Daily Practices to Improve Your Mental Health

How to act in the age of coronavirus and care for your core human needs.

By John Kyriazoglou

Introduction

It’s chaos these days. It’s a very crazy and hectic time, to say the least. In Europe (Greece, Spain, Italy, England, France, etc.), in Australia, in U.S.A. and other countries of the world, we are in a state of not ordinary living, and what I might call, ‘an unusual madness’.

We are sheltering-in-place, living in isolation, contained and enslaved within the finite borders of our home. We are leaving the house only for essentials like groceries, gas and medical care and other emergencies. It is correct for all of us to focus on caring for the physical health of ourselves, our families, our communities, and society at large. But we must not forget to also take good care of our spiritual, mental, emotional, and social health needs. Because without them we may survive in the short run but we will not be happy or thrive in the longer period.

Freedom and enslavement

Human living is often deemed to be about freedom and enslavement or containment.  When we feel enslaved and contained, we long for freedom. We scream “Please let me be! Don’t tell me what to do!”. But, also, when we have too much freedom, we start to feel adrift, and lost, without a purpose. Fearful. Lost in space and time. Sometime we feel terrified and overcome with panic. And suddenly we want to escape to safety. We long for privacy, isolation and containment. We cry for safety and security. “Please come close to me! I need to feel safe!’’. We all need to have the peace of mind and privacy of our close family and home, in times of chaos and turbulence.

Impact of coronavirus

What does all of this have to do with a global pandemic, like coronavirus? 

First, our everyday social ways of living have been altered, and some have even disappeared.

These ways of living normally support us to connect: at home, at work, at the gym, at the coffee shop, at school, in social gatherings with friends and family, in church gatherings, etc.

They also create distance: We say goodbye to our family partners and kids in the morning, and we greet them again in the evening. All of these happen automatically, without much effort on our parts. These ways of living are built in with mental ‘cement’ right into the structure of our society and our personal behaviors.

And while we may like to complain against these, by saying that these may make our life monotonous, when they are suddenly removed, we respond in interesting ways.

We may initially be happy about our newfound freedom and the removal of constraints.

We feel that we can do whatever we want to. Watch videos, T.V. shows, music, Netflix, etc.

We feel excited, free and delicious, the first few hours.

We might be initially terrified by newly imposed constraints. Children home all day every day. Spouses suddenly inhabiting the same space every day and night. No more trips to the gym, the coffee shop, café, or our friend’s house. We may feel stressed and lose our grip on things.

Daily practices

What is the point of all of these? For our well-being, and the well-being of our families and communities, we are called upon to develop and implement new sustainable ways of living that create, produce and augment our well-being, mental sanity, safety, and beneficial human thriving.

The following daily practices can apply to your life right now. Whether you’re in generally good health or struggling with chronic physical or psychological conditions, I propose that you review and consider executing the following, every day. 

Practice 1. Eat healthy foods. You might know what foods make you feel healthy and lively, focused, resourced, and mentally sane. And there are certainly those that are just for fun (e.g., chocolate). Do not ban or outlaw the small treats that bring you joy. Do your research on healthy foods and change your daily food consumption practices for you and your family.

A vast number of foods are both healthy and tasty. By filling your plate with fruits, vegetables, quality protein, and other whole foods, you’ll have meals that are colorful, versatile, and good for you¹.

Practice 2. Exercise your body. Our human bodies need to move. They need to exercise by stretching, reaching, bending, sweating, etc., to whatever degree works for our unique shapes and constitutions.

The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. Everyone benefits from exercise, regardless of age, sex or physical ability².

Do it in your living room, for at least 20 minutes per day.

Practice 3. Connect with others. Connecting with others is now proven by research to be good for our moods, our mental and even our physical health³.

Humans need to feel connected. We need to feel seen, heard, and understood by another human being. And to extend the same in return. And since it won’t “just happen” throughout our day, we need to schedule it. Tell the truth about how you’re feeling, what you’re experiencing. Invite them to do the same. Listen with kindness. Offer your support with generosity. High-quality human attention may feel like a scarce resource right now, but you can generate an infinite supply of it. Also review my recommended action plan (Ten Golden Actions for a More Balanced Life) outlined later.

Practice 4. Live a more balanced life. Our society, people and businesses, have lost their real purpose and target. The rich are getting richer and there are over 650,000 people living on the streets in the U.S. alone, the most wealthy and powerful nation on this earth! The earth’s climate is suffering from over consumerism, diseases are increasing in several third world regions, terrorist acts are still going on without a permanent solution in sight, etc.

The principles of philosophy for the betterment of both individuals and organizations are not put to good use. Organizations strive for happiness at the financial level, in most cases. This is why we are having more and more cases of corporate frauds and abuse of societal resources, at the level of public organizations and private companies, and increased violence, psychological problems and unhappiness at the personal level of individuals. 

