Priority of Mind: Mental Tune-Up

I crashed my car the other day...more like bumped but with a considerable amount of damage under the bumper that can’t be seen from the outside. It got me thinking about the conscious and subconscious minds, like I do, and how what we see on the outside isn’t always a true reflection of what is going on inside or below the surface level.  

I knew the moment I crashed my car that this little accident was going to cost me to spend money. There was no doubt that I would immediately set about getting my car fixed and I had a pretty good idea that it wouldn’t be cheap.  But what about when things are going wrong in the mind?  People either think they can fix it themselves, or it can’t be fixed, or it’s not worth the cost of fixing it or worst of all that there is nothing wrong with them.  Sometimes what is obvious to others is simply invisible to the person living that way.  But we are talking about the mind and mental wellness which is far more important than the bump in my bumper or any other material possession.  Total mental wellness brings about health, vitality and happiness which cannot be compared to the feeling you get from material possessions.

A study on 2007 http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/data/Journals/PSS/3797/07ps357.pdf reported that 66% of the patients didn’t seek help due to the belief that the problem would get better on its own. 71% percent agreed with the statement "I wanted to solve the problem on my own." A further 47% reported financial obstacles as a reason not to seek treatment. Still, attitudinal barriers about the value of mental health care seem to be be the biggest obstacle.

But having completed the body work on one of my own cars about 20 years ago, doesn’t make me an expert in body work.  My car needed to be seen and repaired by someone who does that work day in and day out.  After all, most of us drive our cars every day but we wouldn’t set about fixing them as we do not have the expertise.  

So why do we think we can fix our mind on our own? Creating a meaningful life only happens when we have solid mental health.  The greatest predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. Just like regular servicing of your car, your mind needs a mental tune-up periodically.  

Next time you want to upgrade your phone, get a new TV, or a better car just consider if that money may be better spent as an investment to a more meaningful life for your future. Good mental health makes happiness and improves health.  It’s time to make a change and yes, you need to pay a professional who has the expertise to help you to rev-up your main engine and get you back on the right road to wellness again.

Lisa Wheeler

www.scopehypnosis.com