Ch 19

• Health is often used to refer to a state of physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being of the individual
• Mental health is concerned with an optimum level of emotional and behavioural adjustment of the individual
• Mental hygiene refers to the art of developing, maintaining, and promoting necessary behavioural, emotional, and social skills to sustain good mental health
• Strategies for maintaining good mental health and hygiene include:

  • Reality Contact: having a realistic appraisal of one's own reactions, emotions, and abilities
  • Impulse Control: having good control over behaviors and impulses
  • Self-Esteem: positive evaluation of self is essential for mental health
  • Positive Thoughts: directing thoughts in positive ways generates positive emotions and strengthens coping abilities
• Mental ill-health is the absence of positive mental health qualities in an individual
• Mental illness includes disorders of behavior caused by faulty perception, emotion, thinking, and attitude
• Signs of poor mental health include:

  • Haphazard and disorganized daily life routine
  • Short-tempered and irritating behavior
  • Anger and aggressive behavior
  • Restlessness
  • Poor appetite and indigestion
  • Irregular sleeping patterns
  • Poor interpersonal relationships
  • Anxiety and worry
  • Negative attitude toward self and others
  • Withdrawing from relationships
  • Irregular and abnormal physiological conditions
  • Excessive use of drugs and tobacco
• Behaviors that sustain good health include:

  • Right food (Ahara)
  • Right recreation (Vihara)
  • Right routine (Achara)
  • Right thinking (Vichara)
• • Chewing food properly and eating in a controlled manner are good for health
• Food (Ahara):

  • Vegetarian food is safe and invigorating for a healthy body
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables with enough fiber content are important for better health
  • Oily, spicy, junk, and processed food can cause obesity, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, gastric ulcer, and cancer
  • Daily food should contain green vegetables, fresh fruits, beans, honey, curd, milk, butter oil for vitamins, minerals, iron, antioxidants, and fibers
  • Balanced proportion of each category of food is necessary in daily intake
  • Maintain fixed meal times
• Routine (Achara):

  • Routine consists of three kinds of activities: taking food and doing activities as per seasonal demands (Ritucharya)
  • Eat and act according to the characteristics of seasons
  • Different food recommendations for different seasons
  • Day routine (Dincharya) and night routine (Ratricharya) involve eating and doing activities according to the time of day and night
  • Proper timing for each activity in the cycle of twenty-four hours
• Recreation (Vihara):

  • Exercise and morning walk are important components of recreation
  • Exercise makes the body light and strong, increases immunity and resistance power, and helps in controlling health problems like heart disease and diabetes
  • Exercise delays the ageing process, prevents impotence, and purifies blood
  • Recreational activities like music also help in maintaining good health
• Thinking (Vichara):

  • Sound and positive mental health is maintained with the right kind of thinking
  • Mentally fit individuals have self-satisfaction, accommodative intellect, ability to accept criticism, understanding of emotional needs of others, and self-control
  • Positive thinking leads to good friendships and respect from others
• Strategies for Time Management:

  • Prioritize activities and organize them according to available time
  • Prepare an activity schedule and list activities in a diary
  • Basic principles of time management include preparing a list of work, prioritizing the list, identifying uninterrupted periods, being flexible, setting aside time for exercise and leisure activities