You may be familiar with the "Eatwell plate" to help you get the balance right for different food groups to eat each, but did you know there is also a "Healthy Mind Platter" to balance how we spend our time on different activities?
It's suggested that we spend some time each day on each of these activities. Mental wellbeing is about strengthening our connections with each other, with the world around us and within our brain. By taking part in a variety of mental activities each day we allow our brain to develop and our mental wellbeing to grow.
Consider how many of these activities did you engage in yesterday. I went for a walk with a colleague, which combined Physical time with Connecting time. I did lots of work, in Focus time, but didn't spend much Time-In or Down time and no play time at all!
Reflect on how you usually spend your time. How could you get more balance in your life?
Society knows about the need for a healthy diet of food, but we are only just beginning to appreciate the need for a varied mental diet too, to maintain our well-being. The emerging study of neuroscience is teaching us what the brain needs in order to function well.
Or did King Alfred know this over 1000 years ago? He is reputed to have said "8 hours sleep, 8 hours work and 8 hours play make a just and healthy day". Maybe there is nothing new under the sun after all?
For further information read http://www.drdansiegel.com/resources/healthy_mind_platter/