Mental health and physical and mental well-being from the perspective of men's health care

What is Mental Health?

Mental health is a very important aspect of fitness. The World Health Organization defines health as "not merely the absence of disease, but a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being." This means that health includes not only physical health but also mental well-being. Therefore, in addition to nutrition, exercise, health checkups, and medical treatment, mental health is essential for maintaining good health.

What is Psychology?

From a mechanistic perspective, the brain is the organ of the mind; psychology is the function of the brain. Scientific psychology believes that the mind is not something mysterious or unpredictable. No matter how complex and varied its phenomena may be, they are ultimately reflections of objective reality in people's minds. Specifically, psychology encompasses sensation, perception, memory, thinking, emotion, mood, personality, and abilities. In simpler terms, human psychological activity consists of three aspects: cognition, emotion, and will.

People generally attach great importance to maintaining physical health and have researched and summarized a series of effective measures. However, mental health has not received sufficient attention. I would like to offer my humble opinion on this issue.

As mentioned above, human psychological activities mainly consist of three aspects: cognition, emotion, and will. However, each person has their own unique psychological characteristics, so everyone's psychological activities are different. Nevertheless, the relationship between human psychology and physiology is consistent. That is, psychological and physiological activities are interrelated and mutually influential; they are inseparable. Psychological activities cannot be separated from the physiological—the material basis of the central nervous system, the brain—this is common knowledge. However, it is often overlooked that psychology, in turn, has a significant impact on physiology. Ancient medical books have long pointed out that the "seven emotions" (joy, anger, worry, thought, grief, fear, and fright) are important factors in causing disease, which has been confirmed by numerous subsequent studies and clinical practices. Therefore, we should continuously adjust our mental activities in all aspects, taking various measures to avoid the adverse stimulation of negative psychological factors on the body, and give full play to the positive role of positive psychological factors, so as to achieve balance and unity between the individual and the internal and external environment, and prevent any deficiency or obstacle in mental activities from causing damage, so as to maintain and guarantee physical and mental health.

Mental Hygiene and Aphrodisiacs

If we understand the meaning of "yang," we will naturally understand the relationship between mental hygiene and aphrodisiacs. Ancient philosophers and physicians used "yin and yang" to summarize everything in nature and the physiological and pathological states of the human body. Comrade Sha Da elaborated on this in detail in his article "The Elderly Should Pay Attention to Protecting Yang Qi" in the 7th issue of *Elderly World* in 1987. A summary is as follows:

"Why do people age and die? What are the most basic conditions for maintaining health and longevity? The *Huangdi Neijing* states: 'Human life has form, inseparable from Yin and Yang.'

'Yang Qi is like the sun in the sky; if it loses its proper place, life will be shortened and its brilliance diminished.' This illustrates that the maintenance of normal life processes and physical strength depend on the harmony of Yin and Yang. 'Yang governs movement,' 'Yin governs stillness,' 'Yang governs fire,' 'Yin governs water,' 'Yang governs Qi,' and 'Yin governs blood,' with Yang being the most important. Therefore, the ancients compared the Yang Qi of the human body to the sun in the sky. If the sun loses its light and warmth, all things in nature cannot survive; similarly, once Yang Qi is depleted in the human body, life activities cease."

Human psychology also has Yin and Yang aspects; a healthy psychological state is "Yang," while a pathological psychological state is "Yin." "A strong mind leads to a comfortable body." Conversely, intense emotional passivity can disrupt or obstruct the body's Yang energy, leading to various illnesses and premature aging. The mind and body are interdependent and mutually influential; their relationship is very close. Those who neglect mental health suffer from depleted Yang energy, thus harming their physical health. Therefore, mental health and aphrodisiac effects are related.

Mental Health and Fitness Exercises

People exercise for physical health, such as doing aerobics, massage, and Qigong. Undoubtedly, these exercises are beneficial for improving physical fitness. However, all must be based on a sound mental health foundation.

During massage and other techniques, one must concentrate and maintain a calm mind. Qigong emphasizes "three adjustments" (body, breath, and spirit), with adjusting the spirit being particularly important. Adjusting the spirit requires eliminating distracting thoughts and reaching a state of tranquility and emptiness to achieve its effects. Furthermore, the common essence of all Qigong is "merit," which aligns with the requirements of physical health. If one neglects mental well-being and simply engages in physical activity, how is such a fitness exercise different from ordinary physical activity? While it may offer some physical benefits, its effects are far less significant than those achieved by incorporating mental well-being. Take Qigong as an example: its superiority over other forms of exercise lies in "regulating the spirit"—"regulating the mind." Regulating the mind is essentially the same as practicing mental health. People often say, "Medicinal supplements are not as good as dietary supplements," and "Dietary supplements are not as good as spiritual supplements." In other words, to a certain extent, spiritual supplements are superior to dietary or medicinal supplements in their impact on health.

The "concentration of intention" during Qigong practice can bring the cerebral cortex to a calm state, which directly benefits the regulation of emotional changes (mental health). A person well-trained in Qigong, who regularly cultivates virtue and achieves tranquility during practice, can self-regulate, transcend, and shift unhealthy psychological states when encountering emotional changes, quickly stabilizing their emotions and contributing to mental well-being.

Thus, mental health and physical exercise are organically linked, mutually restricting, promoting, and coordinating to exert their health benefits.