
Mental Wealth - imartin2k
https://jjbeshara.com/2020/06/04/mental-wealth/
======
christiansakai
For myself. This is what I've been doing and working for me.

From the outside, generally, stay away or just observe from far away:

\- People who post political/religious/racial comments every 5 mins or so on
social media, whether their view aligns with yours or not

\- People who are too passionate about one thing

\- People who don't keep their identity small in public, be it digital or real
life

\- People who have black and white thinking

\- Social media

From the inside:

\- Exercise (I do Karate)

\- Have other creativity outlet (I do Aquascape, play electric guitar, bass,
and sing, aside from programming)

\- Read a lot various subjects, anything that spike your curiosity (I read
programming books, theological books, finance, aquascaping, music, philosophy,
economy)

\- Have some other non thinking hobbies occasionally (I play games, go out
with my spouse, watch movies)

\- Help your communities (I am quite active to my church)

I still need to work on these:

\- Eat healthier food

\- Have more consistent sleep cycle

Generally if I have to sum it. Keep your public identity small, but keep your
private identity large. You can definitely tell I grew up in Asia.

~~~
pow_pp_-1_v
> \- People who are too passionate about one thing

People who are passionate about something are generally interesting people.
They know the obscure ins and outs of the thing they are passionate about. You
can learn a lot from such people. At least, that's what I always felt.

~~~
nazka
I’m not sure if you add a point or misunderstood but OP said: “people who are
-Too- passionate about one thing”.

OP is only talking about people who are too involved in what they are doing,
and not people with a lot of passion, and so this having bad effects on their
life with neglecting the other important part of their life.

If it’s to be work by being workalcolic, video games, music... and being so
involved that kids, family, and friends are neglected. To education when they
are in high school or college and playing video games which I did myself, and
their future is neglected.

I also saw first hand parents loving so much their job and their career that
they were neglecting their children to the point where their kids were
starting to show warnings and sometimes alarming behaviors.

Also as a side note we can be strongly passionate because of something outside
being really negative in our lives so our hobby or anything is our way to
escape that and do something for ourselves. Now that can be good. But. We
should remind ourselves in this case that the long term solution will be to
address the problem first hand and not to escape it even more, if it’s to
hobbies, work, or anything.

~~~
christiansakai
Thanks for clarifying. Indeed this is what I meant. I probably should use the
word “overly” instead of “too” here to make it clearer.

------
jordwest
In this article the author covers a few areas to consider in managing mental
health:

Sleep, Diet, Exercise, Stress Management, Exogenous Compounds (from coffee to
melatonin to Prozac, and anything in between)

These are certainly important factors, and I think we need to look much more
broadly at underlying factors than just these (or just drugs).

I've been reading about mental health issues for years with my own ups and
downs, and the best book I've read on this topic so far is Lost Connections by
Johann Hari.

In the book he describes the ways modern life has disconnected us from a lot
of what humans find meaningful, and given that it's not surprising that rates
of depression and anxiety have skyrocketed. For me, learning what those
underlying causes are has meant I could start making a conscious effort to
address them in my own life. It's a lot of work, but it's been far more
effective than just trying to make myself feel better by improving my mood
with exercise, sleep etc.

I think as a society we've become so good at dealing with symptoms, but we're
afraid to spend the time to look deeply and investigate causes. Politicians
think that riots are the problem and if they stop the riots with force the
problem goes away. But riots are just a symptom of a sick system.

~~~
austincheney
> Politicians think that riots are the problem and if they stop the riots with
> force the problem goes away. But riots are just a symptom of a sick system.

No the system and other systemic or social problems are just a excuse.

Riots, at least those in recent events are an example of contagious social
behavior. That is evidenced by the fact that the blamed issues have been known
problems for longer than two weeks with people actively working for years to
raise awareness of them. If other people are so passionate about these social
problems that they are drawn to riot then where was this passion more than two
weeks ago? Why suddenly congregate into emotional hysteria, especially since
other people have been actively addressing these concerns for years, when the
problems of complaint are preexisting and were clearly previously known to
these congregants?

~~~
sprsimplestuff
It's quite clear that recent events, specifically the death of George Floyd,
Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor are the exact reason why people have decided
to "suddenly congregate into emotional hysteria". Yes, these issues have been
present, but, undoubtedly, those deaths sparked something across the country.
Are riots and violence the solution? That's debatable, but they do send a
message in a society where money is a significant source of power.

As someone who is black and impacted by these recent events - think of them as
a giant pouring of gasoline on an already present fire. People are grieving
pain that has been present for years. People grieve in different ways. I don't
agree with using violence, looting, rioting as a means of grieving, yet I can
fully understand why others have taken that route. The riots are in fact a
symptom...not an excuse. It's a fact. Slavery was a "well known problem", but
it took the Civil War to see the Emancipation Proclamation come into fruition.

Getting rid of racism in America's systems and in individuals is going to take
a lot of effort along with moments like this where everyone is reminded of
exactly how much progress is left.

