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Why is Mental Health Important

10 Minutes

Edited & medically reviewed by THE BALANCE Team

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Surveys suggest that one in every five adults in the United States experiences a mental population. This means that approximately 43.8 million people in America alone struggle to get through life daily with poor mental health. The presence of sound mental health is critical for leading a happier and healthier life. Despite being ignored by a major chunk of the population, mental health plays a massive role in how a person thinks, feels, and lives their life by encompassing their psychological, sociological, and emotional well-being. Considering these factors, it has become crucial to prioritize mental health for our overall health and quality of life. But before understanding how to establish this goal, it is important to develop an overview of what mental health is, what it entails, and the factors that affect it.

Whether you are old or young, the importance of positive mental health and well-being cannot be overstated. When your psychological wellness takes a toll, it can induce negative behaviors that may not affect your physical health but can compromise many other aspects of daily life.

Below are some benefits of having sound mental health:

A Stronger Ability to Cope With Stressors

The everyday challenges and stressors automatically become easier for a person whose emotional and mental states are at peak levels. Instead of resorting to unhealthy ways to settle disputes, like social isolation, substance use, fighting, or throwing tantrums, a person with sound mental health uses healthier coping mechanisms to fight these stressors in a better way.

A Positive Self-Image

Mental health largely correlates with how a person feels about themselves. Overall mental wellness also plays an important role in determining well-esteem and confidence levels. Individuals with flourishing mental health are more likely to focus on their good traits and hone on them, have high ambitions, and constantly strive for a happy, healthy life.

Healthier Relationships

People with good mental health can more easily take time out for their family members and friends. They also extend their support and help and offer affection and compassion to others to bring them comfort and joy.

Better Productivity

Struggling with poor health can undoubtedly reduce the productivity levels of anyone. On the contrary, feeling mentally strong can enable a person to work with more focus and efficiency, leading to better productivity and higher-quality outputs.

Higher Quality of Life

As an individual’s mental well-being thrives, their quality of life also improves. This gives them room to participate in community building, pick up new hobbies, travel to new cities, and make new friends. These activities cumulatively increase their quality of life and make them feel happier and more contented with themselves and others.

Good mental health signifies a state of mind where a person can cope with the normal stressors of life while maintaining productive workout output and making meaningful contributions to society. However, some circumstances may affect this ability to handle the curveballs of everyday life in some people. These factors may also disrupt the everyday activities of the afflicted ones while reducing their capacity to manage these new changes.

Some of these common risk factors that carry the potential to harm mental health include:

Childhood Abuse

A person with a history of sexual violence, physical assault, neglect, or emotional abuse during childhood automatically becomes prone to severe emotional distress. Such people are also more vulnerable to developing mental disorders like personality disorders, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. They are also more likely to indulge in substance abuse and alcoholism, which further lowers the quality of their life.

The Environment

The environment you live in is a vital contributor to your mental health and well-being. Adverse environmental circumstances have the ability to cause negative effects on one’s psychological wellness. For instance, poor weather conditions may lead to increased suicide cases, whereas natural disasters may trigger posttraumatic stress disorder in many. Similarly, some people develop depressive symptoms merely by exposure to air pollution. On the contrary, those living in a positive environment can preserve their mental health.

Biology

The biological makeup of an individual also plays a role in determining their overall mental well-being. This is because many psychiatric issues run in families and are often handed down to the next generations. Some common examples of such psychiatric illnesses include depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Lifestyle

Your lifestyle is perfectly capable of making or breaking your mental health. Habits like alcohol consumption, smoking, substance use, poor diet, and risky sexual behavior can also lead to psychological harm and increase the risk of depression.

As suggested by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, you can use plenty of ways to promote and maintain your mental health. These include:

Physical Exercise

Exercise undoubtedly has a lot of benefits for physical health; however, only a few people appreciate its positive effects on mental health. Regular physical activity has been known to lower stress levels and improve the symptoms of common mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. It works by reducing the levels of stress hormones in the body while elevating endorphins, the happy hormones that boost mood and mental well-being. The best part about this tip is that you do not need to work out strenuously to avail its mental health benefits. A 20-minute walk or cycling can also relax the mind without putting you into physical turmoil.

