What is Mental Health ?
Mental health and mental illness
People believe that "mental health" and "mental illness" are one in the same, but they are not.
When we define mental health, we are referring to our mental well-being: our emotions, our thoughts and feelings, our ability to solve problems and overcome difficulties, our relationships, and our understanding of the world around us.
To differentiate, a mental illness affects the way people think, feel, behave, or interact with others. There are many different mental illnesses, and they have varying symptoms that impact people’s lives in different ways. In the course of a lifetime, one in four of us will be affected by mental illness (World Health Organization, 2001), yet everyone will struggle or have a challenge with their mental health just like we all have challenges with our physical health from time to time.
This is why normalizing interest in maintaining mental health is crucial. As the World Health Organization famously claims, “There is no health without mental health.”
The continuum of health
Think of mental health as operating on a continuum: people range from optimal health to incapacitating illness. Some people negotiate life with good health, and some experience serious health problems with a negative impact on their life. Some people suffer from long-lasting, serious issues, and others’ problems resolve quickly. Many fall in the middle—they’re generally in good health, though the occasional challenge may arise.
Just as someone who feels unwell may not have a serious illness, people may have poor mental health without a mental illness. We all have days where we feel a bit down, stressed, or overwhelmed by the events of our lives. An important part of good mental health is the ability to look at problems or concerns realistically. Good mental health isn’t about feeling happy and confident 100% of the time and ignoring any problems. It’s about living and coping well despite problems arising.
Just as it’s possible to have poor mental health but no mental illness, it is entirely possible to have strong mental health even with a diagnosis of a mental illness. That’s because mental illnesses (like other health problems) are often episodic, meaning there are times (‘episodes’) of ill health and times of better health.
Toward "mindfitness"
The good news: with the right support and tools, anyone can live well—however they define "well." Anyone can find meaning, contribute to their communities, and work toward their goals!
We live in a time where we are conscious of the food we eat and how a bad diet makes us unhealthy. We may even seek out a dietician or nutritionist to supervise our eating plan.
When we are feeling physically unfit, we may turn to exercise and physical practices to make us healthier. We also think nothing of hiring a personal trainer to coach us in the gym.
Yet, when we are feeling mentally ‘unfit’ we struggle to reach out to ask for help from a professional. We struggle to deal on our own through self-help books & podcasts which, while temporarily helpful, don’t serve to address core problems. They just ease the symptom… for a while.
So, the question remains: how ‘mind fit’ are you right now?
If you would like to get mind “fitter,” please email me by clicking the link below.