Mental Well-Being Basics
The pandemic years have been a challenge for all of us and they have revealed the impact stress and isolation can have on our mental health. So, in this video I’m going to review
The Basics of Mental Health
How this dimension of well-being impacts our behavioral health and what mental health changes we should be watching out for? We are each multi-dimensional people, and our mental well-being is central to how we think, feel, and behave. Mental health plays a role in how we connect with others, make decisions, and handle stress.
Our mental well-being also influences other aspects of our lives such as how we process and manage our emotions, how we get along in social settings and manage social anxieties, and how we get along with other people in our work, family, and friend relationships. Our mental health can also affect our how effectively we do our job.
So, as you can see, Mental health and mental well-being are key to our overall health and well-being. Our genetics and biology do affect our mental health, but these aren’t things we have control over.
However, there are plenty of things in our environment and lifestyle that we do have control over. Things such as what we eat and drink whether we exercise and how much we exercise, the amount and quality of sleep we get, our ability to manage stress and apply positive coping skills are all things we have control over to make decisions that positively affect our mental health and well- being.
One of the most important things we can do to promote mental well-being is to be able to recognize early warning signs and symptoms when things have gotten out of balance and are not quite right so we can give this dimension of our well-being the attention that is needed.
Some changes that can indicate our mental well-being needs our attention include things like:
- Problems with concentration, memory, or difficulty thinking clearly
- Changes in eating patterns that might include either a loss of appetite or use of food as a coping mechanism causing overeating.
- Difficulty completing work tasks. Feeling overly worried or anxious. Feeling sad, empty, helpless, or even worthless
- Experiencing a new sensitivity to sounds, sights, smells, or touches. Irritability and restlessness.
- Loss of interest in activities that you usually enjoy
- Not feeling like being around other people.
- Hearing things such as knocking or scratching sounds or seeing shadows or changes in light. Or Changes in your energy level and sleep patterns.
If several of these symptoms last longer than a few weeks, or you have a couple of them, and they are negatively affecting your work, relationship, or everyday activities – you may want to talk with someone for help and support.
If you don’t have someone you can confide in don’t hesitate to reach out to trained counselors for help
By Texting MHA to 741741
Or
Calling 1-800-273-8255
by Coach Tanya