What is mental health?
Mental health consists of our emotional, physical, and social wellbeing. It is all linked to how we act, think and feel about things. A lot of people struggle to maintain their mental health which can cause disruption within their mental state. This can cause disruption to not only your life but also to your daily routines.
There are a few different mental health problems people tend to deal with, a few of those include.
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
- Obsessive- compulsive disorder also known as OCD.
- Bipolar disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Schizophasia
Mental health risk factors
Anyone can have issues with keeping their mental state balanced. Things like financial difficulties, relationship or family problems as well as lifestyle choices can all play a part in affecting your mental health. In the same way biological factors can increase your risk like medical illnesses as well as family members suffering from mental health issues. Previous history of traumatic experiences can trigger mental health issues.
The environment you are in can play a role in your struggles to. Things like weather changes can worsen depression symptoms and even the people who you socialise with. You should always surround yourself with people who make you feel positive and live your mood.
It is very important that you don’t neglect your mental health. If you don’t take steps in looking after your physical and emotional well-being it can therefore lead you to the struggles of mental health problems. Whether you’re allowing yourself to be in stressful situations or relationships, maybe you’re not taking time out for yourself to de stress or relax. These can all play a role in setting back your mental wellbeing.
Signs of poor mental health
If you can recognise signs and symptoms early on you may just be able to help yourself before it gets worse. There are some early signs and symptoms you can look out for whether you’re looking out for yourself along with long out for others.
For example, maybe you have noticed you or someone else seem to be getting easily distracted there for having trouble concentrating. Another early sign may be suffering from a low mood for no reason. Are you worrying more about stuff you wouldn’t normally worry about? Feeling overwhelmed in addition to being over emotional.
Some people become less sociable and avoid social activities along with making plans and then cancelling without explanation. This could be caused from having sleep problems causing them to be tired and lacking energy.
A few other signs are.
- being more irritated and shorter tempered
- difficulty controlling emotions
- talking less or more
- sleeping a lot more or a lot less
- not able to complete normal day-to-day activities
- difficulty making decisions on their own
Practicing mental wellness
There are a few things you can do to keep your mental wellbeing balanced. Physical activities are a good way to look after not only your physical health but it also helps with your emotional state. Things like going for a walk in the fresh air, going for a jog or running. Again, yoga and meditation are also great to help clear your mind. Of course, not all physical activities have to be outside of your home, if exercise is something you want to start doing, finding online classes is something you could look into.
Allowing time for self-care and looking after your personal hygiene are also very important. Maybe you have a hobby, if not explore and try and find a hobby you will enjoy. Whether that is painting, drawing or even things like golf and bowling.
Do you have a balanced diet? If not, it is vital you start now. Remember to have your 5 a day of fruit and veg and it is recommended that you drink 6-8 glasses of fluid a day.
The benefits of mental wellness
It is very important you look after your mental health; this means looking after your body and your mind.
Eating and drinking healthy
Having a well- balanced diet is an important part of keeping fit and healthy. This benefits your mental health by not only improving your mood and giving you more energy but also making you feel more alert. The wrong diet can cause you to feel tired and depressed. Always make sure you start the day off with a well-balanced healthy breakfast after all it is the most important meal of the day.
Exercise and physical activities
Exercise has a massive effect on your overall mood and your physical health. Exercising improves energy levels as well as relieving stress and any tension you may be suffering from. Going to a gym or going for a walk helps clear your head and may help you gain confidence in yourself and socially. Other benefits of exercise include.
- Improves sleep
- Helps decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression
- Reduces muscle tension, helping you feel more relaxed
- Clears your head of negative thoughts
- Improves your levels of chemicals in the brain such as sertraline and releases endorphins.
Self-care
There are a lot of different types of self-care which is mentioned above but also emotional self-care. Emotional self-care includes being more self-aware. Being more self-aware allows you to recognise your self-worth in addition to helping you to be more in touch with your emotions. Finding out what triggers you for instance allows you to find some control over it. Whether that is avoiding any situations that triggers your emotions or facing and overcoming them.
Talking to people or even a therapist allows you to share your worries and thoughts and could put your mind at ease. Journaling can also be a big help in clearing your mind. This means you can get all your thoughts out of your head and have somewhere to put them. Not only can you go back and read through it when your mind is less occupied but you can look back and see how far you have come.
The overall benefits of mental wellness include.
- Finding your sense of belonging
- Learning to have respect for not only others but yourself to
- Realise your potential
- Improve self-determination
- Motivation
- Higher your self-esteem and confidence
- Relationship improvements
- Reduced stress and worry
