YOUR MENTAL INPUTS
What you consume mentally matters just as much as what’s on your plate.
We talk a lot about food inputs… protein, fiber, produce, hydration. But there’s another category that quietly shapes our health every day: mental inputs.
What you watch, scroll, listen to, and tell yourself doesn’t just affect your mood… it affects your energy, choices, and even how well healthy habits stick.
This week, let’s talk about how to protect your inputswithout slipping into fake positivity or ignoring real life.
Step One: Look for Red Flags
Pay attention to the news, social media, podcasts, and other content you consume, and notice any red flags in how it impacts your energy or mood. Here are some signs that the content may be negatively influencing you:
🚩 Leaves you feeling depleted instead of empowered.
You finish reading, watching, or listening and feel heavy, overwhelmed, discouraged, or flat.
🚩 Triggers comparison, self-doubt, or pressure.
Even if it’s subtle, you start questioning yourself instead of trusting yourself.
🚩 Pulls you into a low-energy headspace.
Less motivation, less creativity, less belief that effort will matter.
A simple gut check:
After taking this in, do I feel more inspired to move forward, or less motivated?
Step Two: Seek Positivity
It’s important to stay informed.
It’s also important to proactively seek information that supports your energy and sense of possibility. Here are some signs that you are consuming positive content:
🟢 Leaves you feeling capable, not powerless.
You may feel challenged, but you also feel like your actions matter and that progress is possible.
🟢 Creates clarity instead of overwhelm.
You finish reading, watching, or listening with a better understanding, not more confusion, urgency, or mental clutter.
🟢 Encourages progress, not perfection.
Supportive content highlights effort, learning, and forward movement rather than extremes, outrage, or “all-or-nothing” thinking.
Seeking positivity isn’t about being optimistic all the time. It’s about creating an information mix that supports your health, energy, and motivation.
Why Positivity Helps (according to research)
This isn’t just feel-good advice.
Studies consistently show that positive emotional states are linked to:
✨ Better stress resilience
✨ Improved problem-solving and flexibility
✨ Greater follow-through on health behaviors
✨ Lower levels of chronic inflammation over time
Why?
When your brain feels supported rather than threatened, it’s more open, more creative, and more willing to try again tomorrow.
PRACTICE THIS…
While scrolling, listening, or reading, ask yourself:
“Is this input helping me feel encouraged & supported?”
If yes, keep going.
If no, give yourself permission to step away.
Final Thought:
You don’t need perfect thoughts or constant optimism.
You just need enough supportive inputs to make healthy choices feel possible, again and again.
Because positivity isn’t pretending everything is perfect.
It’s choosing inputs that help you move forward. 💛
Joy is a nutrient. Inputs matter.
xx DJB
