Home Mental HealthImportance of Mental Health

Importance of Mental Health

9 Minutes

Edited & medically reviewed by THE BALANCE Team

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Imagine a scenario where you visit a doctor because you have been struggling with a highly uncomfortable stomach issue for a long time. What tests do you think they will run, or what prescriptions do you believe they will write for you? Alternatively, imagine you visit a massage therapist to release the tension and discomfort in your neck and shoulder muscles. You continue to see them every week, but the pain slowly makes its way back. Indeed you have been facing a lot of stress and pressure and struggling to get a good night’s sleep every other night. But these issues are not why you visit the doctor. You will be good to go with some melatonin at night and a cup of piping hot coffee every morning.

In both scenarios described above, one common fault is that you only focused on addressing the acute pain without paying much attention to its multidimensional components. Unfortunately, this is a routine practice for many of us. We often fail to identify the effects of stress or a mental illness unless they manifest in the form of some physical symptoms. Although a declining mental state can take a toll on our physical, emotional, and even intellectual health, many of us do not know how to explain the difficulties on these levels. As a result, we only consider getting treatment when we have something tangible to show and fix. In reality, the human body and the brain are one entity. Both are entirely interconnected in such a way that one dramatically affects the other. So if you are neglecting your mental health, you will automatically end up physically hurting yourself with time.

This article will describe the importance of mental health, why it is so crucial to maintain it, and how to do it with a particular emphasis on its seven components.

Whether you are young or old, the importance of mental health for complete well-being cannot be undermined. When something compromises your psychological wellness, it automatically leads to harmful behaviours that affect your personal health and destroy relationships with others.
Below are some benefits of good mental health that depict why it is so important to invest in it.

It makes you stronger to cope with the daily stressors of life.

When your emotional and mental states are at a peak, you can find life’s everyday challenges much easier to overcome. While most people resort to behaviours like isolation, fighting, tantrums, or addictions to manage their disputes, stable mental health can encourage them to utilise healthier coping mechanisms instead.

It creates a positive self-image.

Mental health strongly associates with the perception of self. Therefore, people who enjoy good overall mental wellness usually have high self-esteem and self-confidence. This confidence is proof of their healthy mental state and helps such people focus on the good in their personalities. By honing in on their qualities, they are more likely to work for and achieve a healthier and happier life.

It helps create healthier relationships.

With a positive mental state, you are more capable of providing your loved ones with affection, support, and quality time. You can also extend your help to others in need when you are not emotionally stressed.

It makes you productive.

Dealing with depression, anxiety, or any mental health illness can directly and negatively impact your productivity. On the contrary, strong mental health enables you to work more efficiently and deliver your best.

It increases the quality of life.

When your mental well-being thrives, your quality of life improves. And with a good quality of life, you are more likely to participate in community building. For example, you may volunteer at shelters or food drives. You may also be interested in making new acquaintances, travelling to new cities, or picking up new hobbies which further add to your overall well-being.

In the harmonious relationship between the body and mind, the role of the seven main components of mental health is crucial. These components work together to ensure you maintain good physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Each of these components is closely connected with the rest; an imbalance in any one can affect all others. So whether it is a lack of boundaries or an environmental stressor affecting your physical health, managing its effects on your mental health requires prioritising all these areas.

So when someone asks you how to maintain good mental health, describe the components of mental well-being mentioned below:

Support

In this context, support refers to seeking professional help. Professional support is very different for everyone and does not necessarily include talk therapy. Many people choose not to go into the mental health industry, and their decision must be respected. Instead, they can opt for the following types of professional support:

Somatic healing
Meditation
Exercise
Psychedelic treatments
Medication
Calling a support hotline
Workplace mental health training
Sharing with a loved one

If an individual opts for talk therapy, their current medical professional may refer them to a psychiatrist or prescribe an appropriate medication. Suppose it is not suitable for you to go on medication therapy. In that case, it is essential to communicate this to your professional caretaker so they can find an alternative way to improve your mental health status.

Family and friends can play an essential role in providing support to you. Most people greatly benefit from an objective opinion to recover from a declining mental state.

Community

Your community may include many people, from family and friends to online or in-person support groups. Even any service or exchange that contributes to authentic conversations can help you improve your mental well-being and quality of life.

