This is a time for celebrating! In addition to being a time for welcoming in a new year – with all the hope that it brings for positive change, it is also a time when many of the world’s religions and cultures celebrate important holidays. Holiday celebrations are special interludes in our busy lives. In…
Members and followers of The Mental Health Gym know that we emphasize the importance of growing and changing in three main areas: health and fitness; intellectual functioning; and social functioning. People who are making progress in all three areas essentially are committed to moving forward in a mentally healthy way. Coincidentally, if you pay attention…
Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving in the United States. It is one of my favorite holidays because it has come to be associated with three of my favorite activities – being with family, eating good food, and watching football. It is also a special time for giving thanks. Many countries and cultures have rituals associated with…
When I first learned Mindfulness Meditation, I was immediately impressed by several features of the discipline. Obviously, I found it relaxing and a way to help manage stress. I also began to appreciate being “in the moment” more – which enabled me to attain greater pleasure from my surroundings or the people with whom I…
After having a perfectly good smart phone and not being able to justify the purchase of a new one for about 4 years, I recently joined technology’s modern world and bought an iPhone 6. Among it’s many features, it came preloaded with an App that counts how many steps you take during the course of…
It’s two months until the new year begins. When January 1st rolls around, many people throughout the world will be making New Year’s Resolutions. A high percentage of those resolutions will fail. While there are a lot of reasons why people are unsuccessful in keeping their resolutions, including a lack of serious motivation or choosing…
There is a consistent body of research demonstrating that being involved with others is associated with emotional health, and the impact upon personal mental health is even greater when that involvement includes helping others. Involvement in helping others is not only a form of increased socialization, but there are reciprocal benefits. When you do good…
Woody Allen has been quoted as saying the 80% of success is just showing up. Although there is obvious humor in that quote, there is also a good deal of truth to it – in both directions. If you show up and participate, you have a lot better chance of having your talents noticed and…
Most of us have more good ideas, intentions, and plans than we ever achieve. We increase the chances of achieving them if we turn them into goals. Certain behaviors are important in order to transform our thoughts into goals. We move from having thoughts to having behaviors when we establish goals that are concrete, realistic,…
Thomas Edison said it best: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Anybody who has achieved anything has made mistakes along the way. The only way to avoid mistakes is to take the safest course, aim below our potential, and not try anything new. Making a mistake should not be…
When I drive down the road and I see a sign that reads, STOP, I stop. I generally don’t try to figure out why the sign was placed there. I assume that most stop signs are there for a purpose. They are not the result of some random process but rather are placed where they…