Survey: The best source(s) of sys-tainably good mental health outcomes is/are:
- Mood-modifying drugs for short-term help
- The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
- Human Systemics and methods identifying underlying causes
- Fortune-tellers and Horoscopes
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
The best source is in fact #3, as it alone surfaces true underlying causes and explores the feedback loops of mind and body as studied by science and also evidenced by actual experience. CBT plays a very helpful part in that process, and can be considered one of the tools of Human Systemics. Mood-modifying drugs under the care of a physician are also beneficial, and in the most serious clinical cases necessary, but are never a long-term solutions, as they are merely a temporary band-aid on unresolved underlying behavioral dysfunction.
The path to mental wellness starts with finding your Sources of joy and meaning (ref. Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning) – that is, your will-builders.Long-term mental healthiness is directly connected with how you think about yourself and the feedback loops between
- your cognition
- your diet
- your sleep and exercise habits
- your connections with others
- your success in finding meaning (goals) and joy
These are the most basic variables you control to build your will and energy, (along with your environment). If even one of these factors is very weak, it will cascade to the other items and cause the loop to break, leading to depression, rage, drugs, etc.
This process is what wins you the physical and spiritual strength to get out of bed every day and attack life’s difficulties.Feedback loops are powerful, systemically valid, and have proven practical outcomes for happiness and success. By practicing these principles, you can become your own life coach!
