People are not neatly divided into physical, mental and emotional parts. What affects one part affects the others. When people feel anxious, they might also not eat well; they might drink too much alcohol. When people are laid up with an illness, they might also feel sad; they might think bad thoughts. So, being healthy means being healthy physically and mentally and emotionally.
Often emotional problems are not recognized because physical or behavior problems get attention first. We think that the person who is not sleeping well just had a tough night. But they might be depressed. We think a child who misbehaves might just need more discipline. But the child might be fearful of something. When mental health problems are not noticed, people can’t get the help they need.
Here are some things to keep in mind.
Recognize the problem: The first step is to recognize mental health disorders when they occur. Serious mental health problems differ from everyday ups and downs. Everyone has a day when things do not feel right, or they feel down or blue. But if that feeling persists for many days and starts to affect one’s ability to sleep or eat or work then it indicate a more serious condition.
Fight Stigma: Mental health disorders are not signs of weakness or a reason to be ashamed. The phrase popularized by public figures, “it’s OK to not be OK” captures the point well. Being ashamed of showing feelings and distress does not help one to resolve them. Don’t make a person with mental health challenges feel more isolated and more distressed by stigmatizing them.
Keep physically active: Physical exercise of any kind can help a person feel better physically and mentally. Walking, stretching or other exercise alone or with others can have a positive impact on mental health and therefore on total health.
Make decisions: People who have mental health challenges feel overwhelmed and seemingly unable to take any action. Yet, there are many active decisions one can make in the course of the day. Even a simple decision about when to wake up or clean a room is a way of taking control of your life at a time when you feel you have less control. Little decision steps can lead to bigger steps.
Use the resources you have and create new ones: Many areas suffer from the lack of mental health practitioners and clinics. Even without professional practitioners, there are mental health interventions that can be helpful. Communities have indigenous mental health resources in the wisdom and comfort that elders or those with lived experiences can offer. Mental health awareness training is another curriculum that can be taught and learned by anyone, not just a professional practitioner.
It’s a journey not a race: Managing one’s health and one’s mental health is a long journey over a lifetime. There will be stops and starts, detours and delays, but recovery from mental health challenges is possible. It happens all the time. Knowing this can help you sustain yourself during difficult times.
Photo by Pavel Anoshin on Unsplash