Mental Well-being

[SalixIncendium]

Both.
For religious - religion.
For non-religious - right thinking and other means.

Why are you drawing a dichotomy between religion and right thinking? There are those religions where the two aren't mutually exclusive.

The poll asks us to choose religious faith or right thinking, not religion and right thinking.

 

[PearlSeeker]

Is mental well-being possible without religious faith?

Yes. Otherwise all non-religious people would be in mental institutions.

Do you see each as equivalent to the other?
Or do you know of a better method to mental well-being?

I think there is more to it than right thinking. For example if you pray you always have someone to talk to, to express your deepest concerns... If you don't pray you have to be in close relationship with someone or regularly meet a counsellor...

 

[PearlSeeker]

Why are you drawing a dichotomy between religion and right thinking? There are those religions where the two aren't mutually exclusive.

The poll asks us to choose religious faith or right thinking, not religion and right thinking.

Yes, I meant religious faith.

 

[Audie]

The whole heaven / he'll thing causes
many people enormous stress and anguish.

 

[Sirona]

Which, in you opinion, is the better means to mental well-being,

Religious Faith or Right Thinking?
What is “Right Thinking?"

Is mental well-being possible without religious faith?
Do you see each as equivalent to the other?
Or do you know of a better method to mental well-being?

I strongly dispute the "objective decision making" approach in this article. People are not "objective" beings, most just want to hear compliments about themselves. Across the thumb, people with an illusionary self-image who think they are great are happier, than people who because of a depressed mood, tend to think of themselves as rather bad / flawed and then call this "objective" because they may consider their situation as inescapable. Since "objectively" people with mental problems often are less succesful in terms of economic success than those who are not affected, the "objective" self-view of the mentally ill as "inferior" is reinforced so that they have a "good" opportunity to "beat themselves up" even more.

It is not really clear to me what this has to do with religion. Buddhism, for example, makes the statement that the soul/self does not exist and that it is therefore futile to talk about psychological phenomena at all. There may be people who agree with this statement, but the statement "there is no soul" seems to me to be just as contrived as the idea of "correct" or "objective" thinking. The foundation is not provable and if you pull away the foundation stone, the whole building collapses. Psychotherapy at least as I experienced it seems to be based upon confession (of sins) so the psychotherapist I attended seemed to believe that it would be beneficial to know about personal strengths and flaws "objectively", in a "balanced" way but this is contradicted by the "self-obsessed people are happier" argument I gave before.

On the question of whether religious actions / actions taken from religion are beneficial to mental health. Mindfulness practice and mandala painting are used in psychotherapy, but without explicit religious content, so as not to upset schizophrenics. However, repeating mantras / words / prayers can be beneficial to health. This has been scientifically studied as a result of the mostly Indian cults that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s. A certain Herbert Benson who was a Harvard physician exploited this commercially and published a book about it called The Relaxation Response.

The Relaxation Response - Wikipedia

 

[Watchmen]

I suspect the mental well being of the non-religious is generally healthier than the religious.

 

[RestlessSoul]

I suspect the mental well being of the non-religious is generally healthier than the religious.

Going to offer any evidence?

 

[vulcanlogician]

I'm fairly convinced that God beliefs do not reflect reality. But I wouldn't go denying anyone those beliefs if it led to their mental wellbeing.

There'd need to be something dangerous about the particular beliefs for me to have a problem in their being used to achieve wellbeing.

And I do think religious ideas and beliefs can be instrumental in helping someone out of a tough spot.

 

[Ancient Soul]

Faith helps me observe and understand the outside world. And be in awe of it. Thinking logically helps me understand myself internally. And avoids internal pitfalls. Both are equally needed to develop a mentally aware and sound mind.

... and this is coming from someone who has a mental illness. It's similar to medication and therapy. Medication works from the inside coming out, therapy works from the outside coming in. Both are essentially needed by the severely mentally ill, including myself. If I don't take my medication I become irritable, anxious, agitated, and if I don't have therapy I can get in a really bad mood, for several days. They both work in tandem together, like living a spiritual life and having stable thinking.

So are you saying that if you don't take your medication you become like everybody else, irritable, anxious, and agitated all the time? (Just joking.)

 

[Ancient Soul]

Yes. Otherwise all non-religious people would be in mental institutions.


I think there is more to it than right thinking. For example if you pray you always have someone to talk to, to express your deepest concerns... If you don't pray you have to be in close relationship with someone or regularly meet a counsellor...

You don't have to pray to be able to talk back and forth with yourself.

 

[Ancient Soul]

I had to pick "other" on the poll, because, well, like everything else, my entire spiritual life is in the "other" category.

