saying. :))

Doomscrolling Toll on Mental Health

Scrolling might offer temporary relief, but it comes at a cost. Here’s how it messes with you:

• Increased Anxiety & Stress: Constant exposure to distressing news keeps your nervous system in fight-or-flight mode, making relaxation feel impossible.
• Shortened Attention Span: Do you feel like you can’t focus on anything longer than a 15 second video? Doomscrolling trains your brain to crave constant, bite-sized updates, making deep focus harder.
• Sleep Disruptions: Reading upsetting news before bed? That’s a one-way ticket to a restless night.
• Learned Helplessness: A nonstop flood of bad news can make the world feel hopeless- like nothing we do makes a difference. It’s not exactly the best mindset.

The Social Side Effects

We’re constantly bombarded with bad news, perfectly curated lives, and opinions we never asked for. It’s a lot for one brain to handle. And that overload doesn’t just stay inside our heads, it spills out into how we connect with the people around us.

Conversations interrupted by constant screen-checking are all too common. Have you ever been in a conversation where someone just can’t put their phone down? Annoying, right?

Should you continue? Pause? Pretend you didn’t notice?

That tiny moment speaks volumes. When screens take priority, real-life connections suffer.

How to Stop Doomscrolling Without Going Full Digital Detox

Relax, I’m not saying you need to delete all your social media and disappear into the wilderness. Although, let’s be honest, the thought has crossed most of our minds. But quitting the internet isn’t exactly realistic. Instead, here’s a few tips on how you can regain control:

• Set Boundaries: Use screen time limits or grayscale mode to make scrolling less appealing. (Yes, your phone actually has these features. No, they’re not just for other people.)
• Curate Your Feed: Follow accounts that add value whether it’s educational, inspiring, or just really good dog videos.
• Social Accountability: Call out your friends (nicely) if they’re glued to their screens. And, more importantly, let them call you out too.
• Digital Detox Moments: Try phone-free dinners, walks, or even just a “no scrolling in bed” rule. Your brain will thank you.

The Bottom Line

Doomscrolling, like everything in life, comes with the good and the bad. It connects us, entertains us, and sometimes even helps us cope. But if your screen time report keeps making you question your life choices, then maybe it’s time for a change.

While we can’t control what’s happening in the world, we CAN control how much we let it consume us. The world will keep spinning whether we check the news 50 times a day or just once. And unless we’re journalists or policymakers, most of the information we obsess over won’t change our daily lives.

So the next time you catch yourself trapped in an endless scroll, ask yourself: “Is this actually helping me? Or am I just looking for control in a place where it doesn’t exist?”

Yes, you can still scroll a little but don’t forget to look up every once in a while. Some of life’s best moments happen off the screen.

(But, you know, finish reading this first. Then log off.)

The post Doomscrolling: Effects on Mental Health & How to Stop first appeared on SUNGJEM AIER.

I still say grace before meals. I still pray before bed and after I wake up just as I did growing up on Sunday school benches, youth services, memory verses, and sermons about heaven and hell. Even now, as an adult living on my own, some habits are stitched so deeply into my religious routine that they feel automatic.

But somewhere between those childhood rituals and adult reality, something else crept in, too. Something heavier, quieter. Harder to pray away.

Growing Up Faithful in a Fearful Mind

For so many of us raised in religious homes, adult anxiety doesn’t always come from trauma in the obvious sense. Sometimes it’s quieter. Sometimes it’s the soft, persistent fear of not measuring up. Of being watched. Judged. Left out of the “kingdom.”

See, religious anxiety isn’t always loud. Sometimes it shows up as perfectionism. Overthinking. The constant replaying of conversations, scanning for the thing you might’ve said wrong. Sometimes it’s that urge to confess thoughts you haven’t even acted on, just in case.

I’m not saying religion is the villain here. I’m still a believer practicing my faith the best way I know how but growing up in a setting where doubts meant weakness and suffering was just “God testing you” ? Yeah, that tends to leave a mark.

The Lingering Weight of “Goodness”

It starts small.

When you’re a kid, it’s just the rules. You follow them because you’re told they keep you good, pure, worthy. But over time, “goodness” stops being about actions and starts becoming something you attach to your identity. Something fragile that you can lose.