As the famous proverb highlights, you indeed are the company you keep. Hence, it is crucial to surround yourself with supportive people who prioritise a well-rounded lifestyle and share similar desires and goals. Community care seems to go a long way in helping people manage their mental health and improve it effectively.

Physical Health

The human body comprises a delicate and complex network of different systems that work together in perfect synchronicity to keep you moving forward. This network chiefly includes your brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, etc., and the health of one of these directly affects the health of others.

Although the human body and its intricate systems are miraculous, they are not invincible. If you do not take care of yourself, this system will likely crash. So if you aim to improve your mental health and the working of the brain, ensure that the rest of the body is in perfect order. Factors like hydration, consistent sleep, healthy eating, and regular exercise are integral not only to physical health but also to mental well-being.

Environmental Health

Your environment contributes a lot to your mental well-being. This may include your current living conditions, relationships, social interactions, workplace conditions, and access to fresh air and nature. The stressors that make their way into your life due to an exploration of inadequate environmental conditions can subconsciously hit your overall well-being, including your mental health. Hence, do whatever you can to remove these stressors or consider changing an unhealthy environment to improve your mental health and cognitive functioning.

Intellectual Health

The human brain is a muscle which means that it also requires regular exercise for growth and maintenance. Committing yourself to learning, be it through reflection, acquiring a new skill, or meditation, can all contribute to good mental well-being. These activities keep your brain sharp and improve the overall quality of life by giving you a purpose. When you invest in some training that exercises your cognition, you may be more in tune with yourself.

Boundaries

Contrary to the popular belief, no one sets boundaries to keep people out of their life. Instead, their purpose is to prioritise their mental health and maintain it. Boundaries have also been proven to strengthen relationships when set directly and respectfully. Communicating your boundaries also helps you develop greater self-esteem and provides healthy interdependence in a relationship.

Some people may find it uncomfortable and particularly challenging when they set their boundaries for the first time. However, try leaning into this discomfort and do not ignore your feelings just because you are trying to be polite. Unlearn the healthy and harmful people-pleasing behaviours and focus on yourself first to improve your mental health.

Self-care

Self-care means everything you do for your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. It may sound effortless and straightforward, but most of us do very little to refresh and recharge. There is no set definition of self-care, which may differ for everyone. However, the concept is based on the increased self-awareness that helps you identify situations and practices that improve or deteriorate your mental health.

Self-care can be as simple as:

Eating nutritious food
Prioritising sleep
Exercising regularly
Practising good hygiene
Expanding your social circle
Doing something you truly enjoy
Listening to your favourite song on repeat
Reading a good book

FAQs

What are the characteristics of people with good mental health wellness?

People who enjoy healthy mental health have:
A will to live fully
The ability to have fun
A higher sense of contentment
High self-esteem and self-confidence
The flexibility to adapt to change and acquire new skills
A balance between work, rest, play, and activity
An ability to establish and maintain healthy and fulfilling relationships
The ability to effectively deal with stress and bounce back quickly
A greater sense of purpose and meaning in their relationships and activities

What are the early signs of deteriorating mental health?

A deteriorating or compromised mental health may not always produce visible effects on the individual or those around them. However, some warning signs to keep an eye out for may help identify these negative changes. These warning signs include the following:

Feeling persistently low or hopeless
Altered eating habits, whether it is overeating or undereating
Severe mood swings
Shying away from others to the extent that social isolation occurs
Constantly picking fights with family and friends
Thinking of indulging in self-harm or harm to others
Indulging in tobacco, alcohol, or other dangerous substances as a getaway
A noticeable drop in everyday energy levels
Experiencing excessive confusion, guilt, anger, or worry for no apparent reason
Hearing voices without being able to identify their source
Inability to perform daily tasks with ease

Mental wellbeing vs mental health: what is the difference?

Experts describe mental well-being as a broad sense of self. It is the ability to live your life as close to the way we truly wish for it. By contrast, mental health is described as specific symptoms and signs that lead to persistent emotional distress, eventually triggering a mental health problem. If you have low mental well-being for a long time, you are at a high risk of developing a mental health issue. If you already suffer from a mental health problem, you are more vulnerable to experiencing periods of low mental well-being.

HOW THE BALANCE CAN HELP

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