Better You

1. Be compassionate with your suffering. A sure sign of mental health is that you are compassionate with yourself when times are hard — that you approach your mistakes and suffering in a gentle, rational way, without resorting to extremes. Self-compassion means that in times of pain or suffering, you treat yourself like you would treat a good friend — in an empathetic, balanced, non-judgmental way. 2. Be flexible in your behavior. There’s an old saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result each time. A tell-tale sign of poor mental health is rigid behavior. But its opposite — flexibility — is the key to a stronger, more healthy emotional life. 3. Be curious about your own mind. When you learn to be curious about your own mind, self-awareness and growth are not far behind. Impulsiveness lead to bad decisions, but it prevents us from learning something new about ourselves. If you cultivate the habit of observing your thoughts and feelings — especially the uncomfortable ones — you can begin to get curious about them. The next time you feel a strong emotion, hit the pause button. Then ask yourself: What’s going on in my mind right now?

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