~~~
ShrCul
> People are grieving pain that has been present for years. People grieve in
> different ways. I don't agree with using violence, looting, rioting

I stumbled on an interesting phrase for the looting: "looters are not
protestors, and protestors are not looters." Some may even distinguish
protesters from rioters. Indeed, there are black people still peacefully
protesting, even against the use of uncontrolled destruction. It doesn't make
sense for people (of different races) to destroy and at the same time rake the
reputation of black people through the mud for a moment of... satisfaction (?)
without care for the people - even black people - who will be suffer for it.

But I am certain that whoever, regardless of race, is stealing from some
designer store does not give a flying fuck about the movement - at least when
compared to their greed. BLM is not about the use of slave labor predominant
in the clothing industry.

------
onion2k
I find articles like this one where 100% of the onus for coping with mental
health problems is put on the individual quite annoying. There's nothing in
the article about getting help from other people, or how to cope with problems
that you _can 't_ fix easily. It's kind of a toxic attitude because it makes
others believe people with mental health issues _just aren 't trying hard
enough_ and completely ignores individual circumstances or our ability to help
ourselves. It's all very well to tell people with mental health problems that
they should sleep better, eat better and get some exercise, but that ignores
the fact that mental health problems can _physically_ stop people doing that.

If fixing your mental health was simple then it wouldn't be such a prevalent
problem.

~~~
austincheney
Actually the article right at the beginning asks the reader not to equivocate
mental health with mental illness and heath, or rather wholistic well-being,
is actually almost entirely the proactive responsibility of the individual.
The basic starting point is fitness which applies to mental health
conditioning just as it does to physical exercise.

To be fair to your point though the article does say we should shift our
thinking on mental health to the same perceptions granted towards physical
health. That should mean the mental health evaluation equivalent of a physical
every four years. That is absolutely beneficial to everybody because even
perfectly healthy people get regular physicals even when they are perfectly
healthy.

~~~
CaptArmchair
I'm always wary of anyone leveraging concepts such as "investing in mental
wealth" or "focussing on self improvement" in order to pander 5 bullet
methodologies. Even more so when the author interjects a plug, both shameless
as well as irrelevant, for their own book - Beyond Coffee - in their argument.

The fallacy hidden in the article is that each of us is completely in control
over our physical and mental well-being. That your well being isn't an
inevitability but a choice. If it's a choice, then this implies that making
the right choices is 100% your own responsibility.

Sure, the author does raise a number of fair points about mental healthcare
and how some good daily habits affect your own well being.

But then the author completely misses the mark in the conclusion.

No two human lives are the same. Everyone's experience is uniquely different
and shaped by an infinite number of events and circumstances past, present and
future. Most of which humans don't even get to control directly. The idea of
controlling your life and the optimistic view that one is able to mould it
towards an ideal stems in Modernistic tradition.

Human minds are doing poorly at self diagnosing, while it's very hard for
others to spot the signs of mental health issues. Mental health is also deeply
woven into the identity and the personality of individuals. Personal struggles
are very much part of being an individual.

Rather then pandering "we should invest in our mental wealth" or even "we
should go for a yearly mental health check up", start by sitting down and
listening compassionately to those around you first, without offering any
practical solutions. If someone lost a loved one, they don't want to hear
"maybe you should see a therapist" right off the bat, they are addressing you
directly, and they hope you're just willing to listen and acknowledging their
pain and not much more.

If someone states they suffer depression, anxiety or PTSD, rather then arguing
semantics, the more important questions to ask would be: Am I listening to
this person, what are they trying to say and do I understand what they are
saying?

Finally, statements that start with "we should..." without backing up their
claim, tend to rustle my Jimmies. Who's this "we" anyway? And why am I being
dragged into the argument from the outset?

~~~
CrazyStat
> The fallacy hidden in the article is that each of us is completely in
> control over our physical and mental well-being. That your well being isn't
> an inevitability but a choice. If it's a choice, then this implies that
> making the right choices is 100% your own responsibility.

This is nonsense. The author makes no such argument, you're just projecting it
onto him.

"Here are some things you can do to proactively manage your mental health,
rather than ignoring it until you have a crisis" is in no way putting 100% of
the responsibility on the individual.

