WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH?
You’ve heard that term before “mental health”, but have you ever stopped to think about what it really means. Many people associate the term with severe mood disorders and psychiatric conditions but that could not be further from the truth. We often overlook the importance of mental health, failing to recognize the impact it has on our overall satisfaction with life and on our physical health. Most people recognize when their mental health is not at its best. You know how when your relationships are not satisfying or when you’re having challenges at work and at home. Despite knowing that something is not right, many people are not sure what to do and tend to ignore these pestering feelings, hoping that they go away.
Mental health is tricky. It varies from person to person, and what works for someone might not be effective for another. Most of us know what to do to stay physically healthy. We know to eat well, exercise regularly, and maintain regular sleep habits but how do you keep mentally healthy? Mental health is not simply the absence of mental health disorder symptoms, rather being mentally healthy means feeling a sense of balance in your life and being able to respond in a healthy way to the ups and downs in life. The more we take care of our mental health, the less susceptible we are to mental and physical illness.
Here are some tips and suggestions on steps you can take to improving you mental health:
1. Healthy body = Healthy Mind
Taking care of our physical health can do wonders for our mental well-being. More and more we are learning that our body systems are connected and when we are not taking care of ourselves in one area it tends to have a negative impact on our overall well-being. What we eat and drink, how much we exercise, the amount we sleep, all these things play a role in our mental health. A small improvement in any one of these areas can have a significantly positive impact on mental health.
2. Talk about your feelings
The connections we have with the other people in our life can be the life line we need when we are going through difficult times. Having healthy supportive relationships with friends, and family provide us with an opportunity to work through difficult situations without feeling alone and we also have someone to celebrate with when we reach our goals or make an important accomplishment. The people in your support system are able to encourage you when you start to feel disheartened or when you feel like giving up and they can also be the people who remind you that you need to take a break.
3. Take a mental break
Sometimes we need a distraction from our endless to-do list and take time to focus on something that is not as mentally taxing. The brain is just like any other muscle in our body and if we work it past fatigue and do not give it time to recover, we are going to end up making simple mistakes. Immerse yourself in a good book, watch an episode of your guilty pleasure television show, or take a walk. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel after even taking a 15 minute break and allowing your mind to rest.
4. Set realistic expectations and goals
Rome wasn’t build in a day. It’s cliché, but there is truth in that statement. We will often try to build our Rome in an unreasonable amount of time and end up feeling disappointed in ourselves for not reaching our goals. What often works best is to break larger goals into small more easily achievable goals. This way you can celebrate each small accomplishment and feel proud of the steps that you take towards building your Rome.
5. Practice healthy thinking
The worst bully we have to deal with is often our self. What do you usually think to yourself when you have a bad day? Many people find ways to blame themselves and will beat themselves up for not doing “better”. You are not doing yourself any favors by engaging in this type of thinking, and often it can be a slippery slope that may lead to negative thought patterns that could make you more susceptible to periods of depression or severe low mood. Recognize that effort you put into the day, find ways to praise yourself, and be empathetic to yourself. Think about what you would say to a friend if they had a bad day .
