The quality of your life and your mental health depends largely on your willingness to take responsibility for your own well-being.

Definition

The term “mental health” is often associated with mental illness and psychiatric hospitals but, in fact, mental health implies not only the absence of any illness, but also a state of emotional and mental well-being that enables you to cope with everyday situations. Mentally healthy people are comfortable within themselves and are able to process and cope with their emotions such as anger, grief and jealousy in a constructive manner.

Lifestyle characteristics of mental health

One way of describing mental health is to describe mentally healthy people. Compare yourself with some of the following lifestyle characteristics of people who are mentally healthy to see how you measure up:

They feel good about themselves

    • They are not overwhelmed by their own emotions such as fears, anger, love, jealousy, guilt or worries
    • They can take life’s disappointments in their stride
    • They have a tolerant, easy-going attitude towards themselves as well as others and they can laugh at themselves
    • They neither underestimate nor overestimate their abilities
    • They can accept their own shortcomings
    • They have self-respect
    • They feel able to deal with most situations
    • They can take pleasure in simple, everyday things.

They feel comfortable with other people

    • They are able to give love and consider the interests of others
    • They have personal relationships that are satisfying and lasting
    • They like and trust others, and feel that others will like and trust them
    • They respect the many differences they find in people
    • They do not take advantage of others nor allow others to take advantage of them
    • They feel they can be part of a group
    • They feel a sense of responsibility to fellow human beings.

They are able to meet the demands of life

    • They do something about their problems as they arise
    • They accept their responsibilities
    • They shape their environment whenever possible; they adjust to it whenever necessary
    • They try to plan ahead and do not fear the future
    • They welcome new experiences and new ideas
    • They use their talents
    • They set realistic goals for themselves
    • They are able to make their own decisions
    • They put their best effort into what they do, and get satisfaction from doing it.

Factors influencing mental health

Both internal and external factors influence the mental well-being of a person. Factors influencing a person’s mental health or well-being are violence, poverty, stress, crime, unemployment, illness, etc. The manner in which a human being deals or copes with those factors determines his or her mental health. The relationship a person maintains with him- or herself, other human beings and the demands of life determine his or her mental health. Therefore, if a person feels good about him- or herself, about other people and can cope with the demands of life, one can usually say that he or she is mentally healthy.

Mental health has to do with everybody’s everyday life. It means the overall manner in which people get along with their families, at school, on the job, at play, with their peers, in their communities, etc. It involves the way in which each person harmonises his or her desires, ambitions, abilities, ideals, feelings and conscience in order to meet the demands of life.

 

Sources

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

 

Revised by M Collins