Understanding the Basics of Mental Health
Your health is a state of well being physically and mentally both. It is not just the absence of disease in your physical body. Emotional, psychological, and social well-being are also integral part of Mental well-being. The way we think, react to any situations and people and cope with the tasks of our daily life all depend upon state of our mental condition. This is an integral part of our personality and a very crucial topic of our lives.
Effect of mental condition on our life
Mental health deeply affects our life in all aspects. Some are pointed below
- Ability to manage stress
- Healthy relationships
- Making sound decisions
- Handling life’s challenges
- Realizing one’s full potential
- Maintaining good relationships
- Contributing to society
All the above along with feeling satisfied and being at peace all depends on the state of mental well-being.
The Mind-Body Connection
There is a close connection and dependency between physical and mental health. This has been seen that chronic diseases create poor mental health too and similarly poor mental health manifest in chronic physical diseases.
This connection creates the need to address symptoms of physical and mental illnesses at the same time as both are equally important.
It has been seen the many people having chronic physical disease have mental disorder too most
prominently depression and anxiety.
Most Prominent Mental Health Disorder
- Depression, the most common one
Lack of interest and motivation in any activity, persistent feeling of sadness, hopelessness, getting idea of suicide.
- Anxiety
Unnecessary and extreme worries and fears regarding daily life situations causing restlessness and lack of focus on any work.
- Dementia
Dementia indicates memory problem and caused due to number of diseases when
Nerve cells are destroyed causing damage to brain over a period. Due to dementia, one forgets time and events, confused.
- Bipolar Disorder
An unusual mood swift sometimes extremely happy to the extent of irritable and sometimes depression causing sadness. Sometimes having neutral phase too neither very high nor very low energy. The change in energy, activity level, mood causes difficulty in carrying daily tasks involving behaviour, thinking ability, social responsibilities and sleep disorder.
- Schizophrenia
A disordered thinking and behavioural pattern with hallucinations, delusions, disorganised speech disturbing daily life. This is a type of chronic brain disorder resulting in changed perception of reality.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
The repetitive, persistent thought about any fear, urge, images that lead you to be compelled for certain actions which interferes into your daily routine causing excessive distress and anxiety. For example, some people have excessive obsessions with cleanliness and washing hands repetitively beyond any reason creating unreasonable stress.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
After experiencing trauma and terrifying events, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) might be triggered. This involves flashbacks of trauma, depression, anxiety, feeling of guilt and shame.
Stigma attached with Mental Health
This has always been taboo to discuss mental health and seeking treatment and because of this, majority of people passing through some psychological problems do not get right help at right time. Due to the stigma attached with mental issues, there is reluctance to accept mental issues which increases the struggles and sufferings. It is very important to acknowledge the need to address the issues related with mental health.
Getting Help and Support
This is necessary to seek help from trained professionals like psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists for guidance and treatment and equally important is emotional support from family and friends.
Promoting Good Mental Health
Being mentally healthy allows you to effectively cope up with your daily life actions and stresses, maintain good relationship, having healthy feelings and emotions. It lets you learn and get love, peace and accomplish your life goals. It lets you feel happy. You need to develop some strategies to protect and promote your good mental health. Below are some points explained.
- Be physically active to realize your full potential and focus toward your work. Set your goals and actively get engaged to achieve it.
- Develop good relationships in family and socially
Keeping yourself connected with your own people and surroundings will provide you of
emotional support needed which is necessary for mental well-being.
- Engage in mindfulness, meditation, yoga and other relaxing activities which will bring you joy and relaxation to support yourself mentally.
- Do not delay in seeking help and discuss with professionals regarding any issues.
Never delay to discuss any such issue to get it address in initial phase only and save yourself from struggles attached with it.
- Eat healthy and have good sleep
Healthy eating habit and good sleep will establish balance in physical and emotional
health
Conclusion
At the end, we can conclude that promoting and protecting mental health is building block towards a peaceful and happier life. We need to acknowledge the need of addressing it, approaching trained professionals and building ecosystem to support it like good relationships in the society.