Men's mental health and self-psychological protection

Men's mental health

Mental health refers to the psychological defense and psychotherapy work undertaken to ensure mental well-being and prevent abnormal behavior. Good mental health can foster a healthy personality, cultivate good social adaptability, and promote harmonious relationships between individuals and society, groups, and others. Neglecting mental health can lead to abnormal behavior, inability to work, inability to care for oneself, and harm to society.

Most people's psychological activities proceed according to normal patterns. However, some people experience psychological disorders, such as abnormal psychology. Such people often feel spiritually empty, depressed, and anxious, or suffer mental breakdowns, lose interest in life, or become suspicious and distrustful of everyone, or become overly confident and arrogant, or have abnormal sexual desires and always feel unsatisfied. This psychological state can, if it becomes severe, lead to mental illness or even crime.

Neurasthenia is a common mental illness, prevalent among those engaged in mental labor. It is caused by a dysfunction in the brain's excitation and inhibition processes due to prolonged excessive stress. Symptoms of neurasthenia include fatigue, low work and study efficiency, poor concentration, irritability, photophobia, phonophobia, cold sensitivity, insomnia, dizziness, and headaches. Treatment primarily involves psychotherapy, supplemented by medication. It's important to build confidence in fighting the illness, transform negative emotions into positive ones, take initiative, maintain regular physical exercise, a healthy lifestyle, and a proper balance of work and rest; with these measures, recovery will gradually occur.

Furthermore, psychologists believe that if a person is experiencing distress, the problem mostly lies within themselves and has nothing to do with others. The following eighteen behaviors are the root causes of distress and manifestations of poor mental health:

(i) They mostly complain about things in life.

(ii) Being too narrow-minded and often doubting the motives behind other people's behavior and attitude.

(iii) Refusing to try new things, such as foods that have never been eaten before.

(iv) When speaking, the voice is monotonous and lacks variation in pitch and emotion.

(v) Trying to please everyone and not knowing how to refuse anyone, but often not only fails to please, but also makes it very troublesome for oneself to live a good life.

(vi) Lacking opinions and principles in life.

(vii) He is too concerned about everything about himself, too self-centered, and hopes that the whole world will revolve around him.

(viii) Frequently talk to others about the same topics, such as stocks or their cars.

(ix) They often live in a corner, unwilling to engage in life, just like a movie audience member, hiding in a corner to watch other people's lives, while they themselves are led by others.

(x) Frequently using the same catchphrase.

(xi) Do not take anything seriously.

(xii) Frequently speaking ill of others behind their backs.

(13) To fawn over others in the hope that they will take care of you.

(xiv) When you have health problems, you repeatedly tell different people about your hospital admission, surgery, and life after the illness.

(xv) When someone is telling a story or a joke, interrupt them and say that you have already heard it.

(16) Act like a know-it-all, pretending to be an expert on everything.

(17) Frequent worries.

(18) Likes to brag and boast in front of others.

Men exhibiting any of the above eighteen behaviors should pay attention. So, how can we maintain mental health, cultivate a healthy psychological state, and prevent mental illness?

First and foremost, it is essential to have a correct understanding of oneself and to establish harmonious interpersonal relationships. Young people have a fairly developed sense of self and require self-awareness, a comprehensive understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. Only by correctly understanding oneself and the relationship between the individual and the environment can one adapt to the environment, maintain a unified balance between the individual and the environment, behave appropriately, and proactively engage in self-education and self-development. Conversely, an incorrect sense of self may lead to arrogance, undertaking tasks beyond one's capabilities, and blaming others when faced with setbacks; it may also lead to self-deprecation, loss of courage, and even self-destruction or crime. As a man, one should also enjoy interacting with others, and in these interactions, positive attitudes (such as respect, trust, and friendship) should outweigh negative attitudes (such as hatred, suspicion, and fear). Understanding others should not be based on impressions or prejudices; one should treat others with sincerity, humility, and generosity, "being strict with oneself and forgiving of others," respecting and loving each other, respecting others' opinions, and tolerating their shortcomings and mistakes. One should have a sense of shared destiny and mutual support for the collective to which one belongs, and be willing to sacrifice personal desires for the happiness of the collective.

Secondly, it is essential to maintain a healthy emotional state and cultivate noble moral sentiments. Living in society, one cannot expect everything to go smoothly; unpleasant experiences are unavoidable. Moreover, contradictions are universal, including those between the individual and the environment, the individual and the collective, and desires and reality. We must face reality with the right attitude, maintain a sense of social identity, and adopt reasonable countermeasures to protect our mental well-being. We must be adept at controlling our emotions, avoiding subjective bias and acting impulsively, and never losing our rationality due to strong emotional fluctuations.

