Mental health: what is the concept?

How have you been taking care of your mental health?

After all, what is mental health?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is characterized by a state of well-being in which a person is able to enjoy life, work and contribute to the environment in which they live while managing their own emotions.

In general, mental health means being able to deal with both positive and negative feelings in the best way possible. It is the balance between emotions and actions.

This shows how mental health and physical health, despite being distinct, are interconnected and, when misaligned, can cause serious harm to the individual. After all, a healthy mind means a healthy body.

The importance of Yellow September for mental health

First launched in Brazil in 2015, the Yellow September campaign was designed with the aim of raising awareness about ways to prevent suicide.

Chosen as World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10), over the years, awareness has been gaining more and more proportions and, nowadays, in addition to dealing with this main theme, the month also serves to stimulate discussion about mental health and how factors such as depression and anxiety should be treated with due attention.

Throughout the month, actions promoted by the Center for the Appreciation of Life (CVV), Brazilian Association of Psychiatry (ABP) and Federal Council of Medicine (CFM).

This is because, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), suicide is already the second leading cause of death among young people aged between 15 and 29.

This shows how important it is to keep your mental health up to date.

MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK

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The effects of the pandemic and social isolation

Recently, society has faced – and is still facing – an invisible enemy. The COVID-19 pandemic is, so far, the worst moment the world has faced this century. In addition to claiming the lives of millions of people around the world, it has also caused damage to our mental health.

After the official declaration that we were living in a pandemic, back in March 2020, the terms “social isolation” and “lockdown” were adopted and the world entered a quarantine, which, at first, we expected would last a maximum of 1 month.

But the situation unfolded in a way none of us expected.

When social isolation was adopted, everyone's routine changed drastically. This also changed the way we interacted with people.

Physical contact and interactions have given way to home office and virtual meetings through video calls.

This change in routine, together with the unprecedented situation the world was facing, served to trigger bouts of depression, anxiety and panic, making them increasingly common even in people who, until then, had no history or episode involving these illnesses.

Furthermore, during the pandemic, many of us had to deal with factors such as: mourning the loss of a loved one, job loss, uncertainty about the future became constant triggers in our daily lives.

How to keep your mental health in check

We know that maintaining well-being in the modern world is increasingly difficult. Since it is impossible to escape our daily commitments and everyday problems, we must learn to balance our priorities so that we can always put our health first.

Things you can do to take care of your mental health include:

You are what you eat

In addition to harming your physical health, a diet based on processed foods full of preservatives has a negative impact on our emotional state.

Therefore, we need to pay more attention to what we consume.

Make room for good relationships

It may not seem like it, but the people around you can have a direct influence on our mental health. Therefore, it is essential that you choose the people who are part of your life carefully and, if you notice any signs that a certain 'friendship' is no longer doing you so good, do not hesitate to distance yourself.

Healthy mind, healthy body

Remember what I said at the beginning of the text? A healthy mind, a healthy body. By exercising regularly, you encourage your body to produce hormones responsible for regulating your mood and well-being.

Prioritize what really matters

In a world where things change so quickly, you need to focus and prioritize what really matters: yourself!

When we put ourselves in charge of our lives, we learn to better manage our emotions and needs. It may seem like a strange tip and even sound a bit selfish, but it's not.

Set your life goals and objectives

It may seem like a silly tip, but it makes a lot of sense. By setting clear and direct goals for your life, you are giving yourself motivation.

They don't have to be grandiose goals or anything like that. Just think about what you want to feel fulfilled and think about the paths and attitudes needed to achieve that goal/target.

The power of therapy

And last but not least: get therapy. Depending on the way you live your life, you may find it difficult to make certain changes.

In these cases, seeking professional help can make all the difference in the way you see the world.

These are just some of the countless attitudes we can incorporate into our daily lives to take care of our mental health.

These practices will help make our relationships – both interpersonal and intrapersonal – healthier, bringing more positive aspects to our routine and, consequently, teaching us to better deal with our emotions and thoughts.

The secret is to discover what gives us satisfaction and what makes us feel good, helping with your well-being and giving you a better quality of life.