Evolving our mental and emotional health is perhaps our greatest moral obligation, and yet we’re failing at it miserably.
We must do better.
I’m deeply shaken by the Vegas shootings…my hands are shaking as I type.
If I let my primitive brain rule my actions, I’d get back in bed…and stay there forever, safe, secure, and out of harms way.
I trust you’re pretty nervous and anxious too…
But that type of brain functioning will not solve the problem, nor will it inspire evolving as humans…which is why we’re here in the first place.
So I’m vertical, breathing, showered, dressed, moving forward, and taking intentional action.
Here’s my intentional action and commitment to me and the world:
I’m putting my mental and emotional health at the top of my priority list.
I may have healed my previous anxiety diagnosis, but that does not mean that I have exceptional mental and emotional health; although, I work at it every day.
It’s time to stop kidding ourselves and start cleaning up our thinking…which is pivotal to emotional wellness, and healing our world.
Hear me clearly: Mental and emotional wellness drives actions that change the climate of our lives, relationships, environments, and world.
It’s a lack of mental and emotional wellness that’s killing our people and destroying our society.
A lack of emotional wellness shows up in our own lives when we assume, personalize, blame, defend, react, and act in ways that hurt, harm, degrade, discount, judge, violate, and yes, kill.
And don’t think this doesn’t apply to you…because it does my friend…this applies to each and every one of us.
We are part of the problem if we:
…blame someone or some system for our problems.
We got where we are on our own. Yes, we might have experienced trauma, assault, and/or deeply wounding circumstances, but it is up to us to rise up and evolve…not suffer and hide in our past. Our past does not define our life! Honor your emotions, feel the pain, and use your past to inform your present and future in inspiring, gratifying ways that evolve you and the world.
…make assumptions that we’re too afraid to check out or clear up.
Assumptions are toxic stories made up in our mind. They create distance and erode relationships. If you’re rehashing assumptions in your mind, you’re most likely feeling pretty crappy…and crappy feelings lead to crappy actions. Be brave, check out your assumptions, clean them up, and move forward.
…personalize other people’s actions as having something to do with you.
People’s thoughts, feelings, and actions are totally about them. They have nothing to do with us. If you’re boss is checking up on you to see if you’re doing what you’re suppose to be doing, that’s about you boss choosing to think negative thoughts…
If you’re doing your job to the best of your ability, stop personalizing what your boss or anyone else is doing…it’s not about you and will only cause you suffering.
…react instead of listen, hear, seek to understand, and mostly, show reverence.
In most cases, our reactions are tied to a false assumptions or personalizations. Clean these up. Get aligned. Create space for eye-to-eye validation, reverence, compassion, and understanding. We need more connection and less isolation.
…act in ways that are sure to create negative outcomes.
Why would we want to act in ways that harm, hurt, and destroy? For revenge? To prove a point? To be noticed?
You giving the finger to a driver that moves slowly through the round-about will not lead to positive outcomes; that’s your small, ego mind needing attention and there’s many more gratifying, loving ways to honor yourself and others. Trust me on this.
Lastly, we are part of the problem if we think that investing in ongoing, intentional, consistent mental and emotional health is beyond us…as if we’re too good for that and have our shit together.
Really?
Check yourself on this friend by examining your life, honestly. Can you honestly say that your entire “house” is in order? I know mine isn’t and I’m dedicated to cleaning up.
Exceptional mental and emotional health is ongoing…just as exercise is to the body. We don’t get in great physical shape and then say, “Enough of that. I’m good!”
No, we keep at it regularly and consistently.
So that’s my soapbox for this sad morning…If I rattled you, I understand, and honestly, I hope I did.
However, know that my thoughts come from a loving, compassionate place because I care about you, me, and our world.
We simply must do better…