58.4 ->60 on What is mental health?

[mutatis mutandis]

Hello everyone.
Thank you for this sharing community, very helpful to me many times.
I am dealing with certain issues regarding my mother's physical and mental health. I also think often how much of her unstability I have inherited or learnt. My question is more generic though. What is mental health. I guess I Ching is answering considering me too.

I understand 58.4 not to be a very good line for openess or joyness. I am confused because seems very much of a tension reading. Is this taking about equilibrium? Would anyone want to help and give their perspective?

 

[Viru10]

Really interesting question! It seems that 58.4 is quite apt for this question. Mental health is about negotiating between differing pleasures. Worrying and anxiety about some future outcome can somehow feel 'good' or at least satisfying, or provide some degree of control. Perhaps even 'pleasureful'. But it ruins your state of mind in the moment, so it can be considered a lesser indulgence.

I see 58.4 here calling you to discern between what is an anxiety or mental construct and what is truly joyful. In my own life I've found this to mean delaying gratification to experience something more wholesome later.

That's what mental health is perhaps, discerning between empty forms of joy and greater forms of joy. This is a line from Buddhism I've heard (paraphrased): The lie is sweet now and bitter later, the truth is bitter now and sweet forever.

 

[mutatis mutandis]

Really interesting question! It seems that 58.4 is quite apt for this question. Mental health is about negotiating between differing pleasures. Worrying and anxiety about some future outcome can somehow feel 'good' or at least satisfying, or provide some degree of control. Perhaps even 'pleasureful'. But it ruins your state of mind in the moment, so it can be considered a lesser indulgence.

I see 58.4 here calling you to discern between what is an anxiety or mental construct and what is truly joyful. In my own life I've found this to mean delaying gratification to experience something more wholesome later.

That's what mental health is perhaps, discerning between empty forms of joy and greater forms of joy. This is a line from Buddhism I've heard (paraphrased): The lie is sweet now and bitter later, the truth is bitter now and sweet forever.

Thank you Viru10 and hello. This sounds very reasonable to me. Once a lover of mine told me I was unable to discern between whiming and longing. It was 13 years ago and his words still resonate... I don't know if he was capable of that anyway but gave me a good lesson.

I can be whimsical because of confusion and contradictory pulsions. I guess I need to work on discernment and that my idea to restart meditating is a good one.

The thing that comes as the flipside of this is that for many years I worked on restraining as I consideres following my impulses a path for suffering but I have found I have done a 360 degrees walk and restriction has come more from fear than from wisdom. Do you get what I mean? How much should be follow and how much not and line 4 has a lot about weighting things I guess as a source of suffering. Maybe apart from meditation I need to specifically meditate into my heart? Could you think of a good question to deepen on mental health?

Thank you for your beautiful answer

 

[rosada]

58.4 - 60
"Haggling opening, not yet at rest
putting limits on the affliction brings rejoicing."
-Hilary

This talk of haggling, going back and fort, should I or shouldn't I? and knowing when to put limits
reminds me of the mental health advice in the song The Gambler:

"You got to know when to hold'em
Know when to fold'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run.
You never count your money
While you're sitting at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done."

 

[SuperNatural]

Not meaning to oversimplify it, but the distinction between mental health and mental dis-order: When you have a problem and you are sub-functioning, and you want to get back to a baseline, your mental functioning is said to be dis-ordered. However, If you’re at a baseline, your mental functioning is basically healthy. The Tri-gram Tui deals with Joy in the positive, and anxiety in the negative. Anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness about things that haven't happened yet (Future). The Trigram Kan is Depression in the negative. Depression is a feeling of hopelessness about things that have already happened (past). The significance of the 4th line stressed indicates in this situation that finding the balance between too much Tui and too much Kan is the key to your mental health (Balance & Stability).

 

[mutatis mutandis]

58.4 - 60
"Apertura de regateo, aún no en reposo
poner límites a la aflicción trae regocijo.
-Hilary

Esta charla de regatear, volver y fuerte, ¿debería o no? y saber cuándo poner límites
me recuerda el consejo de salud mental en la canción The Gambler:

"Tienes que saber cuándo sostener 'em
Saber cuándo doblarlos
Saber cuándo alejarse
Y saber cuándo correr.
Nunca cuentas tu dinero
Mientras estás sentado en la mesa.
Habrá tiempo suficiente para contar

Hi Rosada! Thank you for reaching my call. I can identify with all the turmoil of doubts and should I/shouldn't I. I guess I am often quite afraid to get hurt, by men but not only. Sometimes I feel I don't yet have a clear identity and I am in my fourties. Sometimes I am good at that, Sometimes it is scary.

I will look for that song and try to get to understand it better. I am not native English speaker, you can tell, and metaphoric language is not that easy for me.

I often read your comments on people's questions, you are always very kind and bring positivity without being indulgent. I appreciate the care and respect in which you pour your ideas.

 

[mutatis mutandis]

Not meaning to oversimplify it, but the distinction between mental health and mental dis-order: When you have a problem and you are sub-functioning, and you want to get back to a baseline, your mental functioning is said to be dis-ordered. However, If you’re at a baseline, your mental functioning is basically healthy. The Tri-gram Tui deals with Joy in the positive, and anxiety in the negative. Anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness about things that haven't happened yet (Future). The Trigram Kan is Depression in the negative. Depression is a feeling of hopelessness about things that have already happened (past). The significance of the 4th line stressed indicates in this situation that finding the balance between too much Tui and too much Kan is the key to your mental health (Balance & Stability).

You nailed it! I had the intuition of balance (mental health) on the reading but couldn't condense it. Some ups, some downs, inhale, exhale. I need to remember that all the time. I need to go back to meditation plus not get to dogmatic about it.
Thank you!