What are the qualities of a
Healthy Mind?
Some of my personal favorites:
- Emotional regulation – The ability to go through strong emotions and bring ourselves back to balance and stability. When we are balanced and stable we can learn, build connections to others, be creative, and act from a place of wisdom and compassion.
- Compassion – The commitment to alleviate suffering around us.
- Connection – The ability to care for and cooperate with others.
- Resilience – The capacity to bounce back from adverse experiences.
- Flexibility – The willingness to change or compromise.
- Self-Control or Discipline – you know what I mean. Not eating that second pint of Ben and Jerry’s or not harming people when you feel angry.
- Attunement – The ability to be aware of your internal state and at the same time sense the internal state of another.
- Humility.
- Joy.
- Love.
OK that’s my quick list. But what about an expert opinion?
The director of The Center for Healthy Minds (University of Wisconsin – Madison), Dr. Richard Davidson, says there are 4 researched components of emotional well-being:
- Awareness – Having the basic qualities of attention and focus (a wandering mind is an unhappy mind).
- Connection – Having emotional components that help us be connected: appreciation, gratitude, kindness, compassion.
- Insight – Understanding how the mind actually works: should we believe the narratives we tell ourselves? Ideally, we cultivate a healthy relationship to these narratives.
- Purpose – What is my purpose and how do I align my everyday actions to move me to fulfill that purpose?
Are some things missing? What would you add? Let’s talk more about this.