Question: how to take care of mental health, slowly ceases to be something strange and creepy. For several years we have a boom in health care: health diet, physical activity, more and more people talk about the fundamental importance of sleep. In the media there are the first timid mentions of its fundamental importance, social media has been buzzing for several years. All right, let them roar. It is extremely important to normalize the topic of mental health.
What is mental health?
It used to be assumed that mental health is simply the absence of mental disorders. I admit that this theory does not appeal to me at all, health is not only the absence of disease. It’s more than that!
The definition of Maria Jahody appeals much more to me, look:
- high self-esteem-for me it means an inner relationship with each other, whose characteristics are kindness towards each other and healthy requirements that we set ourselves.
- The ability to develop and self-realization-I think here mainly about the ability to realize their needs (you need to know them, of course) and the development of yourself as a person
- The ability to integrate experiences-I understand this as the ability to go through three steps: what happened to me, what did it do to me, what significance do I attach to this experience?
- Autonomy-being independent from social influences and the ability to self-regulate-for me this is a very broad and important topic of boundaries and the ability to separate where I end and the outside world begins. Sometimes people confuse the expectations of others with their own expectations.
- Realistic perception of reality– I understand this as the opposite of an immature black and white perspective, the ability to see the balance between extremes
- The ability to adapt-is now one of the most important supporters of mental health. I understand it as a search for the most supportive ways possible to deal with a rapidly changing reality.
Physical health-mental health database
What does one have to do with the other?
Take physical activity, for example . Physical activity has a preventive dimension, for example depression and anxiety disorders (Egil W. Martinsen).
This does not mean that taking care of physical activity completely guarantees that we will not fall ill with depression. It is a complex disease, which is influenced by many biological, social and psychological factors. However, this is an extremely important brick in this prevention.
My personal experience with physical activity is that I have also noticed a reduced level of anxiety. Let’s see what the authors of the ebook “your head in your hands“write about physical activity in the context of mental health.
“Training induces the formation of endorphins, opioids, serotonin, anandamide – all these compounds generate a sense of happiness, reduce mood swings, pain and relieve symptoms of depression”
- I do not need to tell you about the role of physical activity in reducing the level of stress and tension, about which many people now complain.
Sleep also has a huge impact on our mental health. Its appropriate dose improves well-being, regenerates, positively affects creativity and good memory.