What are you feeding your mind?

Are you making intentional choices about the information you consume, or are you picking up whatever comes along?

There’s much discussion in the public domain about the food you should consume and at what intervals so that you can maintain a healthy, sound body.

However, there’s little discussion about how much and what kind of information you should consume to maintain a healthy mind. And I would argue that a healthy mind is as, if not more important than a healthy body.

I know and understand that the mind doesn’t function the same as the body, but there are similarities. Both require sustenance and time for rest and recovery. Both also require activity or exercise to maintain a fitness level that allows you to do the things you want to do.

You know that a diet of junk food will not result in a healthy body; after all, you are what you eat. But what’s the problem with junk food for the mind?

Well, I’m intentionally going to be unclear and say it depends. I know I’m taking the easy way out, but I believe it depends on how you want to live your life and what you want to accomplish. We both know that millions of people are happy as stereo typical ‘couch potatoes’ surviving on a diet of junk food and enjoying their life.

And if that’s how you want to live your life, then you have all the right to do so.

But if that’s not the life you want to live, then you must make some sound choices about your mental diet. You must decide to intentionally consume information that brings you closer to the kind of person you want to be. Of course, just like in your food choices, there’s always room for the occasional indulgence, or perhaps now more popularly known as a cheat meal or day.

By the way. It’s not only the information you consume that’s part of your mental diet. It’s also the thoughts you think and how you speak to yourself that contribute to your mental diet. I understand that it’s close to impossible, yes I left wiggle room there, to control all your thoughts, but with practice, you can catch your mind when it begins to wander and bring it back to focus on the thoughts that empower you.  

So, as you go about your day today, work on your mental diet by paying attention to the information you’re consuming and the thoughts that arise when you do so. Periodically take a break from consuming and allow your mind to digest, as you would do between meals. Commit to making your mental fitness as important or even more so than your physical fitness. After all, what’s the point of having a healthy body without a healthy mind.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, please share it with one person you love.