Discover yourself
5 inner places that strengthen our mental health
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Sometimes it takes a journey through ourselves to better understand what is going on inside us. We explain to you which countries you enter on your inner path and what you have to consider.
Spending more time with ourselves and reflecting on our problems, successes, strengths and weaknesses can be so beneficial – and we should do it much more often. Because in one lifetime we learn so much – good as well as bad. And it’s not always easy to process what happened.
According to US psychologist Tony Daloisio, there is five “lands” within us that we should travel and that help to effectively strengthen and maintain our mental health. All of these places on the sometimes exciting and often rewarding journey together can lead to success.
The land of stories
How do you see yourself when you think about yourself and how do you show yourself to the outside world? There is often a discrepancy here. Ask yourself how you really appear – not only in the real world in which you act with others, but also inside yourself, where emotions and thoughts prevail:
- What are small truths about your personality and life?
- Where do you affect other people and do you have a special value for them?
- What are the obstacles that you regularly encounter that are holding you back? How do you spot these traps and identify them?
We can address these questions with friends or other people we trust. But it is also possible to do it alone. Tony Daloisio advises the following three stories about yourself to write:
- Your personality story:
Here you describe how you want to be seen by the outside world. It should be about who you want to be and what would be important to you. Most of the time, your ego determines the answers – which, however, is often not a real representation of how others perceive you, but rather what you hope to bring to the world. - The Inner Story:
This is about them Things you tell yourself in your head. About who you are to yourself and how you see your life. - The history of possibilities:
Your own vision of your life, your values, hopes and desires that you set for yourself. This story often emerges from the first two strands of the story – namely when we compare our outer world and our inner world.
The land of questions
Did you decide to change something? Then take some time to think about these questions in peace. They create an important connection between the first and the second country:
- Why do you want to improve your health?
- How would you like to be seen in the world?
- What goals do you have for yourself?
- What is at stake for you when the changes come about?
These steps will help us to recognize our vision for our life and to compare it with the reality in which we are living right now. It is important to close the gap between these two countries slowly adapting the current situation to the desired situationby using the questions to think about how this is possible.
The country of origin
The third travel location is always about itself repetitive patterns you follow in your behavior. Finding the source of these can have a positive impact on your health. If we look deep inside, we can perceive our own values and recurring triggers – and connect them to each other.
Sometimes we may have been too hard on ourselves or too rigid in our behavior. When we can recognize these mistakes and how they came about, we can begin to change from within.
The Land of Learning
What skills are you proud of? But where can you maybe improve them or learn something new? New things can help us influence our behavior in a positive way. For example through inner skills such as self-reflection by keeping a diary – or external skills such as the ability to become a better listener. Recognizing and developing missing and underdeveloped skills helps our mental health.
The land of permanent change
The best step when it succeeds, but also the most difficult: Working towards and achieving our goals. The most important thing, according to US psychologist Tony Deloisio, is that Urgency with which we want to change something and us on the sense for us to focus. In order to tackle something, we need to know exactly what it takes to achieve our goal. Because if we can experience successes, receive feedback on our progress and celebrate our wins, something will change in the long term.
Positive experiences help us to stick to the path and we should keep in mind that sometimes there are many small things that lead us to the goal. Besides, we should talk to others about what we are learning. And if necessary, accept the advice and help of others. That solidifies your own commitment through your commitment and strengthens the value you attribute to your path.
Source used: Psychology Today