This past weekend I was awoken to the sad news of a classmate that passed away. My heartfelt condolences go out to her family and friends. It breaks my heart because she was on the path to helping others but unfortunately it was cut short because of circumstances, issues, concerns and experiences that she was personally dealing with. Everyone you meet regardless of the face mask that they are wearing, the post on their Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok etc. is dealing with personal issues that you may know nothing about. The world that we live in has filters blocking the TRUTH, Life is not perfect, nor is it suppose to be. 2020 should have been a wake up call that life as we know it can change in the blink of an eye, be kind to everyone.
Having dealt with my own personal mental health issues, I can speak from experience and can’t stress enough the importance of mental health. I was fortunate enough to start my first 6-week clinical rotation during Physician Assistant school last spring 2020 at a community mental health center. Looking back now and connecting the dots from the past, I am blessed that I had that experience and learning exposure at the very start of my 12-month clinical rotation schedule. As abstract as mental health may seem, because it’s not physically tangible like a broken or fractured bone, it makes sense in my mind. The mind is a beautiful piece of engineering that requires it’s daily maintenance. The same priority that we use to maintain our physical body should be used to maintain our nonphysical mind. What we do daily affects our mind in ways that we are still trying to decode. What we see with our eyes, what we hear with our ears, what we touch with our hands and feet, what we smell with our noses are all external influences that are making real-life internal connections in our mind. Ultimately we are in control of the external data that we share with our mind. That external data that we consume can have positive implications or negative implications in our life, the choice is ours.
The analogy that I like to use which helps me piece together the abstract concept of the mind goes as follows; For starters let’s clarify two very important definitions. The Brain, an organ of soft nervous tissue contained in the skull, functioning as the coordinating center of sensation, intelect and nervous activity. The Mind, the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the physical world and their experiences, to think, and to feel.
Think of your brain as a physical, tangible computer hard drive which stores and records all of that external and internal data that we consume with or without our senses. We are born with our brain (hard drive) clean of information. As we grow and progress through our infant, child, adolescent, and young adult years we are constantly programming our minds with the data that we are consuming with our senses and the experiences that we are living, day in and day out. Just as the brain is a living and breathing organ so too is the mind which is constantly interacting with the conscious and subconscious world.
Let’s dissect this interesting analogy a little further. The new computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone etc. that you just purchased straight out of the box has it’s basic software on it, but without a user, it’s just there on your desk, does nothing but sit there. Now when you (The user) get on your computer, tablet, smartphone etc. and start to interact with this piece of technology, the hard drive awakens. You are engaging the hard drive when you are searching on the internet, engaging with your social media accounts, or checking your emails. The hard drive’s job is to record your actions and browser history in order to quickly recall them for future uses. You, the user are literally programing your computer, laptop or smartphone by the keys that you are typing on the keyboard. Same concept goes for you and your mind, you are programming what your mind is recording the external world with. Instead of typing keys on a keyboard, you are programing your mind with your 5 senses (Vision, Hearing, Touch, Smell and Taste). We have the power to control what we let into our mind by consciously making an effort to monitor what external and internal data we allow ourselves to process. I know that it sounds easier said than done, especially in the data driven world that we live in, but it’s doable with constant self discipline.
Whenever I have been asked what area of medicine most interests me, my answer has always been the same. I want to practice medicine in the specialty where my skills, talents and passions can have the largest overall impact on my patient’s health and well being. If you are reading this and you might be in a dark place, you are feeling lonely, you are feeling sad or just want to talk, please reach out to someone that can help give you the support and guidance that you deserve. You are NOT alone in this world, there are people that truly care about you regardless of the faults or mistakes that have happened in the past. Regardless of our differences, our color and our opinions, we are all entitled to be ourselves and be respected. You are important, you are strong, you are beautiful, you are unique, you are here on this earth for a reason. Bad days will happen in life, that’s just a fact of life but those bad days wont last forever.
Head up, Eyes forward
