When you hear the terms “emotional health or mental health”, what is the first thing that usually comes into your mind? Mental health normally includes social well-being pertaining to psychological and emotional standings.
Mental health affects the way people think, act and feel. In addition to this, mental health also has the ability to help you determine the effective ways of how to handle your stress, make choices and relate to other people.
Mental health is essential in each stage of your life, from childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. For those people who are experiencing mental health issues and problems, there is a great chance that their behavior, mood, and thinking will be affected.
There are different factors that usually contribute to your mental health issues and problems such as family history, life experiences that include abuse and trauma, and biological factors that include brain chemistry and genes.
It is a fact that mental health issues and problems are very common, however, help and prevention are always available. People who are suffering from mental health issues and problems have a good chance to get better and recover completely.
For those individuals who are experiencing mental health issues and problems, it is very imperative that you are familiar with and aware of their warning signs.
If you have positive and effective mental health, it will allow you to make meaningful contributions to your community, work productively, cope with stress and realize your full potential.
In addition to this, it is also important that you have an apparent and superior understanding of the effective and useful ways of how you can maintain your positive and effective mental health such as developing your coping skills, getting enough hours of sleep, helping others, getting physically fit and active, staying positive, connecting with other people and most importantly, getting professional advice and help from experts.
Today you’re going to discover the fundamentals of mental health.
Let’s begin…
Mental Health Basics
According to studies, individuals who are mentally healthy have the ability to control their behavior and emotions. They also have the capability to handle life trials and challenges, recover from serious setbacks and build strong and healthy relationships with others.
However, you need to bear in mind that if you want to maintain or build mental and physical health, effort, commitment, time, and dedication are highly suggested.
Enhancing your mental health is a rewarding experience that you will definitely love. Mental health can benefit all the significant aspects of your life such as adding enjoyment to your day-to-day activities, building resilience, and most importantly, boost your mood.
For those people who are experiencing mental health issues, it is very important that they are familiar and aware of how to get rid of them in a short period of time. Here, you will learn the real definition and significance of mental health.
A Quick Glimpse of Mental Health
Mental health usually refers to your overall psychological being. It also includes your ability to manage your emotions and feelings, build relationships, develop the way you look and feel about yourself, and most importantly, how you can deal with extreme difficulties. Mental health is not just about the absence of mental health issues and problems.
Being mentally healthy is more than being free of psychological issues, anxiety, and depression. The absence of mental health commonly refers to the presence of excellent characteristics.
There are some people who don’t have negative emotions and feelings, however, they still need to do things that will make them feel good and positive to help them get a hold on their mental health.
Characteristics of Individuals who are mentally healthy:
- High self-esteem and self-confidence
- They have the ability to maintain and build fulfilling relationships
- They have a balance between their work, play, activities, rest, and so on
- They have the flexibility to learn new things and can easily adapt them to change
- They have a great sense of purpose and meaning in their relationships
- They have the ability to easily and effectively deal with life challenges and stress
- Typically are able to bounce back from adversity
- They have the ability to have fun and laugh
- They have a zest for living
- Have a great sense of tranquility and contentment
The positive characteristics of mental health will allow you to easily participate in all the latest happenings in your life by having strong relationships, meaningful activities, and being productive every single day.
The effective and positive characteristics of emotional and mental health will greatly help you to quickly cope with life stresses, trials, and challenges.
Warning Signs of Having Mental Health Problems
Not all people are familiar and aware of the warning signs of having mental health issues.
Check out the following to learn about the warning signs:
- Inability to execute daily activities and tasks such as getting to school or work and taking care of your family and kids
- Thinking of harming other people and yourself
- Believing things or hearing voices that are not real
- Having persistent memories and thoughts that you can’t easily get out of your mind
- Experiencing mood swings that can cause major problems in your relationships
- Fighting and yelling with friends and family
- Feeling unusually scared, worried, upset, angry, forgetful, and confused
- Using drugs, drinking, and smoking
- Feeling hopeless and helpless
- Having unexplained aches and pains
- Feeling numb
- Having no energy
- Pulling away from your usual activities and people
- Sleeping and eating too little or too much
Mental Wellness and Health
According to studies, positive and good mental health allows you to:
- Make evocative contributions to your community
- Work productively
- Cope with pressure and stress in life
- Realize your full potential
Effective Ways to Build and Maintain Positive and Better Mental Health
- Developing your coping skills
- Get enough hours of sleep
- Helping other people
- Getting physically fit and active
- Staying positive
- Connecting with other people
- Getting professional guidance, advice, and help especially if you need it
It is a fact that mental health issues are quite common in different parts of the world. According to research, many American adults experience mental health problems. In addition to this, young people also experience major depression and some Americans live with serious mental issues that include depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
The rate of suicides in the U.S. is on an uprise due to unresolved mental health issues.
