Maat E's Mental Health Message

Be thankful and act that way!

A lot of us go through the season of thanksgiving and holiday saying we are thankful, but forgetting to act that way. Being thankful means not only saying you appreciate what you have and the people in your life, but acting that way and showing gratitude for all your gifts or blessings. Take time during the holiday season to demonstrate to the people you love and folks you don't even know that you are thankful for whatever they have done or simply for who they are. Give a kind word or do an act of kindness.
Have a peace filled day of thanks.

Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Sent via iPhone

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Be Just!

Promoting justice involves being fair, equitable and open-minded. Sometimes we get caught up in looking out for ourselves to the exclusion of others. The fact that some people are getting something that others are not is a true reality, particularly for people of color as a collective. However, the oppression of the group does not rationalize unjust behavior by an individual. Stop and reflect on the extent to which you are focused on me, me, me. Notice if you are thinking about the greater good in your next conflict. Consider if you are truly treating your friends, family or the people you love in a just and open minded way. Be just in all your relationships.
Peace,
Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Sent via iPhone

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Be the love you seek!

As human beings we all naturally want love. It is at the core of what makes us human and provides joy and fulfillment in our daily lives. Unfortunately, many of us seek to find love outside of ourselves without focusing on cultivating the love within first. In fact, it can be especially difficult to find and create love in our lives if we are not being the love we seek. Being the love we hope for means living with an intention to have an open heart and approaching people first with compassion, non jugdement and acceptance. Of course you must start with providing these things for yourself. Like attracts like.
Peace,
Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Laughter does the mind and body good.

Take time to laugh every day. Laughter is one of Mother Nature's natural cures. When we laugh we feel lighter and are distracted from distressing thoughts. According to current research laughter helps to benefit our organs by increasing the flow of oxygen and releasing more of the feel good hormone endorphins. Laughter also helps us feel more relaxed by stimulating our circulation, which in turn helps to aid muscle relaxation.  Other benefits that we don't see when we laugh are an increase in neuropeptides that fight stress, disease and that ease physical pain through producing natural painkillers.  So laugh a little each day. It does the mind and body good. 

Peace, 

Ma'at E. L. Lewis, Ph.D. 

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Create a network of support.

One of the signs of depression is a loss of interest in normal activities, which can lead to becoming isolated and withdrawn. It is important to be aware of when you start to disconnect from the people you love or find yourself not asking for support.

Before a period of emotional distress create a network of support. This is that collection of people you check in with on a regular basis so you already know who to call when you really need help. A support network does not need to be a lot of people, but can include 2-3 folks with whom you have mutual support and respect. Use your network on a regular basis and you'll feel more confident during the times when you need them the most.

Peace, 

Dr. Ma'at E. Lewis

Ma'at E's Mental Health Message

Eat well, think well, feel well!

Many of us do not know or often forget the powerful benefit of nutrition on our mental health. Mounting evidence supports the common adage "You are what you eat," particularly with regard to mental well-being. For example, low intake of the vitamin folate or folic acid has been linked to increased symptoms of depression. Low levels of zinc and vitamins B1, B2, and C are also found as linked to depression in a number of studies. Eating a variety of quality fresh fruit and vegetables and organic foods can help keep mental health problems away. Many people are concerned about the cost of eating healthy and a lack of access to quality foods. Simple choices like eating more green leafy vegetables, beans, peas and lentils can be relatively less expense choices. Drinking fewer sugary drinks and more water is another step toward health without substantial cost. Socio-economic status does limit ones access to quality food, yet even if we can not control access we can control the choices we make. Choose well, eat well, think well and feel well.

Peace,

Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Ma'at E's Mental Health Message

Ask for Courage!

Courage has been defined as the "quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. without fear"(Dictionary.com). 

Typically fear is the impetus for needing courage because fear deceives our mind to believe that we do not have the strength within our spirit to face the obstacles at hand. 

A powerful way to build courage is to ask for it.  During times of reflection, meditation, prayer or consultation with your sense of higher Self, ask for courage. Express your fears and request they be released and replaced with courage. Keep asking and at some point you will find the courage beginning to build within you. 

Have faith and trust, the courage will come.

Peace,

Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Practice being lovingly critical. 

Unconditional love does not mean loving under any condition. Love also  means we accept who people are, but it does not mean we accept anything they do to us. In order to manifest these aspirations we need to practice being lovingly critical. Often, criticism takes a harsh form and when delivered it can come across as negative or punitive. Loving criticism involves giving feedback with a loving intention. The aim is to share honestly from a place where you care about serving the highest good of those involved. A part of being lovingly critical is also using the exchange as an opportunity to exhibit your optimal self. When you communicate feedback be your best self. 

Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Gather information by using your head, but make decisions using your heart. 

