Intellectual Wellness

Has this ever happened to you? You're excitedly holding forth on a topic dear to your heart. Just to make sure the other person is tracking, you check in. Their answer makes it clear. They're patiently waiting for the end of the story so they can change the topic. You leave second guessing yourself - did I explain it wrong? Why didn't they get it? Did I sound like an idiot? Bummer for you.

In reality, much worse for them. Assuming you were not speaking in a foreign language, and were speaking to the person at their level, the fault was not in the stars dear Brutus. It was with the intellectual rigidity of the listener.

How about this? Same scenario on your part, but when you check in you get back a stunningly perceptive response. They get it! They tracking and they want more. You're both smokin'! Nothing illegal of course, but there is true communication between you. There's intellectual vigor. The air is sizzling. You leave feeling exhilarated. That is an example of intellectual wellness in action.

Sometimes life gets us stressed to the point where anything new coming our way feels too much, too burdensome, maybe even too scary. We do the mental and intellectual equivalent of keeping the chain lock on the door while opening it just a fraction to talk to the person on the other side.

We may not want to do that, but it often happens. If you notice it, here are some thoughts about how to easily make a shift.

So what to do if you're feeling like a mental stick-in-the-mud?

The dimension of intellectual wellness covers mental dynamics such as the desire to learn new things, a willingness to challenge our fixed ideas and preconceptions, problem and critical solving abilities, creativity, and an adaptability to changes. In a nutshell it's about openness to being a lifelong learner, a seeker rather than a know-it-all. It's about feeling the mystery of existence and wanting to breathe it in deeply.

The literature is rarely as unified on solutions as on symptoms, and that is true for intellectual wellness. The easiest solution is this. Stimulate your brain! Engage in any activity that connects you to your surroundings in a way that makes you want to know more. It can be exploring a beach at low tide, reading a book or involving yourself in a hobby.

It is the engagement, the excitement, the desire for more that is at the heart of intellectual wellness. When Joseph Campbell said "Follow your bliss" he knew if you did so your passion would lead you to a full life.