Expand Your Mind

As I have alluded to in earlier posts, there are several components to Emotional Fitness.  In this post I want to touch on the mental component. When I refer to mental, I am referring to stimulating the mind by learning new things; educating oneself; exposing oneself to new experiences; trying new things.  When we don't do these things, our mind becomes stagnant and is not as effective.  Our mind is like a muscle and if we don't use it, it will atrophy.  As we exercise our mind it becomes stronger and is more capable of functioning in all different situations; it is better able to deal with stress; it is better able to adapt to new situations; it is better able to problem solve; it is better able to engage in higher abstract reasoning.  

As we expose ourselves to new experiences our views are broadened and our thinking is much more effective.  We add to our reservoir of experience and therefore have more upon which we can draw in problem solving.  A carpenter who only has a hammer in his tool bag is very limited in his carpentry repertoire.  As he adds saws and lathes and sanders, his ability to practice his craft is greatly expanded.  A strong and healthy mind is a major tool needed for emotional fitness.  

I remember years ago before we bought our first home I had absolutely no interest in gardening....so I thought.  Our new house had a walkway that was lined with dirt that was designed to be landscaped.  My wife wanted flowers along the walkway so I obliged and planted flowers.  I fertilized them and watered them and watched them grow.  I can't tell you how excited I was to watch them get bigger and bigger and start to bloom with a variety of vibrant colors!  Prior to purchasing our new home, I had no experience with gardening and made a narrow-minded judgement that I didn't like gardening.  Boy was I wrong!  This simple experience expanded my mind and helped me to be open to other new experiences.  

Seek out opportunities to exercise and expand your mind.  Build this into your daily/weekly routine.  Read a book, go to a museum, learn a craft, do something new and different to add to your reservoir of experience which will broaden your perspective on life, ultimately leading to increased emotional fitness.