I have already shared a little of my Mental Health Journey (I have depression and several members of my family have mental health issues) so I want to discuss Mental Health in a broader sense. I won't be able to touch on everything, but I will point you in the direction of more information if you want it. Please stay tuned!
Let's focus for a moment.
Mental Health is a person's condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being (from Oxford Dictionary). You could have good mental health and you can have a mental illness or mental health difficulty. Everyone in their lifetime will be affected by mental illness. If they don't have a mental heath problem, they will know or love someone who does.
Good Mental Health is about living life, coping with stress, working or studying, being involved in the community and having good emotional and social wellbeing. It doesn't mean that you are never sad or angry. It means that you can manage your emotions. It doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you can handle it when things don't go right (I took this from the Headspace Mental Health Webpage).
This Pin sums it up fairly well.
Mental Illness or Mental Health issues can be minor or major. They can be short-term or long-term and can have a lasting impact on your relationships, work, finances and physical health. In fact, your mental health can have a huge impact on these other aspects of life in the short-term and long-term.
If you are over the age of 30 you will probably remember a time when Mental Health/ Illness was only discussed in hushed tones and never admitted to openly in a public setting. There was a great stigma attached to mental illness.
Some people over the age of 40 might remember the idea of stress leave being a bit of a joke. People who had "stress" were just 'weak' and needed to just get on with it. Pick themselves up and move on. Anxiety, Depression and Stress were unheard-of and when they became to the forefront of public knowledge you might remember they were pooh-poohed as exaggerated and not quite real.
If you are over 50, you will probably remember a time when mental illness was an extreme situation. When the only public concept of mental illness was of someone being admitted to a mental institution for treatment. Medication, electric shock, straight jackets, padded rooms and other things we don't like to think about were considered "therapy". Everyone else had to just deal with it.
I'm glad we have come a long way from those days. However, I know that about 80% of our population still has many misconceptions about mental health and mental illness. Mental Health is a complex issue and while there might be misdiagnosed and unnecessarily medicated people out there, many people who claim to have a mental illness actually have one. Mental Illness comes in many shapes and sizes, it can be mild or severe. Mental Health is different for everyone and what works for some may not work for others. There is lots of research and there will be more, I'm sure.
If you want more information about Mental Health and tips for staying Mentally Healthy, check out these links.
5 ways to Stay Mentally Healthy (powerofpositivity.com)
Mental Health Month Events (Australia)
15 things to give up and heaps of Infographics about maintaining your Mental Health (theWHOot.com)
If you have a mental illness or you know someone who does and you are looking for help, check out these links (all Australian services)
Headspace is an organisation focusing on the Mental Health of young people. You can talk to someone or just explore the site and get the information you need.
Beyond Blue focuses on depression and anxiety. The link will take you to the Get Help page, but you can explore the site for more information too.
Lifeline phone numbers for crisis support, resources or to donate to the cause.
Don't Judge. Be Kind to everyone, including yourself.
Until Next Time..