Finally, it is important to balance work and rest, and to engage in a variety of beneficial leisure activities. A sound mind resides in a healthy body, and physical health is an important prerequisite for mental health. Zhuge Liang served Liu Bei with utmost dedication, even unto death. However, due to a severe imbalance between work and rest, coupled with a lack of exercise, he died at the young age of fifty-four. This was precisely the age when he should have been able to achieve great things. The Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu lamented this, writing in his poem: "Only three thousand guests remain under his wing, his ambition of a million soldiers has been betrayed," and "He died before his mission was accomplished, leaving heroes to weep with sorrow." The Song Dynasty poet Lu You aspired from a young age to become a person skilled in both literature and martial arts, "reading thirty thousand scrolls and practicing swordsmanship for forty years." "On horseback, he fought the barbarians; on foot, he wrote edicts." In his youth, he paid great attention to regulating his rest, diet, and exercise. With a strong physique as a foundation, he was able to endure arduous battles, even going three days without food, yet remain energetic and capable of serving his country. We should be adept at developing practical and feasible daily routines based on our own specific circumstances. When studying and working, concentrate fully and work diligently; when resting, maintain a cheerful mood and keep life rhythmic. Avoid chaos. Outside of study and work, play a game of ball, a couple of games of chess, tend to plants, play a musical instrument, and actively participate in a variety of activities. These activities make life enjoyable, relaxing, and fulfilling, relieving mental and physical tension while also increasing knowledge and developing intelligence. This is highly beneficial for mental and psychological well-being.

Men's self-psychological protection

A man should be adept at self-psychological protection, starting with a strong belief in his career and life. As the ancients said, "First establish what is great, then what is small cannot take you away." Here, "first establish what is great" refers to having a strong belief in one's career. When faced with setbacks, one needs a spiritual strength to support oneself; it is this supporting spiritual strength that powerfully protects one psychologically. The ability to protect oneself psychologically is also closely related to one's character and temperament. Characters can be resilient or fragile, and temperaments can be cheerful or melancholic. A young person just entering society might be devastated by a breakup. However, someone with some social experience can see such an event as a minor episode in life. A person who has had a smooth life and is arrogant often cannot withstand major setbacks in life, while someone who has endured hardship is often more resilient. This is because they have undergone considerable training, are more resilient, and this character shaped by life provides psychological protection, allowing them to navigate life's difficult path.

An important method of self-psychological protection is the ability to "self-justify," or as the saying goes, "to be open-minded." When facing psychological blows and pressures, instead of dwelling on them and narrowing your path, you should comfort yourself and find ways to extricate yourself from the blow and pressure. This happens frequently in life. The ancients said, "Constantly compare yourself to those who surpass you in learning, and your virtue and achievements will improve daily; constantly compare yourself to those who are less fortunate than you, and your spirit will naturally be at peace." This latter statement is a form of "self-justification." An important method of "self-protection" is to "rationalize" things. For example, if you accidentally lose fifty yuan, just think of it as a missed bonus. This will bring some peace of mind. This isn't "Ah Q mentality." If things can be salvaged, then of course we should strive for the better; if things are irreversible, why bother torment ourselves? "Just consider it..." is a good way to protect oneself psychologically. Self-psychological protection also requires people to continuously cultivate and improve their self-control, so as to guide the raging waves of negative emotions to the calm and clear-headed shore of reason. There are often cases where a young person, in a fit of rage, injures or kills someone without considering the consequences, only to regret it later. This is because they lack self-control; they failed to psychologically protect themselves from losing their rationality. Therefore, we cannot take some things too seriously; we should learn to "laugh it off" many non-principle issues. We must constantly train ourselves in daily life to strengthen our self-psychological protection in this way. This is just as the famous Soviet scientist, Academician Anokhinny, said: "We must cultivate and train our emotions, just like we train our muscles."

Strengthening one's psychological resilience requires not only personal effort but also the support of family, friends, and comrades. People inevitably experience emotional fluctuations, extreme anger, and momentary wavering. If these feelings are bottled up inside, the more you think about them, the worse it becomes. However, if you pour out your pent-up anger to close friends and family, the anger can be halved. If you can also receive encouragement and comfort from them, the effect is even better. Seeking psychological support and solace from loved ones is a good way to strengthen one's psychological resilience.