And sure, guilt has its place. It reminds us where we’ve strayed. But when you learn it through the lens of sin and punishment, it becomes something heavier. It turns into chronic self-surveillance. And suddenly, what was supposed to be a source of comfort becomes an endless loop of trying to be “better,” “holier,” “more worthy.”

As a therapist and as a Christian, I’ve had to spend years untangling those knots. Asking myself where my faith ends and where fear begins. Learning how to keep the rituals that bring me peace while unlearning the ones that keep me small.

Religious Shame, Learned Young and Carried Long

Religious shame is different from ordinary shame.

Because when morality is tied to your worth as a person, mistakes stop being moments. They become identities. You don’t just mess up. You ARE messed up.

Religious shame prides itself in telling you that certain parts of you- your curiosity, your feelings, your doubts- are wrong for simply existing. And even years later, when you know better, when you’re actively unlearning it all, there’s still that quiet voice whispering, “But what if you’re wrong? What if you’re bad after all?”

The Therapist’s Religious Dilemma

Because isn’t the whole point of helping people… to help people? Isn’t empathy supposed to stretch beyond our personal beliefs?

Faith should never be a filter for who deserves care. And yet, in spaces like ours, where religion isn’t just part of the culture, it IS the culture, those lines blur way too easily.

Whichever one you listen to; it’s all the same lesson.

Rewriting the Rules

This is the complicated part for me.

After over a decade of learning how the human mind works, how it breaks, how it bends, how it heals, the more I started to see the tangled threads between religion and mental health.

No matter what your faith looks like, a lot of us are carrying this invisible pressure to be good enough. To earn love. To avoid punishment. To belong.

I’ve also seen the good- the hope, the structure, the peace that faith can bring. I still experience that myself. But I know now that it’s okay to separate faith from the fear and control that sometimes come packaged with it.

And more than anything, you are allowed to stop proving your worth.

Where I Find Peace Now

And if that relationship makes you feel anxious, afraid, or unworthy? It’s time to reimagine it. Because peace shouldn’t feel like a reward you earn for behaving perfectly. It should be the ground you stand on, no matter what.

But that’s just me, in my Baptist life, in my Christian ways.

And when you find that…

The post God, Guilt, and the Quiet Panic of Growing Up Religious first appeared on SUNGJEM AIER.

When it comes to psychology and therapy, there are many misconceptions that prevent people from seeking the help they need. Let’s debunk five of the most common ones:

It’s Just Talk Therapy

One of the most common misconceptions about therapy is that it’s just a one-to-one conversation with the patient and therapist sitting across from each other.  Although that’s not how every therapy session goes, you can’t be blamed for only thinking that therapy is all about talking because popular TV shows and movies only show this side of therapy. Except for a few, the therapist is always a glasses-wearing, formally dressed, writing pad holding, excessively nodding person!

There are so many types and forms of therapy in the world. The extensive study of psychology has introduced many pioneers, founders, and developers of different forms of therapy that benefit society in many ways.

Psychologists have always understood that each person is unique and thus needs unique approaches to tackle their problems. 

So, no. Talking is not everything a therapy session is. Depending on what type of therapist you go to, you will have different experiences. Therapists use various techniques, like role-playing and group sessions, to understand client needs.

Misconceptions About Who Needs Therapy: Only for Serious Mental Illness

This age-old stigma has glued on to us like gum on our shoes. It never really goes away. Tiny traces of it always remain.

Anything that gives you solace, lets you feel at peace and maybe takes your mind off of the stress a little bit, if not all, is therapeutic. 

You don’t need to have a raging, life-threatening problem to go to therapy. Not everyone who goes to therapy needs to pop pills to feel better.

People come for struggles with relationships, self-confidence, career choices, self-esteem, motivation, and so many more. 

When repressed, suppressed, and not dealt with, the minor, seemingly insignificant problems and issues are prone to manifesting themselves into more extensive issues and consuming power over you. 

I can’t stress enough the power our mental state holds on our physical life. We think by suppressing such thoughts, we are growing, and we’re not affected by it. But more often than not, this issue comes back and manifests itself in many forms that we don’t even realize why it happens. This is where therapy comes in.

