The Mental Health Conversation

The mental health Conversation is one that has been waiting to happen. It has failed to take off courtesy of the misconceptions and stigma related to mental health challenges in the society. At the mention of mental health the thing that first pops into the minds of most people is mental disorders. The mere fact that one doesn’t have a mental disorder causes them to conclude that they are mentally healthy. But are they really? As we begin this journey, the first question we must answer is what mental health is.

What is Mental Health?

Mental health is more than an absence of mental illness. There are numerous definitions of mental well-being. These are influenced by individual experiences and expectations, as well as cultural and religious beliefs. Mental health influences how we think and feel, about ourselves and others and how we interpret events. As a result, it affects our ability to:

• Learn

• Communicate

• Form and sustain relationships

• Cope with change, transitions and life events.

Positive mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can copewith the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to hisor her community.”(Jané-Llopis& Anderson2006)[1]In the light of this definition,

• How well are you?

• Have you realized your abilities?

• Are you able to cope with the normal stresses of life?

• How productive and fruitful are you?

• What contribution are you making to your community?

The tendency is to answer these questions from a livelihood perspective. Nevertheless, their import is much broader. For each of these questions, one needs to respond considering all spheres of their life. Namely:

• Spiritually

• Physically

• Psychologically

• Socially

People tend to spend a lot of time and energy in investing on their physical health as evidenced by the great interest and following of gyms for physical health and emphasis on right eating. My goal in this blog is to stir in you the desire to begin to consider and take care of your mind. Welcome to the mental health conversation. My prayer as we begin this journeyis similar to one found in the scriptures that states

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health[2], even as thy soul prospereth”. (3 John 1:2 KJV)

How mentally healthy are you? What is the evidence?

[1]Jané-Llopis, E. & Anderson, P. (Eds). (2006). Mental health promotion and mental disorder preventionacross European Member States: a collection of country stories. Luxembourg: European Communities

[2] Emphasis is the writer’s.