~~~
CrazyStat
I was in an accident many years ago that split my chin and chipped or cracked
about a dozen of my teeth, resulting in over $10k of dental work since. But
when my dentist advises me to proactively manage my dental health by brushing
and flossing daily I don't accuse her of fallaciously implying that I am in
complete control of my dental wellbeing.

~~~
CaptArmchair
> I don't accuse her of fallaciously implying that I am in complete control of
> my dental wellbeing.

Of course not. Your dentist does understand the difference between what you
can do and can't do. But context matters. And I'd venture your insurance may
hold a different idea about personal responsibility.

The same applies to a self-described silicon valley angel investor, founder,
podcaster, author and general start-up helper who writes about "investing in
mental wealth".

------
vgchh
Recently I had an epiphany and I felt as if I had cracked the code to living a
good life - 1. Exercise everyday 2. Eat and drink clean.

As cliche as it sounds it felt like if I took care of these two things,
everything else will take care of itself. Since last 15 days, I feel
reinvigorated once again as I focus on these two things. There is a long way
to go to fully undo all the damage, but I feel I am on track.

~~~
resiros
Although exercising and eating well are very important for our well being,
they're not enough. The most fundamental thing is having the right mindset:

Some beliefs are so destructive that no amount of exercise will alleviate
their effect. For instance, some people are what I call blamers. They believe
that their misery is because of life, others, society... They refuse to accept
what life has given them (whether their look, family...). They honestly
believe that their misery is result of external consequences. No amount of
exercise will fix that. Contrast that to those who are always grateful. Always
glad with what they got. Happiness for these is simple.

~~~
Enginerrrd
You say that, but I've actually seen people with that exact mindset start to
make progress when I've helped them keep a consistent workout schedule and
designed an appropriate training regimen for them. All of a sudden, they're 3
months in and they feel good, their body doesn't hurt anymore, they're
stronger, they look better, their cardiovascular fitness has noticeably
improved, and they realized that THEY did that. They put in the work,
consistently, and changed things they had previously been blaming on their
genetics and parents.

So, for some, it can help.

~~~
ShroudedNight
> ...when I've helped them keep a consistent workout schedule and designed an
> appropriate training regimen for them.

This is a significant, non-scalable investment of time and effort in the well-
being of another. It wouldn't surprise me if such experiences were in
extremely short supply in those people's lives. From my experience, there's a
significant chunk of the population for which this sort of investment is a
required component for their on-going sense of self-worth.

I'm not sure why, but my experience is that tech culture is particularly prone
to an almost axiomatic rejection of this aspect of human interaction and well-
being, and often exhibits significant prejudice towards those for whom this
external requirement for well-being manifests.

------
NalNezumi
>When it comes to mental health, our society approaches it like we did with
physical health 50 years ago. We only think about it when something is wrong.

I'm not sure about the broader society, but I think this mentality is still
prevalent in _both_ physical and mental health these day.

My mother was a very health conscious person (to the level of insanity) but
one attitude she showed that I think lead to long term mental/physical health
improvement is what your attitude towards medicine is. She saw medicine never
as a solution but a temporary band-aid and if you use one medication more than
once, it is a indication that something in your life is terribly wrong. I
don't share that absolutist attitude, some situations are only solvable with
medical interference. But where you draw this line seems to have an profound
effect.

I've observed that people that consider medicine (both for physical & mental
health) as a part of the solution to a problem they have in life never achieve
to get out of their trouble. If you're living a unhealthy lifestyle, any
health complications are amplified and taking medicine might suppress it for
now, but unless you change the underlying life-style, it will slowly make
things worse. Same goes for mental health; If your mental life style is
unhealthy (bad social interaction, information consumption that most lead to
negative emotions etc), any amount of anti-depressant won't get you out of
trouble. You're only delaying it.

~~~
Yanu-3452
Sorry but this is nonsense.

You're suggesting that I shouldn't get the same chemotherapy for relapsed
cancer or that my relapse is because of "something in my life is terribly
wrong".

Because the treatment worked to get it in remission, fuck me for wanting to
take the same medicine again?

Lots of people suffer from poor health through no fault of their own. Arguing
that their ills must be because of poor life choices is victim blaming.

Just because you're lucky enough to not have suffered chronic ill health
doesn't mean others have been so lucky.

Take pleasure in your fortune, but don't try to take all credit for it.

~~~
hobofan
> I don't share that absolutist attitude, some situations are only solvable
> with medical interference.

------
jungletime
Improving access to nature would go a long way to improve city dwellers sense
of mental health and well being. Especially making it easier for owning a
cottage.

1) I live in Canada, a giant country. But camping is super expensive,
$50/night camping. Its unaffordable for any length of time. And many
provincial parks sell out.

