Foundations of Mental Health

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We often look at mental health as being a brain thing rather than a body thing but of course our brain is part of our body, it's an organ that needs looking after like every other organ does.

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Episode Transcript

Richard (00:00):
Another Friday and another little bonus episode for
you.
Now, we often look at mentalhealth as being a brain thing
rather than a body thing, but ofcourse our brain is part of our
body.
It's an organ that needs lookingafter, just like every other
organ does.
It's just that because our brainis the seat of our

(00:21):
consciousness, who we are as ahuman, when things aren't
working well in it it's ourpersonality that changes.
And much as I spend a lot oftime thinking about mental
health as being all aboutthoughts, feelings, and
behaviour.
There is more to us than that,and I think we all realise this,
deep down.

(00:41):
Most of you would've heard aboutAbraham Maslow and his hierarchy
of needs, and if you haven't, oryou need a quick refresher on
it, I'll lay it out for youbriefly.
So back in the early forties,Maslow promoted the idea that to
be fully content with our life,we have to go through certain
layers of our needs.

(01:03):
With the foundations being thevery basic physiological ones,
moving up through safetyaspects, then relationships,
then self-esteem.
At the very top being what hecalled self-actualisation.
Where you are happy with who youare and what you bring to the
world.
His idea was that you can't getto that top point unless you go

(01:26):
one by one through those fourdeficiency needs and in that
order as well.
'cause if our focus is on thethird level of building
relationships, friendships,intimacy, then we are likely to
still feel that we are missingsomething.
Because we don't even haveanything to drink and a toilet.
So that's what Abraham Maslowwas on about.

(01:49):
Start with the basics.
Food, water, shelter, get thoseneeds met before anything else.
But the thing is, it's too easyto get outta touch with what our
body actually needs, isn't it?
We don't always notice that weare thirsty, for example.
That's a really common one.
And of course there's a rightknock-on effect everywhere else

(02:10):
in our body, including our brainas anybody with a hangover can
testify to.
'cause our body needs water andnot Diet Coke or Monster Energy
drink either.
Water.
We all know it.
We're not daft, but a lot ofpeople forget it.
Or ignore the truth.
So our body compensates so thatit doesn't shrivel up.

(02:31):
And before we know it, our poosare so dry.
It's like squeezing out a meltedstring of Maltesers once a week,
and we wander around everywherewith this bloated and
uncomfortable feeling everywherewe go, making us tetchy and
frustrated.
And all we needed to do was eata bit more fruit and veg and
drink plenty of water.
Now I know that I'moversimplifying it as any

(02:52):
nutritional therapist listeningcould well be saying.
'cause there's quite a bit moreto it than that, I'm sure there
is.
But maybe that's where we start,like Maslow said, food, water,
sleep.
Are you satisfying those needsin a way that allows us to move
up to the next level?
If it's not, that's gonna makethings really, really hard.

(03:15):
And I know sleep is a trickything.
If you see the podcast charts,it's full of sleep, relaxation
stuff and insomnia help.
And maybe it's because we're allfocusing our efforts too far up
on Maslow's Pyramid.
We're trying to get self-esteem.
And the respect of others atlevel four, but we haven't got a
sense of belonging and aconnection with our friends at

(03:38):
level three, causing us to spoillevel two, which is about
stability, safety, and security,which then causes a difficulty
in relaxing, and insomnia.
Ruining the very bottom level ofthese hierarchy of needs.
'cause we then overcompensatethe next day with way too much
coffee to help us focus in themorning and alcohol to switch

(04:00):
off at night.
None of which help and ourbodies screaming and before long
so is the rest of us.
'cause the screams have becomereal.
And I do believe that thisapplies to not just what we eat
and what we drink, but actuallyeverything that we consume.
Everything that we take on.

(04:21):
'cause we don't just consumefood and water, we also consume
information.
And the people we surroundourselves with, whether that's
in person or through the media,it's got a big part to play.
But we don't always have achoice who's around us and what
they do and say, do we?
But what we do have control overis how we dilute that down with

(04:44):
better content, with nicer,kinder words.
Now one way of doing that mightbe to become a patron of mine on
patreon.com to support thepodcast.
'cause as a thank you, I'llcreate a full episode for you
every Monday morning and a nicerelaxing hypnotherapy track as
well.
So do please hop on board evenif it's just for a couple of

(05:07):
months, although you do get twomonths, free if you pay annually
and there's even a free trialfor a week as well.
Maybe see you there.