Mental Health Your Way

Recipe
Written By Kimberlee Bow

Tiles spelling out mental health matters.

 

May, as you may know, is Mental Health Awareness Month! A month that we take some time to remember the importance of mental health.

However, we need to be considering our mental health all year round, not just one month a year. Let’s begin by bringing up what mental health is from the perspective of the World Health Organization (WHO) along with a few key thoughts.

“Mental health is more than the absence of mental disorders.” - WHO

Many hear about mental health and jump directly to mental illness/disorders. While mental illness is an important and essential topic, it is not all of mental health. There is so much more to the topic and is very complex. For example, did you know that you have two “brains”? Your gut is often referred to as the “second brain.” There is a link below where you can learn more about this topic as we will not cover it right now, but please consider learning a little bit more on this fascinating subject.

“Mental health is an integral part of health; indeed, there is no health without mental health.” - WHO

As the point just before this one hinted at with the brain-gut connection, the systems of the body, including the emotional and cognitive, are all connected. There is no escaping it. There is purpose and benefit to the connection. There is also a lot to learn from the connection!

“Mental health is determined by a range of socioeconomic, biological and environmental factors.” - WHO

No one exists in isolation. We are all connected to other people, environments, systems, and forces. For example, our brains are designed to grow and develop in the context of social connections. If you want an even more in-depth example, look at what are called mirror neurons. Mirror neurons are a specific type of neuron that fire or become active in two situations. The first is when a person completes a movement or action. And the second is when a person observes the same or similar action or movement done by another person. All that to say, our brains respond to other people and engage! This is just one example of how we are connected and how systems and people influence us and our mental health. One more example that we can draw from is by looking at socioeconomic status and environment. If a person has financial security, that person can afford to buy good food, access health care, and live in a safe environment. All of that impacts mental and physical health and provides a much better opportunity for the person to be healthy. Below there is a link to an article that you can read to learn more. Highly encouraged!

“Cost-effective public health and intersectoral strategies and interventions exist to promote, protect and restore mental health.” - WHO

There are many organizations and people who have dedicated their lives to supporting people around mental health. That is not to say that everyone has everything down perfectly, it is more to say that there is hope and people who care about improving mental health for everyone.

We have just covered the topic of mental health from one perspective. Now it is your turn! While there are larger definitions and great perspectives out there, what is your own? What does mental health mean to you? How do you define mental health? How do you define mental illness? How do you define change? These are important questions to ask yourself as they do play a role in how you approach your own mental health and how you view mental health in general.

Take action moment:

Answer the above questions for yourself and reflect on what that means for you in your life and how that impacts how you approach other people? What are the implications of your approach?

As you take time to do this exercise, remember to stay curious, open, and to hold your journey with compassion.

One hand passing a heart to another.

Kimberlee Bow
Previous

Mother's Day Reflections
Next

Stress Awareness Reframed into Advocacy!