You often see toothpaste commercials talk about dental hygiene, but no one talks about mental hygiene. If I eat salads and broiled chicken breast and drink water, I will look and feel different from a person who eats deep fried foods, has ice cream for desert and washes it all down with a giant coke. If I read paper books that inspire me, and avoid social media, my mind will be different from someone who argues with trolls on Twitter, spends hours scrolling on Tik Tok and watches TV shows about celebrities who are famous for being famous. You can ingest harmful things with your eyes and ears, just like you can with your mouth. You can get feedback from the scale when you eat things that are bad for you. If you eat something poisonous, it can kill you.
You can take in things that are just as bad for your mental state, but just because there is no device that will measure that like a weight scale, it doesn’t mean that it’s not damaging you. The reason we work jobs, get an education, get married, have kids, and go on vacations is because we think those things will lead us to happiness. Practice good mental hygiene so that you don’t undermine your own efforts by ingesting harmful substances. Think before you read, think before you click.