2) Buying a small piece of land and hand building a tiny cottage is basically
outlawed in Ontario. You need building permits and build at least 800 sqft.
100K is probably the base price for the land alone.

3)Despite all the land, there is no program for providing allotment gardens to
citizens. Having a small patch of land you can grow vegetables on is rare. But
its a thing in many European countries.

4) Where I live all the forests have been cut down, and turned to giant farms
long ago. Almost all land is private. You can't just go and wonder.

TV, Video games and Computers are cool and all, but its obviously not
something you should be spending most of your day on. But it seems like thats
the only affordable entertainment option left for many people.

People are bored, cooped up in tiny apartments because of Covid. I can see why
people are rioting in cities. And since so many people seem to be stacking up
at zero or negative wealth. Capitalism seems to be under direct attack now,
and some serious cracks are forming. The politicians need to revaluate the
situation.

Lots of land in North America, why not have a program where poor citizens can
get a small lot somewhere, and let them build a small cottage there. Without
it costing 100s of thousand and thousands a year in taxes. A place they can
take their kids to.

~~~
falseprofit
People aren't rioting because they're bored and cooped up. They're protesting
extrajudicial killings.

~~~
antepodius
You think being cooped up isn't part of the motivation?

------
motohagiography
Could shorten this by starting with what wealth is. You can measure relative
wealth roughly by how long you can reasonably plan into the future. This is
what separates it from money.

The author's notion of Mental wealth, using that definition, would be how long
can you can reasonably plan to be self assured and make decisions using that
frame of mind. An hour? A day? Still looking forward to a positive time
period? Even if you are depressed or grieving, you can have mental wealth by
accepting those circumstances and recognizing you are making decisions with
that as a factor.

Extending that model, mental poverty could be when you are essentially
paralyzed or a slave to intrusive thoughts, where you cannot go a few minutes
without being interrupted by fears, memories, or imagined conflicts. It's hard
to separate the notion of "you," from your thoughts, and there is a part of
our mind that needs to convince us they're the same thing, but recognizing
that the mind that produces these thoughts can be just like a finger or an
appendage that is injured without taking all of you with it is a big leap
toward mental "wealth."

Viewed this way, you are not your stubbed toe, or even your broken leg, and
the part of your mind that is in pain and cutting you off from the present is
not all of you either. You may need to compensate for it until it heals, or
even adapt to the injury, but it doesn't mean you should stop making decisions
and plans. Recognizing when you aren't making decisions and plans, and
exercising the ability to actively decide to do so could be the foundation for
building this mental wealth. I like the author's model, it could be useful.

------
fellow_human
I only skim read the article, but I think it's missing a key section which is
"strong relationships". Having the right people around you and having a sense
of connection with those people can have a dramatically positive effect on
your well-being. Aside from that I agree that it's good to invest in your
mental health like you would physical. Definately take the time out to learn
how to look after your own mental well-being and you will probably see
benefits translate to all areas of your life.

------
alltakendamned
It always surprises me how little value is given to positive human
relationships and community when considering mental well-being. It's in my
opinion the second most important thing after sleep.

~~~
logicchains
It's harder advice to give. Trying to wake up at the same time every day and
not drink coffee before bed is, at least in theory, something anybody could do
without too much difficulty. Going out and making more friends, getting more
involved in the community, is a scarier idea to propose, especially if
somebody already has some kind of social anxiety.

~~~
alltakendamned
I agree it's not as easy as drinking a cup of coffee, but does it have to be
easy or does it have to be effective ? Mental health is too important to leave
it up to quick fixes.

While social anxiety seems to be definitely more prevalent these days, I am
wondering if this might be something that actually increases due to the
precise lack of sufficient positive community experiences.

Meeting new people has always been uncomfortable and a bit scary for most
people, but being part of something low key like a community garden or a group
of people playing sports for fun will in my opinion do more for one's mental
health than drinking coffee or taking melatonin.

That said, of course not every experience counts as positive nor will every
activity suit everyone, it might take some time to find what you enjoy - but
it's worth it.

