
Addressing Issues Related to Mental Health
Oct 10 , 2022
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Mental health is as important as physical health, but unfortunately, it is mostly neglected. Good mental health is necessary for a peaceful life because people with good mental health are more successful in their personal and professional life.
In the current era, though the world has become very efficient, informative, and systematic, but still many important things concerning a healthy and happy society are being neglected by the people and mental health issues are among one of them.
This blog aims to educate readers about the basics of mental health, including how it affects people in their daily life, what are the symptoms, the most common causes of mental health issues, and the effective ways for treatment or to improve the lives of the people suffering from it.
People mostly consider mental health issues as an abnormality of the mind only. Therefore, to create awareness about mental health issues World Mental Health Day is celebrated on the 10th of October each year globally.
Fighting the stigma, providing support and resources to struggling individuals and their loved ones is the main cause of Mental Health day.
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps to determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
(National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion)
Mental health affects people in different ways and it is not possible for two people to have the same mental health.
The most common signs that someone may be struggling with mental health issues are:
Having low or no energy, depression or anxiety, having unexplained aches and pains, difficulty in concentrating, mood swings or change in behavior, eating or sleeping too much or too little, pulling away oneself from people or usual activities, thinking of harming him/ herself or others, feeling sad or hopeless, etc.
Mental health issues can be caused by many factors including biological, psychological, and environmental factors like childhood abuse/ trauma, or neglect, social isolation or loneliness, experiencing discrimination or any stigma, long-term illness, unemployment or losing one's job/loved one, drug addiction, etc. People with a family history of mental health problems have more chances of facing mental health issues at some point in their lives.
Ignoring mental health issues can cause great problems and affect physical health badly. Issues like depression, stress, or severe anxiety can cause overweight issues like obesity, affect the heart which can cause heart attack, aches, pains, and gastrointestinal distress without any physical source, and have a high chance of strokes. Furthermore, untreated anxiety, depression, or stress become the source of panic attacks or suicide cases.
“Our mental health is something that impacts our eating and sleeping habits and has a lot to do with our physical health as well. It is important to address our mental health needs, or oftentimes we will feel the impact of it in other areas of our health as well.”- Talkspace therapist Bisma Anwar, LMHC
To rule out mental health issues, the person or his/her family must reach out to a doctor, psychiatrist, or psychologist as they visit a doctor for their physical health problems. However, there are many other ways as well, by which people can improve their mental health issues easily.
Following are some ways which will help a person to cope with anxiety, depression, stress, and other mental health problems.
- Be physically active:
Global research has shown, that staying active by engaging in activities such as regular exercise, walking, cycling, etc helps in coping with mental health issues. When a person stays physically active and fit, he/she will have the energy to leave his/her comfort zone and participate in daily life activities, positively.
- Connect with reliable sources:
The best practice for people who are suffering from mental health issues like anxiety/stress/depression is to vent out their ongoing thoughts, problems, concerns, sufferings, or any other thing, that is disturbing their peace of mind. By speaking up and sharing about these issues, they will feel better, and sometimes, they may also find the solution of the issues.
- Practice gratitude:
The key to a happy life is to be thankful for every blessing and thing one has in his/ her life, as it helps to stop comparing him/herself or his/her life with others. When a person practices gratitude he/she naturally has a peaceful mind. Positive thinking and a peaceful mind is the biggest barrier to depression and anxiety.
- Meditation:
Disconnecting oneself from the world and meditation not just only clears the mind from negative thoughts, but also helps to have a relaxed and focused mind with a positive attitude. Hence, meditation is the best choice, for improving mental health-related problems.
- Meet the Therapist
Though the above practices will definitely help people to cope up with their mental health-related issues, however, visiting a doctor, clinical psychiatrist or psychologist is also very important, because it helps people in ruling out their actual mental health issues and its severity identified by a professionally trained person.
On this world mental health day, the entire team of Dr Essa Laboratory & Diagnostic Centre requests all its customers, readers, and people around the globe to don’t ignore mental health issues and spread their word to create awareness about mental health problems. Lastly, if you can identify the symptoms in your own life or in your loved ones' life, immediately consult or take them to a healthcare professional, because Mental health is as important as physical health.