Are you Resilient?
Being mentally healthy does not mean that you are not going to experience bad times or emotional problems. Most people go through change, loss, and disappointments.
These are considered normal parts of your life, however, they can still cause stress, anxiety, and sadness. The only difference is that people who are mentally healthy have the ability to bounce back from stress, trauma, and adversity or at the very least, are able to cope better.
This type of ability is known as resilience.
Individuals who are mentally healthy have the helpful tools that are intended for coping with difficult scenarios in life and at the same time maintain and build a positive outlook on life.
These people remain creative, flexible, and focused during the bad times of their lives. One of the best key factors of resilience is your ability to completely balance your emotions and stress.
If you have the potential to recognize your feelings and emotions, you can be sure that you will find hard times and difficulties much easier to cope and deal with effectively and appropriately.
By doing this, you are assured that you can avoid getting stuck in a negative mood or suffering from anxiety and depression. Another important key factor is having an excellent support network.
If you have trusted people that you can turn to during bad times and hardships in life, you can easily find support and encouragement that will boost your resilience during those tough times.
Here, you will discover the role of resilience in mental health.
Physical Health is directly connected to Mental Health
It is a fact that taking good care of yourself is considered to be a powerful way to get a hold of your mental health. Your body and mind are linked together and this is one of the reasons why when you develop your physical health, you will automatically experience greater emotional and mental well-being.
Regular exercise will not just strengthen your lungs and heart, it also has the potential to release endorphins within your body. Endorphins are powerful chemicals that are responsible for energizing the body as well as lifting the mood of people. Daily choices as well as the activities that you engage in can greatly affect the way you feel emotionally and physically.
Tips on how to Get a Hold on Your Mental Health
If you are a person who wants to easily get a hold of your mental health, it is imperative that you become familiar with the following tips:
Get enough rest - In order to maintain good mental health, the first thing that you need to do is to take good care of yourself, especially your body. Having enough rest and getting adequate hours of sleep is necessary, especially for teenagers. Individuals need 7-8 hours of sleep every night to function optimally. If you get enough hours of sleep, you can be sure that you are one step closer to becoming mentally healthy.
Learn good nutrition - You need to learn how to consume a well-balanced diet. A lot of people are unaware of how large of role nutrition actually plays in our moods and our mental health. It may be difficult for you to follow this diet in the beginning, but it will surely pay off in the long run.
Exercise to get rid of stress - It is a fact that regular exercise has the ability to help you to easily get rid of stress or reduce it and at the same time it can lift up your mood.
According to studies, exercise is considered to be a powerful antidote for depression, anxiety, and stress. You can look for simple ways that you can add exercise into your daily activities such as taking the stairs at work instead of using the elevator or you can also go on short walks.
If you want to experience the amazing benefits of being mentally healthy, 30 minutes of daily exercise can do wonders for you.
Get a small dose of sunlight each day - Sunlight has the ability to lift your mood. The best thing that you can do is to get a small dose of sunlight each day for about 10-15 minutes. This can also be done while you are socializing, gardening, and exercising.
Limit your Alcohol intake - Apart from drinking alcohol, it is also important to avoid using drugs and cigarettes. These are well-known stimulants that have the ability to make you feel good for a short period of time; however, they have long-term negative effects, especially on your emotional health and mood.
Being resilient does not cost anything and anyone can master it, especially with a little practice. Most of all, being resilient has the potential to enhance every aspect of your life.
Take Good Care of Yourself
If you want to improve, strengthen and maintain your mental health, the first thing that you can do is to take good care of yourself. It is very essential to pay attention to your feelings and needs.
Don’t let negative emotions and stress build up in your system since it can harm your overall health. You have to balance the things that you love to do and your daily activities and responsibilities.
If you take good care of yourself, you can be sure that you are a hundred percent prepared and ready to deal with trials and challenges that might come into your life.
Taking care of yourself usually includes pursuing the activities that release endorphins within your body.
According to researchers, endorphins are naturally released within your body when you do the following:
Positively impact others - It is a fact that being valued for all the things that you do and being useful to other people can easily build self-confidence and self-esteem. If you really want to build them, do certain things that can positively impact the lives of others in nice and meaningful ways.
Practice self-discipline - Self-control can lead to a sense of hopefulness and at the same time, it can greatly help you to easily overcome your negative thoughts, helplessness, and despair. By practicing self-discipline, you can be sure that you can easily become mentally healthy.
