Keep Calm and Carry On & Secrets to Serenity

The iconic ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ poster was originally produced by the British government in 1939 in preparation for World War II. However, it was little known until 2000, when a copy was rediscovered at Barter Books, a second-hand bookshop in the market town of Alnwick, in Northumberland, in North East England. It was not until the late noughties, nevertheless, when the famous phrase printed in sans serif font, in white letters against a red background, and topped with a crown, took the world by storm.

Since then, it has been used as the decorative theme for a range of products, from mugs to coasters, and from T-shirts to cushions. Variations of the phrase and the color soon emerged and can now be found anywhere from England to almost any other country of the world. In fact, I’ve personally been so obsessed with the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ phenomenon that I have collected quite a few posters and other memorabilia, and I have decorated my flat with those. 

Although the original ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ poster was intended to help raise the morale of the British public at a time when Britain was threatened with mass air attacks from the Germans, I think it still speaks loud to the human race. We live in an age where stress, anxiety and panic have become part of our everyday lives. I’m not referring here to diagnosable anxiety disorders, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), or Panic Disorder [even though they are amongst the most common mental illnesses; in the US alone, PTSD affects 7.7 million adults (3.5% of the population), GAD affects 6.8 million adults (3.1%), and Panic Disorder affects 6 million adults (2.7%)]. Instead, I am referring to the everyday experience of anxiety, which most of us are familiar with.

From ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ to ‘Calm: Secrets to Serenity from the Cultures of the World’

Despite being a Psychiatrist (and therefore charged with diagnosing and treating anxiety disorders), I personally experience stress on a daily basis: during my commute, at work, even in my leisure time or when traveling (I have to admit that the fear of missing out largely contributes to this). So, when I – a stressed traveling psychiatrist – came across the Lonely Planet book ‘Calm: Secrets to Serenity from the Cultures of the World’, I was immediately drawn. Tips on how to stay calm coming all the way from Japan, Bhutan, or Brazil? Yes, please.

What our modern society hasten away, it can give back. We can read about and incorporate into our lives lessons in calm from around the world. And, maybe, one day, we can travel to experience a few. There’s nothing like a journey to put your own problems into perspective.

Divided into four sections (nature, rhythm, sharing, and focus), the book shares 50 tips from a total of 37 countries. As I was reading these tips, however, I realized that most of them could easily fit within the 10 key areas of mental health and wellbeing (for a happy, healthy, and well-balanced life) that I have previously written about:

1. Sleep

Sleep is one of the cornerstones of (physical and mental) health and wellbeing, yet it is often neglected. The association between sleep and mental health is bidirectional. For example, mental illnesses, such as anxiety and depression, can affect and disrupt our sleep; the reverse is also true: sleep difficulties can compromise our mental health.

Keep Calm and Have a Siesta (Spain)

Sleep hygiene suggests that we avoid day naps, because if we have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night, napping during the day can make things worse and perpetuate a vicious cycle. In Spain (and other Mediterranean countries), however, locals traditionally take a catnap in the afternoon (widely known as siesta). This break from the daily activities can help the body and the mind slow down and recharge. 

2. Nutrition

The Mediterranean diet is widely considered one of the healthiest in the world. It includes relatively high consumption of fruits and vegetables, olive oil, grains, legumes and nuts, moderate consumption of fish and poultry, as well as red wine, and low consumption of dairy products and red and processed meat. It has been linked to reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, and increased longevity.

Keep Calm and Grow your Vegetables (France)

Grande Chartreuse, the head monastery of the Carthusian religious order, is located in the Chartreuse Mountains, north of the city of Grenoble in Southeastern France. Each cell has its own walled garden, tended by the monk inhabiting that cell. The monastery is famous for the liqueur of the same name produced by the monks by distilling a secret combination of 130 ingredients: home-grown herbs, plants and flowers. Gardening and growing your own plants, including fruit, vegetables, and herbs (whether you use them in food or cocktails), can be a calming (therapeutic even) activity. It can also contribute towards a healthy and balanced plant-based diet, an essential ingredient of a (physically and mentally) healthy life.

3. Exercise and Physical Activity

Exercise and physical activity are beneficial to our physical health. For example, it helps improve our physical health by reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (such as coronary heart disease and stroke), the risk for diabetes (type 2) and metabolic syndrome, and risk of some cancers (including colon and breast cancers). It also helps control our weight, strengthen our bones and muscles (therefore reducing the risk of osteoarthritis and hip fractures), and overall increase our chances of living longer. Exercise and physical activity can be beneficial to our mental health too, including our mood and cognition. Research has shown that exercise lowers the risk of dementia and depression, by releasing endorphins. 

