What is Mental Health? Understanding the Basics
Everyone will go through bouts of poor mental health from time to time. Sometimes, it takes a while to find out why our mental well-being isn't doing great.
Our state of mind often falls on a spectrum rather than a defined either-or condition. The same goes for our mental health.
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We may fall on somewhere along the spectrum of four recognisable points:
Mental Wellness: Those taking a proactive approach to maintaining a healthy mental mind
Worried Well: People who display signs of mental disorders, including anxiety or depression, but can function normally most of the time
At-Risk: People who are risk of developing mental illness due to their symptoms, genetic or family history
Mental Illness: Also known as mental disorders, which require diagnosis by certified professionals.
Certain life experiences can also make some of us more susceptible to having periods of poor mental health. This may include trauma, loneliness, discrimination, long-term physical health illness, inadequate housing situations, grief, loss and taking care of a family member or friend for a long period.
Having good mental health can boost our self-confidence, maintain good relationships with our family and friends, allow us to express a range of emotions and engage with other people in a social setting.
Being mentally healthy is more than just about feeling happy.
According to the World Health Organisation, mental health looks at our overall psychological, emotional and social wellbeing aside from mental illnesses. It affects our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Maintaining a positive attitude is of course important. But what happens when we have or are going through challenging times, such as divorce, unemployment or struggling with grief and loss? How do we take care of our mental wellbeing?
Mental Health and the Concrete Jungle
Living in a city that never sleeps, Hong Kongers have or will have at some point in their lives struggle with mental health issues. From teenagers to seniors, we have to face different kinds of stress that relate to long working hours and the risk of burnout, expensive rent, academic pressure, political instability and more.
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A local survey by MindHK found that 61% of respondents indicated signs of struggle with poor mental health, including varying degrees of depression. Depression, anxiety or among the top most common mental health conditions.
Even though the general perception of mental health has improved over the years, in Hong Kong, it is still a stigmatised topic.
A combination of culture, intense pressure for high achievements and desire for quick fixes push mental health down the priority list. Some of us even feel ashamed to admit having mental health issues.
There are also a lot of assumptions made about those suffering from mental health issues. Incompetent, unreliable, needy and attention-seeking are just a few stereotypical attitudes towards them.
Yet, everyone makes assumptions about things that they don’t fully understand. A mentally unhealthy person can have a successful corporate career. Likewise, a mentally healthy person will go through more sadness and anger because life is naturally full of ups and downs.
Regardless of where we are at along the mental health spectrum, maintaining healthy mental habits are important to boost our overall wellbeing.
Supporting Your Mental Wellbeing
Whether you’re new to the concept of mental health or seeking help for an existing condition, it’s important to build resilience. This allows you to increase your mental capacity to deal with various challenges that life throws at you.
Going through mental health problems can feel lonely at times. But help is always around the corner. There are online resources like Common Care Central, which is a great way to start understanding more about mental health.
It’s also important to be able to talk to someone about your experiences. By sharing your mental health journey with others, you are also helping others increase their mental health awareness and understanding.
Additionally, you may need help from a mental health specialist to address your challenges. Seeking professional mental help is not a shameful thing at all. It's no different from going to see a doctor for the flu.
Quick checklist to help you start thinking about your mental wellbeing in a positive way:
Do you have someone that you can talk to about your feelings?
Do you have a group of good friends that you trust?
Do you sleep well in general?
Are you able to maintain a healthy diet?
Are you exercising regularly?
Do you have time for activities that you enjoy?
Do you feel an overall sense of achievement?
Do you know what affects your mood?
Are you being kind to yourself?
Patience, Persistence and Practice for a Mentally Healthy City
Taking care of our mental health takes time.
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Even when we’re feeling mentally well, caring for our mental health is an ongoing affair. For our physical health, we might take vitamins and supplements to prevent certain diseases. The same goes for our mental health. It requires appropriate nourishment to stay fit and may benefit from a holistic approach to help you maintain positive mental well-being.
There are no magic treatments to make you mentally healthy in a second. It takes practice, persistence and patience to develop a healthy lifestyle for your mind and body.
Being mentally healthy is as important as being physically healthy. Your mental health, together with your physical health, forms an integral part of your overall wellbeing. When either side is unwell, the other side will be compromised.
People who are dealing with long term illnesses are more likely to develop anxiety or depression. Meanwhile, those who suffer from poor mental health can also develop physical symptoms.
For this reason, mental health should be a top priority for everyone, just like how we prioritise our physical health.
Getting enough rest, eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly is a great start towards cultivating good mental and physical health habits. Nutrition, exercise and social support has a huge impact on your overall mental-wellbeing. Practising mindfulness through meditation, breathing exercises and yoga are shown to help us manage our thoughts and feelings.
What’s more, doing positive activities that you enjoy can help you calm down and take a break from the day’s stress whether it’s rock-climbing, listening to music, cooking or playing video games.
Staying mentally healthy is an individual as well as a collective effort. Whenever you hit a low moment, remember that there are others out there suffering similar challenges as you do.
The more we understand about mental health, the easier it is for us to cultivate a positive attitude towards it and learn to respect and accept others.
As human beings, we have an innate desire to share and connect with others. While we are learning to take care of ourselves, be mindful of those around you who may be suffering in silence.
Common Care provides a full-service online therapy platform with the largest selection of qualified online therapists. After completing an initial intake assessment, we recommend suitable therapists based on your needs, preferences and goals in therapy. Begin therapy anytime, anywhere at affordable prices.
Sources:
“5 Tips for Improving Your Mental Wellness Today.” Sparlin Mental Health, 5 Aug. 2019, sparlinmentalhealth.com/finding-happiness-pursuit-mental-wellness/.
“PRESS RELEASE: World Mental Health Day #HowOkayAreYouCampaign.” Mind HK, 10 Oct. 2019, www.mind.org.hk/press-releases/wmhd2019/.