Abs of Mental Health Steel

I was tagged my Sweet Mango to list five things I do for my mental health. Hmmm, this has the potential to be a funny post, after all, laughter eez good for zee mental health ... yes no?

1. Exercise
Elf ear and I either go to the gym or walk a few miles two to four times a week. There's nothing like building up a good sweat to work out the built up stress. It's good for your mind as well as your body. Sometimes I feel I could work out for hours and other times I have to drag myself through it, but I'm always happy afterwards.

2. Meditation
A long time ago, while the earth's crust was still cooling, I took a class in Transcendental Meditation. I fell out of the practice for many years but now I meditate on the van either to or from work. Researchers have found that meditation reduces your biological age. The man who "invented" TM still died. When meditating you can be super alert and yet feel a deep sense of relaxation, a kind of unconscious alertness. This also happens while I'm reading and my wife is talking to me at the same time. It's helpful in case there's a pop quiz.

3. Mental Gymnastics
If I had the time and money I would be enrolled in some kind of class all the time. There's a guy I work with who's trying to get me to get a Master's in Business Admin degree with him but I simply don't have the time to do it. I love the challenge education offers, it keeps you mentally agile, and it never hurts to keep current on your spit ball skills. There's a night class in photography that I might take sometime.

4. Reading

I inherited the love of reading from my parents, who are still avid readers today. I used to read alot more when I was younger than I do now, but I still read, just at a slower rate. I'm currently reading two books, a biography of Daniel Boone and a Poetry Anthology compiled by Garrison Keillor. Besides the act of reading, I love the physical heft and feel of hard cover books. I rarely buy books in paperback. Just call me a book snob. The wave of the future will be ebooks and I would hate to see that day when it's the only way you'll be able to read. Reading let's my mind wonder, reflect, and see things through other's perspective.


5. Music

Music is the world's universal language. Awhile back willow posted a video which says it all.




Well, that was a fun post to put together...thanks for the tag Sweet Mango!