Why is Mental health important for you?

Mental health is one of the key elements of our life. It determines how you think, feel and act in life. It affects every aspect of your life like career, relationships, health, social connection, etc. It is important at every stage of your life from childhood to adulthood.

After covid-19, as per WHO a great number of people have reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress across the world. People experience emotional disturbances and behavioral changes because of quarantine. This problem increased exponentially across the world.

That’s why it becomes important for you to take care of your mental health. In this article, I going to discuss why mental health is important for everyone, the causes of mental illness, and some practical ways to make yourself mentally healthy.

The purpose of this article is to spread awareness about this serious problem so that everyone can understand it properly and take action to deal with it effectively. Let’s start…

 

What is mental health?

We all have mental health, it is as important as physical health. It is not only about Mental illness or Mental disorders that are just one part of the bigger picture of it. You can consider this as the two-end path which continuously goes up and down.

It is not about whether we are mentally well or mentally ill. We are on that path of life that moves up and down according to factors such as our genetic makeup and upbringing, our life circumstances, the stresses, etc.

That path has two ends, on the one end we have mental disorders like depression and anxiety. On the other end, we have states of positive mental health where you are thriving towards your goal and feeling happy in life.

The aim of mental health interventions is to help people to move from mental disorder end towards the positive end so that they are able to reach their full potential and live a satisfying life.

The world Health organization describes mental health as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with normal day-to-day stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can able to make a contribution to his or her community.

Being mentally healthy means being resilient and able to cope with difficult times, feeling in control, being confident, feeling good about yourself, managing and expressing your emotions, building and maintaining good relationships, etc.

In our life, we all experience periods when we feel worried stressed, anxious, sad, afraid, and angry these are all normal human emotions, however when these emotions become severe enough that it interferes with the person’s ability to function daily.

If these feelings become persistent over time, then they can develop into mental health problems. There are so many mental disorders if they are untreated they create long-lasting problems in an individual’s day-to-day life.

Now there are a lot of treatments and evidence-based methods available that help people facing different mental disorders effectively. But still many people are not aware of these things and they are not comfortable talking about their mental health issues.

Very few people get help on time to deal with mental illness and this is due to barriers such as the stigma attached to seeking help, lack of understanding of the mental issues, the uncertainty of how to get help, and fear of disclosing mental health problems.

As per research, Stigma is one of the biggest barriers that prevent people from seeking help early for their mental health issues and getting the help they need to deal with mental problems.

So it is very important for everybody on this planet to acknowledge that we all have mental health and have a personal responsibility to learn how we can improve and maintain our well-being in order to live a happy and meaningful life.

 

Why mental health is important for everyone?

Mental health is the most important factor in living a happy and peaceful life. If you take care of it properly then it will help you grow in your life and help you figure out your true potential. But if you don’t take care of it then there is a high chance it will negatively affect your life.

It is the foundation of a meaningful life and that’s why it is important for everyone to take care of their mental fitness. Here are some of the reasons why it is important- 

1. It affects your physical health –

Your mind is more powerful than your body and it has control over your body. If you have a mental illness then it will negatively affect your mood, and behavior and finally affects your body. So first take care of your mental health (mind) then your mind will take care of your body.

2. It affects your energy level –

Your energy level is very important for growth in your life. With a high energy level, you can take action toward your goal easily and you can perform your daily activities with full enthusiasm. But to maintain that energy level high you need to take care of your mental fitness.

If you have any kind of mental illness then it will negatively affect your energy level. You feel tired and demotivated to perform your day-to-day activities. Proper mental health always boosts your energy level.

3. It affects your habits –

Your mental health plays important role in forming habits in your life. Generally, people follow good habits like reading, exercising, etc. when they are mentally happy and fit.

But when they are mentally disturbed then it’s difficult for them to maintain those habits and there is a high chance these good habits will get replaced by bad habits like addiction, overeating, and oversleeping.

You know that you are the product of your habits so taking care of mental fitness is important to build good habits and make better decisions in your life.

