5 Tactics for Day-To-Day Mental Health Based In Chinese Medicine

"Hope," George Fredric Watts

This originally began as a video for one of my classes in my doctoral program.  It was inspired by the recent, tragic suicides of Chester Bennington, Kate Spade, and Anthony Bourdain.  The video isn't worth watching, but the ideas in it are good habits for daily mental health.

The following are five habits, based in the wisdom of Chinese medicine, that have helped me and my patients keep life from careening off its tracks.  In Chinese medicine, the world is comprised of  five different elements- water, wood, fire, earth, and metal.  The ancient Chinese believed that humans were also composed of these five elements.  When these elements are balanced, health and wellness thrive.  Each of these five tips are based in the physical or emotional expression of these elements to keep the body in balance.

These tips might seem simplistic, but they are worth noting.  At the very least, they can be used as a starting point to help you find your own mental health habits.

Tactics for daily mental health:

• Practice introspection.  Journaling, mindfulness, yoga, therapy, breath work, or prayer.  Anything that allows you to monitor your internal thoughts and emotions and their impact on behavior will work.  (water element)
• Physically move every day.  Walking, lifting weights, free online yoga videos (check out Yoga with Adriene), dancing, gardening, anything!  Ideally, you're doing this outside and for at least 20 min per day. (wood element)
• Schedule one dinner with friends every week.  Get it on the calendar by Monday. (fire element)
• Avoid spiking your blood sugar.  This means avoiding refined carbohydrates (anything white) and grains.  Diets like paleo or the slow-carb diet work well and are good sources for recipes.  Make sure to get plenty of plant-based fats like oils, nuts, and avocado, and allow yourself to eat guilt-free once per week.  (earth element)
• Simplify your to-do list.  At the end of the day, write down three things on your to-do list that make you feel uncomfortable.  For each item, ask yourself, "If this were the only thing I were to get done tomorrow, would I feel satisfied with my day?"  For ONE of the items that you answered yes to, block out one to two hours the next day to focus on that ONE task.  If you get distracted during that time, don't downward spiral, just gently come back to your one to-do. (metal element)

If these daily tactics don't help very much or at all, Chinese medicine is an excellent option to help with symptoms of depression or anxiety and balance out the body.  Therapy or medications will also help.  And lastly, if you're experiencing irrational thoughts, sometimes all it takes to break them is one conversation with a rational person.  Please don't be ashamed to reach out to a friend or hotline.

Regardless of what has happened, is happening, or will happen in our lives, it's necessary to reach within ourselves and grow.  It's our responsibility to ourselves, and just as crucial, to those who surround us and love us.  What do you do daily for your "me-time"?

Take care of yourselves.  Much love.
​-C