It is good to gather information from external sources to help make informed decisions. Sometimes information also comes via emotions or intuition which are important resources too. Yet, when it comes to the moment of making a decision you can weigh the emotions and information in your mind, but let your heart decide.  Many people believe our consciousness rests in our mind, but the ancients suggest it governs the heart.  Many people believe the heart is pure emotion, but it is not. Trust the voice inside of you, your conscience which is in your heart and connected to your Spirit. The emotions are of the body, while the consciousness of the heart is from our sense of Spirit. The heart will never steer you wrong. Honor your heart and decide. 

Maat E. L. Lewis 

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Learn to live fully and authentically!

As we venture through life many external expectations and obligations drive our behavior. Living fully and authentically in accordance with our internal values can be very challenging when we try to accommodate the external world. Create quiet time when you can sit still and begin to listen to the voice within you that's knows who you are authentically. The more you practice hearing the voice within the loader it will speak to you. If you start to listen life will be more genuine and the fullness of living will be available to you. 

Have faith trust your voice.

Peace,

Dr. Maat E. L. Lewis

Maat E's Mental Health Message

We are perfect imperfection. Sometimes being ourselves we make mistakes.   That is to say that no matter what, we are okay just as we' are. We were not made to be so called perfect. We are not intended to be error free. We were made to have ups and downs, good times and bad times,  difficult days and good days. The mistakes we make and challenges we face are all a part of a process of being imperfect. So forgive yourself and love yourself. Your errors can be healed and life will go on. 

Peace,

Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Give a away your gifts. 

Each of us is endowed with some form of God given gifts. It may be your speech, smile, laugh, artistic ability or charm. Our greatest gifts are usually the simplest things, but we some how think that we must posses magical or super powers and talents. Since we usually minimize the basic talents we have like being able to make others open-up, smile or laugh we do not practice or share our gifts and sometimes forget they exist. Share your gifts freely and often. You have no idea what impact you may have on someone that could brighten their day or even change their life. Remember you have gifts and use them. 

Peace,

Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Maat E's Mental Health Message

If you stay filled with love there is no room for hate. 

Love is not something we simply fall into, it is also a state of being that we can choose to act on at any moment. Being in love means consciously remembering the beauty and divine essence of everyone around you, including yourself. It means being grateful for what you stand to learn from all the relationships in your life and having compassion for yourself and others when either of you are in the wrong. Staying in the state of love leaves little room for senseless anger and hate. It keeps you focused on the best of life and attracting more love. 

Peace, 
Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Maat E's Mental Health Message

What you give off is what you will get?

Many people live day in and day out frustrated by family members or friends who seem difficult,  mean, irritable and unkind. Many of us feel unhappy in our relationships because we perceive our mates as poor communicators, selfish or uncaring.

Before we can cast the blame on others we have to be lovingly critical of ourselves. It can be difficult, but we have to look in the mirror to see if we are in fact nurturing the negative. Ask yourself, am I being controlling, do I harshly judge, do I treat strangers better than my loved ones, will I curse out my own relative more quickly than someone I don't know? If the answer is yes you must first change your ways before blaming someone else. The energy you put out is what you will get back. Try approaching everyone, yourself included from a place of love and speak honestly yet lovingly no matter what you say. The stance you take can be the one to make the difference. 

Peace,

Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Do what is difficult!

The difficulties we face on a daily basis are exactly the challenges we need in order to learn how to endure the ups and downs of life. Many of us repeatedly question why certain obstacles happen to us. Why can't I find a job? Why doesn't anyone love me? Why is life so hard?  The only valid answer to any of these questions or any other question for that matter is found in the response that includes an understanding of what lessons you are to gain from your troubles. What realization do you need to become more apparent to you. Perhaps you can't find a job because there are forces of racism at work that you have not been conscious of. Maybe it doesn't seem like anyone loves you because you are still learning what it looks like to love yourself.  Perhaps life seems so hard because it is hard and the lesson to learn is how to endure the challenges of life, since they will always be there in some form or another. Do what is difficult, there is something in it for you and you will  eventually see the lesson.

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Admit you need help!

For so many of us, especially professional helpers, caregivers, people in service professions and activists, acknowledging we need help for ourselves can be challenging to admit.  When you are not use to it receiving support can seem ten times harder than giving it. As hard as it may be to admit, the best helpers are people who recognize they can not do everything themselves and know that two heads are better than one or there is great power in the efforts of a group. Saying you need help no matter how big or small the issue or task is essential to avoiding burnout and becoming overtaxed. For some one it may mean the difference between life and death. Learn your limits, prioritize your needs and ask for help.

Peace,
Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Everyone has a spiritual process.

Being in a spiritual process is when we either consciously or unconsciously experience a series of actions or events relating to or affecting our spirit or soul. For most people in society this process goes on unnoticed and we are unaware that our spirit is being affected by the daily events that go on around us. When we are unconscious of our spiritual process we tend to miss the opportunity to witness not only mystical events, but the miraculous changes that come when we are conscious. Being  conscious and aware of our spiritual process means honoring the most sacred essence of who we are and trusting that everything is in divine order, even when we can't explain it.  Trusting divine order does not mean we do not take action to make things change, it means we trust that the actions we take will lead to the change that is necessary. This is very difficult when we don't see life as a spiritual process, yet, holding the trust becomes easier and easier the more we acknowledge we are on a spiritual path.  

