What Does Your Mental Health Pie Include?
I share this image to reflect on the different aspects of your mental health pie and determine which belong in yours.
What Does Your Mental Health Pie Include?
The Mental Health Pie image helps those I work with become more aware of the different aspects of their lives. Sometimes the pie highlights personal roles such as mother, sister, daughter, and professional. Other times, it reflects different aspects of an individual’s physical and psychological life.
Nutrition and Health
Many areas of the illustrated Mental Health Pie are well-supported by research as foundational to overall mental and physical health. For example, are you aware of the different nutritional aspects of your diet? I became a vegetarian at the age of ten, and my mother had me track my protein to make sure I was getting enough. I had a book that listed different foods and the amount of protein they contained. I had to record this on the chart my mom had made on the fridge. Now, tools such as Cronometer and MyFitnessPal can help us understand our dietary needs at each stage of life.
They also provide information on the recommended amounts of exercise and sleep. Did you know that not getting the recommended amount of sleep can negatively impact your metabolism and contribute to weight gain?
Relationships are equally essential. Check out the findings from the Harvard Study of Adult Development—the most extensive longitudinal study on human happiness indicates that the quality of our relationships has a profound impact on both longevity and life satisfaction. Laughter, joy, and playful moments help you produce feel-good hormones that buffer the stress of life. When was the last time you belly laughed, holding back tears as you were laughing so hard? If you can’t remember, then check out this comedian.
Service and Random Acts of Kindness
Service, or prosocial behaviour, is another powerful slice of your mental health Pie. Whether you engage in formal acts of service, such as volunteering, or in small, random acts of kindness, giving to others can boost mood, improve health, and create a sense of purpose. Go ahead, increase your random acts of kindness and see how it feels. If you want to learn about the benefits of service, Kelly MCGonialgal’s TED talk on how to befriend stress might interest you.
Productive and Reflective Time
You also need to engage in product time and reflective time. Productive time might be a job, a hobby or a creative pursuit that brings meaning. Time spent doing our hobby might also be reflective. For me, spinning fibre is calming and relaxing. You can learn more by clicking here. You can also check out some of my products on my Instagram account at @KarmaKaps. Research now confirms that activities like knitting reduce stress and anxiety.
Reflective time, whether through journaling, quiet moments, or meditation, helps regulate the nervous system and fosters clarity. Neuroscientist Sara Lazar’s TED talk beautifully illustrates how mindfulness practice can reshape an agitated brain.
There are various ways of illustrating the different aspects of our lives that contribute to health and well-being. For instance, Daniel Siegel refers to it as a Healthy Mind Platter, and Martin Seligman has a PERMA model.
Each can help you refine your Mental Health Pie.
What belongs in your mental health pie?
How do you incorporate different aspects of your mental health pie into your life?
My book More than Luck: Cultivating a Resilient Mindset-Navigating Life and Adversity equally offers a model of guiding principles that might help. You can easily order it from my website or Amazon
If you are struggling to let go of something that no longer serves you, please do not hesitate to reach out for support. If working with me is of interest, please take advantage of my 15-minute consultation.