But let's also turn it around and follow the advice, you sleep well, eat
healthy, do your round in the gym, meditate and drink your coffee every day.
Well, you're still going to feel pretty sad and lonely if the rest of the time
you're locked up in your room reading Reddit. The advice given is not bad per
se, it's just not complete.

~~~
bonoboTP
> But let's also turn it around and follow the advice, you sleep well, eat
> healthy, do your round in the gym, meditate and drink your coffee every day.
> Well, you're still going to feel pretty sad and lonely if the rest of the
> time you're locked up in your room reading Reddit.

By doing these things you legitimately improve your physical and mental
faculties. Of course it's a cycle that feeds back to itself: socializing and
having friends will give you motivation to keep up your habits and so on.

Sometimes the first step is fixing the basics so that you have the energy and
mood to go out and explore the world and to make people want to befriend you.
You have to break the cycle somewhere and it has to be where you are in
control, not where other people are in control.

------
edraferi
This article spills a lot of ink to say that you should focus on your Sleep,
Diet, Exercise, Stress, and Drugs in that order. It provides a few tips for
each topic:

1) Sleep

Tip: "my biggest pro-tip [...] wake up every morning at the same time"

2) Diet

Tip: "Get your food allergens checked and make sure you’re not consuming foods
that your allergic to on a regular basis (I used Everlywell.com for their at
home food allergy test recently, and it was great)."

Tip: "Consuming multiple alcoholic drinks before bed can absolutely wreck your
sleep, which is the first foundation to mental wealth."

3) Exercise

"I’m going to zero in on the anti-inflammatory effects of high intensity
aerobic exercise 3 times a week (which incorporates improvement to mood,
detoxification, and anti-inflammation). [...] this is all about using a stair-
master or elliptical, cycling, or high intensity running for anywhere from
15-30 minutes, etc. 3x per week. Cycling has been shown to be superior to
running for the aerobic effects, so I use our family’s Peloton for 20 min HIIT
rides at least 3x a week, preferably more. [...] Try this for 4 weeks and see
what it does for your mental health (and your sleep)."

4) Stress Management

Tip: "[find] time to sit quietly for 15 minutes in the morning, with your cup
of coffee or tea in-hand, to do three primary things has been extremely
helpful for me:

(i) Gratitude journaling of 5 things that I’m grateful for (nothing is too
small here, from the sunrise to the laugh of my daughter will make the list),

(ii) 2-3 minutes of breathing exercises (google 4-7-8

breathing for a really simple breath work exercise),

(iii) Lastly, 5 minutes outline my to do list for the day."

5) Exogenous Compounds

Tip: "any of these, from the innocuous to the Schedule II prescription, should
be last on the list of your personal “mental wealth” audit."

------
frequentnapper
I wouldn't put much stock in Ayurveda or even worse, Traditional Chinese
Medicine, except some of the treatments which have been proven to work.
There's a reason why western medicine is superior - it follows evidence-based
modern scientific and research principles, not hogwash.

~~~
lotsofpulp
Instead of “western” medicine, I prefer to call it “evidence based, tested
with randomized controlled experiments, mechanism of action deduced” medicine.
No data, no medicine.

Even then, medicine is super hard since there is so much complexity in the
human body and variations across populations, and experiments are extremely
costly.

~~~
banads
>Instead of “western” medicine, I prefer to call it “evidence based, tested
with randomized controlled experiments, _mechanism of action deduced_ ”
medicine

If that's the definition, then there are _zero_ psychiatric drugs that can be
classified as western "medicine", as we have yet to understand how drugs like
anti-depressants intercourse with the mind ("the mechanism of action
deduced").

"psychiatric diagnosis still relies exclusively on fallible subjective
judgments rather than objective biological tests" -Allen Frances

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Frances](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Frances)

~~~
lotsofpulp
Yes, mechanism of action is an ideal, but not attainable yet with current
technology. Of course, we have to make do with what we have, and there is
higher probabilities of errors with medicines which we don't understand the
mechanism of action.

------
glaberficken
I think the author is mistaking cause with effect.

When the things mentioned (Sleep, Diet, Exercise, Stress Management, Exogenous
Compounds) go out of balance, that "unbalancing" may well be a symptom
(consequence) of the mental issue and not the cause as is implied in the
article.

You can invest all you want decades in advance in creating balanced habits in
those areas and still be disrupted down the line with negative mental health
events.

~~~
logicchains
It may not be clear that those things can completely prevent mental issues,
but I think it's fairly clear that poor diet, sleep, stress management and
exercise can contribute to an increase in the frequency of mental health
issues.

------
keiferski
By the title, I thought this would be about the idea of defining wealth by
your mental state, mood, or knowledge, and not yet another "let's apply
overly-rational financial analysis to _everything_ but not actually question
the bigger systems at play" article.

 _If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him.
An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest._ \- Benjamin
Franklin

------
s1t5
> my experience has taught me that there are five foundations towards a
> concept I will call ‘mental wealth’ — sleep, diet, exercise, stress
> management, and exogenous compounds (anything from coffee to alcohol to
> prescription medication).

I think these are accurate but a glaring omission is the overarching element
of "how good is your life". You can take care of your physiology (and you
should) but that won't get you too far if, for example, you're also stuck at a
dead end job or if you're completely isolated and have no friends and no
intimate partner.

