On the heels of World Mental Health Day, October 10th, I have been reflecting on my mental health journey this past year. Personally, 2024 has been a tough year for me. There has been a need to redirect my attention to focus on ME instead of WE. For most of this year, I have sought ways to manage my stress, avoid burnout, and stay balanced when pulled in different directions.
There is no single solution to maintaining mental and emotional well-being; I have been figuring this out on my journey. Life throws us curveballs, new challenges, and unexpected changes, throwing everything off balance. Does this sound familiar?
Is there a sweet spot for balance?
As I speak with friends and colleagues facing adversity, challenges, and obstacles and where they are running up against stress and burnout, it is clear that balance is different for everyone. How I describe balance is different from the way others describe it. We all have unique needs, wants, desires, coping mechanisms, and resilience levels. We must be flexible and willing to reflect, measure, recalibrate, and adjust. Easier said than done, right?
How do we do this?
On my learning journey, I was introduced to the Healthy Mind Platter, a helpful framework that outlines the seven essential daily mental activities necessary to optimize our brain health. Dr. David Rock, a leading neuroscientist, and Dr. Daniel J Siegel, a renowned psychiatrist, developed the Healthy Mind Platter framework. These seven elements comprise the complete “mental nutrients” our brains and relationships need to function at their best.
Here’s a quick look at the seven elements:
- Focus Time Engaging deeply in tasks helps build neural connections.
- Play Time Being spontaneous and creative helps open up new pathways in the brain.
- Connecting Time Engaging with others, whether in person or with nature, activates our relational circuitry.
- Physical Time Moving our bodies strengthens our body and brain.
- Time In Reflection and mindfulness help us integrate our thoughts and emotions.
- Down Time Relaxation without a goal allows the brain to recharge.
- Sleep Time Quality sleep is crucial for consolidating learning and restoring energy.
If you want to learn more about the Healthy Mind Platter, click the following link: https://neuroleadership.com/healthymindplatter
I found the research fascinating and wondered if focusing on the seven daily mental activities would improve my life. If the outcome were positive, it would be a powerful tool to encourage others to use the framework for their mental well-being.
I decided to experiment and see if the Healthy Mind Platter would make a difference. A personal case study, if you will.
The Healthy Mind Platter is a tool and a guide that empowers me to take control of my mental well-being. It enables me to assess my daily life and identify where I am over-investing and under-investing my energy. This self-awareness allows me to make small, intentional shifts leading to significant improvements over time.
The Healthy Mind Platter is not a one-size-fits-all solution but a reminder to create balance in our lives. The research shows that each of the seven activities strengthens different parts of our brain, helping us build a more balanced approach to life. My experience with it is personal and may not be the same for everyone, but it underscores the individual nature of our mental well-being.
My Journey with the Healthy Mind Platter
When I first decided to use the tool, I felt okay. I was not 100% fine, but I believed I had the right balance. After measuring myself using the seven daily elements, I realized I had been focusing too much energy on a few areas while neglecting others. Did this matter? I wondered.
Let’s put it to the test.
I used the Healthy Mind Platter as a guide to tune into what was missing. Once the results were visible, I set clear goals to address the gaps. As someone who is goal-driven, this was a crucial step for me. I then identified the new habits I needed to build to drive the necessary behavior change to reach my goals.
Over the next 30 days, I gradually integrated these new habits into my daily and weekly routines, focusing on the areas I had neglected. At the end of each day, I would track the time invested in each element, and at the end of each week, I would measure and recalibrate my progress. My reflection included the following questions:
- How am I doing toward my daily goals?
- Did I commit to the habit I made for myself?
- What, if anything, got in the way?
- Where do I need to adjust and why?
- How do I feel?
- Am I feeling any different?
- What do I need more of or less of?
- Which new habits should I build on, and which existing habits do I need to sustain?
I repeated this daily and weekly for thirty days.
The 30-day Outcome
What I discovered was truly remarkable! Using the Healthy Mind Platter, I experienced a surge in energy and productivity. I found myself to be more creative and had greater mental clarity. Most importantly, I felt a greater sense of fulfillment. No one thing in particular made me feel this way. I just felt better – period.
The feeling I experienced influenced my regular use of the Healthy Mind Platter. Every Sunday, I prepare my tracking tool and reflect on where I am and how much time I need for each element for every day of the week. I plan my week to meet my goals, recognizing and appreciating that my workload and priorities shift weekly. I use my calendar to secure the necessary time for each element. It did feel a bit strange to schedule downtime, but to be intentional, I needed to use the calendar discipline to assist me in my efforts.
Finding the right balance for any given week is helpful. I do not want to let myself down or, ultimately, those around me.
As I continue to use the tool, I suspect that balancing the seven elements will become intuitive without needing the Sunday ritual. Currently and for the foreseeable future, the tool is a helpful scorecard for goal setting and measurement. I will continue to use it until innate behaviors exist if that time ever comes. 😊
Best Practices for Using the Healthy Mind Platter:
If you want to give it a go and bring about some necessary changes that will be meaningful in your life, below are a few ways to integrate the Healthy Mind Platter:
- Use the Tracking Tool – This tool can help you to track the seven elements daily. I identify the hours I want to invest in each element per day. Note that the hours do change from day to day and week to week.
Download Tool
- Start Small – You do not need to overhaul everything at once. You can start by incorporating one or two elements each day. For example, you could add 10 minutes of downtime after intense Focus Time.
- The habit would be:
“When I complete intense work with Focus Time, instead of moving on to the next priority on my list, I will take 10 minutes of Down Time to reenergize myself.” - Reflect Weekly – Reflecting at the end of each week.
“What do you need more of, less of?”
“Are all seven elements present?”
Tracking reveals patterns and enables us to adjust our goals based on what’s coming up, especially when schedules fluctuate weekly.
- The habit would be:
Progress over perfection is a great motto.
You are paying attention and intentionally taking small steps towards creating balance in your life and working with your brain in mind. The Healthy Mind Platter is just one tool to help you. I encourage you to try it out. You will be surprised at what you uncover when you take the time to check in with yourself. 😊
