Mental Health Month 

Established in 1949, we celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month in May to raise awareness for those who struggle with mental illness and how it impacts a person’s physical, emotional, and mental well-being. 

A state of mind that controls an individual’s daily life, mental health plays a vital role in life. According to MentalHealth.gov, “Mental health…affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.”

There is positive and negative mental health. Individuals with a positive mental outlook tend to work productively, endure stress, and realize one’s full potential. On the other hand, an individual with a negative mental outlook may feel fatigued, unable to get up and tend to daily priorities, have mood swings, and may pull away from people. 

Mental Health and Mental Illness

Often mistaken with the same term, mental illness instead more specifically refers to the effects of negative mental health.

Mental illnesses impact an individual’s thinking, emotions, mood, and/or behaviors. It also tends to affect individuals’ ability to function and even relate to others on a daily basis.

Every year, people receive a wide range of mental illness diagnoses for conditions like anxiety, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and more. Such illnesses possess the ability to be short-term, long-lasting, or life-long, depending on the condition and the factors involved.

What Can Affect One’s Mental Health

Many factors affect an individual’s mental health. According to medlineplus.gov, the four main factors include: 

• “Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry;
• Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse;
• Family history of mental health problems;
• Your lifestyle, such as diet, physical activity, and substance use.”

Experiencing loss, such as a death or even a job, is another major factor affecting mental health. And after the last year especially, whether it’s the loss of someone we knew personally or the loss of so many people in our country in general, or both – all of us are feeling the weight of everything that transpired, regardless of if we acknowledge its effects on us.

One’s environment also plays a part as well. For example, if someone consistently hangs around another person who bullies them all day, it can later cause them to develop low self-esteem issues or even depression. On the other hand, by spending time with people who motivate and support them, they’ll more likely feel inspired and confident.

Allowing what has control over your emotions plays a huge role as well. Remember to always prioritize what affects your energy positively and address your habits that impact your negatively. Finding a balance is key to maintaining your mental health, especially when it fluctuates so much. It can be trick to manage, and easily flipped to the negative side; however, it’s possible to overcome the bad if you teach yourself to look for the signs and mind your habits. Over time, it can become easier to manage if you actively work on it.

There will be good days and bad days, and periods of time where there are more of the bad than the good. Taking care of yourself and listening to your body and mind helps to see you through times of stress, crisis, and hopelessness.

The Importance of Brain Health to Your Overall Health 

Many people don’t realize how the health of our brain impacts the rest of the body and the mind itself. Regardless of a person’s age, mental illness negatively impacts a person’s quality of life on multiple levels, including one’s physical health. Taking care of one’s mental health is just as important as making sure to eat healthily and exercise. Which both, in turn, positively impact your mental state. Treat taking care of both your mind and body as a priority. Ultimately, a person’s mental health determines how an individual ends up living their life.

Mental health commonly gets forgotten about when it comes to affecting one’s overall health. This, despite the fact that the brain is an organ just like our heart or lungs; when those organs have issues, you take steps to address them. You might change your diet, see a doctor, or take medication to help the problem.

The stigmatization of mental illness makes it hard for some people to seek help. However, slowly but surely, the discussion of mental health and self-care has increased drastically in recent years, and especially throughout the pandemic. Many people right now suffer from the grief of COVID loss, isolation, or even job loss and overall fear, anxiety, and depression as a result of everything that’s happened over the last year; many found some solace in sharing their experiences with others and they discovered they were not alone.

If you or a loved one suffers from mental illness and need help, speak to a doctor or a therapist or call Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.