My faith in science helps me to maintain my mental health.
Depression runs in my family. 3 of my 4 grandparents had it, both my parents had different expressions of it. But surprisingly, I found relief through a concept called information theory.
The short version: information is physical. When you save a file on your computer, inside something changes its electronic or magnetic properties. Just like writing on paper changes it, as the ink soaks into the fibers. Science is still debating about how the mind comes from the brain; but there's no doubt that thought comes from the brain, and that physical changes to the brain have a direct effect on thought.
Mental illness is to the brain as heart disease is to the heart. It's simply a malfunction that needs to be treated. Like heart disease, the best treatment is prevention. But we don't put any shame on someone for whom heart disease runs in the family; it's not a moral failing if you've got a bad ticker. Likewise, I don't feel any shame in managing my mental health. It's just part of my family history.
Family history is underrated; it has much more of an effect than we acknowledge. Studies have shown that Olympic champion athletes have just average reaction time and hand-eye coordination.
Instead, what they have that the general population doesn't are parents who were high-level competitors, if not champions themselves. I had a buddy whose parents were ski patrol. He learned skiing at the same time as walking. He'd put in his ten thousand hours by fiftenn.
If you don't come from that background, you can still win, but it's gonna be hella hard. The interpretation of quantum mechanics that takes background into account, Superdeterminism, helps me to put my life experiences in perspective. The 3 out my 4 grandparents who had depression were all highly accomplished college professors. That's not a coincidence.
The highest levels of performance happen almost completely mentally, but people who take great care of their bodies pay no attention to their mind.
Your brain is another organ in your body. The health of one is dependant on the other.
Mental health is physical.