~~~
antepodius
It's easier to get friends/a partner, or negotiate for promotion/a raise, or
do what you have to to get a better job when you're not fat, sleep-deprived,
and spending all you free time on reddit/tumblr/4chan whining about
trump/men/women.

------
axegon_
Genuine question: how would someone define "mental health" or be able to
determine if someone is mentally healthy? Even for myself, I really have no
clue whether I'm mentally healthy or not.

~~~
antepodius
How do you define physical health? In a sense, nobody is _really_ healthy.
We're all afflicted with a long-term progressive wasting disease that has 100%
mortality (so far).

You can say 'healthy' is just a good-enough arbitrary cut-off. For mental
health, no glaring neuroses, you usually feel good or neutral about yourself,
no suicidal ideation, basically just if none of the markers people've said are
unhealthy show up.

------
bonoboTP
I think there are some more

\- fresh air and sunlight (high CO2 indoors is detrimental to cognition and
sun is needed for the circadian rythm and vitamin D and other stuff)

\- social contact (appropriate to personality), so friends, family and
romantic relationships to the extent and intensity that one's personality
needs them

\- career success and stable finances: makes one feel useful and takes away a
lot of stress and frees up mental energy to think about all the other things
mentioned in the article

\- winding down sometimes, unplugging from phones, TV etc. One way is
meditation, but can also be just sitting with a cup of tea thinking about
nothing particular

\- learning and trying new things, new foods, new languages, new books or
genres

\- challenging oneself and overcoming discomfort, physically such as cold
showers, or mentally such as public speaking or whatever seems scary/hard

I think the overall idea is a scaffolding of routine and stable structure in
life punctuated with deliberate, planned and conscious reaches out of the
comfort zone. Like yeah waking up every day is great and much better than a
whacky schedule. What's probably even better is having exceptions and whacking
up your sleep for one or two weeks per year for a festival or a hike or a few
days of intense creative work.

The point is to return to the default every time, but religiously sticking to
a rigid routine where you cancel and refuse anything that may conflict with it
is only to be recommended to people with really low change tolerance like
certain autists. Even they should play with their own limits even if those
limits are at a different place.

------
LargoLasskhyfv
[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_sink](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_sink)

&

[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_Park)

------
bufordtwain
It's a good list. Another contributor to mental health is "doing things that
you enjoy". That can trade off against some of the other items. So, eating a
delicious (but unhealthy) meal gives you points in the happiness column but
takes some away from the diet column.

------
Timpy
I agree with the premise: be proactive about mental health.

However, this should be read with some skepticism. The author relies on their
own authority as someone who "has been thinking about mental health for 19
years." I was intentional about not googling whoever this is, perhaps they're
a medical professional or something. But if that were the case, I would hope
they would cite better sources than describing themself as "someone that has
paid close attention to this cross-lattice work of interweaving disciplines
for a while now". Skimming over buzzwords like "detoxification, and anti-
inflammation" is a red flag. The article's first side bar goes on to talk
about how "the first medical professionals were surgeons saving a soldier’s
life". This is line is particularly disconcerting, but the entire "sidebar"
sounds like conjecture. The whole article sounds like conjecture, which should
NOT be sold as a source of authority on a topic like health. That is how we
get essential-oil anti-vaxxers.

------
Bellamy
This.Post.Is.Gold.

It's now been a few years after my burnout/depression episode and finally
someone put my thoughts into words.

I came into the same conclusion after learning about depression, doing
therapy, and among other things/research/trying things.

So I refused to take pills, but instead make a lifestyle change. I also
started developing Habinator app (see: habinator.com), which is a tool to help
to make a change.

I'm glad that there are professional smart people who see the bigger picture
in (mental) health and not the short term fix. It would be great if the
decision makers and people with money would also see this.

------
AlexanderZ
I've been working on an app that allows me to send messages to my past and
future selves, as well as posting today's thoughts (for reading by my future
self). I had initially created it over a weekend as a fun side project, but it
turned out to be a great tool for self reflection. An ios beta is coming out
next week, fill out this form if you'd like to try it out:

[https://forms.gle/C9KebsV2u64Wqvc56](https://forms.gle/C9KebsV2u64Wqvc56)

~~~
bondarchuk
How do you manage to send messages to your past selves?

~~~
AlexanderZ
Every day of your life gets its own page so you can post a comment there.

Usually people write to their past selves regarding some regrets in order to
ease the pain. Simply putting your thoughts out of the mind and onto the
screen helps. And treating your past self as another person helps, too.

Also people write to their future selves to encourage/overcome the fear of the
unknown.

------
jgilias
Quite a nice article.

However, I'd absolutely change the order of things to pay attention to. The
first one of the mentioned ones should be 'Stress Management'.

If you get this one right, you'll have better sleep, more time (and
willingness) for exercise, as well as less of a need for any substances to get
you through the day.

Also, he doesn't mention metacognition at all. Paying attention to one own's
thought processes is a big part of staying sane in the long term.

------
quickthrower2
If the author has an rss I’d love to add it to my reader. Liked the article
and has given me things to think about. Allergy testing sort of stuck out for
me most.