For me my mental well being is easy for the most part. God taught me how to keep my mind calm, sound, and silent for the most part. And I have always understood who "I" was inside and what I wanted out of life, immune to what others try telling me I "need" to do or should be. As that is another thing God had shown me before returning me to life, what my spiritual status and life was to be. And I have always held true to it, not because I felt I had to, but because it felt right. While I earned a good living, I never wanted to follow the herd and be rich, raise a family, or go around trying to impress others, nor anything else "they" think I should be like. I want no part of it. I only wanted to stay connected to God and spend as much of my days as I could being outdoors, enjoying this beautiful gift God gave to everyone, this earth. To drink in the beauty, mystery, and wonder of the forests, the mountains, the streams, rivers, lakes, oceans, etc, and all the host of wild beings God has placed here. It keeps my spiritual bond with God complete which keeps me spiritually and mentally balanced, which in turn makes it easy to get answers to all the spiritual answers I ask. It is who I am and all that I would ever want to be, an explorer in this most profound mystery called life.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Which, in you opinion, is the better means to mental well-being,

Religious Faith or Right Thinking?
What is “Right Thinking?"

Is mental well-being possible without religious faith?
Do you see each as equivalent to the other?
Or do you know of a better method to mental well-being?

Mental wellbeing is complicated. It has many factors, not just one. For example, trauma adversely affects mental wellbeing. Bad genes can adversely effect mental well being. If your mom was anxious with you when she was pregnant, it will adversely effect your mental well being.

That said, being a part of a religious congretation is helpful to mental well being because it gives a buffer against anxiety and depression. But clear rational thinking is also helpful, especially as it will make your choices in life superior, leading to less troubles to deal with.

 

[Sirona]

I suspect the mental well being of the non-religious is generally healthier than the religious.

If this was true than bedlams should be empty in atheist / secular countries. It's a bit like saying that religion contributes to crime as prisoners are often more religious than the general public.

 

[Watchmen]

If this was true than bedlams should be empty in atheist / secular countries. It's a bit like saying that religion contributes to crime as prisoners are often more religious than the general public.

I said greater; never did I say non-existent for non-religious.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

It entirely depends on the individual, their psychology, their circumstances or experiences, and their needs.

This

 

[Sirona]

Mental wellbeing is complicated. It has many factors, not just one. For example, trauma adversely affects mental wellbeing. Bad genes can adversely effect mental well being. If your mom was anxious with you when she was pregnant, it will adversely effect your mental well being.

That said, being a part of a religious congretation is helpful to mental well being because it gives a buffer against anxiety and depression. But clear rational thinking is also helpful, especially as it will make your choices in life superior, leading to less troubles to deal with.

It's a no-brainer that you should think before you act. However, mental wellbeing is a vague term and I don't know how deeply the OP went into it and of course there are different gradations but

(1) These days, you're already "mentally ill" if you're a little stressed out at work, which may also be largely due to the drug industry.

(2) A REAL mental impairment is characterized by the person's little or non-existing ability, depending on the degree and duration, to apply the way of thinking that society defines as "objective". IT would be going too far to ask what the prevailing societal opinion is (in the Middle Ages one was "crazy" if one did NOT believe in God) and how it is enforced (often power imbalances between doctor and patient or, less drastically , between "logical" husbands and "sentimental" wives, for example). But assumed that everyone is supposed to think "objectively," telling a person with a mental disorder to think "objectively," is at least unhelpful and potentially hurtful, much like telling a wheelchair user "Why don't you get up and walk?". Perhaps the OP hasn't thought too deeply about the issue, and (s)he isn't required to, but but given that this forum is used by the mentally impaired more than others forums, I don't think the OP (or anyone) should give advice on the issue that may come across as insensitive and allows the guess that they have little knowledge or little experience on the subject.

 

[stvdv]

Which, in you opinion, is the better means to mental well-being,

Religious Faith or Right Thinking?
What is “Right Thinking?"

In short: Follow your conscience is a Highway to mental well being

Can you lengthen this slightly, because as I read it, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, perhaps in part that I haven't had my morning coffee. How do I follow something that isn't separate from me?

I am surprised it makes no sense to you, might be the lack of coffee. Although, I never drink coffee, so it might be "coffee drinking" as well

Actually, I just reply to the question in the OP about "acquiring" mental well-being

"Acquiring" implies you're in a state of "not mental well-being". Coming from there one of the basic first steps is to "follow your conscience"

No more, no less

 

[Windwalker]

I suspect the mental well being of the non-religious is generally healthier than the religious.

Why do you suspect that? Can you give some specific examples?

 

[stvdv]

I suspect the mental well being of the non-religious is generally healthier than the religious.

IF true
THEN I am a proverbial exception to this

And if that belief of yours gives you "peace of mind" then I won't try to convince you otherwise.

 

[Fool]

Which, in you opinion, is the better means to mental well-being,

Religious Faith or Right Thinking?
What is “Right Thinking?"

Is mental well-being possible without religious faith?
Do you see each as equivalent to the other?
Or do you know of a better method to mental well-being?

Spiritual = mental

Right thinking requires faith in action. Otherwise it's just a belief, a thought that is never experienced