How Valuable Is Your Mental Health?

Ida and Ramenia were enjoying lunch in the cafeteria in their office building when Xena, an annoying co-worker grabbed a chair from around the empty table to the right and sat down facing them. Then demands, “How come you two always look so damn good? Always smiling as if the world is a perfect place,” she complains. “I know both of you are older than I am and must have taste or feel hell somewhere in the past of our cruel and unforgiving imperfect world!”

Ramenia’s, head unconsciously turn in Ida’s direction to her left, then back to Xena facing them and she said, “It’s all in our mind,” pointing to her head.

“It can’t be that easy. Exercise isn’t that easy. Nothing in life is that easy” she said in protest. “Because if it was, I would be at Prince Charles side being crowned Queen instead of Camilla.”

“Let me,” Ida suggested reaching over and touching Romenia’s hand. “Looking this good, only 5% of it is exercise,” Ida notified.

“What’s the other 95%?” she asked, easing closer to the table and pulling her plate of spaghetti and meatballs swimming in sauce topped with mozzarella cheese closer.

“Brainpower,” Ida educates.

“Brain what?” she asked her mouth packed with food.

Both women waited until she chewed and swallow, then Romenia educate, “for health, most humans use their eyes to determine who is healthy and who isn’t.”

“What’s wrong with that?” she asked grabbing her glass of lemon juice water and taking a big gulp.

“Sometimes they are wrong,” Romenia informs.

“And others use their lives, actions, choices and decisions to determine how healthy some of them are,” Ida adds. “Unaware that health isn’t only physical.”

“What else is there?” she asked.

“Emotional, mental, spiritual, and psychological,” Ida said staring into her eyes.

“And a strong physical health has no value or stance without a stronger mental health,” Romenia shoved in.

“And mental strength can only be seen and identified by people with a strong mental health ability,” Ida enlightened.

“Looking healthy isn’t enough. Being mentally healthy must match your physical health too,” Romenia notified. “And emotional, psychological, spiritual health is also a part of the equation.”

“Did you ever want anything in life?” Ida quests, nodding in agreement with what Romenia just said.

Xena stared into her eyes, then stepped back into the past saying, “I wanted a house.”

“And you did what was necessary to obtain it,” Romenia shared. Then asked, “what else did you want?”

“A better job to pay for that house,” she says. “And I went back to school to educate myself.”

“What about better health?” Ida asked surveying her overweight body.

Xena nods, looking down at her huge belly fat, then the huge plate of food smiling back at her, then said pushing it to the side, “I get it. If I really want it, then I must not only be physically prepared, but mentally too.”

“And the three others too,” Ida adds again. “You must do the entire equation. Not two fifth of it.”

Both females smiled, then Romenia adds, “Most people who gain back the weight or drop out of the race for better health weren’t mentally prepared. Being mentally prepared forces you to focus on the benefits of better health which allows you to be at your best.”

“That is hard,” Xena stressed.

“And it’s harder if you are overweight with serious mental health issues,” Ida adds.

“Life speaks to all of us child,” Romenia calmly assures her, reaching out and touching Xena’s hands which were joined together on the table. “Our bodies speak to us. So do our minds and soul. And with a mental clarity, you will hear, see, understand, and feel everything, giving yourself the power to heal every part of yourself. Including the body, mind, heart, and soul.”

Ida cuts in, “and mental clarity will enhance the flow of physical, emotional, and psychological health. While the lack of it will disrupt the flow of everything in our lives.”

Tears ran from Xena’s eyes, and she held onto Romenia’s hands and shared, “I have everything I want and need in life, but just can’t seem to put my life in order. You mean with better mental health clarity I would be able to see what’s facing me and fix it?”

Ida reached over and took Romenia’s hands, joined into Xena’s, and shared, “Yes child. Without good mental health, your life will just keep getting worse until you hit a dead end.”

“And then go on a mass shooting spree,” she adds tears rolling down.

“Women hardly go on mass shooting sprees, because most of us are better at handling our mental health issues. The few who do, their mental health problems many times go unreported, undetected, and unchecked,” Ida educates.

“Thank you,” Xena said fighting tears. “I now understand the value and importance of my mental health.”

Many of us look, see and admire Healthy Helen. When she dies, we use her death as an excuse not to exercise and be healthy because most humans believe that healthy people live forever. Healthy people don’t die. Healthy Helen was healthy in body, not mind. You see, many of us fool our brains into believing that we are at our best. In the process, we ignore the signs and symptoms of a developing medical condition that eventually ends our lives. The Brain is the CPU, if it isn’t working, neither will you.

My brain is my CPU, if it’s not working, neither can I. The best part of it is that with the help of good mental health, I am aware and that gives me the power to heal myself.

Thank you for reading this piece. I hope you enjoy it.