Mental Health Awareness Month, Why Is It Important?
Mental health awareness month is here and it is essential to highlight how important it is for the development of every human being and for society.
Each year, millions of Americans face the reality of living with mental illness. During May, My Health Fair joins the national movement to bring relevance to this issue for Mental Health Awareness Month.
Many organizations fight against stigma by providing support, educating the public and advocating for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.
Why Is It Important to Understand Mental Health?
It seems logical, but mental health is relevant to almost every aspect of life, influencing all of our interactions with peers, loved ones and even strangers.
Mental health is also related to our physical health, helping us to maintain certain normal functions, our immune system and energy levels, as well as affecting other aspects, such as behavior, decision-making and interpersonal skills.
Mental health can determine how we handle stress and cope with certain difficulties; however, neglecting it is commonplace in all societies.
Although mental health is not a new concept, it has only recently come to the forefront. As defined by MentalHealth.gov: mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It affects the way we think, feel and act.
It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others and make decisions and when not handled properly, can lead to problems such as depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse problems and more.
Reasons to take care of your mental health
During Mental Health Awareness Month, we highlight countless reasons why one should consider taking regular mental health care that can help a person define a more fulfilling life in areas such as productivity, promoting self-love, and relationships with self and others:
1. Emotional
If a person enjoys good mental health, he/she is surely much better equipped to face some of the challenges that life presents to him/her.
Change happens constantly and it is impossible to prevent it, so having a stable mental health means you can be flexible and take the situations that come your way in a positive way.
2. Creating connections
One of the realities of mental health is the stigmas that surround it. By understanding why mental health is important, we can better recognize the signs and symptoms, which is why creating safe environments for these discussions is of utmost importance.
It is imperative to create spaces where it is promoted, where it is normalized to go to a therapist and where society is educated on these issues.
3. Healthy Relationships
Whether you are talking about a close friend, family member or significant other, how you feel can directly affect your relationship with them.
Symptoms of anxiety and depression include short temper and hostility, which can put a strain on personal or professional relationships.
4. Caring for others:
Talking about your mental health may allow you to better understand the needs of your loved ones.
Positive mental health also helps us to be more empathetic to external situations. Removing the stigma associated with mental illness is an important step.
5. Promote a strong immune system:
Believe it or not, our mental health can have an impact on our bodies.
Countless research shows that being in positive and pleasant environments can help keep our immune system strong.
6. Sleeping well
Sleep is vital to our overall health; it is well known that lack of sleep is linked to a number of chronic diseases, including depression.
Good mental health facilitates rest habits and improved sleep patterns.
7. Tools for life:
Taking care of your mental health can help you overcome the difficulties experienced in everyday life, given the correlation with managing emotions, good mental health can mean that we are better equipped to handle negative emotions and take on some of life’s challenges.
8. Decision making:
Mental health is directly connected to the ability to make good decisions.
We are assertive to the extent that we encourage positive behavior, otherwise involuntarily with highly complicated and hostile environments, we are more likely to make decisions in a negative way.
9. Mental illness:
Mental health and mental illness are not the same thing, but they are not mutually exclusive.
Although poor mental health does not define a disease, poor mental health is associated with emotional disturbances and psychosocial impairment, comparable to that of a depressive episode. The effects of poor mental health can be severe and prevalent, being more common than depression.
10. Substance abuse prevention:
Poor mental health and addictions can be closely related to substance abuse problems. Many people turn to drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism to help them deal with the symptoms of their illnesses.
That is why it is so important to be aware of mental health and be willing to talk openly about mental illness and support yourself in treatment programs through mental health therapy and drug addiction treatment.
In general, when it comes to wellness, it is vital to understand that mental health must be managed in a transparent and above all healthy way.
Activities such as exercise, meditation, diet, social activities and above all seeking guidance from specialized professionals can help you work on and improve your mental health.
Throughout the month, we will share recommendations from professionals with expertise in mental health issues.
At myhealthfair.com our goal is to raise awareness about mental illness, presenting the solutions available to our partners, so that people understand the importance of prioritizing their mental health.
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