Mental Health: Self-Understanding, Acceptance, and Management

Self-awareness, healthy immersion, problem acceptance, conflict resolution, and leisure are vital for mental well-being, as striving for self-improvement can be overwhelming.

### Tips for Effective Mental Health Management in Daily Life
* 🤔 It is important to know oneself well, understand **one's abilities**, and the environment one is in **comprehensively**.
* 💭 "If you approach things by saying you must do this just because others do, it often leads to **unreasonable situations**."
* 😌 It is necessary to have something to **immerse oneself in healthily**, such as a hobby or a job that one **loves deeply**.
* 💔 Realistically, it is never possible to solve all problems, so it is okay to accept and keep some difficulties that are **hard to solve** in a corner of the mind.
* 🤝 When experiencing difficulties in human relationships, it is important to have the wisdom to distinguish whether the current cause of the difficulty is **one's problem or the other person's problem**.
* 🗣 A very important mental management method is to **chat with close people** when having difficult times, as it helps gain a **clearer understanding of the struggles**.
* 🎯 It is beneficial to set not only **long-term or grand goals** but also **easily achievable goals**, and habituating small achievements is helpful for **mental management**.
* ⏸ ️ People cannot just work and live; the recreational part is also very important, so it is essential to **deliberately secure time for leisure**.

If my close ones hear this, they will probably laugh a lot. It seems like there are differences with psychiatrists and such. It seems necessary to know oneself well. It seems necessary to understand one's abilities and the environment one is in comprehensively. If you approach things by saying you must do this just because others do, it often leads to unreasonable situations. I had a lot of thoughts about considering one's quiet situations and environments. Also, it would be nice to have something to immerse yourself in healthily. It could be a hobby or a game, or it could be the opposite, like a job. People like Son Heung-min come to mind, who love their work so much that it becomes their profession. The joy of being deeply immersed somewhere without a care. Another thing is, when I see patients at the mental health clinic,

Even with small problems, some people find it very difficult to endure without solving them. It's really heartbreaking to see them struggle like that. So, realistically, when there are various issues and problems, we should make our best efforts to solve them. However, in life, it's never possible for us to solve all problems. When we look at other people's lives, even if someone's life seems perfect and peaceful on the surface, if you delve deep, you'll find one or two difficulties or problems they are dealing with. Living with a certain amount of flaws and problems is considered a normal and ordinary life. Don't rush to solve all problems, and if there are difficulties that are hard to solve despite efforts, it's okay to accept them to some extent and keep them in a corner of your mind.

Practicing how to live is also necessary. Let me say this. When we experience difficulties in human relationships, such as relationships with superiors, colleagues, family, and friends, we often get hurt. When listening to patients, there are cases where it is clearly not the patient's problem. Even though the boss is really strange, or the colleague is really strange, many people tend to blame themselves, feel anxious, and get hurt. It seems that many people accept and endure it that way. At that time, it seems very important to have the wisdom to distinguish whether the current cause of the difficulty is my problem or the other person's problem. Therefore, it is important to make efforts to resolve conflicts. If you have made efforts but things are not resolved, and you have done all you can, then you can become a bit freer from there. I think being good at chatting is also important.

I would like to talk about a very important mental management method. Women tend to do well in chatting with close people when they have difficult or tough times. It seems like a very healthy habit. On the contrary, men may not be very skilled in expressing their difficulties, seeking advice, or empathy from others, maybe due to cultural influences. There are moments when we have difficulties in our minds, feeling confused, not knowing why we are having a hard time. At those times, if we chat for a while, naturally the topics we have been worrying about and struggling with come up, and as we talk about them for a while, we can objectively observe why we have been struggling, leading to a clearer understanding.

I think you have experienced these kinds of things and your mind may have become a bit more comfortable. I believe that to that extent, it is a very healthy mental management method. As we live our lives, sometimes we may think that we are not living by setting overly grand goals. Long-term or grand goals are definitely necessary as they provide motivation for life, set direction, and are certainly helpful. However, sometimes, overly grand goals can lead to damage to self-esteem due to the difficulty of achieving them, easily causing frustration and having reverse effects. On the contrary, I think it's important to set goals that can be easily achieved. Personally, I think it's important to exercise twice a week in the morning. It may seem very easy to others, but it's not easy.

I work alone, but when I wake up in the morning and try to go exercise at 7 o'clock, I feel very tired. At that time, I try to persuade myself by thinking, Let's just pass this moment and go out. Even though I feel like it's not a big deal after exercising for an hour, I feel a significant sense of accomplishment, feel proud of myself, and it becomes the driving force for me to live the day. I think that habituating small achievements like this is very helpful for mental management. People cannot just work and live; the recreational part is also very important. As you get older and become a worker, a spouse, and a mother or father, it seems like the time for play gradually diminishes into small parts. Sometimes, it can even feel challenging to secure time for leisure if you don't deliberately pay attention to it. For example, from my perspective as a clinic owner, just breathing feels like a challenge.

There are expenses for rent, salaries for employees, and other things like that, so taking a long vacation to relax and have fun is not an easy thing. However, it was a significant decision for me. I decided to take Wednesday off to spend time with friends and have some leisure time. I secured that time to rest and play, which I believe was one of the best decisions in my life. It shows how important mental management is. I have two young children, so even if there is personal time that is not for hospital visits, I still need to play with my children and take care of them. Therefore, it is challenging to secure quality time for myself. My wife does more in that aspect.

Because of this, for several years, my husband and I have been agreeing to have a short one-night, two-day vacation once a year. We separate from our families to secure some time to be alone, which seems like a great time. It feels like recharging our energy, making us appreciate our family more, and enabling us to gather the energy to dive back into work. I would like to recommend these aspects. Nowadays, there is a lot of information about mental health, and it seems to be an era where there is a lot of information through various social media, blogs, and so on. Therefore, people strive to do better. For example, mothers try to become better moms by looking for better parenting methods. Similarly, from what I have seen, most people are living quite well in terms of mental health management, despite everything.

When I see people trying to do more, striving for self-improvement, and putting in efforts like that, I often feel a bit sorry for them. So, I just want to say that you are doing well enough already. Be a little more generous to yourself and it will be enough. I would like to say something like this instead.

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민국쌤의 마음이야기

The Importance of Self-Understanding and Problem Solving

Self-understanding is crucial for avoiding unreasonable situations caused by blindly following others.

Immersing oneself in a healthy hobby or profession, like Son Heung-min, can bring deep joy.

It's important to make efforts to solve problems, but also to accept that not all problems can be solved, as it's normal to have difficulties in life.

Additionally, developing the wisdom to distinguish between self-responsible and others-responsible issues, and making efforts to resolve conflicts, is important for emotional well-being.

The Importance of Open Communication and Realistic Goals in Mental Management

Women tend to chat with others during tough times, while men may struggle to express their difficulties due to cultural influences.

Chatting about struggles can help gain a clearer understanding of the issues and provide comfort.

Setting realistic goals is important, as overly grand goals can lead to frustration and damage self-esteem.

It is important to recognize the value of achievable goals for mental well-being.

The Significance of Small Achievements for Mental Management

Exercising in the morning brings a sense of accomplishment and pride, serving as a driving force for the day.

Habitual small achievements are crucial for mental management, especially as life's responsibilities increase.

Securing time for leisure is challenging but essential for mental well-being, as shown by the decision to take a day off for rest and play.

The Importance of Taking Short Getaway Breaks for Mental Health

Taking a short annual vacation can help recharge energy and strengthen appreciation for family.

In today's era of abundant information on mental health, it's important for people to be more generous to themselves and recognize their efforts for self-improvement.