It’s easy to lose sight of the forest when you focus too much on the trees. What we see and hear may be true, but without some sort of mental map, knowing facts won’t really make your life better. Try following the news for more than an hour every day for one or two weeks, I’d say it would be very hard to not feel depressed. Facts may be facts, but they don’t really translate into well-being if we don’t have a solid internal guide to filter out the unnecessary stuff. I am not saying that we should disregard facts or news altogether, but it’s important to look at our mental state regularly and put things into perspective.
What does that mental map look like exactly? It’s like having a map. When you stay too long in one area and you feel a little stuck, it’s good to take it out and look at other areas you might want to go. Or perhaps you already know where you want to go but simply got a bit lost on the way, a map will show you where you need to go. It’s very useful in navigating our way through the maze of trivial facts. Now the next question is, how do you build this magical map (mental map)?
The good news is it’s actually quite easy to build that map. In fact, we already have all the ingredients necessary to create the map. It’s simply made up by a few general points, more specifically 5 pillars to focus on. Here are the 5 main pillars I have come up with (of course, it’s not limited to just these ones, you can add your own findings and discoveries so it’s not set in stone):
- Ask good questions. It’s very important that we ask good questions when we are faced with information so we have a sense of where we are on the map. You could ask, ‘Is this helpful for my well-being?’ ‘How am I feeling about this?’ ‘What is the goal of this information?’ Be creative and ask any question that could assist you in making up your own mind.
- Consume the classics. The classics are classics for a reason. Whether it’s history, literature, music, or whatever you like, it’s always a good idea to get inspiration from the classics. The classics are usually tried-and-true wisdom that transcends time and place. So immerse yourself in classic works.
- Focus on the positives. We know what’s not working, but do we know what’s working? There are actually a lot of positive events and developments that are happening on a daily basis that don’t make the news. Don’t forget to read positive news/articles as well. There are many useful resources we can access such as https://www.humanprogress.org/ and https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/ just to name a few.
- Review and reflect often. It’s important that we remind ourselves often. It’s easy to lose perspective as we tend to fall for catchy things (usually sensational and negative). Make it a habit to review our current state.
- Do whatever works for you. Whatever has worked is a usually good indicator that it could work again. This could be a personal experience or something your dad or grandma told you when you were a kid. We are usually our best guides so there is nothing wrong in trusting your own approach.
These are the five pillars we could focus on to build or strengthen our mental maps. They are relatively general as the world is an ever-changing place and it’s important that we remain flexible in our approaches and evolve accordingly. At the same time, I think they are also universal and evergreen and should stand the test of time. I hope we can all benefit from these five pillars.