4. It will help you become optimistic –

You know that life is uncertain and filled with full of challenges and obstacles. It is very important for human beings to be mentally healthy so that they can cope with the different challenges that come their way. (Check out – 10 life lessons that help you become optimistic)

To face these uncertainties and changes in life you need to be optimistic and for that, your mental health must be in a good place. Your optimistic attitude in life will help you overcome anything that comes your way.

5. It affects your relationship –

Mental illness not only affects the person who is facing that problem but also affects the others who are around that person. Mental illness negatively affects your personal as well as professional relationships.

And that’s why you need to fix this problem as early as possible by consulting with therapy experts. Poor mental health puts strain on your relationship and may destroy your important relationships in life.

6. It affects your productivity –

Sleep disturbance is one of the major outcomes of mental illness and when your sleeping pattern is not good then it will affect your productivity as well. Because of this you miss the work deadlines and struggle to complete your everyday tasks.

Mental illness negatively affects your productivity level. Research suggests that more than 90% of employee productivity problem happens due to poor mental health. (Check out – why do I get so easily distracted?)

7. It will help you deal with change in life – 

Change is very uncomfortable for most people. Whether it switching a job, marriage, starting a new business, changing home, etc. these types of change is always difficult for everyone.

The truth is change is inevitable, nobody can avoid it. But with good mental health and a positive attitude, you can reduce the difficulty to manage the change in life and it becomes easy for you to handle such changes in life.

 

What causes poor mental health?

There is a wide range of causes of mental illness. Different people suffered mental issues due to different causes or you can say risk factors. In some cases, mental illness happens within a certain time period and sometimes it happens suddenly because a sudden stressful event triggers it.

Let’s see some of the important causes of mental illness one by one – 

• Environment – Living in a stressful environment causes mental illness. Things like toxic workplaces, abusive friends and family, living in poverty, peer pressure, etc. These things put a lot of unnecessary stress on your brain and cause mental illness.
• Childhood trauma – In childhood days, if somebody abused you, or you lived 5 yrs of your life in a toxic environment, so all the bad things that happened to you in your childhood can also have an impact on your mental health later in your life.
• Negative thoughts – Negative thoughts cycle that continuously goes in your head causes mental illness. Spending most of your time with negative people, consuming a lot of negative content on the internet, etc these things create a negative thought cycle in your head which causes mental illness.
• Unhealthy habits – Unhealthy habits like not eating on time, too much eating processed food, not doing exercise on daily basis, not getting enough sleep, etc. These types of unhealthy habits also affect your mental health.
• Uncertain stressful event – Stressful events like losing a loved one, losing a job, failure in business, disease like corona, etc. cause a mental illness. 
• Addiction – Addiction like watching porn, consuming alcohol and drugs, playing mobile games continuously, overeating, oversleeping, etc. creates a dangerous level of mental illness. (Check out – How to quit porn addiction?)
• Brain chemistry – Mental illness caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Many research suggested that natural chemical imbalances can be responsible for mental illness. But still, there is no strong evidence that supports this claim 100%.
• Genetics – This is again not the evidence-based cause but some researchers suggest that mental health problems may run in family. These problems transfer from one generation to other.

These are some of the causes of mental illness and if you experience any of the causes then immediately take action to fix this problem in the early stage. You can take the help of experts or go for mental therapy if you are unable to handle the problem. (Check out – 7 types of mental therapy)

 

10 ways to boost your mental health

Let’s have a look at some of the practical ways which you can use in your day-to-day life to make yourself mentally fit. To see the positive benefits of these techniques you must follow these techniques patiently. 

1. Surround yourself with good people –

People with strong friends and family connections find it easy to deal with mental illness because of constant support from loved ones. So make sure you should always get in touch with quality-minded people.

2. Start your day with gratitude –

Gratitude is the medicine for all mental health problems. You should start your day with gratitude by writing down the top 5 things that you are grateful for. Every morning give yourself 5 min to think about all the great things that are part of your life.

