What is mental health?
Mental health affects everyone, parents and children alike; it touches almost every aspect of life. It is important to take care of our mental health daily by giving ourselves time to rest and by asking for help when we need it.
Being mentally healthy does not necessarily mean the same thing as having no mental illness. That is to say that people with a diagnosed mental illness can do the work to be mentally healthy, just like someone without a diagnosed mental illness can have something affecting their psychological health and be mentally unwell.
Mental Health is:
- Having a balance between the various aspects of life: social, physical, spiritual, economic, emotional, and psychological. Being healthy allows us to do what we want, to achieve our potential, and to be able to cope with life’s challenges.
- An integral part of an individual's wellbeing and essential to their survival. It influences behaviour, perception, how you think, how you communicate, and how you understand the world around you.
- A result of a person's circumstances, the life events they are going through, and their own values.
- Something that affects everybody, because all of us may go through times when we feel more fragile or depressed, whether it's because of a specific event in life, or simply because the everyday grind is harder to bear than usual.
Talking About Mental Health Means Talking About:
- A person's daily life and how they are affected by it (work, school, friendship, love, etc.).
- How people think about themselves (like their self-image or self-esteem).
- Their psychological distress over a given period (like during a significant life transition, experiencing heartache, or going through a stressful phase in life).
- If they have been diagnosed with a mental illness or personality disorder (for example, are they living with depression or bipolar disorder).
- The importance of, and the right a person gives themselves, to not feel okay and that they might need to seek help.
Taking Care of Your Mental Health Daily Means:
- Having a balanced lifestyle (which includes, sleeping well, being physically active, etc.).
- Nurturing relationships, especially with loved ones.
- To allow yourself to feel pleasure, to laugh, to feel like we belong to a group.
- Allowing time for hobbies and pastimes.
- Taking the time to rest.
- Asking for help when we need it.
Sources:Mouvement santé mentale Québec