Keep Calm and Kayak (Greenland, Canada & USA)

Long before kayak races were introduced in the Olympic Games (in 1936 in Berlin), kayaks had been created by the Inuit, the indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada and the US (Alaska), for transport, hunting and fishing. Nonetheless, modern-day kayaking combines the benefits of physical activity with those of being in nature. When practiced as a hobby, it can therefore help us improve both our physical and mental health, keep calm and reduce our stress levels.

4. Psychotherapy

Psychoanalysis is the most archetypal psychotherapy. Established by Sigmund Freud, it is a group of theories and therapeutic techniques (Freudian being one of them). Dream analysis (or dream interpretation) is one of these therapeutic techniques often used during psychoanalysis. Freud actually viewed dreams as ‘the royal road to the unconscious’. In psychoanalysis, unconscious patterns can be brought into awareness with a view to changing them. These unconscious patterns are explored in the therapy through the intervention of the analyst, who makes ‘interpretations’ rather than provide solid advice on how to change.

Keep Calm and Share your Dreams (Ecuador)

In South America, it is common practice for Achuar families to share their dreams in the morning. This Amazonian community can be found along either side of the border in between Ecuador and Peru. Like the psychoanalytic community, the Achuar believe that dreams are revealing; unlike the psychoanalysts, however, they also believe that dreams can be foretelling.

5. Bibliotherapy, Art and Music Therapy

Bibliotherapy refers to a type of psychotherapy involving the use of literature and storytelling to help improve mental wellbeing. Reading can be an excellent resource in providing psycho-education and support for self-care. In fact, there is a huge evidence base around the value of reading to support health and wellbeing. In the UK, there is a scheme endorsed by health professionals and supported by public libraries that allows people to visit their local library and take a book out for free. ‘Reading Well’ has two strands: ‘Books on Prescription’ and ‘Mood-boosting Books’. 

Art therapy combines talking therapy with creative exploration through the arts. It can help explore and communicate feelings that may be too difficult or distressing to express in words.

Music can also help alleviate physical and psychological symptoms. For example, a systematic review indicated that listening to music might have a beneficial effect on physiological parameters (such as blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate), anxiety, and pain in people with coronary heart disease. Another systematic review concluded that music interventions might have beneficial effects on anxiety, pain, fatigue, and quality of life in patients with cancer. The health benefits of listening to music can often be seen in the context of music therapy. This is an umbrella term for evidence-based interventions that use music in a therapeutic context. There are two types of music therapy: receptive (listening to music), and active or expressive music therapy (playing or creating music).

Keep Calm and Chant (Italy and France)

Gregorian chant developed mainly in Italy and France during the 9th and 10th centuries. It is widely considered to have a tranquillizing effect on the listener; this is due to the increase of the alpha wave production in the brain (in other words, the electrical activity observed during relaxation). Of course, experience tells us that Gregorian chant is not the only style of music with a calming effect. Lullabies, for example, are commonly used to calm newborns and young children.

6. Mindfulness and Meditation

We often talk of mindfulness and meditation in the context of mental well-being, as well as psychological therapy. 

Derived from Buddhist traditions, mindfulness is a psychological process of bringing one’s attention to experiences occurring in the present moment. The practice of mindfulness can actually help us become less reactive to stress, build resilience, cope better with health problems (including long-term physical illnesses) and reduce psychological distress. Mindfulness-based therapies, such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), use mindfulness as the main therapeutic approach. 

Quite often the word ‘meditation’ is used alongside or even interchangeably with ‘mindfulness’. So, is meditation the same as mindfulness? Not quite, even though there is a bit of cross cover. Some types of meditation may involve mindfulness, but not all types of meditation do so (hence the term ‘mindful meditation’). 

Keep Calm and Recite Mantras (India)

A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, phrase, or even sentence, often recited during meditation or meditative activities (such as certain types of yoga). It originated in India, where it was believed to have psychological and/or even spiritual powers. Reciting even a single-word mantra, like ‘Om’, can be pretty powerful and help calm the wandering and stressed mind.

7. Positivity and Gratitude

Positive thinking and gratitude is a skill that can be practised, learned and become an effective stress management strategy. If this sounds like psychobabble, I assure you it is not. A large number of published studies indeed confirm the strong association between positive thinking and gratitude on the one hand and wellbeing on the other; they also explain the reason for this. Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, refers to the ability of the brain to change (both its structure and its function) throughout one’s life. This is commonly called rewiring and involves creating and strengthening brain pathways (neural circuits). Neuroscience research shows that positive thinking strategies, including reflection and gratitude journals, are effective ways to improve one’s mental wellbeing for this very reason; they contribute to the rewiring of the brain. The same is true of mindfulness and meditation.

