Mental Health is a Thing
“Take a deep breath.” “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” “Money does not buy happiness.” While there is no lack of off-the-shelf, feel-good epitaphs we hear countless times, sometimes it is worthwhile to take pause in one’s life and consider whether we actually apply a positive mindset in our day-to-day lives.
Recently, I did just this with some members of my own family, who I helped take a different, rosier approach to personal challenges. The first challenge was my 5th grade daughter. She had an ongoing homework assignment to find, write, and present information in class on a current event she found in the news. I quickly realized news headlines, and by default my daughter, focused on ‘scorched earth’ events – wildfires in California, volcano eruptions in Greenland, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and so on. While there is nothing wrong with reporting on these topics, she seemed burdened with an overwhelming feeling of how bad things were in the world. I thought my daughter’s time could be better served balancing some of these negative headlines with more positive, girl-empowering topics that are less reported.
Therefore, I intervened a bit and suggested she read up on why Taylor Swift received the Time Magazine’s Person of the Year award yet again, who Kaitlin Clark is and why she is such a big deal, and the incredible accomplishment of a sailor named Cole Brauer. In so doing, not only did her level of interest increase, but her disposition while presenting to her class improved. Not only did reporting on good news lead to better marks on her presentation, ultimately and more importantly I think, it gave her a better mindset on the world around her.
Sometimes we don’t even realize how we are impacted by outside negative forces, and it may be worthwhile to take pause and consider if there are more positive things to focus on. As often happens, the student inadvertently became the teacher. By helping my 5th grader on her class task, I realized that I also should assess my own information intake and views in a more balanced manner.
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES
West Financial Services, Inc. (“WFS”) offers investment advisory services and is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). SEC registration does not constitute an endorsement of the firm by the SEC nor does it indicate that the firm has attained a particular level of skill or ability. You should carefully read and review all information provided by WFS, including Form ADV Part 1A, Part 2A brochure and all supplements, and Form CRS.
Certain information contained herein was derived from third party sources, as indicated, and has not been independently verified. While the information presented herein is believed to be reliable, no representation or warranty is made concerning the accuracy of any information presented. Where such sources include opinions and projections, such opinions and projections should be ascribed only to the applicable third party source and not to WFS