Empty mind, devil’s workshop? Not always: understand the importance of mental hygiene

It is common for people to use free time on weekends or holidays to put their house in order. More careful cleaning, organizing documents, arranging cabinets and other demands that involve a cleaner and more orderly environment end up being a priority, especially in the face of increasingly busy and accelerated routines. Although the benefits of organization and cleaning are recognized, the attention paid to the environment that surrounds us does not always seem to extend to other areas of life, including the mind. But, if we set aside part of our free time to take care of what surrounds us, why can’t we do the same with what’s inside us?

One of the answers to this question may lie in the fact that, unlike other areas of life, mental health is not always considered a priority. Another answer deals with the difficulty of clearing one’s head, especially in a social context that involves boring routines and an intense flow of information and stimuli.

Despite recognizing that emptying your head or not is not always a possible choice, especially in the face of more difficult contexts and realities, psychologist and psychoanalyst Danty Marchezane explains that the path goes directly through the need to change routine. “The recommendation is that it not only be guided by unpleasant situations, but that the person can also have activities that cause pleasure throughout the week”, he advises.

PhD student in psychoanalytic studies at UFMG and advisor to the Regional Psychology Council of Minas Gerais, Danty emphasizes that this change needs to be continuous, even though it is worth taking advantage of weekends and holidays to seek satisfying activities. “It’s very naive to think that we spend a whole month, sometimes entire semesters, overwhelmed and think that a holiday or a weekend will clear our minds of all the complex situations we experience. What will effectively alleviate this is a routine that gives pleasure to that person, so that they can also have access to leisure, culture and things that entertain them,” he says.

Although difficult, mental hygiene is important

For psychologist and holistic therapist Cristina Camargo, cleaning your mind is fundamental to keeping us healthy. She recognizes, however, that this will not always be an easy task, especially in a context characterized by a demand for extreme productivity. “We had a lot of this industrial era in which we created this belief that we say what we produce”, she observes. “The truth, however, is that it has already been proven that a clear mind can give us more capacity to create and even produce a higher level of production”, points out Cristina, citing the Italian philosopher Domenico De Masi, famous for the concept of “ creative leisure”, which states that idleness is a factor that stimulates creativity.

According to the therapist, activities such as meditation and even moments in nature can also help in this process. “Sitting next to a waterfall, listening to the sound of the water, is something that can bring us to the present, and this can be the most important exercise to empty the mind, because focusing on the now makes you free your mind in in relation to future concerns”, he states.

Psychologist Renata Borja, a specialist in cognitive-behavioral therapy, cites other attitudes that can also be taken to minimize the effects of such a busy mind. “Nowadays we have ‘mindfulness’, yoga is also a really cool strategy. One thing I teach my patients a lot is to postpone worries by saying: ‘Look, now I’m not going to worry about this, I’ll think about it later’, instead of spending the whole day worrying or thinking about something. We can also think of strategies as physical or playful activity. And also about enjoying what you are doing, be it a painting, be it a song – whether it is taking care of the garden, arranging an embroidery, anything in which we can use our creativity, because, when we exercise it, we are occupying ourselves with things good”, he lists.

—

THE TIME reinforces the commitment to quality, professional and Minas Gerais journalism. Our newsroom produces responsible information every day that you can trust.

Follow THE TIME on Facebook, on Twitter and on Instagram. Help grow our community.