What you think might be a trivial matter could be the biggest struggle for some. So when someone comes to you for help on such issues, be open to lending them a listening ear; that could be all they need. 

You’ll never know unless you deep dive into your own self and uncover the truth. 

Therapists Blame Your Past for Present Problems

Therapists believe in “no shame, no blame.” But one of the most used phrases with misconceptions about psychology is that they blame your past for your problems.

However, the entire repertoire of a therapist consists of “no judgment” no matter what. The job exists so people have a safe place to talk about problems without fearing judgment or shunning.

Contrary to popular belief, not all therapy focuses on the past. Yes, many problems can have their roots in the past, and uncovering the past truth will give you answers. There’s no denying that flipping through your book of life will undoubtedly bear the answers to some of the problems you have now. But sometimes, the answer lies in the now. 

Take Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, for example. Therapists who specialize in this form of therapy focus on the problem at hand. They do not need to know your past to understand your situation now. Focusing on solutions, they say ‘the problem is the problem, not the person.

Misconceptions About Therapy Results: Immediate Improvement After 1-2 Sessions

Misconceptions that therapy is a quick fix, is widespread. But therapy is not a quick fix. Unlike traditional pain killers, therapy does not have a one-stop solution to all your problems. 

They say “good things take time,” and I believe that taking your time to navigate through life, with each step, calculated in a way that benefits you, adds up to make a life for yourself that’s free from unnecessary stress.

A typical therapy session lasts 40-45 minutes, and this can be repeated 2-3 times a week. It will depend on your case and what your therapist deems is beneficial for you. Although, some new forms of contemporary therapy, like Brief therapy, are considerably shorter than traditional therapy. 

With that said, the beauty of therapy lies in the relationship you build with your therapist and vice versa. A healthy relationship takes time and effort from both ends. When this happens through days, weeks and months, it makes the relationship even more important to your mental health.

There is a fundamental importance in the building of a strong client-therapist relationship. Only if the connection is strong will you trust your therapist, be open, and eventually allow you to accept yourself. 

Trusting your therapist is everything in a therapy session. And for this, you need a positive therapeutic relationship.

Therapists Give Clear-Cut Solutions

When we talk about psychology misconceptions, one thing that rings loud is the idea that therapists give you all the answers. But the truth is, you should never go into therapy expecting clear-cut solutions to all your problems. You can, but if you do, you’ll most probably come out of it discouraged or dissatisfied. 

The main goal of therapy is to guide you and give you the necessary tools to navigate your life correctly. Therapists are there to listen to your problems. They try to understand how you feel, and develop coping strategies to help you find your way in life successfully.

In many ways, your therapist is the older adult in the movies, spewing wisdom. Or they can be the person you meet to ask directions when you’re lost, the one that ushers you to your seats in a show. Ultimately, your therapist is the one with the map. 

They first learn where you’re coming from, where you want to go, then give you the directions and the tools you need to get there.

I once heard a saying that goes something along the lines of, “if you give credit to your therapist for feeling better, the job of the therapist is not yet complete. But if you credit yourself for getting where you are, then you have had the opportunity of finding the right therapist for you.”

Don’t let misconceptions hold you back from achieving mental well-being. Discover practical strategies for building a healthy mindset in our article, What goes into building a healthy mindset?

The post Debunking Five Misconceptions About Psychology first appeared on SUNGJEM AIER.

Whenever I get asked the question, “Who are you?” a hundred different answers run through my mind.

Each of these identities forms a narrative, a story I tell about myself, which Narrative Therapy, in turn, helps us examine and reshape. Indeed, even with this whole paragraph of identities that I and others have about me, I can still be another 100 paragraphs’ worth of identities.

The Architect of Your Narrative: How to Re-Author with Therapy

Narrative therapy believes that you are the stories you tell about yourself. Reality is socially constructed, therefore, the interactions we have with people become our reality. Moreover, narratives of our lives, including hardships, achievements, and hopes, form our experiences, and consequently, our live stories.

It lets people create stories, controlling their realities. We tell stories that identify who we are by stitching together different moments in our lives into a cohesive whole. These stories carry the essence of who we are. By the logic of this type of therapy, the narrative you carry about your life is your reality.

