Our minds are not different from our bodies, if you really think about it.
The mind is clothed from birth just as our bodies are. In fact, long before we started covering our bodies, we were already clothing our minds with morality; with love; with hate; with prejudice.
You see it everyday, minds excessively-clothed with pride, scantily-clad with manners. Minds clothed with attitude; some likeable, others not the least likeable.
Minds are clothed with various labels depending on where and when you are born and which line you are born into. Walking the streets, you see a lot of labels. You and your kids are strolling on a warm Saturday morning and right in front of you, a late-twenties woman is relieving herself of the coffee and whatever else she drank the night before.
Of course, there are some Versace and Armani's out there too. Like the extra-nice librarian. She doesn't look at your "snow-dirtied" shoes or dry lips. She smiles approvingly as she retrieves D.H Lawrence's Sons and Lovers off the shelves for you. Her even bigger smile when you ask for Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Idiot betrays her love of not-so-modern literature. Kindred labels? Perhaps.
From birth, values are inculcated into us. From our parents, from our peers, from the television sets. The values source-list is endless. Some are virtuous; others are not. But it is important to find out what kind of clothes our minds are putting on. Do you always leave the bathroom clean after you use it? Do you stop to think that playing your new hi-fi at midnight might disturb your neighbour? Do you call your parents or your partner if you are going to be late for dinner? When someone complains about your actions, are you receptive or cold and defensive?
Eons ago, my African ancestors carved out a label, ubuntu. A human is only human through others. Your neighbour's son is your son too. Ubuntu means carrying a bucket of water when your neighbour's house catches fire. Nelson Mandela is perhaps the glorified example of ubuntu. His greatness has been earned from serving, from giving… not getting. Other communities too have akin labels. In Indonesia, they live by gotong - royong. It is a Javanese concept of community spirit. Everyone chips in and people share.
A survey of your mental wardrobe may reveal a need for a makeover — a silky cloth of considerateness here and some mittens of kindness there; some chiffon of candour; something less ephemeral, more lasting.
You may need to care more for your mind. Being well mentally does not just happen by itself. It is a process. It is harder than taking off your Jean Paul Gaultier shirt or your Calvin Klein pants. It means doing everything right.
It will take hours and hours of soul-searching, years of painstaking effort. At the end of the long road, you will be dressed in the apparel that everyone admires, the kind of clothes heroes wear.
The ancient Latins said it best: Carpe diem. (Make the most of your day.) Every moment counts. Use it well, enjoy it. Even more important is finding a balance in life. And when you lose that balance how do you regain it? It varies from person to person. A friend of mine heads to the mall when the blues arrive. She likes smelling things and driving and it works for her. Another friend says he likes surrounding himself with positive people – people who are there to support and cheer him on.
The bottom line is there are many ways to achieve and maintain mental wellness. It might be a lot of work but think of it as a shopping spree. If you shop right the first time, you are not going to get the same dress again three months down the line. But like any shopping spree there is a lot of trying, you might even have to leave seemingly nice attire because it just does not work for who you are. It might work for the next person but not for you.
And let’s face it; we will all be shopping ‘til we die.

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