Keep Calm and Keep a Journal (USA)

The Mormons, a religious group originating in the US, are renowned for keeping journals. The use of reflection and gratitude journals, however, can be a therapeutic activity irrespectively of one’s religious or spiritual beliefs. Journaling has been shown to be an effective strategy in reducing stress, improving memory, helping regulate emotions, and improve mood. It has therefore become one of the daily tools I use and recommend to everyone keen to improve their mental wellbeing. 

8. Routines and Structure

As a Psychiatrist, I cannot overemphasize the importance of having routines and a structure to one’s days, weeks, and life. Routines and structure are important because they provide a sense of security and familiarity, but also order, direction and meaning. They also help provide a sense of achievement (purpose) as well as enjoyment (pleasure). All these are essential ingredients for a happy and a balanced life.

Keep Calm and Have a Sabbath (Israel)

Yet, having a day off can be as important for our mental wellbeing as having routines and structure. Sabbath (or Shabbat) is Judaism’s day of rest. According to halakha (the Jewish religious law), Sabbath is observed from Friday evening until Saturday night. During that time, Jews abstain from certain activities, including work and other activities of daily living. Instead, they engage in restful activities to honour this special day. Like siesta, this break from everyday activities helps the body and mind slow down and recharge. 

9. Purpose

Last year I came across the Japanese concept of ‘ikigai’. This can loosely be translated to ‘a reason for being’ (or ‘la raison d’être’, as the French say), a ‘purpose in life’ or even ‘the reason for which you wake up in the morning’ (akin to a daily purpose). Ikigai usually refers to the source of value in one’s life or the things that make one’s life worthwhile. As a Psychiatrist, I strongly believe that finding purpose in life can contribute to our wellbeing.

Keep Calm and Master a Skill (Japan)

In ‘Calm: Secrets to Serenity from the Cultures of the World’, I read about the Japanese ethos of mastering a skill and aiming for excellence, for expertise in one’s chosen area. A celebrated example of this ethos can be seen amongst sushi chefs, who often devote their entire career on mastering a single dish. This example may sound extreme, but I think there are a lot of benefits from mastering a skill; such a skill can be anything from learning a foreign language, to playing a musical instrument, or learning a craft. Finding purpose not only provides routine and structure in our life, but can also foster our sense of self-worth and increase our self-esteem by helping us gain a sense of achievement and mastery. 

If you let me go slightly off track here (but still stay in Japan), I would like to point out that I do not always agree with the need for absolute perfection. Striving for excellence can be positive, but there are also times that good enough can be better than perfect. Rather paradoxically, there’s another Japanese concept which is very close to this philosophy. ‘Wabi-sabi’ refers to the acceptance of imperfection and transience. It is often considered in the context of ‘kintsugi’ (or ‘kintsukuroi’), the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery. 

10. Pleasure

Having pleasurable activities helps introduce routine and structure in our life. These activities can often be purposeful, as well as pleasurable. But most of all, as the name suggests, they provide enjoyment and pleasure. What constitutes a pleasurable activity is, of course, very subjective. Each one of us can find pleasure in different things, activities or situations. I believe it is important to take some time to reflect and identify what brings pleasure to us, what makes us happy, and what we enjoy. We can then introduce such activities in our daily lives.

Keep Calm and Play Games (Egypt)

Most people consider board games a pleasurable activity. Senet is a board game from ancient Egypt, considered a predecessor to backgammon. Fragmentary boards and hieroglyphics depicting this ancient game have been found in tombs and burial sites in Egypt. 

The history of backgammon goes back thousands of years. Still popular today, it is in fact one of the oldest board games. It is believed to have originated in Mesopotamia before spreading to the Mediterranean. Today, it remains a popular game in my home country, Greece. Like most board games, backgammon is a pleasurable activity, whereas at the same time engages the mind and encourages interaction with other people. From that perspective, it can be much more beneficial than computer games that involve staring at a screen to the exclusion of others. 

Further reading

If you’ve enjoyed reading this post, check out my similar posts ‘9 Secrets to Happiness from the Cultures of the World‘ ‘Beyond Hygge: The Atlas of Happiness‘. They’re both inspired by similar books to ‘Calm: Secrets to Serenity from the Cultures of the World’.

Keep Calm and Carry On!

or… Gan Bwyll a Daliwch Ati!

Alex

(the Traveling Psychiatrist)