Adequate Sleep

Not getting enough sleep can affect mental health poorly, especially in people with diagnosed mental health conditions. Some of these mental health conditions may make it extra challenging for a person to fulfill their sleep requirements; however, there are many ways to tackle this negative effect. Try forming a consistent sleep schedule by fixing bedtime and wake-up time and adhering to it as much as possible. Limit all distractions, including mobile phones and tablets, at least one hour before bedtime, and avoid exercising just before you go to sleep, as it may disrupt your sleep patterns. Contact a healthcare provider for further advice if these remedies fail to improve sleep patterns.

Support Others

Studies suggest that adopting supportive and helpful behavior and practicing kindness with others lead to reduced stress levels and longer lifespans. For this purpose, try volunteering in your community or lending a hand to people around you in whatever way possible. Even the tiniest acts of kindness may go a long way in maintaining good mental health and wellness.

Learn Coping Skills

Learning coping mechanisms to manage high-stress levels can go a long way in improving mental health. Some examples of these coping mechanisms include finding humor in everyday life, seeking support from loved ones, and proactively trying to improve your situation. If you are finding it hard to manage stress in life, seek help from a professional who may use evidence-based therapy, like cognitive behavioral therapy, to equip you with the necessary coping skills for better mental health.

Stay Connected

Regular social interaction is another way to manage stress levels, decrease the symptoms of depression, and benefit overall physical health. Research has found that social connections also positively impact health, including weight management, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even cancer. If you are suffering from an illness that’s negatively your mental health, consider joining group therapy to control your stress levels through therapeutic social interactions.

Maintain a Positive Outlook

Positive thinking and optimism go a long way in impacting your mental health. Studies have revealed that replacing negative thoughts with positive ones can reduce anxiety and worry, especially in people with generalized anxiety disorder.

FAQs

What is mental health, and what does it entail?

Mental health describes a person’s social, psychological, and emotional well-being. It has the ability to control how a person feels, thinks, and behaves and plays a huge role in stress management, handling interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health also plays a role in determining how a person uses their abilities, is productive, and plays a positive role in their community.

Why does mental health matter?

The mental health of a person significantly impacts their overall quality of life. Taking care of this health aspect allows them to productively contribute to their society, cope better with stress, maintain good physical health, and maintain high-quality relationships. Having sound mental health also allows one to work towards their full potential in all life aspects. It also significantly reduces the risk of potentially fatal diseases like strokes and heart attacks. On the other hand, poor mental health can increase stress levels, cause sleep-related issues, and increase the risk of substance abuse in people. Those whose mental health is suffering also commonly feel overwhelmed more easily, experience low self-esteem, and find it difficult to maintain relationships.

What are some warning signs of poor mental health?

Poor mental health may not always be evident to others. However, the following warning signs may signify the need to ask for help.

A change in eating habits, including overeating or undereating
Severe mood swings
Persistent feelings of despair
A noticeable reduction in everyday energy levels
Routinely indulging in tobacco, alcohol, or other substances more frequently than usual
Picking fights with friends and family
Experiencing unexplained worry, guilt, anger, or confusion
Shying away from others and becoming withdrawal socially
Inability to carry out daily tasks with ease
Hearing voices coming from an unidentifiable source
Thinking of inflicting harm on self or others

What is the difference between mental health and emotional health?

Emotional health refers to managing and coping with emotions like happiness, sadness, worry, guilt, and despair. It is emotional health that determines and impacts the ability of a person to form positive relationships. On the other hand, mental health refers to the ability to think correctly and make good decisions. It also entails the ability to manage stress. In simpler terms, mental health involves processing the information you encounter, whereas emotional health includes the emotions and feelings the processed data evokes.

What does mentally stable mean?

When a person is mentally stable, they control their thoughts and actions. They can also stay consistent regarding their social, family, and work life, and their family members and friends are confident in their ability to emotionally, physically, and spiritually take care of themselves.

HOW THE BALANCE CAN HELP WITH Mental Health

The Balance RehabClinic is a leading provider of luxury addiction and mental health treatment for affluent individuals and their families, offering a blend of innovative science and holistic methods with unparalleled individualised care.