~~~
severine
[https://jjbeshara.com/feed/](https://jjbeshara.com/feed/)

------
vlasev
What I rarely see, if ever, is writing and guides on what to do with yourself
when life throws a wrench at you. I find it's not difficult to eat well, sleep
well, exercise well when times are alright. But then if something bad happens
to me, all of that goes out the window and it can be quite difficult to go
back. I think most of us have difficulty with these things on smaller or
larger scales.

------
AnonC
That was quite a long article. It could’ve been made much shorter and still
conveyed the points. I was surprised that the author is ok with alcohol in
moderation but seems to be against coffee (that’s the sense I got).

The mention of older medicinal systems being focused on prevention and listing
Dr. Andrew Weil put me off. IMO, these should be last on your list when you’re
looking for help or solutions.

------
mFixman
The article contradicts itself.

The first half talks about how to treat mental health like we treat physical
health, and we treat physical health in a transactional "businesslike" way.

The second half of the article proposes doing exactly the same: extreme
measurement of pathologies and solutions instead of going for what feels right
to your body.

------
perlpimp
The idea of health wealth is good IMO. In ye olde times in China I read that
you paid your doctor while you were well. If you went sick the doctor went
into action to protect his recurring revenue treating you to the best of their
ability.

------
shadytrees
Extrapolating personal health observations to a general population is one of
the most annoying types of misinformation the internet tends to amplify. Use
site:.gov on Google as a better source of medical advice, folks

------
elpin
I was curious and did some research about the "Everlywell" food allergy test
this article recommends, and the evidence behind it seems INCREDIBLY weak.
From what I'm reading the product seems to be some Shark Tunk funded non-FDA
reviewed no-oversight pseudoscience. Apparently many "at home testing kits"
are not FDA regulated at all.

Worse, it seems that many doctors and organizations think they can actually do
harm given the misinformation they provide:

......

"Patients who ask Dr. Robert Wood, an allergist at Johns Hopkins Children’s
Center, whether they have a food sensitivity would never undergo an
immunoglobulin G test. Immunoglobulin G tests “are completely useless and do
dramatic harm” because they may compel patients to unnecessarily avoid broad
swaths of a healthy diet, Wood said.

“In all my years of practice, I have never sent an immunoglobulin G test
because they have no ability to predict food sensitivity,” he said.

That’s because immunoglobulin G stems from the body’s normal immune response
to exposure to many substances, including food. High levels don’t indicate a
problem; they simply point to foods a person recently has eaten.

For these reasons, a 2008 European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
task force recommended against testing for a type of immunoglobulin G to
evaluate for food intolerance. In the report, the group wrote that the test
was “irrelevant for the laboratory work-up of food allergy or intolerance and
should not be performed in case of food-related complaints.”" [0]

......

"Dr. Neha Shah, a rheumatologist and immunologist at Stanford University, is
one doctor who is skeptical.

"What we don't have is proof that having a high IgG level against a particular
food item means that that food is causing your symptoms," says Shah.

"A lot of this kind of huxterist testing is keying off of the placebo effect,"
says Dr. Norman Paradis, a clinical lab expert who teaches at the Geisel
School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, referring to the industry in general
and not to a particular product. "[1]

......

"The presence of IgG is likely a normal response of the immune system to
exposure to food. In fact, higher levels of IgG4 to foods may simply be
associated with tolerance to those foods.

Due to the lack of evidence to support its use, many organizations, including
the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the Canadian Society of
Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the European Academy of Allergy and
Clinical Immunology have recommended against using IgG testing to diagnose
food allergies or food intolerances / sensitivities" [2]

......

The author should seriously consider removing this from their article.

[0]: [https://www.statnews.com/2018/01/23/everlywell-food-
sensitiv...](https://www.statnews.com/2018/01/23/everlywell-food-sensitivity-
test/)

[1]: [https://www.npr.org/sections/health-
shots/2018/05/28/6141252...](https://www.npr.org/sections/health-
shots/2018/05/28/614125270/do-diy-medical-tests-promise-more-than-they-can-
deliver)

[2]: [https://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-
treatments/library/alle...](https://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-
treatments/library/allergy-library/IgG-food-test)

------
hejja
felt like a generic article when I started reading, but turned out to be
incredible. thanks so much for writing.

