Mental Health - Keeping Mentally Fit (1952)

in spite of what the graduation speakers say every spring our town's pretty average those were our seat do out of this class of 40 just because it is average two of these boys and girls will spend some part of their lives in a mental institution my job is to try to keep the people around here healthy and most of them are of course nobody's health is ever perfect Jim Anderson has a bad ear that doesn't keep from playing on the football team county champions last year to frank white is nearsighted but his glasses take care of that Dorothy westerly has a tooth that needs fixing but she's in good health I'd say pretty good he'll they've all learned happens good living but it helps them stay physically healthy habits of cleanliness good diet exercise and rest but there's another side to good health and that's good mental health comes naturally to most people and who are mentally healthy bring up the children to be mentally healthy too big Tommy Clark there he learned the first rule for good mental health a long time ago about not bottling up his emotions now when he works up a head of steam he puts it to work in a useful way instead of holding it inside when you try to do that bound to come out in some unpleasant way Tommy learned that some years back just after his younger brother was born come on Jimmy you can catch your knees you haven't eaten a bite all day I declare I don't know what's got into you heard your mother Thomas now do it first and finally is folks ready to see me there was nothing physically wrong with him but I could find so I began to talk with it if we got something on your mind Tommy why don't you talk about it well we all have our problems Tommy but I can't talk about it horse you care and you know something the more you talk about your problem the easier they are the south it's buckling things up inside just bad when you feel something if you're mad or afraid or worried you've got to let it out or it'll come out some other way like you losing weight not sleeping what is it Sam gosh dr. Martinson this may sound kind of funny to you I don't think my folks want me anymore they're planning to get rid of me what makes you take that sir I heard them say so one night they thought I was asleep who ever since Jimmy was poorly well it wasn't easy to prove to Tommy that he was wrong as in so many cases like this his parents were partly to blame the new baby was taking more of their attention than they realized we got a chance to talk to Tommy's mother about it and it turned out that they've been talking about sending Tommy to camp for the summer it was understood them yeah we finally got it straightened laughs but it taught Tommy a lesson that many people don't learn so quickly about not buckling up his emotion he learned that it could be easy to talk to his folks and that he didn't have to hide his love for them good night mom good I Tommy well that is quite a few years ago Tom's graduating today that number one rule for good mental health don't bottle up your emotions has helped him through many a tough spot because we're talking about some of the civil rules for staying in good mental health and that brings us to the second room which is respecting yourself down need it doesn't it but look what happened to Bruce Matthews he went out for the tennis team a couple of years ago and why we had to left to learn he had the makings of a fine player but he wasn't satisfied with slow steady improvement oh he expected himself to be perfect right from the start missing a point would make him boil over at himself well the coach finally caught on to what Bruce was doing to himself with his demand for perfection sure I think it's fine to keep wanting to improve I understand that but I think you're going at it the wrong way how do you mean well did you ever stop to think how good your game really is yeah after lifting that last point that's just what I'm getting it you're worrying too much about the game on you don't enjoy it but ki kote I know I can do better sure you can but the point is you should let yourself get mad every time you miss a point even the world's champion can't make every point you can't be perfect you've got to learn to get more pleasure out of this game so take yourself as you are and instead of expecting yourself to be perfect it took a while for Bruce to get what the coach was driving at but little by little letting up one bid on trying to improve his game he learned to enjoy his skill rather than fret over his occasional misses yes he is learning that second important habit for keeping in good health good mental health i mean the habit of feeling right about himself along with that goes a third important habit feeling right about other people too that means getting along with others having fun with them being part of the group there is no room for bashfulness in good mental health to look at Auto modulare you'd never guess what he was like a year ago for some reason or other he was convinced that people just didn't like him much he never tried to make friends or to be one of the bunch it was miss Ryder to came to ottos rescue I think you'd enjoy getting into one of the school clubs I don't know I really don't have any time I hear their plane to organize a camera club you can help with that I'm not very good with my camera I don't think they want me in the club of course they would the more the better when you're organizing a crowd Josh miss writer you're certainly doing well in chemistry and that's important in photography I don't know chemistry different from photography I think you'll find eight welcome a good chemist like you in a camera club but you'll have to do one thing first offer to help dawn you can to help get the club organized some other students to join oh I couldn't do that of course you can and you'll find that they are like you and much of you like them I do about Arthur's problem because his parents had come to see me about the same thing of course they had to share the responsibility for our auto specialist what do you mean George I don't quite get what you're driving it no well I'll tell you what I've been watching you with that kid a long time you're demanding too much from it nobody can be perfect so don't ride him so hard when he does something you don't like remember he's a person in his own right his way maybe just as good as your way I do think you've been hard on at times Arthur oh but he doesn't told a lie in the way he should he has advantages I never had when I was a boy he has an opportunity to amount to something but let him do it his own way you've got him feeling now he isn't as good as the next fellow that's why he hesitates to make friends in all those kids is it many others I've known talking with the parents was important in helping to get things straightened out he's learning the third basic rule for good mental health feeling right about other people that means that in any normal group of people there is a feeling of Kiev and take as an interest in the group oh there's no distress or dislike of others just because they happen to be different well there's one more room for good mental health and has be that Nancy finally learned it well enough to get a diploma that's the habit of doing something about a problem as soon as it comes up practice now gosh what I don't know about the Civil War period I even cracked a page in two weeks I'm gonna have to dig into this one too come on over to my house tonight let's starting it together oh I just dread getting into it let's put it off till tomorrow remember tomorrow never came for Nancy that quiz they found her completely unprepared but Barbara had faced up to that quiz the day it was announced Oh Jeff is a worried about this exam I just can't believe oh I hope I passed there's no point in worrying about it now that should not only had double trouble with that quiz she had tripled trouble for during and after she got busy just as soon as an ounce instead of just worrying about it it would have been a lot easier for it yes people round here or learning some of the basic rules for staying and good mental health first rule is don't bottle up your emotions like love is anger expressed them naturally of course emotions like anger have to be expressed with consideration for others of all don't carry a grudge get it off your chest second rule is to respect your own ability always try to improve but remember that you're human the third rule is to respect others keep them as friends and finally when the problem shows up face it at once calmly reasonably and honestly and remember that one of the best rules for good mental health is talking out your troubles and problems with someone whose opinion you respect your parents your family doctor your school teacher or advisor your tournament may be the right person to talk to on many things whoever it may be talking is one of the best tonics there is for good mental health another good time it is an interesting hobby gives you a way to relax chance to accomplish something you can be proud of well those are some of the rules for staying in good mental health course they're just the ABCs of a subject big enough to fill whole library but it's more and more folks get to know these ABCs and follow them they're going to be able to look at the group like this someday and feel if they have a greater chance that ever the kind of happy useful life which will make our world a better place to live Oh