Identifying Problem-Saturated Stories: A Key Component of Narrative Therapy

If I carry a story about me as a good cook, I have come to this conclusion by putting together a series of events in my life where I was appreciated for the food I prepared. Indeed, the more snippets of stories I add to this, the easier it is to demonstrate how I am a good cook because “someone once said…”

However, my competence in cooking is fiercely dominated by the idea that I have done exceptionally well in a sequence of events while dismissing the times that I might have done a terrible job because it does not fit into the dominant story- that I am a good cook. Similarly, negative thoughts can fester in your mind and actively convince you that you are what you think.

Like many others, narrative therapy carries a political and social agenda- to help individuals liberate themselves from their culture dominated problem-saturated stories.

These stories are ‘distorted,’ ‘disempowering,’ and ‘unhelpful’ assumptions that dominate our narratives; sometimes to a point where it might seem unlikely that an alternate story exists.

Externalizing the Problem: The Art of Externalizing in Re-Authoring

The problem story paints the picture of an event or an experience in such a way that it cripples the reality of the storyteller, making it seem like there’s no end to the problem and nothing can be changed.

The narrative therapist will try to flip this situation by showing the narrator that there are visible choices and responses they can make to change the dominant problem story.

Instead of, “Anxiety is trying to control me,” we externalize the anxiety. Hence, you can begin to see it as a separate entity, something you can challenge and manage, rather than an inherent part of yourself.

In other words, therapist helps the narrator tell their story from a different point of view, one that makes them more powerful, bigger and stronger than the problem.

Challenging Dominant Discourses: Re-Author Against Dominant Narratives

Narrative therapy aims to brand the narrator as the expert in their experience through capitalizing on the individual’s story-telling tendencies. The uniqueness of our cultures and societies birth different dominant discourses which can influence our personal narratives and become our realities.

Mirror, Mirror: Extending Compassion Inward

As social beings, we navigate an intricate web of unspoken rules, designed to maintain harmony. We crave peace, not just on a global scale, but within our own minds. Whether we seek relaxation after a long day or the satisfaction of reaching a hard-won goal, peace is the underlying pursuit. So, why the stark contrast?

If we would never label a friend incompetent, unlovable, or hopeless, why do we subject ourselves to such harsh judgments? Why remain trapped in a self-destructive narrative when we possess the power to rewrite it?

We are the narrators of our lives. Our thoughts and words shape our reality. They do!

You are the narrator of your life story.

Therefore, you are quite literally what you think!

Re-Author Your Life: Finding Meaning and Purpose Through Narrative Therapy

From the perspective of the therapist, these dominant discourses play the most vital role in creating the problem stories which bring people to therapy in the first place.

Unlike most therapies, narrative therapy is focused on the way people construct meaning rather than on the way people behave. The prime detail in therapy is to separate the person from their problem so that the issues are externalized, creating a clear distinction between “an individual with problems” and “a problematic individual.”

Narrative therapy believes that all people have good intentions and don’t need or want problems. Which stands true because who wants to be prematurely bald, constantly burdened, stressed out and on edge?

As the goal of therapy is to separate the person from the problem, once this is done, people are free to create and re-author their own stories.

The therapists seeks to UN-label individuals as “the problem”

There exists a notion in existential psychology that believes in a world with no inherent meaning. (A detailed story for the next blog!) Therefore, if there is no meaning in existence then people can create their own meaning.

There is no absolute truth because people can have multiple interpretations of a single event/experience. Narrative therapy encourages people to create their own stories and negate the “universal or absolute truths” that do not necessarily apply to them.

Finding meaning and purpose in your life that serves you and your truth is the final goal.

You are more than the stories that bind you. If not now, when? If not you, who?
Your story starts now.

Beyond reshaping your narratives, practical steps are essential for a healthy mindset. To learn more about these strategies, consider reading What goes into building a healthy mindset?.

The post Re-author your life: Narrative Therapy for Lasting Change first appeared on SUNGJEM AIER.

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.

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.

The post What goes into building a healthy mindset? Key Elements for Growth first appeared on SUNGJEM AIER.