In Hauora philosophy, mental wellbeing is considered to be as the same concept as emotional wellbeing. While this is true in most cases, just to have a clear structure on the blog, I decided to split them into two categories.
Contrary to most of the people think, mental wellbeing is not just the absence of mental disorders. Most people think that mental health only applies to those people who have diagnosable mental disorders. The truth is all of us should be concerned about our mental well being. It is our basis of being healthy. It is the holistic approach to health. In fact, many people adhere to the belief that mental health is the core of healthiness. Health starts and ends with mental health. It encompasses everything and it is everybody’s business.
For virtually all people, mental wellbeing is often neglected until something apparently becomes wrong. Until then, we will have to wait for signs that it is vital to our existence, to our wellbeing, to our relationships with other people, to our perceptions, to our fulfillment and even to our own happiness.
Even though we have achieved great medical advancements, there still seems to be lacks in our general knowledge on mental health. We have developed quick fixes to our physical ailments but we are left far behind with our solutions to mental illnesses. If we have anything, there still remain some loopholes and what we know is inconclusive. We haven’t developed universal treatments for psychological disorders and even assessments and diagnosis of such ailments are flawed.
In the past, the general concept for being healthy is the “absence of disease”. If so, then someone who doesn’t have diagnosable heart attack but experience irrational fear on something like chicken or heights is a healthy person. In fact, no.
While blood pressure, cholesterol level, and body temperature are easy to asses these are still seen as singular components of our health. Disruptions in these mechanisms mean that a person could be physically ill. However, the health of a person is not only associated to how well his body functions but also to how well are his psychological, emotional and social dispositions. Manifestations of mental illness are much harder to asses since most symptoms occur discreetly during the developmental stages of the disorders and internal states are dependent on the subjective nature of the disorder. For example, someone who usually feels “blue” may or may not be diagnosed with depression.
We also have to take into account the social aspect of mental wellbeing. People who have sickness have more obvious manifestations that they are ill, therefore the society and immediate environment could easily identify whether or not a person is sick. For mental health, however, ignorance could lead to wrong perceptions. For example, a teenager who became drug-dependent and later committed suicide is viewed as irresponsible and desperate when in fact he may be suffering from a psychological disorder.
Mental Wellbeing Definition
A simplistic definition to mental wellbeing could be “successful mental functioning”. But what are the parameters of this definition? What could possibly tell us that someone is struggling through mental illness?
a) Someone who is distressed for a prolonged period without apparent, logical reason.
b) Someone who has disruptions in thinking
c) Someone who has altered behaviors and moods
d) Someone who relies on substances such as drugs, alcohol and cigarettes may have issues on their mental health
e) Someone who has impaired social functions
These are just representations of how a person with mental health may behave. However, these are not conclusive bases. As we may yet to understand, mental health is directly correlated with physical ailment or health. Both may be one and the same but are very different in nature.
Mental Functioning Process
Our mind works through various stages of operation, known as brainwaves. As we pass through times of our day and activities therein, our brainwave activity changes. Through these varying degrees of brain activity, our brain rests itself, and is therefore able to manage all of the information we collect. When we don’t allow time for this process to occur, through rest and relaxation, our mind cannot continue in a state of wellbeing, just like our bodies can’t be healthy and well without rest.
Those who practice alternative and holistic medicine believe that the energy that flows through our bodies exudes from our mind also. They believe it is the main form of transportation for our nervous system to carry out communication. Some techniques we can use to energize our minds include breathing techniques, music, and aromatherapy. These things allow us to reflect on our day, and give our mind an opportunity to rest and replenish itself.
It is important to regularly make time to sustain our mental wellbeing, even as we make every effort to maintain our physical wellbeing. You can do both at once, too. We can relax our mind as we take a brisk twenty-minute walk at lunchtime. OR we can build muscle strength as we meditate during yoga.
Even the smallest thing, like listening to some soothing music, or relaxing in a warm bathtub will help your mind relax and re-energize.
Taking any opportunity to regroup is even the smallest thing, like listening to some soothing music, or relaxing in a warm bathtub will help your mind relax and re-energize and it is advantageous for your wellbeing of mind. Even the smallest thing, like listening to some soothing music, or relaxing in a warm bathtub will help your mind relax and re-energize.
The whole point of this article was to make you aware of your mental health and think about your mental wellbeing. Indeed, you started out thinking about it, I hope by now that you will more often seek for ways to relax your mind.
