“There is no health without mental health; mental health is too important to be left to the professionals alone, and mental health is everyone’s business” – Dr Vikram Patel, Psychiatrist, The Pershing Square Professor of Global Health in the Blavatnik Institute’s Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School
“Mental wellbeing is much like physical wellbeing. The more your nurture it, the stronger it gets”
So, what does mental wellbeing actually mean?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) “Mental health is not just the absence of mental disorder. It is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”
There are a number of factors that can impact your mental wellbeing such as work stress, grief and loss, illnesses relationship issues, financial struggles, illness, chronic pain etc. As human beings we are likely to face some of life’s challenges over the course of our life and feel a full range of human emotions. So, it’s no secret that our mental health can have a big impact on our overall wellbeing.
Just like we regularly care for our physical wellbeing, our mental wellbeing needs to be our priority as well. It is something that we need to nature and care for every day. No matter what is going on in your life, there are little things that you can do on a daily basis to better manage your mental health.
Firstly, take a few moments for yourself each day to check in to your feelings and emotions. Ask yourself:
- How am I feeling today?
- What’s been worrying or stressing me lately?
- Have I been providing my body with its basic needs?
- Am I regularly doing things that I enjoy or bring me joy?
- Am I in touch with my friends and family?
- What am I grateful for today?
- Is my life appropriately balanced between work, fun, friends, family, self-care, exercise, and other meaningful pursuits?
Checking in on how you are feeling is a vital tool to track your mental wellbeing. By being self-aware, you can identify emotional and behavioural warning signs which can prevent your mental health from deteriorating. Noticing the warning signs early and getting help early can help you recover faster and get back to living a happy, healthy life.
Secondly, look at how you can look after yourself. What protective factors can you implement to help improve your mental wellbeing? These may include:
- LEARN SOMETHING NEW
- EXERCISE
- PRACTICE SELF – COMPASSION
- MINDFULNESS
- CONNECT SOCIALLY
- PRACTICE KINDNESS
So, let’s make your mental health a daily priority and take the time to check in on how you are feeling as you deserve the best YOU.
If you’d like to learn more, contact me on 0430 303 172 for a therapy session to nurture your mental wellbeing. I offer online and in-person therapy in Brisbane, Mitchelton.