------
AlexCoventry
> the Western medical system evolved from medical treatments during warfare

What's the historical basis for this claim?

------
david_draco
Detox is a pseudoscientific concept.

~~~
qntty
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detoxification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detoxification)

------
rcoder
So just to make sure I'm clear: the author of this post is (according to the
"about" page on the linked site) is "an angel investor, founder, podcaster,
author, and general startup-helper" who is wildly speculating about the causes
of and solutions for one of the most complex and nuanced areas of medicine out
there.

Then he indulges in exactly the kind of casual, "if you just do this you'll be
_fine_" sort of reasoning from armchair diagnosticians that leads people
_actually_ suffering from mental illness to think, "oh man, I guess I'm just
undisciplined and all of this is _my fault_."

I'm sorry, but no. Just stop. Your "helpful tips" equate the _symptoms_ of
mental health issues (lack of sleep, inability to focus and plan, over-
consumption of alcohol, etc.) with the fixes that are available to you if you
"just try harder'.

Telling someone deep in debt that smarter decisions made long ago would have
avoided their current problems may be _accurate_ but is neither helpful nor
compassionate. Likewise, telling anyone who'll listen that acute mental health
crises can be prevented proactively by "simply following these few tips" does
less than nothing for those suffering right now: in fact, it worsens the
perception that their illness is their own fault, it's too late to make any
improvement or progress, doctors will just try to sell them snake oil so why
bother, etc., etc.

Perhaps if the author had said something like, "I too have struggled with
mental health and found the following things made a difference for me. YMMV,
and of course you should only attempt self-fixes in combination with treatment
by a qualified professional, etc. etc." He did none of that, nor is he a
trained psychiatrist or counselor, which makes his "hard-earned wisdom"
suspect to me.

"Be more like me and you too can be successful/happy/rich/etc." is not a
terribly useful kind of advice. Likewise "the trained experts in the field
don't want you to know this, but the solution to $really-hairy-problem is just
to $follow-my-convenient-five-point-plan."

In case my umbrage at the tone and content of this article wasn't clue enough:
I have been diagnosed as bipolar, with concurrent major depression, anxiety,
and substance use disorder. Many of the symptoms and aggravating factors were
buried or even encourage by the "startup life" and I'm deeply skeptical about
VCs and founders who purport to care about the mental health of their peers
and employees while making a constant push to "hustle", "put in the hours",
"not settle for a lifestyle business", etc.

Throughout my career my manic periods have consistently been the most
productive weeks and months of my working life, but the corresponding
depressive episodes usually resulted in me being fired or walking away from an
otherwise-decent job because no one understood or bothered to ask why a "high
performer" had suddenly become flaky and uncommunicative. Advice on how to
"prevent" mental illness from those who have neither suffered from it or been
trained to treat it is _not_ going to make things better for me or folks with
similar experiences.

~~~
rsanek
Must we always prefix advice with "may not apply to everyone"? I'm personally
tired of reading it so often; anyone receiving advice should use some critical
thinking and realize that not all (or even any) will apply to them.

------
halfimmortal
Really nice article

------
glutamate
I really don't think the best way of building up mental health reserves is to
approach this thinking like an entrepreneur or an investor. To be honest that
sounds like the broken record that is the Silicon Valley or general capitalism
BS machine.

Instead, I would advocate participating in communities, working for social and
environmental justice, volunteering and acting in a spirit of generosity that
is directed away from the self. You can do this in many ways and one of them
is to participate in non-toxic open source communities that build together and
give away the product freely.

~~~
logicchains
>working for social and environmental justice

In my experience focusing on political causes of any kind is not a great path
to happiness, as it almost inevitably results in anger, frustration or sadness
at the state of the world.

~~~
glutamate
The goal is not happiness; the goal is liberation.

~~~
logicchains
The goal the article is referring to is improving mental health. Is a
consistently unhappy person considered mentally healthy?

~~~
glutamate
If I worked for my own happiness, how would I look at myself in the mirror
knowing that my happiness is based on an unsustainable lifestyle? How can I be
happy knowing that that my sisters can't get three square meals a day and my
brothers can't breathe?

~~~
logicchains
>If I worked for my own happiness, how would I look at myself in the mirror
knowing that my happiness is based on an unsustainable lifestyle?

Clearly you have goals/values other than just "maximising own happiness". If
your goal was purely that (not suggesting it should be), then those other
values would just stand in the way of happiness.