Enjoy the wondrous beauty of art and nature - There are some studies that show that by simply walking in your garden, you can reduce your stress and lower your blood pressure. Apart from this, sitting on a beach, viewing architecture, hiking, and strolling through art galleries and parks can have the same positive effects.
Manage your level of stress - According to researchers; stress takes a heavy toll on people’s mental health. This is one of the reasons why you need to manage and control your stress. It is a fact that not all stressors can be easily prevented; however, strategies for stress management will greatly help you to bring things into balance.
Limit your unhealthy mental habits - Too much worrying is considered one of the most well-known unhealthy mental habits of most people in this society. It is very important to avoid becoming too absorbed by your repetitive mental habits. Furthermore, negative thoughts can suck up your time and drain your energy. It can also trigger your feelings of depression, fear, and anxiety.
Tips for Taking Care of yourself
Appeal to your senses - Stay energized and calm by simply appealing to your five senses such as taste, smell, touch, sound, and sight. You can listen to your favorite music to easily lift up your mood. You can also place a bouquet of flowers on your patio where you can smell and see them. You can also massage your feet and hands or you can sip your favorite warm beverage.
Engage in creative and meaningful work - You can do things that will greatly challenge your creativity. By doing so, you can be sure that you feel more productive every single day. You can engage yourself in gardening, playing an instrument, writing, drawing, or even building your own workshop. This allows you to discover your strengths and weaknesses.
Get a dog - It is a fact that dogs are a huge responsibility; however, caring for a pet will make you feel loved and needed. Your dog can also serve as your buddy. You will need to take your little doggy for a walk and this will cause you to exercise and meet new people.
Dogs are great for helping you manage stress, anxiety, and depression.
Make your leisure time a priority - If you are doing things for no reason, it simply means that you are happy and contented while doing them. Spend your leisure time doing exciting and memorable activities such as a walk on the beach, reading amazing books, chatting with your friends, listening to your favorite music, and watching funny movies. Playing is considered to be a mental health necessity.
Make time for your appreciation and contemplation - The first thing that you can do is to think of all the wondrous things that you are grateful for. You can pray, meditate, enjoy watching the beautiful sunset or spend time paying attention to what is beautiful, positive, and good as you continue the rest of the day.
Everyone is different and not all things will be beneficial or even appealing to all people. There are some individuals who prefer to relax, while others want to participate in physical activities that allow them to enjoy and explore different places.
Healthy Relationships
Healthy and supportive relationships are recognized as the foundation of mental health. No matter how much effort and time that you devote to improving your mental health, you still need the help of others because this having this support can make your feel great about yourself.
According to studies, humans are considered to be social creatures with a mental need for positive connections and relationships with others. People usually crave companionship.
Social interaction with other people provides an opportunity to express the issues you are having, which can reduce stress.
You need to find a supportive relationship with someone who is trustworthy and a good listener.
This person should be aware of your feelings, won’t judge, criticize or interrupt you.
If you really want to find a good listener, the first thing that you must do is to become a good listener.
Develop friendships with people whom you can talk to about your problems, challenges, and support you without any hidden agendas.
Tips for Connecting with other People
These tips can help you find people that you can build healthy relationships with and lean on for support during your times of emotional needs.
Get out from behind your Computer and TV Screens
Computers and TVs can offer their own form of companionship and can be a stress reliever, however, they do not compare to interactions with other people in person. This is one of the reasons why you shouldn’t neglect real-world healthy relationships in favor of your virtual interaction.
Spend more time with people you like to talk and deal with
It is very important to spend more time with people you have chemistry with. Choose colleagues, family members, neighbors, and friends who are positive, upbeat, and genuinely interested in you. Take plenty of time to learn more about the people you meet as this will build trust and strengthen the relationships.
Volunteer
Doing things that will help other people has an excellent effect on how you normally feel about yourself. The purpose and meaning you find in helping other people will expand and enrich your life. Charitable organizations, non-profits, churches, and schools usually depend on volunteers for their survival.
Be an excellent joiner
It is highly recommended to join interest groups, conversations, social interactions, and networks that will give you a chance to meet different types of people. These groups usually offer wonderful opportunities for finding various people with common likes and interests. Those people who you like to talk to and deal with are recognized as your potential friends.
The Perks of Healthy and Supportive Relationships
Strong and healthy relationships are essential to your healthy life and happiness. Individuals with good friendships have the ability to handle stress. It is very important to find a friend who will help you during hardships in life.
One of the best and effective ingredients of healthy and strong relationships is honest and open communication.
Work together to easily build and create a strong environment wherein both of you can feel secure and safe while expressing your dreams, hopes, and feelings with one another.