3. Take care of your body –

Taking care of your body helps you become mentally fit. Eat healthy food, eat on time, stay away from junk food, eat fruits and homemade recipes, and do 30 to 45 min of exercise at least 5 days a week like a gym, yoga, running, etc. These simple habits make your body healthy which automatically makes you mentally fit.

4. Don’t compromise on sleep –

Sleep is the most important element of healthy life. It recharges your mind and body every day. So don’t skip it just because you are busy with work, or busy entertaining yourself at night.

Make it a priority that you should sleep at least 6 to 7 hrs every day and go to sleep at the same time. Proper sleep keeps your mind and body healthy.

5. Practice meditation –

Meditation is very important and powerful for your mental fitness. You can do it for at least 5 to 10 min every day. There are a lot of different methods for meditation you can use any method that is suitable for you. (Check out – 9 types of meditation)

Meditation helps you clean the negative thought cycle from your mind. It will help you improve the state of your mind and outlook on life. It gives you the power to deal with day-to-day stress and anxiety and keeps you mentally balanced.

6. Stay active –

Staying active is very important to boost your mental health. Actively participate in society-level activities, your company activities, attend different events and make new connections, take part in sports activities, etc.

Humans are active creatures and love progress so much that’s why staying active is very important to keep yourself mentally and physically healthy.

7. Focus on continuous learning – 

Learning new skills via books, courses, events, etc. will not only help you grow financially in life but also help you improve your mental health. Humans love progress and progress only comes through your continuous learning attitude.

The more you learn new things the more you progress and achieve new milestones and that’s what makes you mentally healthy and happy in life. So build learning habits and you will see a boost in your mental health.

8. Stay away from addiction – 

Addictions to the things like alcohol, porn, unhealthy eating, video games, etc are the root causes of mental disorders like depression. Addiction to anything affects negatively your mental health. 

Stay away from alcohol and porn as much as possible. You can play video games but with some time limitations, you can eat Junk food 3 to 4 times a week not more than that. Keep your pleasurable habits in limitations and make sure that they can’t get converted into addiction.

9. Find purpose and set realistic goals – 

Finding your life purpose and setting realistic goals for yourself is the best way to boost your mental health. In order to find a purpose in life you need to engage yourself with the work you like.

The more you explore yourself in the different fields the more chance you will understand your purpose and it becomes easy for you to set a realistic goal for yourself. 

The human mind always needs something to engage, it’s your responsibility to give your mind to work on things that can help others, things that help you achieve your goal, etc.

When your mind has something good to work on then it will not switch toward things like addiction, boredom, or loneliness. Things like purpose and working on goals are the energy booster that positively affects your mind.

10. Travel whenever you get free time –

Traveling to new places is the best mood changer for you. It not only gives you enjoyment but also improves your mindset, and thought process and changes your perspectives completely.

Sometimes your mind gets stuck because of a monotonous routine and you naturally feel bad about yourself and that automatically affects your mental health. That’s why you need to refresh your mind with new experiences and ideas every 3 to 4 months by visiting new places.

In your free time always prefer to travel and visit nearby places, don’t waste that time watching TV, web series, etc. Keep separate time for your traveling and explore the beautiful world as much as possible and see how it positively affects your mind.

11. Get help when you need it –

If you or your loved ones facing mental health problems and are unable to handle them then it’s always better to take the help of experts, counselors, or professional therapists so that the fastest recovery is possible.

Seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness so make sure if the mental illness problem is severe then go for professional support or therapy. (Check out – National Institute of Mental Health)   

 

FAQ

 

Conclusion

Why is mental health important for you? I hope now you got the answer to this question. It is 100% important not just for you but for every human on this planet who want to live a happy and satisfying life and to become the best version of themselves.

In this article, I discussed what is mental health and why it is important for everyone, the causes of mental illness, and some of the practical ways to boost your mental health. Hope you got complete clarity on this important element of your life.

If you are facing any mental illness issue then please consult with some expert as soon as possible so that you can easily overcome this problem.

If you found this article useful then please share this in your network and subscribe to get more such personal growth articles.