The era of science and technology is making the world hurry towards its aims and goals. It is also changing people’s lifestyles. It is also changing people’s lifestyles. However, as individuals, we frequently fail to monitor our health, especially our mental health.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health refers to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional well-being. It is about how people think, behave, and feel. It also tells us how the person handles stress, makes choices, and relates to others. From childhood and adolescence until old age, mental health is very crucial.
Mental health means more than this. Excellent mental health means the absence of any mental disorders. This means that the person is in a state of well-being, can handle tough situations quickly, and copes with stress in challenging situations. Despite this, if a person has any issues related to his interpersonal relationships or factors that contribute to panic, uncertainty, uneasiness, or physical health, it can contribute to mental illness.
Why is Mental Health Important?
Mental health is important because it can help you to:
- Cope with the stresses of life
- Be physically healthy.
- Have good relationships.
- Make meaningful contributions to your community.
- Work productively
- Realize your full potential.
Now, we know that keeping your mental health checked and focusing on it is important. But why do we need to do so?
It is essential, as if a person does not work on their mental health, it will lead to mental illnesses or disorders. To understand disorders, first, it is crucial to get to know the meaning of abnormality and disorder.
But why do we need to do so?
It is essential, as if a person does not work on their mental health, it will lead to mental illnesses or disorders. To understand disorders, first, it is crucial to get to know the meaning of abnormality and disorder.
Abnormality vs Disorders:
Abnormality is any pattern of behaviour that causes people significant distress, causes them to harm themselves or others, or impairs their ability to function in daily life. There is a slight tone of abnormality in most of us. Abnormal behaviour is often an indicator of a possible mental disorder.
Abnormality is not the same as a disorder. Thus, it is vital for us to know the major disorders that a person may be going through or being diagnosed with.
Some of them are :
- Anxiety Disorder
- Personality Disorder
- Mood Disorder
- Eating Disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Depression
- Bipolar Disorder
The list of disorders goes on. Unfortunately, many people today are still unaware of them and often overlook them. They are often unseen by the majority of us. It is only felt by people who go through mental illness. This negligence often makes them not open up and discuss their ill health.
Mental illnesses affect 19% of the adult population, 46% of teenagers, and 13% of children each year. People struggling with mental health may be in your family, live next door, teach your children, or work in the next cubicle.
However, only half of those affected receive treatment, often because of the stigma attached to mental health. Untreated, mental illness can contribute to higher medical expenses, poorer performance at school and work, fewer employment opportunities, and an increased risk of suicide.
What can Affect your Mental Health?
There are many factors that can affect your mental health. Some of them are:
- Biological factors(genes,brain chemistry)
- Family history of medical diseases
- Trauma
- Abuse
- Your lifestyle such as diet, physical activity, etc.
So, what are the signs of bad mental health? Given below are some of the signs:
- Withdrawal from social interactions
- Change in your eating habits and diet
- Feeling worthless or hopeless
- Having low or no energy
- Thinking of harming yourself
- Suicidal thoughts
- Having mood swings
- Experiencing unexplained aches and body pain
- Smoking
- Consumption of drugs and alcohol
- Having thoughts or feelings that you are not able to get out of your head.
The link between mental health and relationships is one of the most compelling reasons for its importance. Mental illness might have an impact on how we interact with our friends and family. Mental illnesses frequently result in passive-aggressiveness, hostility, and the inability to participate in social activities.
- Mental ill health also leads to social problems like unemployment, broken families, poverty, drug abuse and related crime.
- Chronic illnesses like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease increase the risk of depression.
- Physical health and mental health are closely associated, and it is proven beyond doubt that depression leads to heart and vascular disease.
- Medically ill patients with depression have a worse outcome than those without.
To be mentally stable, work and run our daily lives smoothly and efficiently, it is essential to keep our mental health in check and prioritize our own well-being along with others. Our physical health is important just like our mental health. It is best to add exercises like walking, running, swimming or any sport like tennis, football and so on in your routine so that you are fit physically.
Self-care strategies are also essential today and one must practice them in order to look for our own health, be it physical or mental health.
Ways to Practice Self-Care :
- Regular exercise
- Getting 7 hours of sleep daily
- Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, art therapy, meditation, yoga
- Maintaining a daily journal
- Proper meals and staying hydrated
- Evening walks
In addition to self-care practices and guidance, you can manage and cope with your mental health through meditation. One must also consult a professional therapist or psychologist who would help them understand and deal with the anxiety, emotions, behavioral patterns and distresses they undergo with any mental illness. All of these approaches in this blog will help you to ease your worries and improve your mental health!
The recognition and understanding of mental health conditions have changed over time and across cultures, and there are still variations in their definition, assessment, and classification. The mind is one of the body’s potent organs, controlling the operation of every other organ. When our minds are unstable, it affects how well our bodies are able to function as a whole. The secret to success in all facets of life is to be both physically and emotionally fit. People need to be aware of the effects of mental illness and realize how crucial it is to maintain mental health in the same manner that physical health is maintained. It is impossible to distinguish the two types of health. And we only describe someone as being totally healthy and well when both are in balance.
Thus, it is vital for everyone to work and improve their mental health so that one will feel positive and good about themselves.