All Systems Go: A Mental Assessment

There’s no health without mental health – David Satcher

Mental Bankruptcy

Where does success in life stem from? Most may look at bank accounts, social media following, or a good career. All these are fine, but true success stems from a healthy mind. Without healthy thoughts, any success achieved on the outside will be infected and eventually stamped out. Our minds are our most valuable assets. Our thoughts are the seeds that make our minds healthy or unhealthy. Unhealthy thoughts can be compared to weeds. Too many and our lives are relegated to dependence on our feelings. Healthy thoughts add value to our mental net worth as they become assets instead of liabilities. When liabilities exceed assets, an individual or company is termed financially bankrupt. Similarly, unhealthy thoughts that occupy our minds result in mental bankruptcy. A bankrupt company may appear successful on the outside, but in actuality, it is falling apart. A mental assessment is necessary to unearth toxic thoughts and nurture wholesome ones. 

Healthy thoughts add value to our mental net worth as they become assets instead of liabilities

A Mental Assessment

What is the process for performing a mental assessment to strike down negative thoughts while fertilizing the positive ones, so they grow into actionable and transformative decisions? 

Start With Evidence

In a courtroom, the evidence presented is primarily gathered through witnesses. A similar approach is required when sorting out and sifting through your thoughts. We can significantly improve our chances of choosing positive thoughts over toxic ones through retrospection, honesty, and transparency. 

Watch For Toxic Thoughts 

Mental toxicity rises when unsupported evidence causes pernicious thoughts to drive our decisions and actions. This court of the mind became real to me recently. I reached out to a close friend on Whatsapp to check on them. His response was unexpected. The news he shared was too difficult to grasp. As I pondered his reply, the thought that maybe his phone had been hacked came to mind. As I considered this thought, I found evidence. Remembering that Whatsapp was hacked and forcefully shut down for a few hours, I found reason to believe what I thought. This noxious thought took root and stifled the kindness and concern I had to reach out to him until my wife confirmed what he told me. I confessed to my friend and apologized for my silence and for not being there for him. Toxic thoughts form easily and with a speed that rivals technological advancements today.

Build Positive Thoughts

Toxic thoughts need not rule our lives. We can build and act on healthy thoughts. Again, we must apply evidence. The main pool of evidence is our relationships.

Who in your circle do you confide in about your thoughts? You don’t need to have many. But you need someone who will encourage and challenge your thoughts depending on their positivity or toxicity rate. We all have dormant thoughts, waiting to come alive upon exposure to external triggers. Have you ever wondered, “Where did this thought come from?” A better question is, “What is the probable effect of this thought if acted upon?” 

We all have dormant thoughts, waiting to come alive upon exposure to external triggers.

Such retrospective questions keep the intentionality of conceiving and growing positive thoughts in the womb of your mind a priority. Soon enough, this births a higher quality of life through constructive decisions and actions. 

Final Thought: A mental assessment is necessitated when the courtroom of mind is in session, and the battle between positive thoughts leading to a constructive future and negative thoughts bringing destruction is on the docket. By applying evidence properly and using our relationships to safeguard against toxic thoughts, we can build a bastion for healthy thoughts. 

Keep on keeping on!