Mental Health month raises awareness for wellness
More than 50 years ago, Mental Health Awareness Month was created to raise awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of mental wellness for all.
One’s mental health consists of many everyday aspects of our lives including family, finances and health. Our mental health consists of how we feel, think and act when we deal with positive and stressful situations. When our mental health is challenged, it can affect many of our health issues.
According to the American Psychological Association’s 2008 Stress in America survey, as many as 30 percent of U.S. adults live with extreme stress. Finding healthy ways to manage life’s challenges can lower the risk of mental health and other health problems.
While we may not be able to change the things that cause our stress, we can improve how we deal with stress.
Make a list of family members and friends who positively support you. An additional list of people you feel the need to stay in touch with regularly, such as parents, a relative that lives far away or even a close friend will help your stress level decline. Reaching out to those on these lists will help you to reconnect emotionally. Sharing with them what’s on your mind honestly and openly will help you talk about your concerns in a straightforward way. Just make sure it stays constructive. Listening to other people’s concerns can often shed a new light on your own challenges. Make social plans. Looking forward to special activities boosts our spirits, gives us energy and makes us more productive.
When our everyday issues make us feel worried, anxious, sad or stressed, we have to be aware of the fact that sometimes these feelings don’t go away and are serious enough to interfere with daily life.
These thoughts and feelings may indicate an emotional disorder or behavioral health condition. Emotionally healthy people can handle these thoughts and feelings, but when an individual begins to lose this ability, it is one indication of a need for help.
Mental health conditions can be caused by something physical like a chemical imbalance in the brain. Stress or problems with work or school can be triggers. Causes of mental health conditions vary and a key to emotional health is the ability to cope with stress and problems. Most treatments focus on developing and practicing coping skills and using them to improve daily functioning.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than one in four adults experience diagnosable mental health disorders. Depression, phobias, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and many others are real diseases that require treatment. Many people who commit suicide have diagnosable mental health disorders.
The social stigma associated with mental health conditions often prevents people from seeking help. If you feel overwhelmed, unable to cope and feel as though your stress is affecting how you function every day, don’t let it go unchecked. Contact your health care provider for help.
For additional help you can call Mental Health America at 1-800-969-6642, Mental Health America of South Carolina at 1-800-273-8255 or our local mental health clinic at 435-2124.
