Reduce or Stop
A nutritionist once said “You are what you eat”.
The following statements are as relevant:-
you are what you drink
you are what you listen to
you are what you exercise
you are what you think, and so on.
Take alcohol, an easy example. It affects the way we feel, our mood (and sometimes our weight), and self-esteem; depending on who we are it can bring happiness or depression, anger or satisfaction, and aggression or passiveness.
Another fairly straightforward example is coffee. A study in America has shown that 2-4 cups of coffee a day can be good; the authors suggest that this amount cuts suicide risk by up to 50% as well as reducing the overall risk of developing depression. The authors say it acts as a mild antidepressant increasing the hormones serotonin, dopamine and noradrenalin. On the other hand, the same study leads the authors to suggest that 8 cups or more a day, increases the risk of mental health and other physical problems.
Bearing in mind we are basically bundles of chemicals with their physical properties, and bundles of beliefs and thoughts with their highs and lows, it sort of makes sense that everything we absorb will affect our mental state one way or another.
And we are all set up differently, so getting the balance right is going to be specific to each one of us. We need to make our own decisions on what to stop or reduce based on our life's experiences. We need to be honest with ourselves when we analyse how, for instance, watching television, or any other activity or habit, affects our state of mind. We need to be mindful of how we feel in response to everything we do. And we also need to examine our lifestyle choices; which we consider separately.
It can be said that staying away from street drugs is probably a good idea. Otherwise, unless we have sound medical advice to the contrary, or the law prohibits it, enjoying everything we would like to, in moderation, is a reasonable starting point.
The following statements are as relevant:-
you are what you drink
you are what you listen to
you are what you exercise
you are what you think, and so on.
Take alcohol, an easy example. It affects the way we feel, our mood (and sometimes our weight), and self-esteem; depending on who we are it can bring happiness or depression, anger or satisfaction, and aggression or passiveness.
Another fairly straightforward example is coffee. A study in America has shown that 2-4 cups of coffee a day can be good; the authors suggest that this amount cuts suicide risk by up to 50% as well as reducing the overall risk of developing depression. The authors say it acts as a mild antidepressant increasing the hormones serotonin, dopamine and noradrenalin. On the other hand, the same study leads the authors to suggest that 8 cups or more a day, increases the risk of mental health and other physical problems.
Bearing in mind we are basically bundles of chemicals with their physical properties, and bundles of beliefs and thoughts with their highs and lows, it sort of makes sense that everything we absorb will affect our mental state one way or another.
And we are all set up differently, so getting the balance right is going to be specific to each one of us. We need to make our own decisions on what to stop or reduce based on our life's experiences. We need to be honest with ourselves when we analyse how, for instance, watching television, or any other activity or habit, affects our state of mind. We need to be mindful of how we feel in response to everything we do. And we also need to examine our lifestyle choices; which we consider separately.
It can be said that staying away from street drugs is probably a good idea. Otherwise, unless we have sound medical advice to the contrary, or the law prohibits it, enjoying everything we would like to, in moderation, is a reasonable starting point.