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Expect a miracle and it will more likely appear. Deny a miracle and it will never be true. Life has many miracles to offer but if we do not expect them or worse yet if we deny them when they occur we will not be able to reap their benefit. Trust in the wonders of life and live with the expectation that miracles and your dreams can come true.  

You have to believe it to manifest it. 

Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Turn worry in to work!

Anxiety and worry can be a natural response to the stress and demands of everyday life. For some of us the worry can become overwhelming and we become stuck or paralyzed so to speak. We may begin to procrastinate, which is essentially worry plus avoidance. To combat what can become a difficult obstacle we must start to turn the worry in to work. Use the anxiety or fear to motivate yourself with activity. Start with small things or what you worry about the least.  Working on what is pressing will get the most important thing done, but you may not be ready yet. So work on what worries you the least. That will keep you productive and feeling a sense accomplishment even though you are afraid to address what is most important.  The negative emotions can be used for good. 

Peace,
Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Ma'at E's Mental Health Message

Know your limits!  There are no limits.Your current situation may be an influence to your current status, but it does not have to be the determinant of your life. Let your will and talent decide how far you can go and how much you can achieve, not the messages of no you receive. If the ancestors like famous opera singer Marion Anderson, born on this day in 1902, can go from being raised in Philadelphia, PA to traveling the world and being a lead performer in the New York Metropolitan Opera Company, any of us can defy odds and limitations to achieve our dreams. Know that your limit has not limit.
Peace,
Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Be History!

During Black History month we turn our focus to the legacy and contributions of the people of African Descent that have paved the way to give us a better life. One of the best ways to honor the ancestors and those that have come before us is to be the history that has been made. Carry out the legacy of some recent or ancient ancestor making a contribution in your own unique way. For some that may mean expressing yourself through art, music, poetry or creative expression. For others it may mean being a teacher, activist, scholar or politician. It may mean being a fully committed mother or a father and simply giving love and care to a child each day. Whatever your contribution, think of yourself as being a part of history instead of just remembering it.

Peace,

Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Ma'at E's Mental Health Message

Learn to listen to your instinct instead of your ego.

When trying to make decisions or choices about what to do in life it is beneficial we learn to listen to instinct and not ego. Our instinct is a natural intuitive and innate inclination we have that gives guidance about which way to move or act. Our ego is the aspect of our self that thinks, feels or wills us to do something, but it is more based on reaction to our experiences of the past or hopes and fears about the future. Ego often drives us to chase a dream or pursue a goal. Instinct gives us guidance moment to about where we are right now which illuminates the best possible choice or option in this moment. When we stick to focusing on the now or this moment we don't have to be worried about future because we can trust our instinct will tell us what to do whenever the future comes.

Next time you are faced with a choice or decision no matter how big or small. Take a deep breath first and then ask yourself what is my instinct telling me. Wait until you get an answer. If nothing comes. Take another breath and ask again. Keep asking until an answer comes.

Peace
Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Every challenge is a gift if you receive what it has to offer. 

The difficulties we experience in life are all opportunities to grow. Each one presents us with some new lesson to learn if we are willing to see the challenge that way. When we see all obstacles as gifts in the form of lessons we can receive substantial information about what we need to change or issues we must address in our lives. So be thankful for your troubles as challenging as they may be and see them as a gifts which give you an opportunity learn and grow. 

Peace,

Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Ask the person in the mirror to change before you ask anyone else.

We are all Divine beings and the challenging conflicts and confrontations we have with our families, loved ones or business partners often mean something in our lives needs to change. The important part of the challenge or obstacle is recognizing that the greatest need for change is within us. It is not our mother, father, husband, wife, man, woman, partner, children, sibling or friend that need's to change. It is you and you alone that needs to shift if you want to see change in your life. The change may be in the form of your thinking, your actions, or simply your prayers. The first step is to look in the mirror when you profess things must change and ask what I am willing to do to change the circumstances of my life.
Start with that question and build change around the answer. Have faith in the divine wisdom of the Great Spirit to guide and carry you through.

Peace,
Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis

Maat E's Mental Health Message

Remember to Breathe and Remember to Smile. 

Two of the most powerful acts we can  do for ourselves during the course of a day are to breathe and to smile. 

Research tells us that smiling can improve your mood. Studies also show that people who genuinely smile, even when they don't feel like it, are less stressed than those who do not. 

We also know that breathing detoxifies and releases toxins. It also releases tension, relaxes the body and promotes clarity of thinking. Research even shows that breathing helps ease pain and improves our immune system. 

If the facts are not proof enough try practicing to breathe on your own. Throughout the day recite the phrase remember to breathe and remember to smile. Then follow through with action every chance you get. 

Peace

Dr. Ma'at E. L. Lewis