Where is the solidarity, altruism and social cohesion, harmony, peace, virtue, mutual understanding gone?

Technology and all other developments have forgotten, in most cases, our psyche (mind).

But homo sapiens is made up of three components: body, mind (Greek nous=intellect) and soul (Greek psyche). And our well-being is depended on finding a working balance between our three components.

That’s where philosophy steps in. As philosophy nourishes our psyche (soul) it becomes most important. And as the world problems are not being tackled and resolved to any level of satisfaction, we have to go back.

Back to the basic principles of pre-classical ancient Greek philosophy so that we attain the proper virtues and to bring values, order and balance in our personal life, our business organizations, and our society. This is the only way so that we can all travel the difficult road to a better world.

Here is my recommended action plan.

Action Plan: Ten Golden Actions for a More Balanced Life      

*Golden Action 1: Faith. Respect religious ideas and beliefs; Have faith and trust in both the Supreme Being and your people; and meditate and pray to seek inner tranquility.

Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in this regard.

First: ‘Follow God’, by the Seven Sages inscribed in marble at the Oracle of Delphi;

Second: ‘God embraces all and actuates all, and is but One. All life is one, and God is one’, by Pythagoras; and

Third: ‘Human laws are the creation of Divine Law, as it (the Divine Law) is superior to all other laws and it is applicable to all people the same way’, by Heraclitus.

*Golden Action 2: Protection. Protect your person, your relationships, your family, your community, your beliefs and religion, your country, the environment, and others less fortunate or less intelligent than you.

Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in this regard.

First: ‘We should fight for our laws in the same way that we fight for our country’, by Heraclitus.

*Golden Action 3: Governance. Practice and pursue fairness and democracy in your personal affairs, family activities, holding a public office and managing a business; manage your wealth without greed; and defend and protect your country’s laws and business moral regulations and practices.

Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in this regard.

First: ‘Even the worst government is better than anarchy’, by Aesop;

Second: ‘Good government can be firmly effected if the rulers are equal in all things to the citizens, and surpass them in nothing else than justice’, by Pythagoras; and

Third: ‘Acquire wealth in a just way’, by the Seven Sages.

*Golden Action 4: Justice. Use justice and temperance and be fair in all your dealings.

Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in this regard.

First: ‘Justice to be expressed by the rulers being equal in all things to the citizens, and surpass them in nothing else than justice’, by Pythagoras; and

Second: ‘Obey the law’, by the Seven Sages inscribed in marble at the Oracle of Delphi.

*Golden Action 5: Friendship. Use friendliness and its manifestations of kindness, love, harmony, goodness, altruism, philanthropy, forgiveness and mercy in managing and improving your relationships.

Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings by the Seven Sages in this regard.

First: ‘Guard friendship’;  and

Second: ‘Remember your friends, both, when they are near you, as well as when they are far away’.

*Golden Action 6: Self-Control. Exercise your mind, body and soul to stay fit. Use reason and self-control techniques to manage your sentiments and passions so that you achieve a life of more harmony, balance and happiness in a better way.

Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in this regard.

First: ‘The utmost happiness is to be found in Peace of Mind’, by Pythagoras; and

Second: ‘Control yourself’, by the Seven Sages, inscribed in marble at the Oracle of Delphi.

*Golden Action 7: Moderation. Use moderation and reason in managing all your activities and sustaining your life.

Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in this regard.

First: ‘Nothing in excess’, by the Seven Sages; and

Second: ‘Seek the true value of all things, and enjoy all gifts of God according to Measure’, by Pythagoras.

*Golden Action 8: Truth. Use, seek, pursue and promote truth.

Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in this regard.

First: ‘Do not lie but tell the truth’, by the Seven Sages.

*Golden Action 9: Education. Educate yourself, your family and your business associates and coach others less advantaged or in need, so that all of you are becoming better.

Let’s remember some of the ancient Greek sayings in this regard.

First: ‘In science, we learn and judge not by any single hasty glance, but by the thorough examination of every detail’, by Pythagoras.

*Golden Action 10: Greater Benefit. Promote the interests of your community or society over the interests of yourself and your business. Sacrifice your personal interest to defend and protect the older members of your family as well as your business and country.

Let’s remember one of the ancient Greek sayings in this regard.

‘It is more preferable to offer forgiveness than exercise punishment’, by Heraclitus.

End Notes

1. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/50-super-healthy-foods

2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389

3. https://www.harleytherapy.co.uk/counselling/connecting-with-people.htm

Further resources

‘Seven Milestones for a Better Life’,

Available at: http://bookboon.com/en/seven-milestones-for-a-better-life-ebook.