Here are some of the excellent communication skills that you need to improve to get good results:
Empathy
This is considered the ability to express and understand the interest of another. It does not mean that you need to agree with it, all you need to do is to acknowledge it and at the same time try to understand. By doing this, you can show them that you truly care.
Acceptance
You need to recognize that you don’t have the ability to make others change. It is very important to take responsibility for your own actions, attitudes, and feelings. Trying to change others into the people you want them to be will not work. You can build strong and healthy relationships when you know the main purpose of acceptance.
Valuing others
You need to bear in mind that most people want to be loved, valued, and appreciated. It is very imperative to pay attention to your interactions with others.
Let them feel that they are valued and important. When you conduct yourself in this manner, you naturally build stronger relationships, because people will see that you truly care.
Listening
The last thing that you need to keep in mind, especially if you want to build those healthy and supportive relationships is to be a good listener. If you are chatting with your friends or family members, make it a habit to have eye to eye contact and an open posture.
Avoid crossing your legs and arms. Before giving your opinion, allow them to finish their sentences.
If you practice those simple communication techniques, you’ll be well on your way to developing supportive relationships.
Risk Factors
Mental health will continue to shape your life experiences. Early experiences during your childhood are really important. Biological and genetic factors play a significant role in your life; however, these two factors can also be changed by creating new life experiences.
If you’d like to develop a stronger mindset so that you can live your best life, you must become aware of the risk factors that can compromise your mental health…
Poor attachment and connection to your primary caretaker in life - Feeling abused, confused, unsafe, isolated, and lonely as a young child or infant.
Serious losses and Traumas in life - Traumatic experiences that include hospitalization or war as well as the sudden death of parents.
Learned Helplessness - Negative experiences and situations in life that usually lead to a certain belief can make you feel helpless. This is one of the reasons why you need to take control over the latest situations and happenings in your life.
Illness – This risk factor has been known to totally destroy a person’s mental health, especially when the illness is chronic, and causes isolation.
Side effects of medications - This risk factor usually happens to older people who are taking different types of medications for their illness. The side effects of their medications can compromise their mental health.
Substance Abuse - It is a fact that drug and alcohol abuse can cause mental health issues and problems. These substances can also worsen your mental health challenges.
Whatever external and internal factors have shaped your mental health, it is not too late for you to change and improve your psychological well-being. Risk factors can be easily counteracted with effective protective factors such as coping strategies, healthy lifestyles, and strong relationships for managing negative emotions and stress.
For people who are encountering mental health issues, the best thing that they can do is to immediately consult a professional psychiatrist who can help them to regain their mental stability.
Aside from this, you can also try stress management techniques, healthy lifestyles, supportive and healthy relationships, and coping emotional strategies that will serve as your key and guide to restore your mental health.
However, if all your efforts did not work out, it simply means that this is the best time for you to consult a professional and reliable psychiatrist who can provide you with help, advice, and guidance on how you can cope with your normal life.
There are various psychiatrists who specialize in the field of regaining mental health.
When Do You Need to See a Professional?
If you have already made all your efforts to improve your mental health, but still don’t feel good, it is the perfect time for you to seek professional help.
Since most people are socially attuned, input from a reliable, knowledgeable, and competent caring professional can motivate you to do things that will help you to regain your mental health.
Here, you will discover the red flag behaviors and feelings that require immediate attention.
Red Flag Behaviors and Feelings of Having Emotional and Mental Health Problems
- Thoughts of suicide and death
- Self-destructive and negative thoughts and fears that you can’t immediately control
- Using alcohol, drugs, food, and nicotine to cope during hardships in line and difficult situations
- Concentration problems that can interfere with your home and work-life
- Feeling helpless, hopeless, and down throughout the day
- Inability to have enough sleep
If you notice that you have these red flag symptoms, the best thing that you can do is to set an appointment with a professional psychiatrist or emotional health professional.
There is a wide variety of emotional health specialists and professionals who are willing to help you get rid of your mental health issues and problems.
Do your homework and only select to consult with the best mental health specialists to increase your chances of restoring your peace of mind by producing the best results.
Conclusion
Mental health issues have corresponding solutions. It should be treated sooner rather than later in order to prevent it from getting worse.
If you also have loved ones who are suffering from mental health issues, it is highly recommended that they immediately seek professional help from mental health specialists and psychiatrists.
They are the ones who can provide them with effective therapy and or medication that can help them to regain their normal life. However, don’t forget to try some of the helpful strategies and techniques to control mental health issues.
Seeking professional help from experts as soon as possible can help patients to recover from their situations.
Mental health problems are a serious health condition that needs the proper attention.
If this condition is not addressed, there is a great chance that symptoms will get worse, and treating them will require a longer duration of time.
Taking care of your mental health is the only way to live your best life!
