When we consider our healthiest selves, daily investment of love, attention, and energy investment are required. There are 8 dimensions in the holistic wellness wheel (reference….). Depending upon our needs and available resources, the amount of time and care focused on these 8 dimensions varies from day to day. As part of fortifying the Mental Wellness realm in this ‘wellness wheel’, we are going to explore utilizing the “healthy mind platter.”
In 2011, the USDA replaced the healthy nutrition food pyramid into a food platter model supporting a daily diet that optimizes physical health. At that time, two neuroscience researchers Drs. Dan Seigel and David Rock created the “Healthy Mind Platter.” This is intended to be a supportive tool for exploring and developing a daily regimen utilizing the ‘ingredients’ that you need to create a balanced “diet” promoting a healthy mind and overall vitality.
Per Dr. Seigel, there are (7) daily essential mental activities to optimize brain matter, recharge the brain, and foster overall well-being in the “healthy mind platter”. Here they are with some tips from me to get you started:
- Focus Time: When we closely focus on tasks in a goal-oriented way – your responsibilities in your personal life and at work. We take on challenges that make deep connections in the brain (the 2 neurotransmitters that are created.
TIP: Plan your work, work your plan. Prioritize and estimate the amount of time needed per task on your daily list. Be intentional and focus. Take scheduled breaks to refocus, refresh, and rejuvenate between tasks.
- Playtime:When we allow ourselves to be creative or spontaneous, hopefully with humor and a sense of delight, playfully enjoying novel experiences. New neuronal connections are made in the brain when we experience novel experiences particularly when we feel safe enough to play.
TIP: What did you enjoy doing when you were a child? What creative experiences help you reconnect with your younger self and do something for the sheer enjoyment of it? Be silly!
- Connecting time: When we connect with people, ideally in person, and when we take the time to appreciate our connection to the natural world, we activate and reinforce the brain’s relational circuitry. This may be engaging with yourself, your friends or family, or your environment. There are (2) P’s and (3) G’s in this category:
- Connecting with People and the Planet
- Generosity, Gratitude, and Giving
TIP: Go outside for a walk and consider asking a friend (or pet!) along or phone a friend. This allows you to connect with yourself, your friend, and the world around you!
- Physical time:When we move our bodies, aerobically if medically possible, we strength the brain in many ways. This also allows us to discharge the energy out of bodies that get stored up, particularly during the focus times of our day.
TIP: Take several 1-minute breaks throughout your day to stretch, to move, or to plan exercise that suits you whether that be yoga, time at the gym, walking your dog, or playing with your children. (BONUS: Regular movement and exercise helps us to fall and to stay asleep = better rest and recharging for the body and the brain!)
- “Time In”: When we quietly reflect internally, focusing on sensations, images, feelings, and thoughts, we help to better integrate the brain We are checking in with ourselves and grounding ourselves.
TIP: Use journaling to support this time of introspection and reflection. The writing helps the brain to process emotions, sensations, and thoughts so we can better release, integrate, and learn from these experiences.
- Downtime:When we are non-focused, without any specific goal, and let our mind wander or simply relax, we help the brain to recharge. Diffuse thinking occurs here (think of ‘daydreaming’) which taps into the creative portions of our brains.
TIP: Give yourself permission to really turn your brain off with no scheduled activities or agenda. Allow your mind to wander. This can be done several times during the day but it is particularly useful before your bedtime.
- Sleep time:When we give the brain the rest it needs, we consolidate learning and recover from the experiences of the day. This time is needed also to flush out metabolic by-products, to regulate the entire neurologic system, and to ‘reboot’ the brain in preparation for more information uptake and integration upon awakening.
TIP: Create your bedtime routine: Be consistent about the time you go to bed and the time you rise, 7 days a week; keep electronic devices out of the room; minimize blue light in the 60 minutes before you go to bed.
How can we create a daily practice that includes mental habits that help us to fortify our diet of “daily essential mental nutrients?”
How can we use intentional focusing of our attention to strengthen integration in our brains, in our bodies, and in our relationships on a daily basis?
Begin with an assessment of your self-care activities:
- Map out an average day and see what amounts of time you spend in each essential mental activity category.
- Write 1 activity in each of the 7 categories (things you already do or that you would like to try).
- Start with a focus on at least 3 of these activities per week to start.
- Review your progress in each of the 7 categories at the end of the week
Scale of 1-5:
1 = No activities in the past week
2 = Once or twice during the week
3 = At least once per day
4 = At least one activity per day several times per week
5 = Multiple activities in the 7 categories per day several times a week
Overall Goal and Benefit: These 7 essential times help strengthen our internal and relational connections. This helps to support healthy, growing minds across our lifespan as well as supporting thriving as an individual and in relationship to our environment and our communities.
By Dr. Sonja Olson. Dr. Olson is the author of Creating Wellbeing and Building Resistance in the Veterinary Profession and along with Dr. Danielle Alleman, serves as co-chair of the WSVMA Wellbeing Committee. They have a blog on the WSVMA Community where they share wellbeing tips, articles, videos, and resources. Join the group to stay updated!
Posted April 22, 2022