There are seven principles I want you to understand about wellness, mental health, and mental health problems and illnesses.

First, It is nobody’s fault when we have problems.  If we knew the background and hang-ups of all the people involved, we would realize most people are doing the best they are able to at the time, even when they know better.
  Second, illness has not just one cause and just one effect.  Multiple factors coincide in the development of an illness.  And, when we experience wellness, it is because of several beneficial factors working together.  When health problems exist, the best results are achieved when pertinent, coordinated, multiple approaches are used to minimize or overcome a particular, multifaceted problem.
And, when we experience wellness, it is because of several beneficial factors working together.
   Third, mental health and mental illness both have physiological components.  We inherit certain ways that our bodies respond to stressors.  Each of us needs nourishment, exercise, and rest to match our specific body requirements in order to develop and maintain mental and physical health.
Fourth, our state of wellness is due largely to a variety of habits we have developed.  There are healthy habits that promote wellness of body, mind, emotions, and spirit.  We can develop healthy habits.
  Fifth, illness and wellness are partly the result of the way others treat us and the way we interact with them.  We can learn new ways to meet our interpersonal needs.
    Sixth, health is spiritual.  The inner person  becomes either stronger or weaker through experiences.  The spirito-psycho-emotio-physio-logical aspect of living is inseparable; each component intermingles and permeates life entirely for all of us.  Spiritual life is essential for whole health.  Spiritual needs must be met in order to have the peace of mind that carries one through difficult times.
   Seventh, we need to be part of a community.  Being an “outsider” is hazardous to our health.  Being “in communion,” being understood and accepted “as I am” by others with all my faults, strengths, gifts, and potentialities, helps me understand and accept Self.  Being “in communion with one another” brings us healing and health when we are part of a healthy community.
In summary, health and well-being are related to the same factors that cause problems and illnesses.  You could say they are opposite sides of the same coin.  By following Here’s to Your Health as we systematically present the contents of At Eden’s Gate: Whole Health and Well-Being which you may find at Amazon books, you gain a compendium of ways you can promote your own health and well-being, and the health and well-being of those around you.  But, each of us must take responsibility for Self.  I must change what I do if I want life to be different…that is a basic stepping-stone.

But often, my wanting to change is not enough.  I need a source of will-power.

See the next section which will be on Will-Power.