We’re all aware of endless self-care practices and products that help manage good physical hygiene. Messages and advertisements abound about hygiene products, how you can take “better” care of yourself. We can hardly escape these messages. But we don’t hear much that often about mental hygiene.

In commercials, while out shopping, or in conversation with loved ones, we’re all reminded daily of the importance of basic physical hygiene practices.

But what about mental hygiene? What does this really mean?

Mental hygiene refers to the knowledge and skills required to decrease mental disorders and protect mental health and well-being.¹ This includes any type of self-care measures you take to protect your mental well-being.

Enough about physical hygiene! Let’s talk more about mental hygiene!

Originally dating back to the early 1900’s, the term mental hygiene became popular and was more widely used in the 1970’s.² Fast forward fifty years later to today, perhaps this topic is more important and relevant than ever. Yet, why don’t we hear much about this topic nowadays? Frankly, I don’t know the answer to this question. Hence the need for this blog post topic.

There’s another way to look at this deficiency of barely recognizing the importance of mental hygiene. Author and mental health advocate, Julie Hersh put it simply, we “need to shift our focus from mental illness to mental health”.³

We understand the importance of brushing our teeth and flossing daily to protect a beautiful smile and prevent damage to physical health. Yet, mental illness kills far more people any given year than dental problems.

It’s time for change, and change means better practice! 

Although this may be the first time you’ve heard this term before, let’s keep it simple.

Mental hygiene includes the knowledge and skills you need in order to reduce symptoms of mental health disorders and promote mental well-being. Besides all the dietary recommendations in the book, this is one of the main reasons why I wrote Foods for Thought!

Make MAPS part of your daily mental hygiene routine!

Your health concerns and path to mental well-being are unique. There aren’t any one-size-fits-all answers here. But there are a few common things we all can incorporate into daily life to help promote better mental hygiene. How about working MAPS into your daily routine?  

MAPS stands for Mastery, Altruism, Pleasure, and Silence⁴

• Mastery – this doesn’t mean becoming an expert. Rather, it’s any task you can complete that helps provide a sense of accomplishment. Don’t overthink it! Whether cleaning out the closet, preparing a healthy meal, or simply completing a task needed for school or work. The simple act of accomplishing a task can help provide a sense of purpose in your day.
• Altruism – this is about service to others. Whether helping loved ones at home, your neighbors, or maybe even giving your time to volunteer for a worthy cause. A quick phone call to a loved one, a random act of kindness, or even going out of your way to compliment a stranger. Make it simple, make it daily, and give back to your community.
• Pleasure – Many take this one to the extreme and rely too much on this while avoiding daily responsibilities and goals. Let’s keep it simple here and go beyond  the usual “escapism” forms of pleasure some of us rely too heavily on. Going to a museum, seeking out art, exploring culture, and connecting with others are just some ways. Go outside your usual ways of seeking pleasure and find new ways of what pleasure means to you.
• Silence – Many tend to stay distracted and have television, music, or any other form of noise constantly in the background. Confession: this is me too often! Constant noise in the background makes it difficult to settle the mind and feel more present in the moment. This “overstimulation” through the day can promote higher stress hormones and make it harder to promote the “rest and digest” mode of the parasympathetic nervous system. Learn to practice meditation, yoga, or simply just shutting down the noise and spending time with a pleasant book. Even if just a few minutes a day.

What Are My Top 5 Examples?

Although I strive to maintain these behaviors every single day, some days are harder than others. Personally, my top five ways to practice mental hygiene include:

1. Intentional body movement – one or more of the following: jog/run, resistance training at gym (or home), hiking, walking or even just a quick stretching session on harder/busier days. 
2. Diversify mental inputs – Basically, this means be intentional and diversify the different types of media you take in. Don’t focus too much on local or mainstream news, social media or “doom-scrolling”. In 2020, I struggled with this, but lesson learned! Now I’m more intentional with this. Even the music I listen to, I now intentionally vary the genres. This topic is for a future blog post 🙂  
3. Baseline nutrient-dense foods every day – fruits, vegetables, whole grains, varied sources of protein and essential fats – beyond this, yes I also eat “comfort foods”, “junk foods”, sometimes more than I’d like to admit.
4. Slow/unwinding time – If you tend to stay very busy, don’t underestimate the power of slowing down! As a new author, reading each day is my favorite way to practice this. I never enjoyed reading fiction in the past. But that changed this past year or two! Reading fiction helps me tap into a more creative and optimistic sense I didn’t identify with much before. 
5. Meaningful social connections – Last, but certainly not least! Can’t underestimate the power of maintaining meaningful connections with your friends, loved ones, co-workers, and others.

Do what works for you!

A common theme in my writings: there’s no one-size-fits-all answer here! Hence why I all too often have to give convoluted or not-so-straight-forward answers about making healthful dietary or lifestyle changes. 

So, I want to hear from you, what works best for you when it comes to practicing your mental hygiene? Can you relate to some of My Top 5 above? 

I sincerely appreciate your time and consideration in reading my work. Thanks for stopping by today

-Jason

References:

1. Felix, R. H., and R. V. Bowers. “Mental Hygiene and Socio-Environmental Factors.” The Milbank Quarterly, vol. 83, no. 4, 2005, pp. 625–646. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/30045636. Accessed 26 June 2021.
2. Toms J. Mind the gap: MIND, the mental hygiene movement and the trapdoor in measurements of intellect. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2010;54 Suppl 1(0 1):16-27. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2009.01234.x
3. Hersch, J.K. Mental Hygiene: Preventative Care for Mental Illness. Psychology Today. 2012. Accessed 27 June 2021. 
4. Rosenblat, J.D. Maintaining Mental Health Hygiene During a Pandemic. 2020. Accessed 26, June 2021.