Mens sana in corpore sano

 Mens sana in corpore sano

The above phrase comes from Latin translating too “a healthy mind in a healthy body”.  Originating in Satire X by Roman poet Juvenal, it is first in a list of what is desirable in life. Much of what I’ve already written on this site covers the latter, the healthy body, but what about the former? How does one achieve a healthy mind?

Arguably it is difficult to divorce one from the other, and as a rule of thumb physical activity can go a long way to help maintain not just a healthy body but a healthy mind also. You may well have heard that exercise can help with depression (depression being one of the most common mental health issues). This is borne out by the science[1] with associations between physical activity and depression suggesting significant mental health benefits from being physically active, even at low levels of activity so that is one aspect.

Another that I have found really helpful in recent years is the philosophy of stoicism.  Stoicism is a school of thought founded in ancient Greece and Rome. It focuses on developing personal resilience, self-control and wisdom.

Key principles:

The Dichotomy of Control. This is at the very core of stoicism, and it has made a huge difference to me personally.  It’s the understanding that we can divide all things in life into two categories, things we have control over and things we do not. Often, particularly in the modern world it is easy to get these things confused. The things we have control over are out thoughts, our beliefs and our actions.  The things we do not have control over are external events, outcomes and the opinions and beliefs of others.

Stoicism requires you to take absolute ownership of your thoughts, opinions, speech and voluntary actions.  Why stress then about other people’s opinions, the past, the future or external outcomes – we have no control over that. Rather one should accept what comes to pass, and focus only our attention on how we react to things. A good way to understand this is how we react to negative emotions such as anger. Often time you’ll hear someone say “that person makes me so angry” but you need to understand is that anger is within your control, the other person hasn’t created it without you being complicit in that. You can choose to not become angry and simply accept that other person’s opinion or action. What you control is how you react.

Reason and Emotional mastery – Reason is central to stoicism; by applying logic and critical thinking one can evaluate situations objectively and avoid subjective assessments and negative emotional responses.  Self-control is central to this. “we suffer more often in imagination than in reality”.  This quote from Seneca is one I can personally relate too, previously I would worry about an event, fret and get worked up only for it to come to pass and breeze right by.  Do not let your mind create trouble for you, you will feel better for it.

Social responsibility – Stoicism recognises that people are social beings. Whether it be families, clubs, associations or nations; we naturally form social bonds. Part of maintaining a healthy outlook includes maintaining social bonds through engagement, fairness and treating others with respect.

Memento Mori – this phrase, Latin again, means remember you must die.  Now that might not seem like the cheeriest of notions but let me expand on this. By being cognisant of this fact and reflecting upon it, can keep you on the right path. Whilst some interpret this as, live every day as if it is your last (which is certainly one outlook to take, you will be right eventually), I tend to try to consider the following from Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius:

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love”

Take joy in and be grateful for, what you have. Thinking back even across my lifetime humanity has never had it as good as we do right now. If you’re reading this, then you have access to the internet, which wasn’t a thing when I was growing up. In fact, we didn’t have a shower in my home as a boy (we didn’t have a shower at home until my teenage years) and many of things that young people take for granted now such as mobile phones, home computers, fast food restaurants, weren’t invented or weren’t commonplace when I was young. I’m lucky enough to live in a country with reliable utilities and sanitation, universal healthcare, I earn enough that not only is their food on my table of an evening, it is plentiful and there is choice. None of these are things that everyone in the world can count on – being grateful for what you have rather than disappointed for what you do not is key to happiness – comparison is the thief of joy.

Alongside this line of thought, tomorrow is not promised to anyone, so let that guide how you think, how you speak and how you act. What do I mean by this? Well quite simply if you’re life ended tomorrow, would you want the last memory of you to be where you shouted at someone, or struck them, or insulted them? No? then don’t do that. Think about what you say before you say it. Act only after consideration. All to often I see negative comments online, people criticising or insulting others the so-called internet troll. To what end? In a world where you can be anything, why not be kind?

A healthy mind is a happy one, find joy is the simple things, embrace others, enjoy the challenge of physical activity, and you will find peace.

[1] Pearce M, Garcia L, Abbas A, Strain T, Schuch FB, Golubic R, Kelly P, Khan S, Utukuri M, Laird Y, Mok A, Smith A, Tainio M, Brage S, Woodcock J. Association Between Physical Activity and Risk of Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry. 2022 Jun 1;79(6):550-559. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.0609. PMID: 35416941; PMCID: PMC9008579.