Mental Health: What Is It?

Mental health is defined as a state of psychological or emotional well-being. It's how we cope with stress, and learn how we work well and how we don't. Mental health is just as important as physical health and it needs to be taken care of with the same amount of importance. Having a positive state of well being help us feel calm, happy, and accepted. These feelings can help us live better lives and help work through problems in healthy habits.

Even with good mental health, there are still challenges that will bring on negative feelings. How strong our mental health is and how healthy our coping habits are what can help overcome the bad days in the best way possible. With poor mental health, our daily issues can alleviate and feel like an even bigger struggle. It can make it hard to find the motivation to keep going. Finding support in these situations is vital to help make you feel better as well as ultimately making your external life better.

Stigmas in mental health have drawn people away from the importance of recognition. The negative assumptions have left many feeling ashamed to speak up for help and causes frustration in others. Stigmas come from the misunderstanding of mental health and it's importance. It grows as less people get educated and aware of this topic. Many common stigmas can be seen in the teenage community. An example of this lot of people seem to think that common disorders such as depression can only happen is people who physically look "depressed". Depression can affect one in as many small ways as big and even if a person looks fine externally, that person could be trying to seek help as well. With the assumption that only big signs point to "real" poor mental states, many people, especially teens, are often scared to speak up about their feelings or needs. These discouraging stigmas are dangerous as it shies away many individuals who may want to find ways to cope with their mental health. As the awareness and serious conversations about mental health spreads, stigmas can be broken, allowing more people to find the help they need.

There are many ways to strengthen our mental health and well being. Even with school, extracurriculars, sports, and so many other responsibilities, it is possible to add self care into your daily routines, even if it is something small like daily affirmations. Taking care of your mental health isn't something that can make you feel great right away. It takes time and consistent healthy habits to help live happier lives. Everyone copes in different ways so the important thing is to find what practices help for you specifically. Whether that means exercising, meditating, or creating social connections, it's important to find what makes you happy. When stressed or facing poor mental states, an outlet to let out the negative feelings can help as well. Many outlets for people are their favorite hobby or spending time with a friend or a therapist. Finding ways to manage a sense healthy well being contributes to making our lives peaceful. It allows for us to conquer obstacles and feel good, making us successful.

Mental health is what helps us be productive and find good habits to practice. The state of our mental health impacts almost every aspect of our lives which why it is so vital and important that it is taken care of. The positive state of our wellness can help us find purpose.