A Healthy Mind

…mens sana in corpore sano. (Roman poet Juvenal)

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.” Matthew 22:37

When we think of health, we tend to think of physical health. It has a tendency to be front and center — sometimes due to serious health concerns of loved ones, sometimes because of the neighbor who bought stock in the gym or the many ads containing people who seem bursting with physical fitness. We also periodically think of our spiritual health — usually related to how daily devotional times are going. Mental health also comes up, but it’s often related to our churning emotions or simply needing a day of rest rather than medical issues.

Our physical health does have value on this earth. When our muscles are strong and our systems healthy, we have the energy and strength needed for our God-given responsibilities.

But how often are we concerned with how our brains are working, whether our thinking is sound? Once out of the educational environment, it doesn’t come up that often until old age approaches.

It should. I am intrigued by the studies that explore how mental activities affect the health of the brain, specifically related to age and Alzheimers. I am a little confused, though, by how we tend to think that we can set cruise control after the first 20+ years until we think we are approaching the last 10. That can be a lot of years, which would be many wasted opportunities.

So much could be said on this topic, but I will simply beg this:

Stretch your mind AND stretch your muscles. Work your brain AND workout at the gym. Both will have lasting value when driven by transformed hearts striving to love God with all that we are.

There are many ways to do this, from reading a book to doing a daily crossword to taking a class to memorizing Scripture to engaging in adult conversation. Learning a new language or a new skill will really stretch you, but the rewards match the effort. However you can, please find some ways that work for your current stage of life.

Daily Priorities

We’ve discussed priorities several times, but those discussions have been pretty big picture. Today, let’s talk about where the rubber meets the road. What do you do when you’re surrounded by fires and a mountain of tasks? There are several things to think about as you do prioritize your day or task list.

What can’t wait? Some things truly must be done right now. If a family member is completely out of a prescription medicine they need, you must go to the pharmacy that day. Extending out from the immediate, what needs to be done today, or this week, or this month, or just someday? Think about any deadlines. Now you have a timeline for a start.

What are my responsibilities? We all have them. There are two ways to look at this question:

  • My responsibilities vs. someone else’s responsibility — absolutely help others, but put on your own oxygen mask before helping the person next to you. Note: sometimes we tend to enable irresponsibility instead of actually helping; it would be wise to make sure it is loving help before doing it at all.
  • Responsibilities vs. fun — painting the bathroom is going to look beautiful and make the home and atmosphere better and add beauty to life, but is that project replacing work you should do or leading you to ignore family needs? It can be good to browse at the store as you pick up good deals in accessories, but have the last five dinners been frozen pizza because you haven’t planned meals or gone grocery shopping?

What can be grouped together? If you are already going to the pharmacy, how about stopping at the grocery store and dropping books off at the library on the same trip? Although it’s not urgent for any given day, bins of donations can be dropped off on any trip you make driving right by the charity. If you are putting a dish in the oven for dinner, could you throw in the brownies for the bake sale right after you finish putting dinner together? Why not write the three thank-you notes and return the call while waiting for the piano lesson to finish?

What makes a nice break? All things being equal, if you’ve spent an hour sitting and paying bills, it might be good to head outside to pick up sticks after the storm. If you’ve spent the entire morning raking the yard, maybe a quiet activity would be a nice change right after lunch.

What is the value? What will be done in the end? Is the benefit only for today or for eternity? Yes, we wash dishes only to wash them again in a few hours, and that is good work, but we are also called to proclaim all God’s excellencies and speak truth in love. Or in other ways, are you investing time now that will pay off for days and weeks to come?

Remember prioritizing is about putting things in order. It’s not that you don’t do a lot of different things, it’s that you do them at the best time. The responsibilities for each day are puzzle pieces; you make them fit beautifully when you prioritize well.